Governing Board
Bryan Bacon
Bacon is a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager at Northern Trust, where he advises high net worth families. He is a past board member of Beyond OCD and a current board member of Synapse House. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Wheaton College and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
John Balkcom
Balkcom is a former management consultant, college president, and board member of both for-profit and nonprofit firms. He served twice previously as chair of the governing board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He is a native of Atlanta, Georgia; a graduate of Princeton University, of the Booth School of the University of Chicago, and of St. John’s College. John has been married to his high school sweetheart for 58 years.
Alexandra Bell
(President and CEO)
Bell is the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. A noted policy expert and former diplomat, she oversees the Bulletin's publishing programs, management of the Doomsday Clock, and a growing set of activities around nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. Before joining the Bulletin, Alexandra Bell served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS) at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she has worked at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and the Council for a Livable World, Ploughshares Fund, and the Center for American Progress.
Virginia Berkeley
(Secretary)
Berkeley served as Executive Vice President of CoBiz Bank from 2009-2012 after performing numerous other leadership roles at the organization. She previously served as Senior Vice President and Manager of Business Banking of Bank One, Denver and held several positions with Colorado National Bank. Berkeley’s extensive community involvement includes work with numerous Boards of Trustees, most recently with Colorado Public Radio, where she served as board chair, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Berkeley holds a BS degree in economics from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Oklahoma.
Edmund G. Brown Jr.
(Executive Chair)
Brown completed his fourth term as Governor of the State of California in 2019. He began his career in public service in 1969 as a trustee for the LA Community College District and became California Secretary of State in 1970 and Governor of California in 1974 and 1978. After his governorship, Brown lectured and traveled widely, practiced law, served as chairman of the state Democratic Party, and ran for president. Brown was elected Mayor of Oakland in 1998 and California Attorney General in 2006; he was elected to a third gubernatorial term in 2010 and a fourth term in 2014. During this time, Brown helped eliminate the state's multi-billion budget deficit, spearheaded successful campaigns to provide new funding for California's schools, and established a robust Rainy Day Fund to prepare for the next economic downturn. His administration established nation-leading targets to protect the environment and fight climate change. Brown attended the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a JD at Yale Law School.
David Callaway
Callaway is the founder and editor-in-chief of Callaway Climate Insights. With a distinguished career as an award-winning journalist and commentator, he previously served as president of the World Editors Forum and editor-in-chief at USA Today and MarketWatch. Additionally, he served as the chief executive officer of TheStreet Inc.
Misho Ceko
(Treasurer)
Ceko is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Senior Associate Dean of Business Operations at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. Prior to Harris, Ceko was the COO for the Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC). He also worked for the United Nations in Mozambique on the Delivering as One initiative under former Secretary General Kofi Annan and as a senior strategy consultant in Accenture’s public sector practice in Washington, DC. Prior to business school, Misho worked as an engineer for St. Jude Medical. In addition, he served as a mayoral fellow in the office of Mayor Richard M. Daley and was a fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and a BS in bioengineering from the University of Illinois.
Lee Francis
(First Vice-Chair)
An internist and the CEO of Erie Family Health Center, Francis is assistant clinical professor of internal medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. He is a past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), a national organization dedicated to the prevention of violence and nuclear war, and continues to serve on its Board of Directors.
Melissa Harris
Harris began her career as a journalist, capping 15 years in media as a business columnist for the Chicago Tribune. After earning her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, she left the world of private equity to start her own company. Since then, M. Harris & Kern. has become one of the fastest-growing marketing firms in the Midwest. With M. Harris & Kern, Harris was part of the 2018 Clio Award-winning team behind the Cards Against Humanity Saves America campaign. She holds a master's degree in government from John Hopkins University and journalism degree from Northwestern University. Harris serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago.
Daniel Holz
Daniel Holz is chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board. He is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Departments of Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Enrico Fermi Institute, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. His research focuses on general relativity in the context of astrophysics and cosmology. He is a member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration and was part of the team that announced the first detection of gravitational waves in early 2016 and the first multi-messenger detection of a binary neutron star in 2017. Holz is also founding director of the University of Chicago Existential Risk Laboratory (XLab). He received a 2012 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the 2015 Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2016. Holz was selected as a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Chicago and his AB in physics from Princeton University.
Harold Jones
Jones is chief sustainability officer and executive vice president, Eaton Business System for Eaton, a global intelligent power management company. He also leads EBS, which enables Eaton to operate its businesses and functions in a common way. In both capacities, Jones provides thought leadership and promotes excellence. He also leads the company’s Quality and Continuous Improvement functions, Environmental, Health & Safety, Global Security, and co-leads Eaton’s Industry 4.0 initiatives. Jones joined Eaton in 2011 from GE Aviation; he held various leadership roles of increasing responsibility at GE, including Six Sigma Master Black Belt supporting the Structures Center of Excellence, and manager of EHS for all manufacturing and service operations. Before joining GE, he held positions in environmental engineering consulting. Jones also taught civil engineering at Marquette University. Harold holds a PhD, MS and BS degrees in civil engineering from Marquette University and is a licensed professional engineer.
Vesa Koivumaa
Vesa Koivumaa is the Head of Growth, Americas for Voyage, a division of Wärtsilä, focusing on strategic maritime solutions and technological growth. With over 20 years of experience, his expertise includes integrating European companies into the Americas network, network security, OEM management, complex project management, and customer experience. He has previously served as VP, Channel Management for Stonesoft, a former IT security company, and holds an MBA in International Business from George Washington University. Koivumaa also serves on the board of Maritime Blue and as President of the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Houston.
David C. Kuhlman
(Chair)
Kuhlman is a partner at Lotis Blue Consulting (formerly Axiom Consulting Partners), a consulting firm that helps clients identify pathways to profitable growth and align their organizations for long-term success. For over 30 years, he has worked with people-intensive/asset-light businesses including accounting and law firms to establish and realize transformative strategies. Previously, Kuhlman was managing partner of Sibson Consulting, a leading HR consultancy and global head of Human Resources for Russell Reynolds Associates, a premier executive recruiting firm. As chair of the Governing Board, Kuhlman is a member of the Science and Security Board, ex officio, but does not set the Doomsday Clock.
Ania Labno
Labno is a COO at BlueSprig Pediatrics, a national provider of Autism treatment services. She was previously a Director with KKR and Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group’s Chicago office. She has worked across all health care sectors with a strong focus on innovation including data analytics/AI, digital-driven innovation, and novel treatment modalities such as gene/cell therapy. She has supported both commercial and public sector healthcare innovation and is passionate about responsible use of new technologies to enhance health and wellness. Labno serves as an advisor to the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago and MATTER incubator. She holds a BS degree in biology and physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and PhD in biophysics from UC Berkeley.
Michael Lee
Lee is a partner in Reed Smith's Global Corporate Group and serves as a member of Reed Smith’s Executive Committee, the Firm’s global governing board. Lee focuses his practice on acting as corporate counsel to businesses and investors. His practice includes mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing transactions, complex joint ventures, recapitalizations and restructurings, licensing transactions and general corporate counseling. With a J.D. from the University of Chicago (1998) and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University (1991), Lee applies his technical background in the representation of technology companies in intellectual property and information technology agreements.
Robert LoPrete
LoPrete is a Trusts & Estates attorney at Levenfeld Pearlstein in Chicago. His practice includes complex estate, gift, and tax planning for high net worth individuals and families. In addition, he organizes charitable entities and advises clients on tax compliance, governance, and fiduciary obligations, and assists clients with charitable gift planning through a variety of techniques.
LoPrete is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council; a member of the Education Committee at Steppenwolf Theatre; and a Heritage Society Ambassador of the Chicago Botanic Garden. He also serves as trustee of a private family foundation based in Michigan. He received a BA from DePauw University and a JD from University of Michigan Law School.
Thomas Petersen
Petersen is a Silicon Valley high-tech executive and Fellow at Intel Corporation, where he develops technologies that enhance gaming and graphics experiences. He is a prolific inventor with more than 40 U.S. patents, including key gaming technologies like G-Sync used in most modern TVs and monitors, and is now focused primarily on AI and its applications. Petersen holds technical degrees (B.S. in Computer Engineering, M.S.E.E.) and an M.B.A. and has contributed across both engineering and business functions. Prior to Intel, he served as a Distinguished Engineer at NVIDIA and a microprocessor architect at IBM.
Joanne Po
Po is a media innovator and executive producer with more than 25 years of experience leading broadcast, digital, and emerging-platform journalism. She currently serves as a consulting content strategist and executive producer, advising organizations at the intersection of media, technology, and finance on storytelling, audience engagement, and digital transformation. Previously, Po was global head of multimedia content and senior executive producer at CoinDesk, and earlier held leadership roles as managing director at Fox News Digital and executive producer and deputy head of video at The Wall Street Journal. She began her career at CNBC and helped launch Fox Business Network. A New York native, she is a Boston College graduate with a degree in Political Science.
William Revelle
Revelle is an emeritus professor in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern. He is a former president of the International Society for Intelligence Research, the International Society for the Study of Individual Difference, the Association for Research in Personality and the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association. He has served on the board of the Federation of American Scientists. Revelle’s research in personality integrates findings from biological, cognitive, and social psychology with a specialization in psychometrics. He has received lifetime achievement awards from SMEP, ISIR, ISSID, the European Association for Personality Psychology, and SPSP. In addition to his academic interests, he was the chairman of the board of Calcomco, an information company that published the San Diego Daily Transcript (on the web at sddt.com) and the Columbus Daily Reporter. He served on the board of directors and was the chairman of Ocean Design, Inc., a company that specializes in electrical and fiber connectors in harsh (e.g., subsea) environments.
Dimple Shah
Shah is the president and CEO of Gamma Technologies (GT), a global engineering software company that helps accelerate sustainable innovation with predictive compute and advanced simulation technologies traversing scales and physics. For over 25 years, he has collaborated with pioneers across diverse industries transforming the state of the art for the digital development of complex products and systems. He is passionate about solutions that make our planet more habitable and sustainable for future generations. Shah is committed to the uplifting power of education and is associated with organizations that drive long-lasting societal change with increased access to knowledge and networks. He holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering from COEP Technological University and a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University.
Stephanie Woodson
Woodson has worked in and for higher education for nearly 20 years as consultant, strategist, entrepreneur, new product designer, and general manager. She was an executive at one of the earliest online learning ventures, UNext.com. Most recently she launched and served as the Executive Director of Integrated Education Solutions (IES), Adtalem Global Education’s external facing division. Before its sale in 2018, IES provided online learning expertise and services to a broad portfolio of colleges and universities. Prior to that she headed Adtalem’s corporate strategy organization. Woodson has a background in management consulting.