Board of Directors

The Board of Directors for Conversion Services International, Inc., represents the owners' interest in perpetuating a successful business, including optimizing long-term financial returns. The Board is responsible for determining that the Corporation is managed in such a way to ensure this result. This is an active - not a passive - responsibility.

Scott Newman is chief strategy officer and chairman of the Board of Directors of CSI. Newman founded CSI in 1990 with the vision of creating a cost-effective services solution to address the complexities of data and application migrations. Over the years, CSI has evolved to address the vast changes in technology platforms, and Newman's leadership has helped the Company to emerge as the largest publicly held Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence consultancy.

Newman possesses a wide range of software and hardware architecture experience, including client/server, data discovery, distributed systems, data warehousing, scalable solutions and s-business. In addition, his expertise in strategic planning, analysis, design, testing and implementation of complex big-data solutions has been invaluable in consulting on data warehousing and business intelligence strategies for CSI's clients, including AT&T Capital, Jaguar Cars, Cytec and JPMorgan Chase.

He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, a leadership organization that promotes the exchange of ideas, pursuit of learning and sharing of strategies to achieve personal and professional growth and success. Newman holds a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College.

Lori Cohen is president and chief executive officer, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Named President in CEO in 2009, Lori is a hands-on strategist and project manager with more than 25 years of experience in Architecture, Data Migrations, Data Modeling, Design, QA and Development of a variety of Information and Data warehouse systems. In addition Lori has significant industry expertise in both financial services as well as pharmaceutical.

As vice president Technology at CSI for 13 years, Lori provided subject matter expertise as well technical expertise to our global 2000 clients and served on the company's technical advisory committee (TAC).  She specializes in the project management of large client projects which include Application Development, Information Architecture, Data Migrations, Data warehousing and Data quality development efforts.  Cohen has provided subject matter expertise as well technical expertise to CSI’s global 2000 clients and served on the company’s technical advisory committee (TAC).  Her leadership skills and strengths have positioned her as the lead strategist and engagement manager on many of CSI’s high-profile engagements. She has been instrumental in developing the best practices for information management development currently in use at CSI. Cohen holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from S.U.N.Y. Oswego.

Thomas Pear, a member of CSI’s Board of Directors since 2006, is Chair of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee, and member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Pear is a principal in Saw Mill Sports Management and a management consultant. From 1993 to 2006, Mr. Pear served as chief financial officer of The Atlantic Club, and served as its president from 2002 to 2006. Prior to this, Mr. Pear served as vice president and general manager of DM Engineering, vice president and chief financial officer of Tennis Equities, and staff accountant at Malkin, Studley and Ramey CPA, PC. Mr. Pear holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Nichols College in 1974.

Lawrence K. Reisman, a member of CSI's Board of Directors since 2006, serves as Chair of the Audit Committee, and member of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Reisman is a certified public accountant who has been the principal of his own firm, The Accounting Offices of L.K. Reisman, since 1986. Prior to forming his company, Reisman was a tax manager at Coopers & Lybrand and Peat Marwick Mitchell. He routinely provides accounting services to small and medium-sized companies, including auditing, review and compilation of financial statements, corporate, partnership and individual taxation, designing accounting systems and management consulting services. Reisman holds an M.B.A. in finance and taxation from St. John's University.

Brian Walton, elected to CSI's Board of Directors in 2010, is a veteran of more than three decades in the information technology industry. He retired in June 2008 after 30 years with the IBM Corporation, having served in numerous marketing, product development and technical sales executive roles both in the Americas and globally. Mr. Walton has experience with complex global IT enterprises down to small businesses in both direct client-facing and business partner sales and support models. The Connecticut resident holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.