Board Members

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 20 consecutive years, including multiple terms as President.

Kevin J. Powers is Senior Vice President, Investor Relations of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) and leads the Company’s investor relations activities. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Mr. Powers worked at CommScope, Inc., a technology company focused on advanced wired and wireless networks, where he served as Vice President, Investor Relations since 2018. Previously, he held roles in investor relations and communications at Snyder’s-Lance, Inc, Campbell Soup Company, and Family Dollar Stores, among others. At Snyder’s-Lance, Mr. Powers received the Institutional Investors All-America Executive Team award.

Mr. Powers holds a B.A. degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Business and Economics from Boston University. He joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2012.

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.

Andrew Fredrickson is Director, Corporate Development and Investor Relations of Aviat Networks (NASDAQ: AVNW), a leading expert in wireless transport solutions. Mr. Fredrickson joined Aviat Networks in 2022 and leads the Company's M&A and investor relations efforts. Prior to joining Aviat Networks, Mr. Fredrickson held multiple positions in strategy at JELD-WEN and began his career in investment banking at William Blair where he advised growth companies on public equity offerings and M&A.

Mr. Fredrickson holds a B.S. degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2023.

Paul Clegg is the Vice President of Investor Relations & Communications at SPX Corporation (NYSE: SPXC), a diversified, global supplier of infrastructure equipment with scalable growth platforms in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and Detection and Measurement. He has led SPX’s investor relations group since the company spun off its largest division in September 2015. Prior to joining SPX, Mr. Clegg led investor relations at Polypore, Inc., a manufacturer of specialized polymer-based membranes used in separation and filtration processes.

Prior to beginning his investor relations career, Mr. Clegg was a senior sell-side analyst covering clean technology and energy-related securities for various firms, including Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., Jefferies & Company, Natixis, and Calyon Securities. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Science in Economics degrees from Baylor University and is a CFA® charterholder.

Stephanie Gorman is the Vice President of Investor Relations at First Advantage Corporation (NASDAQ: FA), a leading global provider of technology solutions for screening, verifications, safety, and compliance related to human capital. Ms. Gorman joined First Advantage prior to their June 2021 IPO to establish and lead their investor relations program as well as work alongside senior management on corporate strategic initiatives. Ms. Gorman has more than 10 years of experience in investor relations, corporate strategy and innovation, and investment banking in a variety of positions. Prior to joining First Advantage, Ms. Gorman worked for EnPro Industries (NYSE: NPO), where she led investor relations and corporate strategic initiatives. Earlier in her career, she worked at Food Lion (Ahold Delhaize) where she drove strategic planning and developed and implemented innovation initiatives, and prior to that, she worked at Wells Fargo Securities where she executed capital raising and M&A advisory engagements.

Ms. Gorman holds a B.S. degree in Finance from Wake Forest University. In June 2019, Ms. Gorman was honored as a member of NIRI’s inaugural “40 Under 40” class, which recognizes young professionals who have made noticeable contributions to their companies, communities, the IR profession, and to NIRI. She joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2019.

Chase Jacobson is Vice President, Investor Relations for BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT). Previously he was Managing Director and Head of the Industrials practice at Vallum Advisors, a leading global investor relations and financial communications consultancy. Prior, he was Vice President, Investor Relations at Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W), a global power generation equipment and services company. Earlier in his career he was a senior analyst specializing in the engineering, construction and engineered industrial equipment sectors at William Blair, a global investment banking and asset management firm, and a Vice President and Senior Analyst-Global Industrial Infrastructure at Sterne, Agee & Leach, where he was named the top earnings-estimator in the construction and engineering sector by the Financial Times. Chase has also held sell-side equity research roles with Jefferies Group and Prudential Equity Group.

Chase received his B.S. in business administration (finance) from The George Washington University. He joined the NIRI Charlotte board in 2020.