About Us

Graham Weihmiller joined BNI® in 2014 to help execute BNI®'s strategic plan that includes operational enhancements, continued membership growth, and ongoing global member expansion. Graham is passionate about building successful service organizations that have a remarkable value proposition and a positive social impact. Prior to BNI®, he served as the CEO of a 32-year-old nationwide franchisor of homecare services. While there, he was a founding director of a foundation that provides homecare to those who cannot afford it. His previous leadership experience includes roles with Pioneer Equity Partners, American Franchise Company, Bank of America, Booz Allen and JP Morgan.

Graham speaks frequently on entrepreneurship and franchising and has recently been on panels at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Georgetown University. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BBA from the College of William & Mary. Graham is trained in Lean Enterprise, Process Excellence, Design for Six Sigma, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the Harvard Business School Club of Charlotte, where he was formerly the Club president. He currently serves on the BNI Foundation Board of Directors.

Robert oversees all strategy for the organization and is laser-focused on growing CorporateConnections™ on a global scale. As President, his mandate includes growing CorporateConnections™ into the leading global referral networking organization for high-level executives. A firm believer in the power of referral marketing, Robert is passionate about helping professionals realize their full growth potential.

Robert has a longstanding relationship with CorporateConnections™ that has spanned well over a decade. Robert knows firsthand the intricacies of launching groups and the fundamentals required for a chapter to see success. Prior to CorporateConnections™, Robert founded and served as President & CEO of ZEROFAIL, a technology company that he grew from start-up to multinational and then sold in 2015.

Robert received his MBA from the John Molson School of Business and a BFA from the Concordia University. Robert taught business strategy and entrepreneurship at a leading Canadian University. A strong proponent of giving back to the community, Robert has served on several boards, including Equitas, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Youth Employment Services, Les Amis de la Montagne, Notman House (Technology Incubator), and Geordie Theatre. Robert is also a frequent guest speaker on topics of Networking and Entrepreneurship.

Jon Byrd is the Director of Global Operations for CorporateConnections™. He joined the team through an extension of his role with the BNI® Global Support Team, where he leads the Strategic Development Group.

He brings a wealth of experience in strategy, finance, and operations to the position, having previously held leadership roles across a variety of industries, including technology, manufacturing, private equity, and aerospace & defense. Prior to joining BNI®, Jon worked as a strategy consultant with Keystone Strategy in San Francisco, where he helped fortune 500 technology clients identify market trends and opportunities. He has a passion for entrepreneurship and helping small businesses grow and realize their full potential.

Jon earned BS degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from West Virginia University, an MS degree in Electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Sandy Keller is the Global Operations Manager for CorporateConnections™, providing management and support across all regions. She has been involved with BNI® for 15 years, first as a Member, then as a Director and Trainer. Sandy started working with the CorporateConnections™ program in 2007 and has helped to develop chapters and program materials to support the launch of CorporateConnections™ globally. She and her husband, Jacen, who recently retired from the Air Force, spend their holidays traveling the country in a vintage motorhome. They have a daughter, Destiny, who is a Senior in college in Nashville, Tennessee. When not working, Sandy loves a good game of tennis or any other outdoor sport.

Joe Ross joined the CorporateConnection’s team from the BNI Global Support Team where he leads Franchise Development efforts in the United States.  In his role, Joe assists Executive Directors with their succession planning and resale process.  In conjunction with this, he worked to create awareness of existing ownership opportunities, vets and educates prospective franchise candidates. 

Prior to joining BNI, Joe was as a business coach and operations advisor for the nation’s oldest, homecare franchise.

Joe earned Bachelors in Business Administration from Seattle University. 

Michael Walchonski, CPA, has served as BNI®’s Chief Financial Officer since December of 2014. Based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Michael oversees all accounting and financial operations of the organization and supports the ongoing initiatives of the National Directors in over 70 countries around the world. Michael has previously worked with other franchisors in the healthcare laundry and non-medical home healthcare industries. Michael graduated from Drexel University and is an active member in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He currently serves on the BNI® Foundation Board of Directors.

Stephen Schwartz is the Vice President of Global Technology for BNI®. He has been working in the IT field for over 25 Years. Steve started out installing Point of Sales systems in New York City, where he eventually had his own business for 5 years. After leaving NYC Steve move to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue a career in software development. In 1999 he moved to Louisville, Kentucky to work at Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell where he worked in various IT roles over 13 years. This led him to a position as CIO of Long John Silver’s, a restaurant chain in the US with 1,300 retail outlets. Steve moved to Charlotte in 2014 to be a Senior Vice President of Product Development for software company and then joined the BNI® team in September of 2015.

Mike Fitton joined the BNI® team in 2017 as Director of Global Marketing. He has extensive experience in digital marketing, and is an expert in marketing automation. Prior to joining BNI, Mike served as Executive Director of Digital Marketing for The Conference Board in New York. During his tenure he led the team that implemented both SugarCRM and Marketo, transforming the organization and driving seven consecutive years of revenue growth. Originally from Ohio, Mike graduated with a degree in business from Miami University where he majored in marketing. He is extremely passionate about the culture of BNI® and strives to use his marketing expertise to serve our members and further the organization.

Daniel Tangeman joined BNI® in 2016. As the General Counsel, Dan is primarily focused on franchising, intellectual property matters, contract drafting/negotiations, compliance efforts and dispute resolution.

Daniel is a graduate of Wheaton College and Harvard Law School. He also served in the US military as an ARMY aviator flying attack helicopters. He spent time working with major law firms before graduating to in-house practice working for biotechnology and high technology firms. Such law firm and in-house work provided for a broad background in general corporate, licensing, capital markets, securities, M&A, venture capital, e-commerce, software and mobile application development, cross-border and other international law transactions.

In his free time, Daniel enjoys traveling, sport fishing, motorcycling and fitness activities.

Virginia Pond is the Executive Communications Manager for BNI Global, a position she has held since December 2016. In her role, Virginia is responsible for managing a range of key communications initiatives on behalf of the leadership team and organization.

Prior to joining BNI, Virginia worked at a global communications agency, Edelman, in Washington, D.C. and most recently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. While there, she managed both internal and external communications programs for varying government, healthcare and non-profit clients.

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Virginia graduated from the University of South Carolina with degrees in Communications and Art History. She also spent time studying in London, England and Florence, Italy, which sparked her interest for global communications. Outside of the office, Virginia enjoys traveling, cooking, running and other outdoor activities.