Leadership

Steve Beard is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Covista (NYSE: ATGE).

Beard was named CEO in 2021 and elected Chairman of the Board in 2024. Under his leadership, Covista transformed from a diversified education and training company to one centered on healthcare education.

He joined the company in 2018 as General Counsel and soon became Chief Operating Officer, where he led the now divested financial services segment and the portfolio repositioning that enabled Covista's new strategic direction.

Prior to Covista, Beard served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Heidrick & Struggles International, where he led the firm's expansion into leadership consulting and organizational development. Earlier, he practiced corporate and securities law at Schiff Hardin in Chicago and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Frank Sullivan, Jr. (ret.), Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.

Beard serves on the Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT) and Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) board of directors and as board chair of A Better Chicago, a venture philanthropy expanding opportunity for underserved Chicago youth. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his law degree from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Michael W. Malafronte serves as lead independent director of Covista. He has held this role since November 2024 and served on Covista's board since June 2016.

Mr. Malafronte has served as a Senior Advisor to Derby Copeland Capital since September 2022. Derby Copeland is a private equity firm that specializes in opportunistic real estate-related debt finance and equity investment.  

Mr. Malafronte is a Founding Partner of International Value Advisers, LLC (“IVA”) and served as Managing Partner for 13 years until December 2020. He was responsible for overseeing all aspects of IVA, including company strategy and managing resources. He also served as President of IVA Funds.  

Prior to founding IVA in 2007, Mr. Malafronte was a Senior Vice President at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisers, LLC where he worked for two years as a senior analyst for the First Eagle Funds, owned by Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisers, LLC. There he worked under Charles de Vaulx and Jean-Marie Eveillard within the Global Value Group for the value funds, including the First Eagle Overseas, Global, U.S. Value Funds as well as the offshore funds, inclusive of the Sofire Fund Ltd. Similarly, he was responsible for covering the oil and gas, media, real estate, financial services, and retail industries on a global basis, as well as companies within the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Moreover, Mr. Malafronte was responsible for covering the larger names within the portfolio such as Pargesa Holdings, ConocoPhillips, Petroleo Brasileiro, SK Corp., News Corp., Dow Jones, and Comcast.  

Prior to the First Eagle Funds, Mr. Malafronte worked for nine years as a Portfolio Manager at Oppenheimer & Close, a dually-registered broker dealer and investment adviser; an adviser on three domestic hedge funds, one offshore partnership and a registered investment adviser and broker dealer. While at Oppenheimer & Close, Mr. Malafronte assisted in the launch of a domestic hedge fund in 1996 and an offshore partnership in 1998. Mr. Malafronte was responsible for all facets of portfolio management for the investment partnerships, including idea generation, in-depth research, and stock selection. In addition, he was also responsible for hiring and coaching both operations staff and research analysts.  

Board Service  
Mr. Malafronte previously served on the boards of two publicly traded companies: Bresler & Reiner Inc. (2002-2008) and Century Realty Trust (2005-2006). 

William W. Burke  serves as a director of Covista, a role he has held since January 2017. He served as lead independent director from July 2019 through November 2022.

From November 2015 to June 2024, Mr. Burke served as President of Austin Highlands Advisors, LLC, a provider of corporate advisory services. He served as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of IDEV Technologies, a peripheral vascular devices company, from November 2009 until the company was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in August 2013. From August 2004 to December 2007, he served as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of ReAble Therapeutics, a diversified orthopedic device company which was sold to the Blackstone Group in a going private transaction in 2006 and subsequently merged with DJO Incorporated in November 2007. Mr. Burke remained with ReAble Therapeutics until June 2008. From 2001 to 2004, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Cholestech Corporation, a medical diagnostic products company.  

Board Service  
Mr. Burke has served on numerous public and private company boards including serving as a board chairman and a lead independent director. He has served on the board of Tactile Systems Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCMD) since 2015 and currently serves as Chairman of the Board and as a member of its nominating and governance committee. Since 2022, he has served on the Board of Directors of Ceribell Inc., (NASDAQ: CBLL), a medical technology company. Mr. Burke also currently chairs Ceribell’s audit committee and serves on the nominating and governance committee. “From 2024 through 2026, Mr. Burke served on the board of Nalu Medical, Inc., a privately held, medical technology company, which was acquired by Boston Scientific Group.” He previously served on the board of Invuity, Inc. (acquired by Stryker Corp. in 2018), LDR Holding Corporation (acquired by Zimmer Biomet in 2016), and Medical Action Industries (acquired by Owns & Minor in 2014).

Donna J. Hrinak serves as a director of Covista, a role she has held since October 2018.

Ms. Hrinak served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Royal Caribbean Group from 2020 through 2023. Previously she served as President of Boeing Latin America (2011-2020) where she opened Boeing’s first three offices in the region and oversaw all aspects of operations, from commercial and defense product sales to research and technology. Prior to Boeing, she served as Vice President Global Public Policy and Governmental Affairs/Vice President for Public Policy at PepsiCo (2008-2011) and held a role at Kraft Foods (2006-2008), where she managed the Latin American and European Corporate Affairs teams. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Counselor for Trade and Competition at the law firm of Steel Hector & Davis and held a role with the strategic advisory firm of Kissinger McLarty Associates.  

Before entering the private sector, Ms. Hrinak was a career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, and served as U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department.

Georgette Kiser serves as a director of Covista, a role she has held since May 2018.

Ms. Kiser is an operating executive/independent advisor who helps lead due diligence and technical strategies across various private equity and venture capital firms. Previously, she was Managing Director and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at The Carlyle Group, responsible for leading the firm’s global technology and solutions organization and driving IT strategies. Prior to her role at The Carlyle Group, she was in various executive roles at T. Rowe Price from 1996 to 2015, including Vice President and Head of Enterprise Solutions and Capabilities. She was a consultant and Software Engineer at Martin Marietta Management Data Systems from 1993 to 1995, and a Software Design Engineer in the Aerospace Division of the General Electric Company from 1989 to 1993.  

Board Service  
Since 2019, Ms. Kiser has served on the boards of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL), a leading supplemental insurer, and Jacobs Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: JEC), a leading global professional services company. She serves on the audit and risk committee and compensation committee for Aflac, and the compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee for Jacobs. She served on the board of NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), an American software, professional services, consulting and tech company from 2019 through 2024.  

Liam serves as a director of Covista, a role he has held since June 2022.

In 2021, Mr. Krehbiel founded Topography Hospitality, LLC, and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since then. He is also the co-owner of Ballyfin Demesne, a luxury hotel in Ireland, which opened in 2011. In 2010, Mr. Krehbiel founded A Better Chicago, a nonprofit venture philanthropy fund, and served as its CEO until 2019. A Better Chicago invests in the most promising nonprofits helping children escape poverty. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Krehbiel was a management consultant at Bain and Company. Prior to joining Bain, Mr. Krehbiel worked with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in New York.  

Board Service  
Mr. Krehbiel is a director of A Better Chicago and One Future Illinois.  

Sharon L. O’Keefe serves as a director of Covista, a role she has held since April 2020.

Sharon L. O’Keefe served as the President of the University of Chicago Medical Center from February 2011 through July 2020. From April 2009 through February 2011, Ms. O’Keefe served as President of Loyola University Medical Center. Prior to her role at Loyola, she served from July 2002 to April 2009 as Chief Operating Officer for Barnes Jewish Hospital, a member of BJC Healthcare, St. Louis. In addition, Ms. O’Keefe has served in a variety of senior management roles at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, University of Maryland Medical System, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. She has also served as a healthcare consultant with Ernst & Young. In addition, Ms. O’Keefe has served on the National Institutes of Health Advisory Board for Clinical Research, the Finance Committee of the National Institutes of Health Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Hospital Association, and an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  

Board Service  
Since March 2022, Ms. O’Keefe has served on the Board of Directors of Conva Tec Group PLC, a global medical products and technologies company focused on therapies for the management of chronic conditions. From July 2022 to May 2023, Ms. O’Keefe served on the Board of Directors of Apollo Endosurgery, a medical technology company focused on the development of minimally invasive devices for advanced endoscopy therapies. From 2012 until February 2022, Ms. O’Keefe served on the Board of Directors of Vocera Communications Inc., a provider of communication and clinical workforce solutions, where she was a member of the compensation committee. Ms. O’Keefe previously served on the board of Aviv Reit Inc. from 2013 to 2015.  

Kenneth J. Phelan serves as a director of Covista, a role he has held since April 2020.

Mr. Phelan has been a Senior Advisor at Oliver Wyman Inc., a global management consulting firm, since 2019. Prior to that he served as the first Chief Risk Officer for the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) from 2014 to 2019. As Chief Risk Officer of the Treasury, he was responsible for establishing and building the Treasury’s Office of Risk Management to provide senior Treasury and other administration officials with analysis of key risks including credit, market, liquidity, operational, governance, and reputational risk. From 2018 to 2019, Mr. Phelan also served as Acting Director for the Office of Financial Research, an independent bureau within the Treasury charged with supporting the Financial Stability Oversight Council and conducting research about systemic risk. Prior to joining the Treasury, Mr. Phelan served as the Chief Risk Officer for RBS America from 2011 to 2014, as Chief Risk Officer for Fannie Mae from 2009 to 2011, and as Chief Risk Officer for Wachovia Corporation from 2008 to 2009. Earlier in his career, Mr. Phelan held a variety of senior risk roles at JPMorgan Chase, UBS, and Credit Suisse.  

Board Service  
Since 2019, Mr. Phelan has served as director of Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ. HBAN), a regional bank holding company whose primary subsidiary is The Huntington National Bank. Mr. Phelan is the Chair of Huntington’s risk committee and serves on its human resources and compensation committee.  

Dr. Betty Vandenbosch  serves as a director of Covista, a role she has held since January 2024.

She served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Coursera, Inc., an online university course provider and facilitator, from 2022 to 2023. Dr. Vandenbosch joined Coursera in 2020 and served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer from 2020 to 2022. Prior to Coursera, Dr. Vandenbosch was the Chancellor of Purdue University Global from 2018 to 2020, where she oversaw academics for nearly 30,000 students, most of whom earned their degrees online. From 2008 to 2018, Dr. Vandenbosch held several roles of increasing responsibility at Kaplan University, including Provost from 2013-2014, and President from 2015 through 2018. From 1993 through 2008, Dr. Vandenbosch served in a variety of roles at Case Western University, including Associate Dean of Executive Education Programs and Associate Dean of External Relations.

Lisa W. Wardell serves as a director of Covista, a role she has held since November 2008.

Ms. Wadell is a business executive with more than 25 years of experience managing business strategy, operations, finance, and mergers and acquisitions, while driving shareholder value, stakeholder engagement, and company mission. After a successful three-year run as Adtalem's President and CEO (2016-2019), she transitioned to CEO and Chairman (2019-2021) and then Executive Chairman (2021-2022). Through her commitment to high performance and positive social impact, Ms. Wardell’s leadership resulted in superior outcomes for students and significant value creation for shareholders, positioning the company for long-term growth. Ms. Wardell has also led the higher education sector in implementing new standards in transparency and financial literacy, and in cultivating quality partnerships to fill critical global healthcare workforce needs.  

Prior to Adtalem, Ms. Wardell was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for The RLJ Companies. During her tenure at RLJ, Ms. Wardell managed acquisitions and executed the formation of RML Automotive, a dealership network spanning seven states with over $1.5 billion in annual revenues. She also worked extensively in the media, entertainment, sports, gaming, and hotel industries, which included assisting with the founding and managing of Our Stories Films Studio and managing the now Charlotte Hornets (previously Charlotte Bobcats). Ms. Wardell also served on the board of the NBAPA, Inc., the for-profit portion of the NBA Players Association, from 2018 to 2021. Prior to joining The RLJ Companies, Ms. Wardell was a principal at Katalyst Venture Partners, a private equity firm that invested in start-up technology companies, and a senior consultant at Accenture in the organization’s communication and technology practice.  

Ms. Wardell has been featured on CNBC and Cheddar as well as in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Business Insider, Black Enterprise, and other publications.  

Board Service
Ms. Wardell has served on the board of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) since 2021, where she is a member of the audit and compliance and risk committees. She served on the board of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) from March 2018 to March 2021 and GIII Apparel Group, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GIII) from March 2022 to June 2023. She is a member of The Business Council, and Co-Chair of the Alvin Ailey DC Foundation. Ms. Wardell also is a member of the board of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Executive Leadership Council, and the Fortune CEO Initiative.