C-Suite Speaker Series

Alison Summerville is the business administration executive of Ally Financial Inc. In this role, she is responsible for liaising with business and functional leads on behalf of the CEO’s office on enterprise-wide business initiatives. This includes managing and implementing executive leadership routines and seeking organizational efficiencies that advance Ally’s strategic objectives. She also oversees the company’s corporate workplace team, which manages Ally’s facilities and real estate related services. Additionally, Summerville leads Ally’s corporate citizenship and community relations efforts, and serves as board chair for the Ally Charitable Foundation, which launched in 2020 to deploy grants that support economic mobility in the communities Ally serves.

Previously she served as executive director of CFO business support, overseeing governance routines, budget and expense planning for the Finance and Treasury functions, as well as acting as business lead for employee engagement initiatives. Summerville joined Ally in 2009, as chief administrative officer for the company’s Treasury function.

Prior to joining Ally, she spent nearly nine years at Bank of America, most recently as the company’s Treasury business support executive. During her tenure at Bank of America, she also served in balance sheet management, compliance and corporate research roles. Summerville holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Her extensive community involvement includes serving on the Executive Committee and as Chair for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees at Central Piedmont Community College in 2023 and is chairman emeritus for Charlotte Wine and Food. She also serves on the Investment Advisory Committee for the Charlotte Housing Opportunity Investment Fund and formerly served as board chair for Habitat for Humanity Charlotte Region. In 2021, she was recognized with the Charlotte Business Journal’s Women in Business Achievement Award for making a mark in her career and her community. She’s also been named one of the Most Influential Women in Mecklenburg County and is a recipient of Career Mastered magazine’s Leadership in Action Award.

Bill Christensen is the chief executive officer of JELD-WEN,  Inc., a leading global manufacturer of building products with operations in 15 countries and approximately 18,000 employees across North America and Europe. 

With more than 25 years of multinational business leadership, Bill has a proven track record in driving business and cultural transformations within the manufacturing sector. 

He joined JELD-WEN in April 2022 as executive vice president and president, Europe and was named  global CEO in December 2022. 

Before joining JELD-WEN, Bill spearheaded transformative initiatives as CEO and group executive board chair at REHAU AG, where he architected a multi-million-dollar transformation to improve  profitability that included restructuring, selling non-core businesses, streamlining production assets  and defining strategic growth priorities. Prior to REHAU AG, Bill was the CEO of AFG Holding, a  Swiss-based global building products manufacturer. He spent a decade at Geberit International AG,  holding various executive positions, including the group executive board member and head of  international sales, and the president and CEO of The Chicago Faucets Company. Bill began his  career at J.P. Morgan Securities. 

Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rollins College and an MBA from the University of  Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He is a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council and past board member of VELUX A/S.

José Armario has more than 40 years of senior leadership experience with such brands as Burger King, LensCrafters, and McDonald’s. He retired as executive vice president of worldwide supply chain, development, and franchising of McDonald’s Corporation in October 2015, after having held that position since August 2011. During his time with McDonald’s Corporation, Armario served in several prominent leadership positions including president of McDonald’s Chile, and group president of McDonald’s Canada and Latin America.

Armario is a director of Golden State Foods and Bojangles’, Inc., a member of the President’s Council of the University of Miami, and a director for Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation. He is also a former board member with the USG Corporation, Avon Products, Inc., the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and a former director with the Council of the Americas, NY, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Latin America.

Chuck Howard has been in the car wash business for more than 50 years. He is the owner of Autobell® Car Wash, Inc., along with his three children, and serves as the company’s CEO. While still a college student, Chuck worked alongside his father, Charles “Charlie” Howard Sr., as the elder founded Autobell in Charlotte in 1969. Now the largest family-owned car wash chain in the U.S., Autobell operates more than 85 locations in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland, with consistent growth.

Chuck is a graduate of Wingate University and UNC Charlotte.

Mike Freno is Chairman and CEO of Barings LLC, a $349+ billion global financial services firm with offices across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. Mike is also Chair of the Barings Board of Directors and a member of the MassMutual Executive Leadership Team. His experience canvasses two decades on the buy side, focusing on both equity and debt investments. Previously, Mike was President overseeing Barings’ investments, sales, operations and technology, and Chairman of the Board of Barings BDC, Inc., (NYSE: BBDC), an external business development company managed by Barings.

Mike holds a B.A. from Furman University and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University.

Hugh McColl Jr. is a philanthropist, civic leader and the retired chairman and CEO of Bank of America. During his tenure, Mr. McColl grew the institution more than 50-fold, as the bank greatly expanded its offerings of financial products and services, entered new markets across the United States and around the world, and became an industry leader in retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking.

He retired from Bank of America in 2001. That year, he co-founded Falfurrias Capital Partners, a private equity firm.  

He has received many awards over his career. In 1989, Mr. McColl was named one of the “25 Most Fascinating People” by Fortune. In 1993, he was named “Banker of the Year” by the American Banker and Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Financial World. He has been inducted into the North Carolina and South Carolina business halls of fame and was named The News & Observer’s inaugural “Tar Heel of the Year” in 1997.

He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.