Donald J. Hall, Jr. is president and chief executive officer of Hallmark Cards, Inc., a Kansas City based company known throughout the world for its greeting cards, Hallmark Gold Crown stores, Hallmark Hall of Fame original movies, and cable’s top-rated Hallmark Channel.Don is the third generation of the Hall family to lead this privately held business, which was founded in 1910 by his grandfather, J.C. Hall.

Don joined the company in 1971, working in multiple areas of the business – from manufacturing and sales, to product development and creative leadership – before taking over the company’s top position in 2002.

Don is active in the Kansas City community as a volunteer and board member for several organizations. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Neeli Bendapudi is the H.D. Price Dean at the KU School of Business and professor of marketing. Her Ph.D. is from the University of Kansas and she has taught at Texas A & M and the Ohio State University. Her research has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Retail Marketing and the Harvard Business Review, among others. Her current research focuses on customer willingness and ability to maintain long-term relationships with firms and with the employers and brands that represent them. Throughout her career, Dean Bendapudi has taught at the undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA and Ph.D. level, and has received numerous college, university and national teaching awards.She has experience on public and private boards and served as Chief Customer Officer of Huntington National Bank.