Patrick J. Sweeney, PhD, Executive Director, Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character
Patrick Sweeney is an experienced senior leader and scholar who leads the School of Business’ Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. The Center’s primary missions are to: integrate ethical leadership and character strengths into all courses and School of Business’ activities; conduct cutting-edge research that advances the understanding of developing ethical leaders and organization; and provide consulting and executive education. Pat is a Professor of the Practice of Management and has taught in the MBA, Masters in Accountancy, Masters in Business Analytics, Masters in Management, and the undergraduate programs. His research focuses on the study of leader development, character-based leadership, building and leading high performing teams, leadership in dangerous contexts, and organizational adaptation. His work has been published in prominent academic and practitioner journals. Pat was recognized as a 2017 thought leader in the area of trust by Trust Across America.
Prior to his appointment at Wake Forest University, he was the founding Executive Director of the Shackelford Leadership Institute at Georgia Gwinnett College. He served over 29 years in the United States Army and retired as a Colonel. Pat served in leadership assignments both in the United States and abroad to include: Deputy and Acting Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, the United States Military Academy at West Point; Director, Eisenhower Leader Development Graduate Education Program, a joint venture with Columbia University, at West Point; Liaison Officer for the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division, Operation Iraqi Freedom I; Commander of a 450-person artillery unit and Chief of Staff of a 1600-person organization within the 101st Airborne Division. He also served as the Executive Officer and Researcher for West Point’s Center for Leadership and Organization Research. In this role, he supervised the execution of several major projects to include: the study of tacit knowledge for military leadership with Yale University and a longitudinal study of cadets’ leader and character development.
Dr. Sweeney has experience creating and implementing programs at the institutional level and is the primary architect of the Domain of the Human Spirit, the main character dimension for West Point’s Leader Development System; a foundational dimension in the U.S. Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program; and a main pillar in the Department of Defense’s Total Force Fitness Program. He also played a lead role in the refinement, expansion, and organizational integration of the West Point Leader Development System.
Dr. Sweeney led a team of 62 prominent international scholars and practitioners to produce the book entitled, Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders. He has also published 34 articles and chapters on leadership across an array of academic and military professional publications, including: American Psychologist, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Armed Forces Journal, Consulting Psychologist Journal, Journal of Applied Social Psychology and various other professional journals.
Dr. Sweeney combines his scholarly work and 35 years of practical leadership experience to enhance the education development of leaders at all levels and backgrounds. He has conducted education sessions to senior executive leaders from major organizations such as: Deloitte, EMCOR, GE, HP, Kellogg’s, JP Morgan Chase, P&G, Prudential, State Farm, and Synchrony Financial.
Dr. Sweeney holds a Ph.D. and Masters in Social Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a Masters in Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and a Bachelor in General Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Lyn B. Myers, Senior Operations Manager
Lyn Myers joined the Wake Forest community in 2001. Since that time, she has served in various administrative and leadership roles within the business school. These areas include: business operations, human resources and payroll, accounts payable and receivable, budget reporting and financial planning as well as management of faculty administrative support personnel.
In the area of Administration, Lyn was directly responsible for the daily financial management of the Business School. She supervised accounts payable/purchasing/accounts receivable processes as well as financial reporting. Lyn also directed the School of Business human resources function, serving to implement and maintain University human resources and payroll policies and procedures for staffing, salary administration, benefits, performance reviews and compliance issues. She helped create framework for team management programs, development workshops and training.
Prior to joining Wake Forest, Lyn was an experienced professional in the consumer financial services sector for more than 11 years, managing wholesale lending operations with SLM Holding, a Sallie Mae subsidiary, as well as Equity One.
Lyn attended Appalachian State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with majors in Management and Marketing.
Amanda, Administrative Coordinator
Amanda joined the Wake Forest and ACLC team in 2025.
Amanda obtained her BA in Communications from Salisbury University and has since held roles as Director of Marketing, Account Executive and Marketing Database Coordinator.
In the role of Administrative Coordinator, Amanda plans, organizes and executes administrative functions that support the Center. She serves as the primary contact for administration in the ACLC.
Sean T. Hannah, PhD, Senior Research Associate
In addition to his role as a Senior Research Associate with the Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character (ACLC), Sean Hannah is a Professor of Management and holds the Tylee Wilson Chair of Business Ethics in the School of Business at Wake Forest. Dr. Hannah was the founding Director of the ACLC.
Sean is an experienced senior leader, scholar, and leader development expert. He studies, teaches, and consults on exemplary leadership, leader development, business ethics, strategy, and building high performing teams.
Prior to his appointment to the Wilson Chair at Wake Forest University in 2012, he served 26 years in the US Army retiring as a Colonel. He served as the founding Director of the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic, and as the Director of Leadership and Management Programs, both at the United States Military Academy (West Point). He served as an Infantry officer in command and staff positions in Europe, Cuba, Panama, Southwest Asia, and the United States, including combat with 3d Armored Division in Desert Storm, and in contingency operations such as Operation Sea Signal (Panama and Cuba), and the control cell for Joint Task Force Los Angeles (LA Riots). Present in the Pentagon on 9/11, he was assigned after the attack to lead the reconstitution of the organization that sustained the highest casualty level in the attack, and rebuild its multibillion dollar operation. Upon his retirement from the Army he was awarded his 44th military decoration and was inducted in the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame.
Sean has been honored as a Fellow in both the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science. He is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, and sits on the editorial boards of three other major academic journals. He has published over 70 peer reviewed papers on leadership, character, and management in premier journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Journal of Applied Psychology. He was recognized by the 19,000 member Academy of Management with the 2017 Practice Impact Award, recognizing amongst its members his significant impact on management practices. In a recent major study of the impact of almost 8 million researchers across all of the sciences (business, humanities, social sciences, biology, engineering, etc.), Professor Hannah was named in a Stanford study as being in the top 1% most impactful researchers globally, across all sciences, based on citations to his research in each of the last three years.
Sean has conducted over 700 executive education and consulting engagements in the US, Europe, and Asia, with highly successful firms, including over 75 Fortune 500 Firms, including training 24 CEOs and their top management teams..
Dr. Hannah holds a PhD in Management from the University of Nebraska, an MBA from Syracuse University, a Masters of Public Administration from Syracuse University, a Masters in National Security Studies from the Marine Corps University, and a Bachelor in Political Science from California State University.
Greg Stewart,
Senior Research Associate
Greg L. Stewart is the Thomas K Hearn Jr. Professor in the School of Business at Wake Forest University. He currently serves as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research. Prior to coming to Wake Forest in January 2025, Greg held the Mary H. Bell Chair in Leadership in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. He received a B.S. from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University.
Greg has published numerous academic studies related to leadership and team design. His research has appeared in leading management journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management, and Organizational Dynamics, as well as healthcare journals such as the Journal of Nursing Administration, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Journal of General Internal Medicine, American Journal of Managed Care, and Healthcare. He served as an Associate Editor for Journal of Management. He is an elected a fellow of The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association. The impact of Greg’s research is recognized as among the top 1% of most impactful lifetime scholars in the field of management.
Greg’s full bio can be found here.
John Sumanth, PhD, Center Research Associate
Dr. John Sumanth is the James Farr Fellow and Associate Professor of Management at the Wake Forest University School of Business. Additionally, he holds the title of Research Associate at the Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character (ACLC). As an elected faculty senator, John serves as Chair of the Faculty Senate Committee on Athletics (SCA), and as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. Previously, he served as the Faculty Representative to the Wake Forest Board of Trustees Committee on Advancement and Communications, as a member of the University’s Core Planning Team (CPT), tasked by President Wente to help shape the university’s strategic vision, and as Associate Dean of MBA Programs (Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Online). Prior to Wake, John spent two years as faculty at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. An award-winning teacher and researcher, John has been recognized at multiple institutions (Wake, SMU, & UNC) for teaching excellence.
John’s research interests and expertise are in employee communication (voice/feedback/whistleblowing), leadership/trust and status. To date, his work has been published in some of the field’s premier outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business Review, and Organizational Psychology Review. John serves as an Editorial Board Member for the Academy of Management Discoveries and Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies journals, and an invited reviewer for the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the Journal of Business & Psychology. He is a member of the Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior (OB) and Research Methods (RM) Divisions, the Association for Psychological Science (APS), and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and has presented his work at various international conferences.
John holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), an MBA in Marketing and Management from the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering (cum laude) from the University of Miami. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key, Tau Beta Pi and Iron Arrow, the University of Miami’s highest honor.
Prior to academia, John spent nearly a decade working in several high-profile strategic planning, marketing and R&D positions for large, multinational corporations in the insurance, cruise tourism, and fast-food industries. To date, his extensive corporate consulting experience includes coaching, teaching and mentoring coaches and student-athletes (e.g., Wake Forest Athletics), senior- and mid-level executives (e.g., Barings, Driven Brands, ExxonMobil, Genworth, Huber Engineered Woods, Pratt Industries, Royal Caribbean, Syngenta, Vulcan Materials, Wells Fargo), medical (Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Premier Health) and legal professionals (Ally Law, Smith Anderson), and senior US military officers and government personnel (e.g., Air Force, Army, Cyber Operations, Navy, Special Operations, Veterans Affairs) on how to enhance their leadership effectiveness.
Stephen Smulowitz
Center Research Associate
Stephen J. Smulowitz is as an Assistant Professor at the Wake Forest School of Business and the McNicholas-Lightcap Faculty Fellow, where he teaches strategic management with a focus on ethical decision-making and character development. His teaching philosophy centers on preparing future leaders to navigate complex business challenges while maintaining strong moral foundations. Drawing from his unique background as both a practicing attorney and academic researcher, Steve brings a real-world perspective to questions of corporate governance and strategic leadership.
Steve’s research centers on strategic management, corporate governance, business ethics, and sustainability. His work has been published in leading journals such as the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, and Research Policy, with nine articles appearing in FT50 journals since 2019. Beyond the classroom, Steve is committed to character-based leadership through extensive service, including pro bono legal work for underserved communities, training women for corporate board positions, and serving on university committees.
Kenny Herbst, Utility Associate
Dr. Kenny Herbst is the Associate Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Business’ Undergraduate Business Program, recently ranked #4 in the country in Teaching Quality by Poets & Quants Magazine. Kenny is also the Board of Visitors Fellow in Marketing and an Associate Professor of Marketing. He has a master’s and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. from Wake Forest University where he played basketball on back-to-back ACC Championship teams in 1995 and 1996.
Kenny has won multiple MSM/MA Educator of the Year Awards, multiple Kienzle Alumni Teaching Awards (given for outstanding contribution to the education and personal development of our MBA/MSM/MA alumni who graduated at least three years ago), and the School of Business High Impact Scholarship Award.
Kenny has been a consultant with, among others, Sam’s Club, the National Association of Retail Marketing Services (NARMS), the Quality Bakers of America, and Publix. He has also been interviewed about his research and industry expertise by popular media publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the Montreal Gazette, the San Francisco Chronicle, Advertising Age, and Woman’s Day.
Kenny has published numerous scholarly articles in scientific journals.
Kenny’s full bio can be read here.
Jeff Triplette, Executive in Residence
Jeff combines his passion for sports officiating with his skills of developing and leading high-performance teams. He recently retired as President and CEO of ArbiterSports, an industry leading athletic event management software company, and is founder and principal of Triplette Advisors LLC, a risk management and turnaround consultancy. Jeff previously was President and COO for FNC, Inc., a pioneer in the real estate analytics/collateral information industry. Before FNC, Jeff served at Duke Energy Corporation for 32 years in several senior leadership roles including President and CEO of Bison Insurance Company, Duke’s captive insurance subsidiary. He is also a former NFL game official with 22 years of service and numerous postseason assignments. Jeff is the past Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) and past President of the National Football League Referees Association (NFLRA). A retired Colonel with over 32 years of service in the U.S. Army National Guard and Reserve, Jeff was awarded the Bronze Star while serving in the first Persian Gulf War. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wake Forest University where he also serves on its Board of Visitors for the School of Business, Board of Directors for the Wake Forest Deacon Club, Board of Directors of Rapid Investments, Inc. and Board of Managers for Arbiter Holdings, LLC.
Jeff’s full bio can be read here.
Peter Watson,
Executive Affiliate
Pete Watson is the former Executive Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Greif Inc., a $6.3 billion industrial packaging company with over 16,000 global colleagues, serving customers in over 37 countries.
He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Greif Inc. from 2015 – 2021. He is a former Wake Forest Football coach with a background in education. Pete and his family have relocated back to the Winston-Salem community.
Pete serves on the Board of Directors of OhioHealth and the Founder’s Board of Leadership at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. He previously served on the board of directors of the Central Ohio American Heart Association, the Columbus, Ohio Partnership and the Ohio Business Round table. Pete is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Forest & Paper Association, and Fibre Box Association.
Pete holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts.
Pete’s full bio can be read here.
Adam Holtzschue,
Executive Affiliate
Adam Holtzschue is a finance industry veteran with over 35 years of professional experience. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Elias Partners, he provides strategic advisory services to middle-market public and private companies. Previously, Adam served as Executive Vice President for one of the nation’s largest financial institutions.
Adam received his BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, his MBA from Wake Forest and completed a 3-year executive leadership program at the Wharton School.
Adam’s full bio can be read here.
Cathy Pace,
Executive Affiliate
With a remarkable 46-year journey at Allegacy Federal Credit Union, Cathy recently retired as its CEO and President. She rose through the executive leadership ranks, holding positions in marketing, business development and wealth management before being named CEO and President in 2013. During her tenure, the company grew from 17,000 members and almost $50 million in assets in 1978 to more than 175,000 members and over $2.2 billion in assets as of 2024.
Cathy received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation and was named one of the Triad’s Most Admired CEOs. For modeling servant leadership by fostering a corporate culture of community outreach, for honoring Pro Humanitate ideals in her efforts to promote the ethical practice of business and for serving as a valued mentor to colleagues to ensure that Allegacy remains a purpose-driven enterprise, Cathy was recommended for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration by Wake Forest.
Cathy’s full bio can be found here.
David Clawson,
Executive Affiliate
A legend in Wake Forest Athletics, Dave served as Head Coach of WFU Football for 11 transformative years. He oversaw the most successful stretch in Wake Forest football history, leading the Deacons to seven consecutive bowl appearances, an Atlantic Division title in 2021, and the program’s first-ever top 10 national ranking – in back-to-back seasons. His teams consistently broke records on the field while maintaining academic excellence, earning national recognition for their success in the classroom.
Dave Clawson remains the only coach to win at least 10 games in a season at four separate Division I schools (Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green, Wake Forest). This appointment follows a remarkable 25-year career as a head coach and 36 years dedicated to college football.
Dave was named as an American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustee member in 2022. He received a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a master’s degree from SUNY Albany.
Dave’s full bio can be found here.
Ann Johnston,
Executive Affiliate
Ann A. Johnston has decades of experience as a Human Resources professional. Early in her career, Ms. Johnston worked for Hanes Corporation and Wachovia Corporation before joining R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1988. Throughout her tenure at RJR, Ms. Johnston worked in all disciplines of Human Resources Management and played vital roles in the 1999 spin-off of RJR from RJR Nabisco and the 2004 merger with Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company. She was named Executive Vice President, Human Resources in 2002. Upon the merger with B&W in 2004, she was named Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for ReynoldsAmerican, Inc. Ms. Johnston retired in 2008.
Throughout her career, Ms. Johnston has been an active community volunteer. She currently is the Chair of the Board of Visitors for the Wake Forest School of Business where she also once acted as Chair of the Alumni Council. Additionally, Ms. Johnston serves on the boards of Allegacy Federal Credit Union and IFB Solutions.
Ms. Johnston is a graduate of Salem College and holds an MBA from Wake Forest University. Her late husband, Larry, graduated from Wake Forest Law School, and her sons, Bart and Riley, are 2012 graduates of Wake Forest.