Mark D. Dibner, Ph.D., MBA, Founder and Board Chairman,brings to the Kramden Institute a strong background in management of technology, education, non-profit management, and entrepreneurship.  In June 2003, he and his son Ned began the Kramden pilot project in their basement.  He was founder and President of two companies, BioAbility, LLC (1994 to present) and Strategic Outcomes Services, Inc. (1998, until its sale in 2001).  He served as a Fellow of the Wharton School from 1986 through 1988, and from 1986 through 1998 was an adjunct associate professor on the faculty of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where he taught 1-2 courses each year in entrepreneurship and management of technology. His not-for-profit organization experience includes serving as a Vice President of the 501(c)3 North Carolina Biotechnology Center from 1986 to 1994.  Dr. Dibner combines backgrounds in science and business; academia and industry.  He holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology and pharmacology from Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, an M.B.A. in strategic planning from Widener University, and a B.A. in physiological psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.  He has worked as a researcher in neuropharmacology and cell biology at the Univ. of Colorado Medical School and the Univ. of California at San Diego, and later for six years as a principal scientist at E.I. DuPont and Co. Mark is the author of 13 books on technology management and biotechnology in the United States and Japan, and over 120 published articles.  He has served on numerous boards of directors, including those of companies, non-profits, and editorial boards.  Mark, his son Ned (Kramden Institute Cofounder) and his wife, Elaine -- a frequent KI volunteer and supporter -- live in Durham, NC.

Paul N. Bloom, Ph.D., Treasurer,  is Senior Research Scholar of Social Entrepreneurship and Marketing Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.  Previously he was a Professor of Marketing at the Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He holds a Ph.D. in marketing from the Kellogg School of Northwestern University and earned the MBA degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  His undergraduate degree is from Lehigh University.  He is a frequent contributor to marketing journals on topics related to consumer protection, antitrust, and social marketing.   He has also authored or co-authored several books, including Knowledge Development in Marketing: The MSI Experience (Lexington Books, 1987) and Marketing Professional Services (Prentice Hall, 1984), and he is a co-editor of The Handbook of Marketing and Society (Sage Publications, 2001). He has served on a variety of editorial review boards and in leadership roles within the American Marketing Association and the Association for Consumer Research.  He formerly held posts as a visiting scholar at the Marketing Science Institute and on the faculty of the University of Maryland at College Park.  Paul is an avid runner and triathlete.

William N. Wofford, esq., Vice Chairman and Secretary, is a Partner of the law firm of Hutchison and Mason, PLLC of Raleigh, NC.  His practice focuses on corporate and transactional matters for technology companies. Many of his clients are innovating in the areas of cell therapy, drug discovery, drug delivery, software and related fields. He regularly helps these companies raise capital, acquire and out-license technology, collaborate with strategic partners and engage in mergers and acquisitions. Bill joined Hutchison & Mason in 2001 after practicing at large New York and North Carolina firms.  He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Lowell H. Roberts, Ed.D., Board Member, is a retired professor and academic, nonprofit and government administrator.  Most recently, he was CEO of United Cerebral Palsy of Rhode Island, the 2004 Nina Eaton disability program of the year.  He is a State University of New York (SUNY) Emeritus Professor of Education and Public Policy.  He was the SUNY Assistant Vice Chancellor for Educational Technology and Executive Director of the SUNY Center for Learning and Technology, as well as Executive Director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute for Academic Technology.  He also served as New York State Assistant Commissioner for Social Services and Executive Director of the New York State Federal Budget Office.  He holds an A.B. from St. Lawrence University and graduate degrees from Syracuse University, SUNY Albany and Nova Southeastern University.  His doctorate is in learning and cognition.

Craig Merrigan, Board Member is Vice President of Strategy, Design, and Market Intelligence, Lenovo.  In this role, Craig has responsibility for strategic direction, branding, product design and visual identity, and market insight.  Craig joined IBM in 1997, and held a range of marketing management positions in the Personal Computing business, a new venture called Home Director, Americas Marketing, and On Demand Business. Prior to IBM, Craig was Group Brand Manager with the Quaker Oaks Company.  He holds degrees in Finance and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Rochester in New York.  Craig lives with his wife and three daughters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Paula Monahan, Board Member has been with Sprint Nextel for eight years, currently working with  sales management to identify and create greater awareness opportunities in the RDU marketplace. Prior to Nextel, Paula worked in New Business Development for a small brand-focused agency in North Raleigh. She is also a past president of the American Marketing Association, Triangle Chapter/ Three years ago, Paula began visualizing and developing an online e-zine with articles written by and for women in North Carolina. To date, the Journal has featured high profile women such as Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, Senator Elizabeth Dole as well as other women in a variety of roles in public, private and non-profit sectors. The Journal was started as a means to reach out across North Carolina and connect with women on a variety of issues and also to begin building a grass roots effort to support initiatives that will benefit North Carolina families, students and our educational system. The Journal is packaged as a monthly issue with all the articles and links staying intact on the web site. Before moving back to Raleigh ten years ago, Paula and her husband, Bryan, lived in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area where she worked in financial services for Citicorp/CitiBank. While in Washington, Paula held a board position with the American Heart Association’s annual HeartThrob Ball fundraiser and also worked on charitable fundraisers for Children’s Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Hospital’s annual Victory Awards. Paula holds a BA in Political Science from North Carolina State University and has taken several post baccalaureate courses in Marketing and business. Her professional interests include viral, e2e, and other web marketing strategies. She and Bryan live in North Raleigh and have two children, Patrick and Bridget.

G. Steven Burrill, Board member, is CEO of Burrill & Company, a life sciences venture capital and merchant banking firm in San Francisco, and has been involved in the growth and prosperity of the biotechnology industry for over 35 years. An early pioneer, Mr. Burrill is one of the original architects of the industry and one of its most avid and sustained developers. He currently serves as Chairman of the Boards of Pharmasset, and Genomics; and is a member of the Boards of Directors of Catalyst Biosciences, DepoMed (Amex: DMI), Targacept, and Third Wave Technologies (NASDAQ: TWTI). Prior to founding Burrill & Company in 1994, he spent 28 years with Ernst & Young, directing and coordinating the firm's services to clients in the biotechnology/life sciences/high technology/manufacturing industries worldwide. In 2002, Mr. Burrill was recognized as the biotech investment visionary by the prestigious Scientific American magazine (The Scientific American 50). Mr. Burrill is a founder of the Foundation for the National Medals of Science and Technology and currently serves on its Board of Directors. He also serves on the Boards of Directors for the Bay Area Science Infrastructure Consortium, BayBio, the California Healthcare Institute, the Exploratorium, the Kellogg Center for Biotechnology, and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Foundation. Mr. Burrill also serves on the Advisory Boards for BioExecutive, BioProcess, and the University of Hawaii Medical School, as well as serving as Chairman of the San Francisco Mayor’s Biotechnology Advisory Council (MayBAC). In addition, he is a member of The World Bank’s “Out of the Box” group as well as an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Rubestene Fisher Potter, Board member, joined Kramden Institute's Board in March 2007.  She is former Chapter President of Phi Delta Kappa, an organization of teachers and administrators in the field of education.  She is a 36-year resident of Durham and began her professional career as a first grade teacher in Garland, NC and a fifth grade teacher in Pleasantville, NJ.  After 30-plus years of teaching, she retired as a media specialist in the Durham Public School System in 2002.  She has a Masters in Library Science & Communications from NCCU and UNC-CH She lives with her husband Robert in Durham, North Carolina.

Ned I. Dibner, Honorary Board Member, was a co-founder of the Kramden Institute and worked closely with his father, Mark Dibner, to complete the pilot project.  He is a frequent volunteer at Kramden Institute and spent the summers of 2006 and 2007 as a full-time volunteer.  Ned is currently a Senior at Jordan High School in Durham, NC.  While in Middle School, he helped start the Kramden for Kids project, was an honor-roll student,
and won several school awards.  He was on the 2003 City-champion Brogden soccer team and on the Brogden lacrosse team. He is on the varsity lacrosse team at Jordan HS and is an award winning artist.  He is also a second dan black belt in tae kwon do. In December 2003, Ned was honored by the Durham Herald-Sun as a "Shining Star" in being a significant contributor to the community in Durham for his participation in the Kramden project.  He and his father co-taught a course on computer building to teams of parent/teens.  Ned serves the Kramden Institute as a special advisor for student needs.  He has put in over 1,000 community service hours for Kramden Institute while in high school.