Liam E. McGee is president of Global Consumer and Small Business Banking for Bank of America, which serves 53 million U.S. consumer households, 4 million U.S. small business households, and customers in Canada and Europe.

His responsibilities include a distribution network of more than 6,100 domestic banking centers, 18,500 ATMs, and the nation’s leading Online and Mobile Banking services; products and services including Deposits and Debit, the largest credit card business in the U.S. and Europe, Insurance, and Mortgage and Home Equity lending, which will include Countrywide Financial Corporation upon the anticipated closing of the acquisition; and a Small Business Banking organization ranked No. 1 in SBA lending nationally 10 years in a row.

McGee reports to Chief Executive Officer Ken Lewis and is a member of the corporation’s Risk & Capital Committee and Management Operating Committee.

He joined Bank of America in 1990 and has broad leadership experience in consumer and commercial banking, as well as technology and operations. McGee led the California Consumer Bank, and Corporate Technology & Operations, before he was named president, Bank of America California. In 2001, he was appointed president of the Bank of America Consumer Bank.

Active in civic affairs and education, McGee is a member of the National Urban League Board of Trustees and the Financial Services Roundtable Board of Directors.  He also served recently as chairman of both the University of San Diego Board of Trustees and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and two terms as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

A native of County Donegal, Ireland, McGee grew up in Southern California and speaks Spanish fluently. He is a graduate of the University of San Diego, with a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and a law degree from Loyola Law School.

McGee and his family live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lowell C. McAdam has long believed that successful leaders are those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get out on the front line. As president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, McAdam has employed that philosophy to help Verizon become the nation’s premier wireless provider of voice and data networks.

McAdam earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell University. He then went on to earn his master’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego in 1983. He also spent six years in the U.S. Navy’s Engineer Corps and is a licensed professional engineer.

Previously, McAdam was president and CEO of PrimeCo Personal Communications, a joint venture owned by Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch. He also served as PrimeCo’s chief operating officer, where he was responsible for overseeing the build, deployment and successful launch of the company’s customer service operations and all-digital network.

Active in community service, McAdam has helped raise public awareness on issues of domestic violence through the creation of Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program, which turns unused wireless phones into support for victims of domestic abuse. Proceeds from HopeLine are used to provide wireless phones and cash grants to local shelters and organizations that focus on violence prevention and awareness.

McAdam and his wife, Susan, live in New Jersey and have two children, Ryan and Jennifer.

For more than 20 years, Rabbi Laurie Coskey has been committed to issues of social justice. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University and was ordained as a rabbi in 1985 at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. After serving a large San Diego congregation for eight years, she completed her doctorate in leadership studies from the University of San Diego in 2000. She is the spiritual leader of Chavurah Kol Haneshama in San Diego. 

Rabbi Coskey is the co-chair of CLUE CA (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice – California) the statewide alliance of interfaith worker justice groups. She is a national spokesperson for the New Sanctuary Movement, and is the president of the San Diego Community College District Trustee Advisory Board.

Since 2001, Rabbi Coskey has served as the executive director of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (ICWJ). The ICWJ represents clergy, churches, mosques, synagogues, faith and justice organizations, as well as people of faith in the San Diego region who are called by their respective religious traditions to work for justice and stand up for the poor and marginalized.

As the recipient of the 2008 CAHRO (California Association of Human Rights Organizations) Civil Rights Leadership Award, Rabbi Coskey was honored for her legacy of leadership as an individual who has made outstanding contributions to California in the area of human and civil rights.  

Rabbi Coskey and her husband, Mark Lonkemper, live in Poway, Calif.

Thomas J. Whelan received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1961 then his J.D. in 1965 from the University of San Diego. A former deputy district attorney for San Diego, he was appointed Superior Court judge by Gov. George Deukmejian in 1990 and was reelected in 1990 and 1996. He served as assistant presiding judge in 1996 and 1997 and was elected presiding judge in 1998.

In April 1998, Sen. Dianne Feinstein recommended Judge Whelan for the prestigious Judgeship of the United States Court, and President Bill Clinton nominated him for that position in June of 1998. Judge Whelan was confirmed by the United States Senate in October 1998 and took the oath of office a month later.

Judge Whelan has served on the Law Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2002. He has been a member of many organizations, including: the San Diego County Bar Association; the California State Bar Association; Judicial Council of California; California Judges Association; California District Attorney’s Association; San Diego County District Judges Association; and the William B. Enright Inn of Court. He has lectured extensively and has been active during his career in pro bono activities.

Judge Whelan currently serves on the Ninth Circuit Jury Instruction Committee. That committee is responsible for writing and updating all civil and criminal jury instructions used by federal courts in the nine western states, the U.S. territory of Guam and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Judge Whelan and his wife, Catherine (Lindseth) Whelan ’64 are San Diego natives, and currently reside in La Jolla, Calif. They have four children: Mary Whelan ’86; James Whelan; Michelle Patriquin and Christine McDowell.

Mary T. Sarnecky, Ph.D., is a distinguished alumna of the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, who received her Doctor of Nursing Science in 1990, and her post-master’s certificate as a family nurse practitioner in 1997. Dr. Sarnecky has significant experience as a nurse historian, educator and clinician, and served in the United States Army for the major part of her nursing career.

During her military career, Dr. Sarnecky served as a nurse researcher at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C.; as professor in the Department of Medical History, the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences at Betheseda, Md.; and as a nursing history consultant to the Surgeon General of the Army. She also held numerous administrative and clinical nursing positions earlier in her career.
Among her many citations are the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.

As a respected scholar and noted historian, Dr. Sarnecky was selected to write the history of the Army Nurse Corps. She received Department of Defense Tri-Service Nursing Research grants to support her research. A History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps was published in 1999. Her work chronicles the significant contributions of military nurses in major conflicts since the Civil War. The book received the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award in 2000.

Dr. Sarnecky lives with her husband, George, in Carlsbad, Calif., and is the mother of three grown sons, Joe, Jim and Bill. Although her historical research continues to occupy most of her time, she and her husband are avid international travelers.

Michael Maher graduated from the University of San Diego in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Yet, when considering his extraordinary service to the university in the years since, it seems he never really left.

After his graduation from USD, Maher returned to his hometown in Michigan, then relocated briefly to Chicago before returning to San Diego in 1976 to begin his 32-year professional partnership with Merrill Lynch. Inducted into the Merrill Lynch Hall of Fame in 2000, Maher was named senior vice president of investments at Merrill Lynch in 2005.

He proudly represents USD and is a passionate advocate and supporter of the university’s athletics programs. Maher has been instrumental in the continued success of USD’s golf program, raising nearly $1 million in philanthropic contributions.  He also serves on the Torero Athletic Committee and, over the years, has dedicated hundred of hours mentoring members of the golf team.

Maher continues to be an ambassador for USD and firmly believes in the university’s mission and core values. He personifies “community,” “ethical conduct” and “compassionate service” on a daily basis, and his passion for all things Torero has left a lasting impression on associates and alumni alike — many of whom, in turn, have become ardent USD supporters themselves.

Maher and his wife, Maribeth, live in Carlsbad, Calif. They have three children, Ryan, Matt and Kalyn.

Mary Caffery lives by a simple life adage: make today count. With more than 30 years of experience in community health nursing, Caffery continues to make a difference in the lives of women, children and young adults who have been affected by the HIV virus.

Caffery moved to San Diego in 1969, and a strong interest in women’s health led her to pursue a career in nursing. After earning a bachelor’s degree in social work at San Diego State University, she obtained a bachelor’s in nursing at the University of San Diego in 1980 and a master’s degree in nursing at SDSU in 1986.

Caffery has worked in the delivery of HIV care at UCSD since 1991, and is now the program coordinator for the university’s Mother, Child and Adolescent HIV Program. The program aims to deliver care and education for children and women afflicted by the disease, as well as improve their quality of life. She is responsible for program development and administration of clinical, research and community outreach activities.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Caffery remains active in a variety of community service projects. As a member of the La Jolla High School Scholarship Committee, she has been instrumental in providing support to students who have excelled academically, yet lack the financial resources to attend college.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Caffery is married to Martin T. Stein, M.D., a pediatrician, and is the proud mother of Joshua, Benjamin and Sarah Stein.

Susie Erpelding excelled on the basketball court as well as in the classroom during her time at the University of San Diego (1995-2000). She is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,510 points, and is the only Torero basketball player in school history — man or woman — to crack the 1,500-point plateau.

A motivated and hard-working individual, Erpelding earned her undergraduate degree in sociology from USD in 1998, and followed up with her master’s degree in counseling psychology in 2000, which she also earned at Alcalá Park.

During her senior year (1999-2000), she set a school record with 510 points, averaging 17.0 points per game, and leading the Toreros to the West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She scored a then school-record 37 points against the University of Portland on Feb. 19, 2000. While leading the team in scoring for three straight years (1997-2000), she was also named a three-time First Team All-WCC performer.

Erpelding capped off her career by being named the 2000 WCC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was a First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 1998, and a third team selection in 2000. A two-time WCC All-Academic Team selection, she was also a four-time WCC Scholar-Athlete, and was twice named a National Strength and Conditioning All-American (1998 and 2000).

Erpelding is in her fifth season as a USD women’s basketball analyst for the Internet Web casts of home games, and is engaged to be married this year.