Hugh Steven Wilson has been a director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of our company since October 20, 2009. Mr. Wilson is a Managing Partner of Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC ("TCP"). Prior to joining TCP in 2005, he retired from the international law firm of Latham & Watkins where he was a senior partner and was Global Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group and former Chairman of both the National Litigation Department and the National Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Wilson is Vice Chairman and a director of Burford Capital Limited and a director of Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc. He holds a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.
William Lane Pennington has been the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of our company since March 28, 2005, and has been a director of our company since February 2003. He served as a director when we filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in 2004 and throughout the bankruptcy proceedings. Mr. Pennington founded Pennington Allen Capital Partners LLC, a private investment and advisory firm, in 2003 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Pennington was the President of IMCO International, Inc. and the Executive Vice President of IMCO Recycling, Inc. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Pennington served as the President of Lennox Worldwide Heat Transfer and Lennox Asia Pacific Ltd. and Executive Vice President of Lennox International Inc. Mr. Pennington also held several senior executive positions from 1988 to 1997 with Hilti International Corporation, a global manufacturer and direct sales company, including President of Hilti Asia Pacific Ltd. based in Hong Kong and as President of Hilti Ltd. in Toronto, Ontario. He previously served as a partner, a shareholder, and member of the Board of Directors of Holliman, Langholz, Runnels & Dorwart, a private law practice. Mr. Pennington also currently serves as Chairman of Mathey Investments, Inc. and Bliss Industries LLC.
Peter Blum has been a director of our company since October 20, 2004. Mr. Blum has served as the President of Blum Consulting, LLC, a consulting firm, since 2002. Prior to 2002, Mr. Blum was a Managing Principal of Towers Perrin. He was a consultant for the Wharton Center for Applied Research. In addition, he served as the Business Development Manager and Research and Development Manager for British Oxygen Company. Mr. Blum received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Metallurgy and Materials Science from Lehigh University, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
David M. Gilchrist, Jr. has been a director of our company since October 20, 2004. Mr. Gilchrist currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Siegel-Robert, Inc, a manufacturing company. Prior to joining Siegel-Robert, Inc. in 2007, Mr. Gilchrist was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Jackson Products, Inc. from 2003-2007 and the President of VP Buildings from 1995 through 2003. Prior to joining VP Buildings, he also served as the President of Mid-South Industries and the Fusite Division of Emerson Electric. He also serves as a director of Wolverine Tube. Mr. Gilchrist received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from St. Francis College.
Lowell W. Robinson has been a director of our company since October 20, 2004. Mr. Robinson served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of MIVA, Inc., an online advertising network, from August 2007 through March 2009. He joined MIVA in December 2006 as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. He previously served as the President of LWR Advisors from 2004 to 2006, as Special Counsel (and Interim Chief Financial Officer) to the President of Polytechnic University from 2002 to 2004 and as Chairman of the Audit Committee and Special Independent Committee of the Board of Edison Schools from 2002 to 2003. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HotJobs.com. Previously, he held senior financial positions at ADVO Inc., Kraft Foods, Inc. and Citigroup Inc. Mr. Robinson also serves on the Board of Directors of Jones Apparel Group and on the Board of Directors of the University of Wisconsin School of Business. Mr. Robinson has a B.A. in economics from the University of Wisconsin and a MBA from Harvard Business School.
David H. Robbins has been a director of our company since November 9, 2006. Mr. Robbins joined GSC Group, an investment advisor, at its inception in 1999 and is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of GSC's Corporate Credit and Distressed Investments Group. He was previously with The Blackstone Group, in the Principal Investment and Mergers and Acquisitions Groups, where he worked on a variety of private equity and advisory transactions. Mr. Robbins is on the board of Aeromet Holdings, ATSI Holdings, Kolmar Labs Group, Neucel Specialty Cellulose, Precision Partners, and Safety-Kleen Corp. Mr. Robbins graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. degree in Economics.
John T. Walsh has been a director of our company since October 20, 2004. Mr. Walsh served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Columbian Chemicals Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation, from 1996 through 2001, and he retired in 2001. Mr. Walsh also held several senior executive positions with Columbian Chemicals Company prior to 1996. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Bonaventure University, an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Xavier University and an MBA (concentration in Marketing) from Fairleigh Dickinson University.