Leadership announcement and membership changes announced for 
San Francisco Federal Reserve’s Economic Advisory Council

Donald R. Knauss

Donald R. Knauss

Charles A. Wilhoite

Charles A. Wilhoite

San Francisco, CA – The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco announced that Alfred A. Plamann, retired CEO of Unified Grocers, Inc., and Tracey C. Doi, group vice president and CFO of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., were reappointed as chair and vice chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) for 2014. Both joined the EAC in 2009. 

In addition, it was announced that Donald R. Knauss, chairman and CEO of The Clorox Company in Oakland, CA, and Charles A. Wilhoite, managing director and national director of health care services of Willamette Management Associates in Portland, OR, were appointed as the newest members of the Twelfth District’s EAC. Both will serve three-year terms effective January 2014.

Donald R. Knauss joined The Clorox Company as chairman and chief executive officer in October 2006. Prior to joining Clorox, Mr. Knauss spent 12 years with The Coca-Cola Company. He joined the company in 1994 as senior vice president of marketing for The Minute Maid Company, and, in 1996, was promoted to senior vice president and general manager for Minute Maid’s U.S. retail operations. Beginning in 1998, he served nearly two years managing Coca-Cola’s businesses in ten countries of Southern Africa. In 2000, he was named president and chief executive officer of The Minute Maid Company. He became president and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola North America in 2004.

Mr. Knauss previously held a variety of positions in marketing and sales with the Frito-Lay and Tropicana divisions of PepsiCo, Inc. He began his business career as a brand manager in the paper products division at Procter & Gamble. Prior to that, he served as an officer of the United States Marine Corps.

Mr. Knauss sits on the boards of directors for Kellogg Company and URS Corporation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Indiana University. 

Charles A. Wilhoite is a managing director of Willamette Management Associates. He is also national director of the firm’s tax-exempt entity and health care services practice. Willamette Management Associates is a financial consulting firm specializing in business valuation, forensic analysis, and transaction-related financial advisory services.

Mr. Wilhoite has experience in merger and acquisition valuations, post-acquisition purchase price allocations, business and stock valuations, ad valorem property tax valuations and forensic analyses. Mr. Wilhoite also has experience in the valuation and economic analysis of entities focused in the health care industry.

Before joining Willamette Management Associates, Mr. Wilhoite was a senior auditor for KPMG, an international accounting and consulting firm, where he specialized in audits in the automobile, banking and financial institutions, government, health care, manufacturing and construction, lumber, retail, and real estate industries.

Mr. Wilhoite previously served as chair on the board of directors of Oregon Health & Science University, the Portland Business Alliance, The Urban League of Portland, the Portland Development Commission, and the Oregon Children’s Foundation—SMART. Mr. Wilhoite also currently serves on the board of directors of the US Bank of Oregon and The Nature Conservancy, and he is a trustee of the Meyer Memorial Trust.

Mr. Wilhoite holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from Arizona State University and he is a certified public accountant, accredited in business valuation, certified in financial forensics, a certified management accountant, certified in financial management, an accredited senior appraiser, and a certified business appraiser.

EAC members provide the Bank’s senior management with information on current and pending developments in the regional and national economies. 

The balance of the San Francisco Fed’s Economic Advisory Council includes: 

Richard C. Blum, chairman and CEO, Blum Capital Partners, San Francisco, CA.
Ian T. Clark, CEO, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA.
Philip L. Francis, retired executive chairman, PetSmart, Inc., Phoenix, AZ.
Kathryn A. Hall, CEO and co-chief investment officer, Hall Capital Partners, LLC, San Francisco, CA.
John E. (Jack) Pelo, president and CEO, Swire Coca-Cola, USA, Draper, UT.
Thomas E. Vice, president, Aerospace Systems, Northrop Grumman, Redondo Beach, CA.
George Zinn, corporate vice president and treasurer, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA.

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (SF Fed) serves the public by promoting a healthy, sustainable economy, and supporting the nation’s financial and payment systems. With offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland and Phoenix, the Bank serves the Twelfth Federal Reserve District, which includes one-fifth of the nation’s population and represents the world’s fourth-largest economy. As part of the nation’s central bank, the SF Fed informs monetary policy, regulates banks, administers certain consumer protection laws and acts as a financial partner to the U.S. government.