Board Members

Paul is currently Director, Investor Relations at Nucor Corporation. For most of his career prior to Nucor Paul worked in Investment Banking roles with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co in both New York and Hong Kong, covering industrial and materials companies. He earned an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Political Science from The College of the Holy Cross, and is a CFA charterholder.

Philip Dickinson is a Vice President at Corbin Advisors, a strategic investor relations and communications advisory firm. Philip leverages his experience in strategy, business management, M&A, and finance to help clients realize shareholder value. Prior to joining Corbin, Philip held roles at Carrier and United Technologies in corporate development, strategic planning, and finance, as well as at Deutsche Bank in investment banking. He began his career in the US Army as an infantry officer, serving for five years on active duty.

Philip holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

He joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2025.

Roy Granato is the founder and president of Granato Creative Group, an award-winning communications design firm that specializes in the production of annual reports, ESG reports, and investor presentations. Roy’s initial career was as a stockbroker — first with a large national firm, then a smaller regional brokerage firm — where he advised private clients on their stock investments. With the advent of online brokerage firms and after several years of gaining insight and understanding to what compels investor decisions, he shifted course, pursuing a career in producing annual reports for publicly traded corporations — first with a large national firm, where he served 15 years, then launching his own firm in 2015 .

Roy continues to work with numerous publicly traded corporations —headquartered throughout the country, spanning every industry, from the small caps to the Fortune 500 — helping them engage their stakeholders through meaningful and strategic creative solutions.

Roy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was elected the 77th Speaker of the Student Congress. He resides in Charlotte, as an active supporter of the arts and arts education, and he is a passionate supporter of NIRI, having served on the board of the Charlotte chapter for over 25 consecutive years, including multiple terms as President.

James M. Ryan (Jim) is Vice President, Investor Relations of Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) and leads the Company’s investor relations efforts since 2011. Mr. Ryan has more than 23 years of investor relations experience in a variety of positions, including corporate investor relations roles at Wyndham Worldwide and DRS Technologies. Earlier in his career, he worked in capital markets intelligence for Thomson Financial and The Carson Group.

Mr. Ryan holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Fordham University. He joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2016.

Ryan Kiras is Senior Manager, Investor Relations of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW). Prior to joining Lowe’s, Mr. Kiras served in multiple investor relations positions at Coeur Mining, Inc. He has executed various roles for NIRI, including head of the Next Gen Committee & Advocacy Ambassador for the NIRI Chicago Chapter, and was recognized as NIRI’s Rising Leaders Under 40 in 2024.

Mr. Kiras holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Oakland University.

Stephanie Gorman is Vice President of Investor Relations at First Advantage Corporation (NASDAQ: FA), where she defines and executes the company’s investor relations strategy, serving as a strategic partner to executive leadership on financial reporting and communications, capital markets engagement, and enterprise-level strategic planning. She has led the company through several high-impact transactions, including its initial public offering, secondary equity offering, and $2.2 billion acquisition of Sterling Check Corp. She brings nearly 15 years of experience across investor relations, corporate strategy, corporate development, and investment banking. Stephanie has served on the NIRI Charlotte Board of Directors since 2019, been honored by NIRI as a "40 Under 40" leader, recognized by IR Impact as a finalist across multiple categories representing excellence in investor relations, and named a Top Women Leader of North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

Kevin Powers is the SVP, Investor Relations at Ashtead Group (trade name is Sunbelt Rentals) with 20 years of Investor Relations experience including Family Dollar Stores, Premier Inc., CommScope, and Utz Brands. Kevin has served in various roles on the NIRI Charlotte Chapter Board since 2012, including two stints as Chapter President, and is now an At-large Board Member. Kevin holds the NIRI IRC® certification and serves as a NIRI Senior Roundtable Member.