Keystone Welcomes New Trustees to Its Board, Heralds Their Diverse Experience, Perspectives

KEYSTONE, CO, February 11, 2016 — Christine Scanlan, president and CEO of the Keystone Policy Center, welcomed five new national business and policy leaders to the organization’s Board of Trustees this week. Scanlan said the five — Cari Boyce, Vice President of Policy, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Strategy for Duke Energy; Don Cravins, Jr., Senior Vice President for Policy and Executive Director of the Washington Bureau for the National Urban League; Paul Jarris, Senior Vice President and Deputy Medical Officer for the March of Dimes; Kerry McNamara, Adviser to the Chairman and CEO for OCP S.A.; and Pam Strifler, Vice President for Global Sustainability and Stakeholder Development at Monsanto Company — bring invaluable experience and diverse perspectives to Keystone’s ongoing mission to inspire leaders to reach common higher ground.

“Keystone’s Board of Trustees provides strategic vision and support as we work to tackle some of the most vexing and persistent public policy issues facing our world. I am proud to welcome Cari, Don, Kerry, Pam and Paul to our board,” Scanlan said. “Their experience and expertise will strengthen Keystone and our ongoing efforts to find collaborative solutions to the seemingly intractable challenges of our time.”

Keystone’s board meets three times each year in Washington, D.C., and in Colorado. The board oversees Keystone’s work and supports its mission throughout the year.

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New Trustee Bios

Cari Boyce, Vice President of Policy, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Strategy for Duke Energy
Cari is responsible for the development, communication and integration of the company’s position on environ-mental and energy policy issues, sustainability initiatives and reporting, as well as stakeholder outreach. Boyce was named to this expanded role in November 2015.

Cari previously served as vice president of environmental and energy policy, a position she held beginning in July 2012. She also served as vice president of corporate communications for Progress Energy from 2009 through 2012. Cari joined Progress Energy in 2006, initially serving in the role of director, external communications.

Prior to her employment at Progress Energy, Cari served as the director of external affairs for the North Carolina governor’s office, where she was responsible for managing the federal and regional offices for the governor, as well as the governor’s communications office. She also served as the director of communications for the North Carolina governor; senior advisor for policy and communications for the North Carolina attorney general; and as a legislative assistant in the New York State General Assembly.

Don Cravins, Jr., Senior Vice President for Policy and Executive Director of the Washington Bureau for the National Urban League
Don is a native of Southwest Louisiana and attended college at Louisiana State University where he graduated in 1994 with a degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, Don attended the Southern University Law Center where he graduated with honors in 1998. Upon graduation from law school and while studying for the Louisiana bar exam, Don served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for U.S. Senator John Breaux.

Since 1998, Don has been a practicing attorney. He has practiced in the areas of commercial litigation, personal injury, complex litigation and military law. In 2004, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. At that time, he and his father, State Senator Don Cravins, Sr., made Louisiana history by becoming the first and only father and son to serve in the Louisiana Legislature at the same time. In 2006, Don was elected to the Louisiana Senate for the seat vacated by his father. In 2007, he was re-elected to the senate with over 70 percent of the vote. During his tenure in the Senate, Don served as the Chairman of the Insurance Committee, Vice Chairman of the Retirement Committee and as an active member of the Juvenile Justice Commission of Louisiana. In 2008, Don ran for Congress in the 7th Congressional District of Louisiana.

In January of 2009, Don began serving as Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. As Staff Director and Chief Counsel, Don oversaw the activities of the Committee, developed policy and legislation affecting small businesses and also ad-vised its Chairman and the 19 members of the Committee. In January of 2013, Don accepted a new role and began serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana. As such, he was responsible for the administrative responsibilities of the Senator’s office and worked closely with her to review all legislative and political initiatives.

In January of 2015, Don became the Deputy National Political Director at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In his role, he was responsible for conducting educational briefings with candidates for federal office, organizing and speaking at political briefings in communities throughout the United States, tracking and analyzing local campaign activity and speaking in public forums to educate and engage new and current activists to facilitate pro-Israel activism in their communities.

On July 7, 2015, Don was named the National Urban League’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Exec-utive Director of the National Urban League’s Washington Bureau. His primary responsibilities include developing the League’s policy, research and advocacy agenda and expending its impact and influence inside the Capital Beltway. He will also be devoted to the League’s mission to empower communities through education and economic development.

In addition to his duties at the National Urban League, Don is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University where he teaches Prosecution and Litigation in Intellectual Property. Don is also a member of the District of Columbia Army National Guard Judge Advocate General Corps where he serves as a Captain with the 352nd Legal Operations Detachment.

Don and his wife, Attorney Yvette Puckett Cravins, have three children. Yvette serves as Chief of Staff for Congressman William Lacy Clay, Jr. of Missouri. Don and his family currently reside in Washington, D.C., and Opelousas, Louisiana.

Paul Jarris, Senior Vice President and Deputy Medical Officer for the March of Dimes
Paul leads March of Dimes’ Maternal and Child Health Program Impact department, with overall responsibility for the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, which seeks to reduce the rate of preterm birth, the number one cause of death among babies in the United States.

Paul, a nationally known expert in national healthcare policy, clinical quality initiatives, disease prevention and wellness, among other areas, previously served as Executive Director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). One of his many achievements at ASTHO was partnering with the March of Dimes to challenge all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to lower their preterm birth rates.

Paul has a distinguished career spanning 20 years leading policy and care initiatives to improve public health at the local, state and national levels. Prior to his role at ASTHO, he served as Com-missioner of Health for the State of Vermont, where he led healthcare policy matters and championed new public health initiatives, addressing access to care, prevention, and the factors that impact population health. In addition, he has held a number of health insurance executive-level positions, including resident and CEO of Vermont Permanente Medical Group. Throughout his career, Paul has received numerous prestigious award and honors, and has served as a member of many health-related boards and committees.

Paul received his BA from the University of Vermont, his MD at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Kerry McNamara, Adviser to the Chairman and CEO for OCP S.A.
Kerry is an adviser in the Office of the Chairman & CEO of the OCP Group of Morocco, where he works on a range of international issues and provides thought leadership on OCP’s work on global food security. From 1996 to 2008, Kerry served in several senior research and program-management positions at the World Bank, focused on the impact of information, communication, and knowledge on poverty and development. From 1993 to 1996, he served as executive director of the Civic Education Project, building CEP from a pilot project to a 10-country initiative assisting higher education reform in Central and Eastern Europe.

A political scientist by training (University of Chicago), Kerry has served as a Research and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, an Instructor at the University of Notre Dame and one of the early staff members of the EastWest Institute in New York.

Pam Strifler, Vice President for Global Sustainability and Stakeholder Development at Monsanto Company
Pam is responsible for corporate marketing, sustainability and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to this role, Pam was the Vice President, Precision Agriculture, Corporate Strategy where she was responsible for the expansion of products, services, crops and geographies. She was also part of the team overseeing the acquisition of The Climate Corporation.

Pam joined Monsanto in 1996 as Director of Marketing for Dairy, with subsequent roles as Commercial Development Manager Animal Agriculture; U.S. Marketing Operations Lead; Director of Customer Operations; and Business Director for the Regional Seed Brands and Vice President of Marketing U.S. Row Crops.

Pam has a Bachelor of Science degree; and earned her Masters of Business Administration from Webster University.

About Keystone Policy Center
Keystone Policy Center brings together crucial teams of stakeholders who have diverse individual perspectives but recognize a common need to address urgent issues with lasting solutions. For more than 40 years, Keystone has helped leaders move beyond fixed positions toward collaborative, action-oriented approaches to problem-solving. In this age of polarized debate on nearly every major topic in public policy, Keystone offers a refreshing yet proven blueprint for progress.