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Donna A. James

Managing Director, Lardon and Associates

Donna James is the managing director of Lardon & Associates LLC, and a corporate director for three Fortune 500 public companies. As the former president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, and a former executive vice president for Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services, Donna has over 25 years of diverse line and staff business experience at the highest corporate levels. A formal education and beginning as an accounting professional provided the foundation for her growth and effectiveness in both business and community endeavors. During her corporate career she had an opportunity to link financial decisions and business initiatives to well defined people strategies as the senior vice president for human resources. She continued her growth with broader experience in global administrative services before becoming president of a diversified financial services division.

As president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, she had direct responsibility for five U.S and global based affiliates, plus a venture capital fund. She also led a new business innovation team with responsibility for discovering, analyzing and commercializing emerging opportunities. Prior to this assignment she was executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Nationwide Mutual Insurance and Financial Services with global responsibility for human capital management, corporate real estate, procurement, security, technology, public relations, advertising, brand management, and aviation.

In her roles as a corporate director for Coca Cola Enterprises, Limited Brands, Conseco Inc., and Intimate Brands she has experience serving on the governance, audit, affiliated transaction, compensation, and inclusion committees; as chair of the audit committees for Limited Brands and Coca-Cola Enterprises, and she chaired the special committee for Intimate Brands recombination with Limited Brands.

As the managing director of her own business, Lardon & Associates LLC, she provides advice and counsel to businesses through their board of directors and senior leadership on governance, new business development, strategy, organizational and leadership development. Donna is an excellent motivational speaker for business and non-business related groups.

In her community, Donna is chairman of the Center for Healthy Families and a board member of the Women�s Fund of Central Ohio and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. She serves as an advisor to the North Carolina A and T State University School of Business, and a faculty member for the Jefferson Academy for Leadership and Governance. Past community roles includes: United Way of America Board of Governors; Bennett College for Women Board of Trustees; chair of the YWCA of Columbus; I Know I Can Board of Trustees; Nationwide Federal Credit Union; and the Wexner Center for the Arts.

She has received several recognitions � named in 2005 by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the top 75 African Americans in Corporate America; received the national Beta Gamma Sigma business achievement award; an honorary doctorate from Tiffin University and the YWCA of Columbus Women of Achievement Award.

She is the wife of attorney Larry James, partner with Crabbe, Brown, & James in Columbus, Ohio. They have two adult children, Christopher and Justin, and five grandchildren.

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