Peter A. Georgescu has been called the embodiment of the “American Dream,” immigrating to the United States from Romania in 1954 after spending seven years, until age 15, as a prisoner in a communist labor camp in Soviet Romania. After immigrating to America, he attended Exeter Academy then received his Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Princeton in 1961 and his MBA from the Stanford Business School in 1963. He joined Young & Rubicam Inc. in September 1963 as a trainee in marketing research. Young & Rubicam is a federation of preeminent companies in advertising, public relations, design, corporate/product identity, health care communications, sales promotion and direct marketing. It is the leading U.S.-based consolidated agency, according to Advertising Age. The company is headquartered in New York and has 304 offices in 64 countries around the world. In October 2000, Y&R became part of the WPP Group, now the largest marketing and communications company in the world.

Georgescu was elected as the company’s eighth chief executive officer in 1994 and was the first chairman born outside the United States. Under Mr. Georgescu’s leadership Young & Rubicam became a publicly held company and built an extensive database on global branding. Within the marketing community, he is known as a leading proponent of integrated communications programs, agency accountability for measuring the impact of communications programs and structuring value-based agency compensation. Recent clients whose images have been crafted by Young & Rubicam include United Airlines, AT&T and Sears.

Georgescu’s belief that businessmen and women should be involved in the life of their communities is reflected in the great number of Young & Rubicam employees who contribute their skills and talents pro bono to important social issues and causes around the world. The College Fund/UNCF, The Ad Council and the United Cerebral Palsy Association are just a few of the organizations with which Young & Rubicam has deep ties. He also donates his talents to organizations such as A Better Chance, which provides educational and career development opportunities for minority students, and Polytechnic University. He is a member of the board of directors for both institutions. He also is a member of the board of directors of the New York Philharmonic, WNET/Channel 13, a vice chairman of New York Presbyterian Hospital and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the advisory board of the Stanford Business School.

Georgescu is the recipient of the Horatio Alger Distinguished Americans Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Albert D. Pacifico, M.D., is an internationally known physician and researcher and a pioneer in the field of American cardiovascular surgery. Pacifico is an expert skilled in every form of cardiac surgery, including congenital cardiac surgery, adult cardiac surgery, and complex surgery of the heart and great vessels.

Pacifico’s career has been devoted to studying and perfecting his surgical technique in order to provide exemplary care for patients who require surgical intervention for cardiovascular disease. By eliminating wasted motion and thoroughly understanding the complexity of operations, Pacifico’s technique cuts surgery times dramatically -- often from 10 hours to under two hours, 20 minutes -- to increase patient safety, reduce hospital stays and return patients to normal lives through a shorter recovery period. Annually he performs nearly half of UAB’s cardiovascular procedures -- an average of 1,200 procedures a year -- achieving in a few months the number of surgeries that many other surgeons conduct in a year.

Pacifico was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1960 from St. John’s University on Long Island. It was in 1964 that he recognized his true desire for cardiac surgery. That same year he received his medical degree from the New Jersey College of Medicine in Newark and began his postgraduate training at Jersey City Medical Center in Newark. During his internship in New Jersey, he traveled to the Mayo Clinic to study with internationally renowned John W. Kirklin, M.D. Pacifico came to UAB in 1967 with Kirklin and spent several years working in physiology, studying the pathophysiology of heart failure during and after cardiac surgery.

He has authored more than 200 publications in the field of cardiac surgery, including many book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of a variety of journals, including American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiac Surgery and Progress in Pediatric Cardiology, and is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Thoracic Surgery, the International College of Pediatrics and the American Surgical Association, among other professional societies. Pacifico also has been awarded fellowship and membership in numerous prestigious societies.

For his distinguished career, he has been cited in The Best Doctors in America and rated one of U.S. News and World Report’s top 2,000 doctors in the country. He received UAB’s 1999 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award, the academic health center’s highest honor.

Robert C. Chapman, FACHE, president and CEO of Eastern Health System, Inc., is recognized and respected for his exceptional leadership, vision, honesty and knowledge in the health care industry.

Chapman was born in Lineville, Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1963 from Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo). In 1972, he earned a Master of Science in Hospital and Health Administration from UAB. He served a one-year administrative residency at East End Memorial Hospital, then quickly rose through the leadership ranks to become executive vice president and chief executive officer of East End Memorial Hospital and Health Centers in 1975. Following the 1985 reorganization of East End Memorial Association, in which he played a key role, he was appointed president and chief executive officer of Eastern Health Systems Inc.

Chapman has held an academic appointment with UAB since 1976 and is an adjunct professor in the Master of Science in Health Administration Program. In addition to teaching, his organization is a sponsor of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management’s Summer Enrichment Program, providing opportunities for minority students to explore careers in health services administration.

Chapman is past president of both the UAB Health Administration Program’s Alumni Association and UAB National Alumni Society. He was named Outstanding Alumnus in 1985 by the Alumni Association of the UAB Graduate Program in Hospital and Health Administration and Distinguished Alumnus of the School of Health Related Professions in 1987 and 1994. In 1997, he was honored by the UAB faculty for his outstanding contributions to the Health Administration Program. Mr. Chapman also is a member of the UAB Leadership Council.

He is a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including the American Hospital Association, the Alabama Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and the State of Alabama Department of Public Health Licensure Advisory Board.

Chapman is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served two terms in the ACHE Council of Regents as regent from Alabama. He was awarded the Regent’s Award for Executive Excellence in 1992. He received the Alabama Hospital Association’s highest honor, The Gold Medal of Excellence, in 1987. For community service, he was recognized as Best Citizen of Year in 1986 by the Eastern Area Chamber of Commerce and named Citizen of Year in 1992 by Women’s Committee of 100 for Birmingham Inc. He also received a Community Leadership Award for Aid to Homeless Women and Children in 1998 from Bread and Roses Hospitality for Women and Children