Our Executive Leadership

Dave Taylor, President and CEO

Dave Taylor has been a leading proponent of innovation since joining Dorel in 2003. Under his leadership, the company recently opened the Dorel Technical Center for Child Safety to foster the cutting-edge design of car seats and many other juvenile products. Taylor brings his expertise to the broader juvenile products industry, serving on the Board of Directors for the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. He has also been a champion of Dorel’s support of non-profit organizations such as the Make a Wish Foundation, where he is a regional chapter board member. With a keen eye to global trends, Taylor has lived internationally, in Europe and Asia. Prior to Dorel, he held senior financial and operations roles at the leading telecommunications company, Brightpoint and a senior regional executive for Ball Corporation. Taylor began his career at Price Waterhouse in Indianapolis and Frankfurt, Germany, spending more than a decade in the Audit department and working with companies such as Walt Disney, Tupperware, Hillenbrand and Ball Corporation. A graduate of Ball State University, Taylor resides in the Indianapolis area with his wife and three children.

Steve Willeke, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Steve Willeke oversees finance, accounting, information services and legal aspects for Dorel Juvenile Group. Among his highest priorities is providing financial information and guidance to Dorel’s product teams, so they are able to bring a constant stream of new, innovative solutions to retailers and families across the globe. Prior to joining Dorel in 2006, Steve spent 17 years in the financial services industry at Conseco, Inc. While at Conseco, he held various senior financial and operational roles, including Chief Financial Officer of Conseco Insurance Group’s Life Insurance division. Steve began his career at Price Waterhouse in Indianapolis, spending more than six years in the Audit department and working with companies such as Ball Corporation, Herff Jones, Arvin Industries and Bindley Western Industries. A graduate of Ball State University with a B.S. in Accounting, and Indiana University with a M.B.A., Steve is a longtime resident of
the Indianapolis area, where he lives with his wife and two sons. Outside of work, he enjoys coaching Little League baseball and Youth basketball and traveling with his family.

Mark Evanko, Executive Vice President, Quality Assurance and Product Safety

Mark Evanko joined Dorel Juvenile Group in 2000 and serves as Executive Vice President of Quality Assurance. Having worked in the consumer products and juvenile industries for more than 28 years, Mark has several areas of expertise which include risk management, government liaison, quality systems development, quality assurance, quality control, technical testing services, and regulatory standards development. Prior to DJG, Mark worked for ACTS Testing Labs, Inc. where he managed their technical testing services for Juvenile Products, Hardlines, Textiles, and Household Products. He actively participated in industry agencies, organizations, and standards development. Mark was instrumental in creating new technical services and processes and provided technical training to leading Fortune 500 companies. Mark, his wife, and their three children resided in both France and Hong Kong for several years. While in Hong Kong, he directed the activities of the QA staff for China, Thailand, and the Philippines at 25 factories. The family of five now resides in Indiana, close to DJG’s U.S. headquarters. Mark has a B.S. degree from Alma College in Michigan and a M.A. from the State University College of New York at Buffalo.

Tim Ferguson, Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Tim is a seasoned human resources officer, having spent the past 30 years in HR. He held senior HR positions at Stanley Works and Kennametal Industrial Group prior to joining Dorel Juvenile Group in 2004. From 1980 to 1995, Tim served in a variety of human resources positions in General Electric’s Lighting, Drive Systems, Appliances, and Plastics businesses. While at GE he served as a member of the GE Corporate Union Relations Council and completed GE’s Advanced Human Resources Development Program. An active member of the Columbus community, Tim has held Board positions for The United Way, Columbus Chamber of Commerce, March of Dimes, and Columbus Philharmonic. He is a graduate of Youngstown State University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Public Relations. Tim is the father of two and grandfather of five and when not visiting his grandchildren he enjoys golfing with his wife.

Barry Mahal, Executive Vice President, Child Restraint Systems

Barry Mahal joined Dorel Juvenile Group in 2009, after serving as VP of Research, Design and Development of Child Restraint Systems at Britax. In his role as Executive Vice President of Child Restraint Systems for Dorel Juvenile Group, Barry is responsible for all aspects of the CRS Business Unit, including Design & Engineering, Program Management, P&L, business growth and operations and Quality and Marketing. He is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and a certified firefighter and EMT, and utilizes that hands-on knowledge regularly at car seat safety events. Barry has a passion for developing collaborative teams that are focused on new product engineering, current product program management, and design innovation. Before coming to the child restraint industry, Barry’s career included positions at such prominent companies as Sea Ray, HON Industries and Herman Miller. Barry holds a M.B.A. from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. Barry makes his home in Lake Wylie, South Carolina, with his wife, Marybeth, and their three daughters, but remains a diehard fan of the Purdue Boilermakers. Barry’s commitment to the safety and enrichment of the lives of children extends beyond his work at Dorel.

Gary Pruitt, Executive Vice President, Operations

Gary’s current role as Executive Vice President of Operations builds on a 17-year career at Dorel focused on consumer goods and the retail supply chain. He is responsible for domestic manufacturing and supply chain, along with the company’s distribution, logistics and customer operations. Over the past two decades, Gary has held senior positions in manufacturing plant management, distribution/logistics, procurement and planning. Gary has also led efforts to consolidate and streamline the Company’s distribution networks, and has served as program manager for a new ERP system implementation. Prior to joining Dorel, Gary held senior positions at Procter & Gamble, working in product development and operations management and focusing on new product/plant operations and making established manufacturing facilities more efficient. Gary holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.

Ted Kelley, Executive Vice President, Sales, and General Manager

Ted brings more than 20 years’ experience in sales and financial analysis, with keen insight to juvenile product trends. He joined Dorel Juvenile Group in 1997, and works closely with Dorel’s global retail partners. Under Ted’s leadership, Dorel has earned numerous awards, including Wal-Mart’s prestigious Vendor of the Year honor. In addition, Ted oversees product development for all brands and business units. Ted is a graduate of Boston College, with a B.S. in communications. Ted captained the Boston College Eagles’ basketball team and continues to be an avid sports fan. He enjoys playing with his two children, Ryan and Meghan, and spending time with his wife, Carrie. They live in Foxboro, Mass.

Julie Vallese, Vice President, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications

An integral member of Dorel Juvenile Group’s senior executive team, Julie is responsible for corporate communications, government relations and consumer advocacy. Vallese develops and oversees the creation of programs and communications that inform the public and community leaders about the Company’s cutting edge innovation and commitment to improving the safety of children across the globe. A veteran consumer product safety advocate, Julie was Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 2005-2009, serving as a senior spokesperson and principal media advisor for the agency. For more than 15 years, Julie was a journalist with Cable News Network. As the network’s Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Correspondent and Editor, she reported on news related to automotive industry, product safety, traffic safety and child safety, among other topics. She also covered regulatory process and legislation on Capitol Hill. As Assignment Manager for CNN Washington, Julie was responsible for the network’s largest bureau – producing more news programming than any other CNN bureau. During her tenure, Julie was recognized for her contributions to CNN’s award-winning coverage of 9/11 and the 2000 Presidential Election. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Spotlight Award. Julie is a mother of two boys, both avid hockey players. She is a graduate of The George Washington University, with a B.A. in communications, and lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her family.

Jeff Katz, Director, Global Operations

Jeff Katz is a consumer products veteran, having started his career in consumer good in 1995. He has an extensive background in quality assurance, product development, sourcing and purchasing. Currently he is the Director of Global Operations of Dorel Juvenile Group where he oversees DJG’s China offices and staff and ensures that our corporate quality policies and product quality requirements are incorporated into all of our Asian produced product. He joined DJG in 2005 and is based in Shanghai. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and has a masters’ degree from DePaul University.