Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top California based President operating in the Consulting space. If you think a President is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Eric DeMarco
President & CEO of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions
Eric DeMarco is President and Chief Executive Officer of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS). Eric DeMarco joined the Company in November 2003 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and assumed the role of CEO in April 2004. Since joining Kratos, Eric DeMarco has been instrumental in leading the Company’s efforts to grow and build, both organically and through strategic acquisition, a leading Product and Technology Based National Security focused business. Prior to Kratos, Eric DeMarco was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Titan Corporation, which was later acquired by L-3. Under his leadership, Titan grew from approximately $150 million in annualized revenue to $1.5 billion, with a backlog of over $4 billion. Eric DeMarco efforts were instrumental in creating one of the largest government information technology companies in the United States. Before Titan, Eric DeMarco served in a variety of public accounting positions primarily focusing on large multinational corporations and publicly traded companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Finance, summa cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire.
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About Kratos Defense and Security Solutions: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions provides mission critical engineering, IT services, and war fighter solutions.
Robert Potter
Vice President, Signals and Ground System Technology of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions
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About Kratos Defense and Security Solutions: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions provides mission critical engineering, IT services, and war fighter solutions.
Tim Bajarin
President of Creative Strategies
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About Creative Strategies: Creative Strategies is a market research and advisory company.
Jim Smallwood
President of Gallagher
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About Gallagher: Gallagher is an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm.
Allen Cashion
Principal ,Vice President of The Carlyle Group
Allen L. Cashion focuses on U.S. real estate opportunities on the West coast and is based in Newport Beach. He joined Carlyle in 1998 and has played a key role in the acquisition, management and disposition of more than six million square feet of the firm’s commercial real estate portfolio throughout the West. Other notable projects Mr. Cashion has been involved with are 180 Montgomery, Central Research Park, 1401 Shoreline, College Park, Dexter Horton, US Bank, The West Coast Portfolio, Gateway Towers, 2800 North Central and Plaza Pacifica, whose combined capitalization with other projects in the Western U.S. exceeds $1 billion. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Cashion was a Vice President at Lennar Partners, and was involved in the company’s Southern California office and retail development projects. Mr. Cashion received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
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About The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
Jennifer Hwang
Vice President of ManpowerGroup
Jennifer Hwang is Vice President at ManpowerGroup.
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About ManpowerGroup: ManpowerGroup is a multinational human resource consulting firm, providing recruitment and assessment, training and development, and more.
Steven J. Demetriou
President & Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs
Steve Demetriou is the Financial Controller at Inventis Ltd.
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About Inventis, Jacobs: Jacobs leads the global professional services sector delivering solutions for a more connected, sustainable world.
Brandon Overmyer
Vice President of GP Bullhound
Brandon is a Vice President in the Technology & Telecom Group at Capstone Headwaters, working closely with clients to execute and optimize mergers, acquisitions and strategic capital raises. Prior to this, he was an Analyst in technology investment banking at ArchPoint Partners (acquired by Houlihan Lokey), supporting the senior team on middle market domestic and cross-border technology transactions. Brandon has a pronounced fervor and aptitude for technology, finance and law and has worked in varying roles with Apple and LG, as well a number of startups and a civil litigation practice. Brandon holds Baylor University School of Law – JD and a BA from the University of Florida.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Eric Crowley
Vice President of GP Bullhound
Eric is a Vice President at GP Bullhound, focusing primarily on M&A, Capital Raises and Advisory transactions. Prior to GP Bullhound, Eric served as an executive at a software start-up where he focused on financial management and driving growth. In addition, Eric worked at Lazard and Antares Capital focusing on middle market transactions, completing over $2 billion of transactions during his time there. In addition to his CPA, Eric has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a B.S. degree from Xavier University.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Frank Jarolimek-Proner
Vice President of MergerTech Advisors
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About MergerTech Advisors, MergerTech Advisors, MergerTech Advisors: MergerTech’s mission is to enable small and medium-sized technology companies to realize the value of their business.
Michael Frost
Vice President & First Vice President of CBRE Group
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About CBRE Group: CBRE Group is a holding company that conducts all of its operations through its indirect subsidiaries.
Sally Taylor Shoff
Scores Vice President of FICO
Sally Taylor-Shoff is Scores Vice President, responsible for product management, marketing, analytic and software development, and analytic delivery for global syndicated FICO score products. Sally joined FICO (aka Fair Isaac) in 1987 as a data scientist, developing application scorecards for the consumer credit and utility industries. Subsequently she was the original product manager for the FICO Score product line, driving product launch and marketplace adoption including achieving endorsements for usage in the Mortgage industry. Sally has served FICO in other capacities including managing and growing the Marketing automation product line through both acquisition and new product development, and developing a new channel and business model by launching the FICO Analytic Cloud Marketplace. Sally holds a B.A. in statistics from the University of California at Berkeley.
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About FICO: Fair Isaac Corporation enables businesses to automate, improve, and connect decisions to enhance business performance.
Krishna Srinivasan
Global President of Frost & Sullivan
Mr. Srinivasan, Global President and Managing Partner of Frost & Sullivan, has been with the company for over twenty five years. Over the years, he has held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility, culminating in the role of President in the year 2000. He has played a key role in reshaping the company from its early days as a market research company to a full-fledged global growth consulting company focused on solving client challenges with customized business intelligence, growth strategies and training & implementation support.
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About Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Keith Waddell
President and CEO of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Stephen Hilton
Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller and Treasurer of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Robert Glass
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Paula Streit
Senior Vice President, Corporate Services – Protiviti of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Evelyn Crane-Oliver
Senior Vice President – Secretary and General Counsel of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Christopher Hoffmann
Senior Vice President & Global Privacy Officer of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Lynne Smith
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Compensation of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Alberto Onetti
Chairman & President of Mind The Bridge
Alberto Onetti joined Mind The Bridge Foundation as Chairman & President in 2009.Alberto Onetti acts as Chief Financial Officer. He has over 15 years of experience in the corporate finance field as consultant for leading banking groups and multinational companies. Alberto holds a Ph.D. in corporate strategy and a Master degree in International Finance. He is Professor of management and entrepreneurship at the Department of Economics of the Insubria University.
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About Corriere.it – Corriere della Sera, Cresit Energy, Funambol, Mind The Bridge, Mind the Seed – MTS Fund, TOK.tv, University of Insubria: Mind The Bridge provides innovation advisory services for corporations and startups.
Dan L. Batrack
Chairman, CEO, President of Tetra Tech
Batrack joined our predecessor in 1980 and was named Chairman in January 2008. He has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a director since November 2005 and as our President since October 2008. Batrack has served in numerous capacities over the last 30 years, including project scientist, project manager, operations manager, senior vice president, and president of an operating unit. He has managed complex programs for many small and Fortune 500 clients, both in the United States and internationally. Batrack holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.
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About American Environmental Group, Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Janis Salin
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Tetra Tech
Salin joined us in February 2002 and was named Vice President and General Counsel in November 2002. She was elected Secretary in November 2003. For the prior 17 years, Salin was a Principal with the law firm of Riordan & McKinzie (which was acquired by Bingham McCutchen LLP in July 2003), and served as Managing Principal of that firm from 1990 to 1992. She served as our outside counsel from the time of our formation in 1988. Salin holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Kevin McDonald
Senior Vice President, Corporate Human Resources of Tetra Tech
McDonald joined us in 2004 through the acquisition of Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation. He is responsible for all areas of human resources (HR), including executive compensation, employee benefits, succession planning, human resources information systems, and employment law compliance. Prior to leading our corporate HR organization, McDonald was the HR Director for one of our subsidiaries. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the engineering and construction services industry. McDonald earned a B.S. degree in Management from the University of Scranton and an M.B.A degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Leslie Shoemaker
Executive Vice President, Water, Environment & Infrastructure of Tetra Tech
Shoemaker has served as President of Water, Environment & Infrastructure (WEI) since April 2015. Shoemaker leads WEI across our global operations including developing and implementing new strategies for expanding our water and environmental services. She leads a team that focuses on designing the most efficient sustainable infrastructure solutions for our clients, providing innovative solutions to address demand for water supplies, and interdisciplinary solutions to address wastewater and environmental restoration needs. Shoemaker joined us in 1991 and has previously served in various technical and management capacities, particularly in the field of integrated water management and modeling. She has led large scale watershed and master planning studies, led the development of modeling tools, and published in the field of watershed and stormwater modeling and decision-making. Shoemaker led and coordinated Tetra Tech’s Growth Initiatives programs that for more than a decade have linked our scientists and engineers across our operations. From 2005 to 2014, she focused on our Strategic Planning process including oversight of our business development. Shoemaker holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics from Hamilton College, a Master of Engineering Degree from Cornell University, and a Doctorate in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Maryland.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Richard Lemmon
Senior Vice President, Corporate Administration of Tetra Tech
Lemmon joined our predecessor in 1981 in a technical capacity, and became a member of its corporate staff in a management position in 1985. In 1988, at the time of our predecessor’s divestiture from Honeywell Inc., Lemmon structured and managed many of our corporate functions. In 1990, he was promoted to Director of Administration. Lemmon was elected a Vice President in November 1995. He serves as our Risk Manager and is also responsible for Human Resources and facilities.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Steven Burdick
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Tetra Tech
Burdick was named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in July 2011. He served as Tetra Tech’s Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller from January 2004 to March 2011 and our acting Chief Financial Officer between March 2011 and July 2011. He joined Tetra Tech in 2003 as Vice President, Management Audit. Prior to Tetra Tech, Burdick served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Aura Systems, Inc., and as Chief Financial Officer for TRW Ventures. Prior to this, Burdick held the position of Senior Manager with Ernst & Young LLP in Los Angeles. Burdick holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Craig Christensen
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Tetra Tech
Christensen joined us in 1998 through the acquisition of our Tetra Tech NUS, Inc. operating unit and was named vice president in November 2002. Christensen is responsible for the company’s information services and technologies, including the implementation of our enterprise resource planning system and management of the shared services organization. Previously, Christensen held positions at the NUS, Brown and Root Services, and Landmark Graphics subsidiaries of Halliburton Company, where his responsibilities included contracts administration, finance, and system development. Prior to his service at Halliburton, Christensen held positions at Burroughs Corporation and Apple Computer. Christensen holds B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Brigham Young University.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Ronald Chu
Executive Vice President, Resource Management & Energy of Tetra Tech
Chu has served as the President of Resource Management & Energy (RME, formerly TSS) since June 2007. He has more than 16 years of experience with us and has served in various technical and management capacities, including project and program manager, office manager, regional manager and Chief Operating Officer for TSS. Chu was named a Vice President in 2001 and has served as president of several subsidiary companies during his tenure. He began his career as a civil/sanitary engineer in 1981 and entered the environmental consulting field in 1984. His career has included management of major assessment, engineering, and remediation programs for major oil and gas companies, Fortune 100 manufacturers, energy suppliers, and government agencies. Chu is a registered professional engineer in several states and has authored numerous technical articles. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Southern California.
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About Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech provides innovative solutions focused on water, the environment and energy for the government and commercial clients.
Kathy Nosek
Vice President of Member Experience of TIGER 21
Kathy Nosek is TIGER 21’s Vice President of Member Experiences. Ms. Nosek has over 25 years’ experience in the luxury travel, event and wedding planning industry, including over 16 years in the Corporate Sports Marketing industry. She has assisted in organizing luxury events for Top Sponsorship Companies, including 6 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, Beijing, Vancouver BC & London, 2 World Cup finals in Berlin and South Africa and 3 Super Bowls in Miami, Indianapolis and San Francisco. Most recently, she was a Senior Account Manager with a Destination Meeting and Event planning company in the Bay Area planning, organizing and executing events for High Tech, Medical and Financial companies. As a former owner of three wedding and event companies, she possesses an understanding of the entrepreneurial platform for TIGER 21 and is a perfect match for creating memorable travel experiences for our members. Ms. Nosek studied Psychology and Hotel Restaurant Management at Washington State University.
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About TIGER 21: TIGER 21 is a North America’s premier peer-to-peer learning network for high-net-worth investors.
Richard Wojahn
Vice President – Business Development of Waste Connections
Richard Wojahn has been Vice President – Business Development of Waste Connections since February 2009. From September 2005 to that date, Richard Wojahn served as Director of Business Development. Richard Wojahn served as Vice President of Operations for Mountain Jack Environmental Services, Inc. (which was acquired by Waste Connections in September 2005) from January 2004 to September 2005. Richard Wojahn has more than 34 years of experience in the solid waste industry having held various management positions with Waste Management, Inc. and Allied Waste Industries, Inc. Richard Wojahn attended Western Illinois University.
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About Waste Connections: Waste Connections is an integrated solid waste services company that provides solid waste collection.
BJ Cook
President of 85SIXTY
BJ is the CEO and cofounder of Digital Operative. BJ drives the strategic vision of the organization while ensuring that all of the agency’s clients are receiving best-in-class digital solutions. BJ has been in “digital” since 1998 and has a hybrid skillset – design, marketing & technology – that has enabled him to translate solutions across consumer touch points. He’s been recognized on lists covering the Most Influential Marketers in 2009, Top 25 Marketers of the Decade in 2010, a member of The Purple List from PSFK, a writer for SearchEngineGuide.com, a mentor/advisor and most recently a judge for the Webby Awards. BJ is also very active locally, hosting Social Media Breakfast for 3 years, involved with SDSI, SDMBA, speaking for iMarketers/IDSD and at local universities on digital marketing best practices. One of BJ’s most proud moments is helping a nonprofit gain exposure by garnering an appearance on CNN’s “Weekend at War” simply by using LinkedIn. When he’s not waving the DO flag proudly, you’ll find him on the mountain bike trails of San Diego, rock climbing or competing in beach volleyball.
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About 85SIXTY, Digital Operative Inc: 85SIXTY is an e-consultancy & digital marketing agency & It all starts with good data, but getting good data is a massive challenge.
Len Reo
President of The Attivo Group
Len Reo founded The Attivo Group in 1992 after a significant career in cost accounting and financial management with several manufacturing and distribution companies. During this period, he found his passion in developing and improving business processes and the information systems that support them. As one of the foremost experts in Macola, SAP Business One, and other ERP systems, Reo has built his consultancy firm into a national operation, with clients spanning the entire United States. Hailing from the great state of Rhode Island, Reo has a BS in Accounting from Providence College, and later received his MBA in Finance from Cal Poly Pomona, and holds a CPIM certification from APICS.
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About The Attivo Group: The Attivo Group specializing in business process improvement & cost effective software for your business growth.
JC Pratt
Vice President Of Business Development of Genpact
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About Bitmo, Genpact: Genpact provides business process management and information technology services.
Lindsay Andrews
Vice President & Principal of Sard Verbinnen & Co
Lindsay assists clients with a broad range of media, crisis, and investor relations support. She has assisted with activist defense planning, primarily for companies in the technology industry. She has also developed crisis communications plans and provided strategic counsel to clients facing a range of situations, including litigation, government investigations, national product recalls and accounting restatements.
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About Juul Labs, Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
David Isaacs
Vice President of Sard Verbinnen & Co
David Isaacs is a Vice President based in the San Francisco office. Since joining the firm, he has worked on a number of corporate positioning programs, transactions and special situations, including unsolicited takeover proposals, proxy fights, product recalls and management changes.
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About Sard Verbinnen & Co: Sard Verbinnen & Co is a leading strategic corporate and financial communications firm.
Joe Callinan
Vice President of Product Management of LegalZoom
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About LegalZoom: LegalZoom is a technology platform giving access to professional legal advice so people can protect what matters most.
Fatemeh Khatibloo
Vice President and Principal Analyst of Forrester Research
Fatemeh Khatibloo serves B2C marketing professionals, with a focus on the shifting global consumer data ecosystem. She helps marketers navigate the complex connections between privacy, trust, and ethical data use, including the practices and vendors that can help them bridge the privacy/personalization paradox. Fatemeh also advises clients on strategies to comply with global privacy regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. Her seminal research on personal identity management (PIDM) and personal digital twins describes how consumers will soon control the sharing of their personal data with each other and with businesses.
In 2018, Fatemeh was recognized with Forrester’s prestigious Bill Bluestein research excellence award. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and AdAge. She has provided commentary on NPR and the BBC; testified before the US Department of Health & Human Services; and been credited in the World Economic Forum’s “Rethinking Personal Data” report. She frequently speaks at global events, including Mobile World Congress, CES, and SxSW.
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Julie Ask
Vice President of Forrester Research
Julie Ask is a Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester and co-author of the company’s book The Mobile Mind Shift. Julie has helped establish Forester as a mobile research leader since 2009. She currently coordinates Forrester’s research on the impact of mobile technologies and has helped hundreds of clients with mobile strategy.
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Laura Ramos
Vice President & Principal Analyst of Forrester Research
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Noel Yuhanna
Vice President, Principal Analyst of Forrester Research
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Brian Hopkins
Vice President & Principal Analyst of Forrester Research
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Daniel Hong
Vice President & Research Director, Digital Customer & Collaboration practice , Healthcare practice of Forrester Research
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About Forrester Research: Forrester is a research and advisory firm that provides businesses with business and technology-related consulting services.
Carol Spector Dingle
Vice President Technical Services of On Assignment
Carol Dingle has held executive-level positions in software development and IT operations for more than 18 years. As Vice President of Technical Services at On Assignment, Inc., she oversees the technical needs of an international staffing organization with multiple divisions across the United States and Europe. Prior to her current position, she was Vice President of Operations and Infrastructure at banking technology provider Digital Insight.
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About On Assignment: On Assignment is a provider of highly skilled, hard-to-find professionals in the growing technology, life sciences, and creative sectors.
Ramesh Panchagnula
Co-Founder and President of Smart ERP Solutions
Ramesh Panchagnula, has over 25 years of experience in software development with PeopleSoft applications. As a former Technical Architect at PeopleSoft/Oracle, he has an extensive 23 years of experience working with PeopleSoft applications. Armed with his PeopleSoft development background and industry experience he co-founded SmartERP to provide efficient solutions to common application problems encountered by PeopleSoft customers. Ramesh is also an avid cricket player and very active organizing local cricket leagues.
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About Smart ERP Solutions: SmartERP is the enterprise business applications space providing innovative, cost-effective and configurable solutions.
Rajesh Koppanathi
Vice President, Business Technology Services of Smart ERP Solutions
Rajesh Koppanathi has over 25 years of experience in the software industry and over 15 years of PeopleSoft experience. Rajesh provided support for PeopleSoft customers for nine years as a Technical Lead in the Global Support Center, where he maintained the GSC lab environment for many years. Rajesh is a subject matter expert in project costing, grants, contracts and order-to-cash. After leaving Oracle, Rajesh worked for Cherry Road Consulting and later joined SmartERP as a Technical Lead. Rajesh still focuses heavily on customers as SmartERP’s Vice President, Business Technology Services.
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About Smart ERP Solutions: SmartERP is the enterprise business applications space providing innovative, cost-effective and configurable solutions.
Tony McCuaig
Senior Vice President, Finance of United Capital
Tony is responsible for managing the day-to-day accounting functions of the Finance Department, which includes monthly and year end reporting, cash management, tax compliance, managing the audit process and various other special analyses. Tony has over 30 years of accounting and finance experience. He began his career in the UK, primarily in the Retail Auto industry. From 1980 to 1986 he lived in Australia working as an accountant in the Resources industry. From 1986 to 1996 he lived in The Netherlands and worked in the Entertainment industry as CFO and Managing Director of a group of music companies. In addition to financial management he was responsible for recording, publishing, merchandising and touring activities of highly successful groups of musicians. In 1996 he moved to Los Angeles and was the CFO of a music publishing company. In 1999 he joined Centurion Capital Management Corp. as Director of Accounting and later became CFO until the company was acquired by GE in December 2001 and became GE Private Asset Management Inc.. After this acquisition he held the position of Sourcing Leader until June 2003 and then worked on consulting projects dealing with Sarbanes Oxley issues for a number of medium sized public companies until joining United Capital in February 2007. Tony holds a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) degree from Queensland University of Technology and qualified as a CPA in Australia. In addition to this he has a Diploma in Business Studies and was a qualified Company Secretary (ICSA) in the UK.
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About United Capital: United Capital is a wealth counseling company assisting clients achieve empowerment over their financial aspirations.
Brandon Gage
Senior Vice President of Technology of United Capital
With more than 20 years of experience in technology, Brandon Gage brings a specialized knowledge of project design for every project at UCFA. As SVP of Technology, Brandon works alongside other departments to understand their technology needs to create high powered, scalable solutions that deliver lasting results. A true believer in the efficiency that technology can bring, Brandon is constantly researching ways to keep United Capital ahead of the curve. His technical expertise and strong problem-solving skills assure UCFA leverages technology to create more effective and efficient open architecture platform. Since helping start UCFA in 2005, Brandon’s work with team members has earned him a reputation of excellence and expertise. Brandon leads by example and successfully oversees the Technology and development teams while providing personalized, quality service to other departments.
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About United Capital: United Capital is a wealth counseling company assisting clients achieve empowerment over their financial aspirations.
Lynne Scheid
Senior Vice President of Human Resources of Kofax
Lynne Scheid is Senior Vice President of Human Resources. She has been with Kofax since 1989. Before joining Kofax, she worked in Human Resources for Century Data Systems (a Xerox company) and Charleston Associates (eventually acquired by Anacomp). Lynne is responsible for all human resources functions. She holds a certificate in Human Resources Management from the University of California, Irvine, and she studied Business Administration at California State University, Fullerton
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About Kofax: Kofax Document Capture develops and markets intelligent capture and exchange related solutions and services.
Jim Nicol
Executive Vice President of Products of Kofax
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About Kofax: Kofax Document Capture develops and markets intelligent capture and exchange related solutions and services.
John Connell
President, western region employee benefits of Edgewood Partners Insurance Center
As the President, Employee Benefits of California at EPIC, John is responsible for the leadership and driving the overall success of the Employee Benefits team throughout California. Prior to joining EPIC, John was with Jenkins Insurance and The Leavitt Group for 26 years. He was appointed President of Employee Benefits in 1995. Previously, John was a Senior Benefits Consultant with Rollins Burdick Hunter (currently known as AON Consulting). John’s area of expertise is in Employee Benefits Consulting to the middle-market employer. John also held the role of sales consultant with Canada Life Assurance Company. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.
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About Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, Jenkins Insurance Group, Leavitt Group: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
Dave Hock
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications of Edgewood Partners Insurance Center
Dave’s responsibilities at EPIC include brand standards and brand management; public and media relations; advertising and creative direction; sales and marketing strategies, materials and campaigns; web site design and content management; social media strategies and content; as well as business development and strategic sales support for producers and practice leaders across the organization. Dave has held positions of increasing responsibility leading claims, sales, business development, marketing, corporate communications and brand management teams. Across his 40 year insurance career, Dave has worked for California Casualty Management Company / Calco Insurance Brokers and Agents, Minet Insurance Services and ABD Insurance and Financial Services. He joined EPIC in June of 2009. Dave earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley. Professionally, he is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM) as well as a Property & Casualty Insurance Broker-Agent license holder (California). Dave lives in San Mateo with Jamie, his wife of more than 40 years. They have two adult sons, Brian and Andrew, living and working in the Bay Area. A lifelong musician, Dave has played guitar and sung in the classic rock cover band “Men Behaving Loudly” for the past 20 years. In addition to private parties, corporate events and local club gigs, MBL donates performances to a wide range of non-profits and community service organizations that have included: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, MS Society, Alpha Phi Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, Sacramento Children’s Home and Crisis Nursery, Insurance Industry Charitable Fund, San Mateo Police Activities League and the San Mateo County Volunteer Center.
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About Edgewood Partners Insurance Center: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
Susan Cereghino
Senior Vice President – Private Client Services Division of Edgewood Partners Insurance Center
Susan leads and manages EPIC’s Private Client Services Division and is responsible for operations, client service and new business development for the division, which focuses on individual risk management and all-lines of personal insurance protection. With over 20 years of personal insurance experience, Susan has established a solid reputation in the personal lines marketplace. Over her career she has been invited to participate on numerous National Councils and Advisory Boards for various insurance companies. Before joining EPIC in 2007, Susan was with Calco Insurance Brokers and Agents; EPIC’s initial platform acquisition. Susan was hired at Calco to establish and manage their Private Client Division. Susan’s expertise and experience is in tailoring personal asset protection programs for higher net worth individuals and in finding creative, cost effective solutions for hard to place risks. Susan graduated from California State University where she received her B.A. in journalism. Professionally, she has earned her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and has a CA-state Property & Casualty agent license. Susan resides in San Francisco with her husband and her son who just started high school. Susan is active in a number of non-profit organizations which include the Family House and Little Children’s Aide. In her free time Susan enjoys playing tennis and spending time at Lake Tahoe with her family.
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About Edgewood Partners Insurance Center: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
Frani Smith
Vice President of Corporate Services and Facilities of Edgewood Partners Insurance Center
Frani is EPIC’s Vice President of Corporate Services and Facilities. She is responsible for planning and coordinating all EPIC corporate and client events as well as managing all aspects of facilities. Her responsibilities in facilities include identifying new real estate opportunities, facilitating lease agreements and coordinating companywide office moves. She also assists with the integration and on-boarding of EPIC acquisitions and new team members. Frani has been involved with the insurance industry for 21 years, 15 of which were spent at the former Tri-City Brokerage in San Francisco. She holds a California Fire and Casualty Broker’s License. Frani was among EPIC’s earliest team members, beginning her “EPIC Adventure” in July of 2007. Frani currently resides in Sausalito and she continues to passionately pursue her long-time interests in cooking, wine and international travel.
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About Edgewood Partners Insurance Center: EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm.
Samer Khouli
Founder & President/CEO of TargetCW
Before the internet was commonplace, Samer started his business career selling snacks he bought from Price Club to his friends in high school. He then had a small business selling POGS and putting on POG tournaments. For Samer, there is no limit to the amount of knowledge one can achieve and the variety of experiences one can try. When he became frustrated with workers compensation, he went out and got his insurance brokers license, so he could speak directly with carriers, MGA’s, claims reps, etc. With a passion for innovation, desire for efficiency and with over 20 years of experience in the HR, staffing, and technology, Samer has built TargetCW into a state-of-the-art home for the biggest contingent workforce geeks. He loves leadership and wants TargetCW to be an example for other companies in terms of ethics, passion for the task and love for the people.
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About TargetCW: TargetCW provides employment services.
Jason Glenn
Vice President, Business Development of TargetCW
Jason Glenn has been serving as vice-president for business development of TargetCW since May 2013.
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About TargetCW: TargetCW provides employment services.
Abyah Wynn
Vice President, Investor Relations of Trimantium
Abyah Wynn serves as a Vice President at Trimantium Capital Pty Ltd. As the Vice President and U.S. Liaison for Investor Relations at Trimantium Capital, she plays a critical role in the development of the company’s relationships with investors and entrepreneurs. Abyah Wynn has more than ten years’ experience in the industry ranging from public relations to advertising to brand development. Previously, she served as the Communications Director at Capital Tax LLC where she was responsible for relationship management, marketing, events and social media. Abyah Wynn commenced her career as an Account Manager for Trunk Club, a startup later acquired by Nordstrom. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from Pepperdine University.
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About Trimantium: Trimantium is an entrepreneurial partner and investor in organisations ready for high-growth.
Phil Johnson
Sr. Vice President of Global Human Resources of Infogain Corporation
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About Infogain Corporation, Shashi Group: Infogain is a leading IT consulting firm with vertical solutions for the High Tech, Retail and Insurance industries and offering
Jan D’Alessandro
Founder & President of Blue J Strategies
Jan is a partnership builder, focused on harnessing the power of digital media to make the world a better place. She has held senior positions at AOL, Yahoo, Topspin Media (acquired by Apple), The Find (acquired by Facebook) and Place, a mobile and web platform (founded by Lady Gaga) that enables anyone to create, join and discover communities of like-minded people. Jan is a Venture Partner at Savano Capital Partners and a strategic advisor to emerging companies, non-profits, artists and brands on investment and deal strategy. She speaks frequently on digital media, music tech, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Jan received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and her A.B. in English and American Literature from Brown University.
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About Blue J Strategies, BrownSavano Direct Capital Partners: Blue J Strategies provides access, connectivity and strategic direction to companies across media.
Tim Dilley
President/Co-Founder of Enforce LLC
Tim Dilley brings more than 26 years of experience in enterprise consulting, and executive management leadership in professional services and customer support. In his role as executive vice president of Services for NetSuite, Dilley is charged with overseeing its global initiatives in professional services, training and customer support and customer service. Prior to NetSuite, Dilley served as senior vice president of Global Customer Services at Informatica Corporation, a $300M enterprise software company, which provides the Global 2,000 with data integration products and services. While at Informatica, he managed the global practices of Professional Services, Education Services, Customer Support and Maintenance Renewal Sales. Before that, Dilley had 18 years of experience in the consulting services. He was an associate partner for Worldwide Utilities Consumer Services at Andersen Consulting (Accenture), and a co-founder of Axiom Management Consulting, a management and information technology consulting firm. Earlier in his consulting career, he was with Myers-Holum, where he spent five years implementing financial applications. Dilley began his career as a systems analyst at Price Waterhouse and holds a B.S. in business administration from California State University at Fresno.
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About Enforce LLC, NetSuite: Enforce is leveraging the cloud to build a better consulting company.
Audrey Jacobs
Vice President and Wealth Advisor of Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Audrey Jacobs is a public relations and marketing veteran of 20 years who’s served clients in financial services, high tech, bio tech, medical to non-profits.In addition to having her own marketing firm specializing as a media relations coach, she was part of a US media relations team for global PR firm Porter Novelli.Recently she left the corporate world to pursue her Zionist passion to found and lead the San Diego chapter of StandWithUs, a global Israel education and advocacy organization.Audrey built in San Diego an exciting StandWithUs chapter with a large crowd of Venture Capitalists, CEO’s and Investors. Through her 20 year experience fundraising and organizing event as a lay leader for Jewish and Israel causes, Audrey has received numerous Jewish leadership awards. Audrey received her BA from San Diego State University (magna cum-laude).She is a sixth-generation Dallas, Texan and an avid runner.
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About Bernstein Private Wealth Management: Bernstein has focused squarely on research and investment management.
Robert Francisco
President, North America of FirstCarbon Solutions
Robert oversees and leads the North American businesses of FCS, and the American and European companies of ADEC Innovations and affiliated ADEC Group business interest, partnering with the ADEC Group CEO, country leaders, business line leaders and other team members to help ensure overall group success while having a positive impact on Environmental, Social and Governance topics as they relate to the core mission of the group, to make a difference in the world we live in. Robert works closely with other business leaders in the Public, Private and Non-governmental sector on some of the most pressing issues facing the planet and its inhabitants, including the 17 key topics and sub-topics identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. After serving his country as a Sergeant in the First Battalion, Fifth Division of the United States Marine Corps where he was an infantry platoon leader, Robert achieved his undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biological Sciences from Sacramento State University. He spent much of his early career focusing on technical issues related to wildlife and habitat issues. He has worked on some of the most complicated and controversial wetland issues in the western U.S., with an emphasis in wetland mitigation/restoration and regulatory compliance as implemented through the federal Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, California Fish and Game Code, and Regional Water Quality Control Board regulations. Prior to leading FCS and ADEC, Robert was the Chief Operating Officer for Michael Brandman Associates (MBA), which FCS acquired in 2012. Prior to MBA, Robert was the Northern California Regional Director and Principal for Jones & Stokes Associates (now ICF/Jones & Stokes). He also served as the head of the regulatory compliance group while maintaining his field biology and wetland ecology skills.
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About FirstCarbon Solutions: FirstCarbon Solutions is a consulting company that provides sustainable practices and business solutions to its clients.
Bob Garrow
President & CEO of Unit Enterprises LLC
As a veteran executive of successful startups and major high technology enterprises Bob is able to combine his creative ability with years of experience. Highlights of his career include pioneering work at Intel as an engineer and engineering manager, the co-founding and development of Convergent Technologies as VP Engineering and GM, management of very high growth at Sun Microsystems as GM of Sun’s Workstation Division and later, as VP of World Wide Manufacturing, leadership in the creation of the high technology enterprise as CEO of Athenix Corporation, and both business development and sales as SVP Strategic Relationships at Liquid Computing.
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About Unit Enterprises LLC: Unit Enterprises serves high tech clients in a variety of ways including market research, technology research, investment, and consulting.
JoAnn Grace
President of Metropolitan News
Born Oct 6, 1946, Chicago Ill. Became resident of Southern California in 1948. Attended school in Orange County. After completing junior year in high school, enrolled at USC under honors program, receiving high school diploma at time of completing first year of college.Received AB in political science from USC, 1967; JD from University of Texas School of Law, 1970. In law school, was director of Legal Research Board (outstanding member, 1969-70), research editor of Texas International Law Forum. Admitted to practice law in Texas, 1970; admitted in California, 1973. Admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1974. From 1971-80, served as estate and gift tax attorney for Internal Revenue Service. Appointed federal women’s program coordinator for Los Angeles District after six months with IRS. Also served as member of Western Region’s Women’s Advisory Committee, headed Women’s Committee of Federal Executive Board, and was member of USC Advisory Committee on the Continuing Education of Women. In 1980, became co-publisher of Metropolitan News, which subsequently merged with the Los Angeles Enterprise to become Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Since 1990, president of Metropolitan News Company and since 1991, president of Cal-Net, a clearinghouse for legal notices. One child: daughter, Lisa Grace-Kellogg, born 1970; attorney. Present Activities,Member, Board of Directors, Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations.Member, LACBA delegation to the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations.Member of California Women Lawyers (life member); Women Lawyers Assn. of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), Italian American Bar Association (past president), Southern California Chinese Lawyers Assn., Cowboy Lawyers (founding member). Member, State Bar Board of Governors (2004-2007; vice president, 2006-2007) Treasurer, Foundation of the State Bar of California (founding fellow) Board member, Los Angeles County Bar Foundation (life fellow) Chair, Campaign Watch Commission, League of Women Voters, Los .Angeles President, Italian American Lawyers Association Commissioner, State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. Board , Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center Chairperson, Lawyers Conference of Judicial Administration Division, American Bar Assn. Chair, The Breakfast Club.
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About Metropolitan News: Metropolitan News Company is a California corporation and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grace Communications, Inc.
Autumn Karcey
President & CEO & Founder of Cultivo
Over the past thirteen years, Ms. Autumn Karcey has worked in most aspects of the legal cannabis industry including permit acquisition, retail, talent acquisition, staff augmentation, cultivation, fundraising, activism, and facility design to environmental optimization for cultivation and retail operations. As one of Los Angeless leading medicinal cannabis cultivators for over a decade, it was important for Ms. Karcey to create optimal indoor environments in which cannabis can be grown in a healthy, stable manner free of pests and pathogens without the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals. After 10+ years of R & D, Ms. Karcey combined her background of indoor cultivation and facility design methodologies in order to create a truly innovative environment that is rare in this industry. Ms. Karcey takes a logical, consistent, and scientific approach when she designs cultivation sites. She combines the use of modern clean room technology, state-of the- art agricultural equipment, along with custom fabricated equipment, specialized irrigation, high-end security, and sensor systems to create world class facilities. To date, Ms. Karcey has built, designed, and consulted on over 100 facilities globally. In addition, Ms. Karcey has consulted on the licensing, staff augmentation, talent acquisition, design and construction of over 25 dispensaries around the U.S.
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About Cultivo: Cultivo is a full service facility design, consulting, and custom fabrication firm.
Jennifer Berry
President of Liminal
Exploring new and innovative ways to transform the way the world looks at identity @ One World Identity, a research and strategy company focused on the identity industry.
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About Liminal, Liminal: One World Identity (‘OWI’) is the home of the KNOW Identity Conference and media brand. OWI Advisory Services is now Liminal
Claudia L. Llanos
President of Claudia Llanos CPA Accountancy Corp
Claudia was born and raised in Bolivia, South America. She moved to the US in 1989 and currently lives in Pasadena, CA. She enjoys doing yoga, and traveling as much as possible. Claudia is passionate about creating a better world in her native Bolivia, and is an avid supporter of the Habitat for Humanity. She has created several real estate projects by establishing mortgage financing for low income people in a small town in Bolivia. Claudia is fluent in English, Spanish and French.
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About Anthem Venture Partners, Arcturus Capital, Claudia Llanos CPA Accountancy Corp: Claudia Llanos CPA Accountancy Corp is a Financial Consulting and Advisory Services Corporation
Steve Rice
President and Owner of Rice Financial Consulting
Steve Rice Los Gatos has had over 33 years of financial experience, including investment management and retirement planning. He enjoys his line of work because of the industry’s emphasis on relationships– at heart, Steve Rice Los Gatos is a people person. He has been recognized for his efforts, speaking at events all over the nation and being featured in television spots for his financially sound input. He serves on the Los Gatos Town council, previously serving as mayor of the town from 2011-2012. A veteran financial advisor and politician with more than three decades of experience in his field, Stephen Rice currently splits his time between responsibilities as head of Rice Financial Consulting, Inc., and Mayor of Los Gatos, California. A lifelong resident of the Silicon Valley region, Steve Rice graduated from Los Gatos High School before enrolling at San Jose State University, where he developed his leadership skills as President of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity and pursued studies in business administration and finance. After San Jose State, Mr. Rice furthered his education through The American College, earning his Chartered Financial Consultant, Chartered Life Underwriter, and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designations from this school. Launching Rice Financial Consulting in 1982, Steve Rice Los Gatos quickly built his company into a trusted source of financial planning, asset management, insurance, and business planning services to clients in and around the greater San Francisco Bay Area. In tandem with his work at Rice Financial Consulting, Stephen Rice has played key leadership roles in several industry and community groups over the years, maintaining a simultaneous focus on finance and philanthropy alike. To this end, Steve Rice served as President of both the Silicon Valley and California chapters of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, President of the Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council, and President of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos. Elected to the Los Gatos Town Council in 2008, Steve Rice Los Gatos went on to become Mayor in 2011. To read more on Steve Rice’s professional background, his work as Mayor of Los Gatos, and the services he provides through Rice Financial Consulting, please visit his official website at SteveRice.com.
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About Rice Financial Consulting: California-based financial consulting and advising group that takes pride in educating each of their clients
Ankur Jindal
Vice President, Head Corporate Venturing and Innovation of Tata Communications Limited
Ankur Jindal heads innovation and venturing initiative globally for $2.6bn Tata Communications (TCL), a cross border communications company, and is based in the Silicon Valley. TCL itself is part of the $103 bn TATA Group of companies, reputed 34th in terms of world’s leading corporate brands. Ankur has over 21 years of experience in the ICT space and has operated in multiple geographies from UK/Europe, India and now the United States. He setup TCL’s corporate venturing program at Tata Communications and in his current role, he is responsible for driving innovation and venturing activities globally in terms of partnerships with and investments in innovative technology startups across startup ecosystems, leading internal innovation program and incubating / scaling up internal start-up ventures and driving university partnerships. His innovation and venturing group works closely with different TCL business units around the globe to enable start up engagements from discovery to Proof of Value to launch. Areas where TCL is sourcing innovation span across multiple domains from SDN/NFV to programmable networks, IoT, hybrid cloud orchestration, advanced predictive security products and tools, cross-border mobility platform & services, AI/analytics/deep learning applied to communications, AR/VR based collaboration tools, media platforms and technologies, process transformation / automation, employee and customer engagement. Prior to the current role, he drove strategy, planning and innovation for TCL, headed sales in UK/Europe for TCL’s transformation services business and led the global integration of Telegloble (an acquisition) with TCL. Before TCL he spent over 7 years as a strategy consultant advising clients across Telecom, technology, IT and BPO on multiple challenges from strategy & planning, organization design / structure, leveraging Internet technologies for process transformation, M&A and operations improvement. In the initial years of his career he worked in TCS, world’s top 10 IT services company. He is an engineering (electrical) graduate from IIT Delhi and a post graduate (MBA) from IIM Calcutta, both India’s premier education institutes. His interests beyond work include travelling, golfing and coaching.
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About Tata Communications Limited: Tata Communications is a leading global professional services company providing a range of strategy, consulting, digital & technology.
Aron Cramer
President and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility
Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy by business, NGOs, and the public sector. Under his leadership, BSR has doubled its staff and expanded its global presence, which currently includes offices in Copenhagen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Tokyo. On a day-to-day basis, Aron advises senior executives at more than 250 member companies and other global businesses and is regularly featured as a speaker at major events and in a range of top-tier media outlets. Aron is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights some of the sustainability strategies that drive business success. Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of our business and human rights program and opened BSR’s Paris office in 2002, where he worked until assuming his current role as President and CEO in 2004.
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About Business for Social Responsibility: Business for Social Responsibility is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable business strategies and solutions.
Walter Brandhuber
Vice President, Sector Leader, Environmental Services, Oil & Gas (US) of Stantec
Walter is used to exploring new territory. Whether it’s scuba diving on weekends or positioning for growth in Stantec’s environmental services: oil & gas US practice, for which he is the lead, he isn’t afraid to branch out. He believes that success comes down to adding value to shareholders, whoever they may be. Creating connections between clients and organizing his team to align with the industry, is something Walter excels at. Having spent 25 years listening to clients, he’s built experience in mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions, creating significant shareholder value in the international oil and gas industry. Although Walter prefers to walk to his destination, it’s not always possible when you’re working around the world. From Houston to Kuwait, and London to Kazakhstan, Walter has been founder, executive director, and managing partner, and thrives on the challenges of an industry that demands you keep pace with its constant flux.
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About Stantec: Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture,
Alfonso Rodriguez
Vice President, Regional Leader, US (Pacific) of Stantec
Alfonso is the operational lead of Stantec’s United States Pacific Region with offices throughout California and Hawaii. He is engaged with a variety of public and private clients in the many sectors we serve. His professional background includes design and construction of rail transit, highways and bridges, educational facilities, municipal public works infrastructure, and industrial facilities. A civil engineering graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he is proud of his alma mater and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and in the community on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. While at home, Alfonso enjoys cycling, and spending time with his wife exploring the scenic beauty and rich history of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
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About Stantec: Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture,
Eric Nielsen
Executive Vice President of Stantec
Eric Nielsen is the executive vice president responsible for US federal, learning and leadership development and the community development business line. Eric joined Stantec with the acquisition of The Keith Companies (TKC) in 2005. As the past president and chief operating officer of TKC, Eric played a key role in the firm’s growth from a small privately held engineering firm to a strong publicly traded company. With a strong focus on collaborative and innovative approaches, Eric led a group that focused on commercial, retail, and office projects that he built into one of the largest service groups in Orange County. With a career spanning more than thirty years, Eric has provided design and management services on residential, commercial, industrial, and public sector projects located in and around southern California, Hawaii, and Colorado. In addition, he has continually increased his management and executive responsibilities. Eric’s commitment to his professional community includes participating with Cal Poly’s Industry Advisory Board for their civil engineering department Eric is a Registered Professional Engineer in California and Hawaii.
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About Stantec: Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture,
Dean Palumbo
Senior Vice President, Geographic Leader, US West of Stantec
Dean is our senior vice president and geographic leader of the US West responsible for our operations across 57 offices in 13 states throughout the Western US, and he also provides strategic direction and leadership on acquisitions, business venture decisions, and strategic projects and pursuits. Before joining Stantec, Dean owned and operated his own civil engineering and land surveying company. For six years he provided consulting services on projects throughout southern California. During that time, he successfully grew the company from two to 20 employees—with $3.0 million in annual revenue. After he sold his company, he became a director at Keith Companies, eventually being promoted to corporate officer, president of energy and industrial services, and regional manager of three divisions. Dean is a past president of the Desert Chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association, a member of the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors, and a past executive board member of the State Association of the California Land Surveyors Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.
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About Stantec: Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture,
Donna Jones
Vice President, Sector Leader, Oil & Gas of Stantec
From design and operations to marketing and sales, Donna has successfully managed a variety of departments and projects. In fact, she brings 28 years of management experience to her role as our United States oil and gas sector lead. Among the projects Donna has managed, she found the most rewarding to be a DOT gas pipeline for Texaco E&P. To allow the refinery a fuel gas source independent from the local utility, a line was to be brought in from the Kern River field and run through the city of Bakersfield. From directing environment, health, safety, and permitting personnel, to facilitating surveyors, coordinating internal engineering and design, and interfacing with land, legal and right of way, Donna had her hands full. She believes that this particular project was able to teach her the art of multitasking, prioritizing, client relationship management, and proper delegation all while still having fun. In her spare time Donna enjoys hopping into her motorhome and exploring California’s vineyards. She also spends time with her three little dogs and includes scuba diving on her vacations.
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About Stantec: Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture,
Luke Kupersmith
President & CEO of Lojistic
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About Lojistic: Lojistic is as logistics automation and analytics platform for controlling and reducing shipping costs.
Diego Abba
President of Opes International & Company, Inc.
Strategic C-Executive with P&L leadership and global expertise on technology, media and mobile, including several successful start-ups
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About italist, Opes International & Company, Inc.: Opes International & Company, Inc. is a consulting firm helping companies to acquire new businesses that are a fit to their structure.
Tobey Van Santvoord
Senior Vice President of Sales, North America of MightyHive
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About MightyHive: MightyHive is a programmatic solutions provider that simplifies complicated programmatic media buying for advertising organizations.
Daniel Goosen
Vice President, DevOps & Cloud Platforms of Entisys360 (formerly Entisys Solutions and Agile360)
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About Entisys360 (formerly Entisys Solutions and Agile360): Entisys360 is an information technology company offering virtualization and cloud solutions.
Josh Reed
Vice President – of Executive Digital
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About Executive Digital: Full Service Digital Marketing Agency: SEO, Social Media, SEM, Programmatic, Web Development, Mobile App Development
Kenzi Connor
President & Founder of Cloud City
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About Cloud City: Cloud City is a consulting firm specializing in software and design of mobile apps and web apps.
Chris Rogers
Vice President of Aon Hewitt
Chris is a Vice President in Aon Hewitt’s Health & Welfare Consulting Practice based in Southern California. Chris joined the firm in April of 2011 and has over 13 years of general and client management experience including new business development, innovation and strategic planning. His responsibilities include long-term health care strategy development, financial analysis, and overall health and welfare plan management for large national clients. Prior to joining Aon Hewitt, Chris served in a variety of marketing functions at Nestlé and Taco Bell Corp where he worked to grow market share through new product development. Prior to his corporate experience, Chris spent over six years with Mercer’s Heath & Benefits practice as a consultant working on a variety of mid-sized and large clients. Chris graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A. in Economics and later received an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley with an emphasis in Marketing and Strategy.
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About Aon Hewitt: Aon Hewitt is a global provider of pensions, benefits & talent management services.
Robert DeCort
Executive Vice President, Business Development of Meta Data Analytics 360
Bob has over 30 years of experience in the design, development, and operation of technology enabled IT, security and telecommunications projects delivered globally for commercial and government customers. Bob has directed efforts as Chief Engineer, Program Manager, Business Area Manager, and Business Development Manager, while based in the US and on long term assignments in Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, and South America; Bob has gained this experience by defining, delivering, and operating highly complex technical systems to solve challenging national security and business problems while working for General Dynamics for 12 years, and SAIC for 17 years.
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About Meta Data Analytics 360: Meta Data Analytics 360 specializes in business contracts encompassing enterprise IT systems hosting, operations, and management.
Andy Grant
Technical Vice President of NCC Group
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About NCC Group: NCC Group exists to make the world safer and more secure.
Dana Hehl
Senior Vice President Operations of NCC Group
Dana works across NCC Group’s assurance department in North America and heads up the company’s technical delivery in California. As well as this, Dana oversees NCC Group’s global wellness programme and is passionate about improving diversity across the technology sector.
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About NCC Group: NCC Group exists to make the world safer and more secure.
Frank Tripepi
Senior Vice President, Business Development of Willdan
Frank Tripepi was appointed Senior Vice President, Business Development in May 2011. Previously, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of our subsidiary, Willdan Financial Services, formerly known as MuniFinancial, from June 2002 to May 2011. From October 2008 to December 2009, Tripepi also served as the interim city manager for the City of La Puente. Prior to joining Willdan Financial Services, Tripepi served as the city manager of Rosemead, California for approximately 28 years. In April 2004, Tripepi received an appointment to the Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government. The Rose Institute conducts and publishes research on California government and politics. Tripepi received his B.A. in Political Science in 1969 from California State University, Fullerton.
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About Willdan: Willdan is a company selling professional technical and consulting services to public agencies at all levels.
Thomas Brisbin
President & CEO of Willdan
Thomas Brisbin was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Willdan Group, Inc. in April 2007. Brisbin previously was vice president of and consultant for AECOM Technology Corporation, a company focused on infrastructure, environment and facilities engineering contracts, where he was responsible for developing the company’s environmental business for three years. Previously, Brisbin was chief operating officer and executive vice president of Tetra Tech, Inc., a leading provider of consulting, engineering and technical services, for five years. Prior to that, he was employed by Planning Research Corporation, or PRC, a systems analysis and management consulting company and wholly-owned subsidiary of The Black & Decker Corporation, from 1978 to 1995 and was co-founder and President of PRC Environmental Management, Inc. During his tenure at PRC, he was involved in all aspects of operations, marketing and finance. Before joining PRC, he was a research associate at Argonne National Laboratory. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Brisbin holds a B.S. degree from Northern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. He also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 1988.
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About Willdan: Willdan is a company selling professional technical and consulting services to public agencies at all levels.
Mike Beiber
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Willdan
Michael Bieber was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Development in December 2014. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President at Tetra Tech, where he served in a number of leadership roles for over 18 years. From March 2007 to December 2014, Bieber managed Tetra Tech’s mergers and acquisitions and investor relations functions, overseeing over fifty acquisitions. From 2005 to 2007, Bieber managed Tetra Tech’s corporate business development group, where he was responsible for overseeing internal business development, marketing and communications. From January 2000 to December 2014, Bieber also worked in Tetra Tech’s investor relations group. From 1996 to 2000, he was a proposal manager in Tetra Tech’s corporate marketing group. From 1994 to 1996, he served at CRC, Inc., and its successor, as a strategic business development consultant to large defense, infrastructure, and environmental firms. Prior to 1994, Bieber worked for IT Corporation (now CB&I) where he served as project manager and engineer on government nuclear and commercial environmental projects. Bieber holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the Tennessee Technological University.
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About Willdan: Willdan is a company selling professional technical and consulting services to public agencies at all levels.
Jody Cain
Senior Vice President, LA of LHA
Jody Cain rejoined LHA in January 2015, having previously worked in the agency’s healthcare practice from 2001 to 2013. Jody is an accomplished senior-level communications professional with more than 25 years of experience. She is a strong strategic consultant with knowledge covering a broad range of communications issues, including corporate positioning, financial guidance, capital markets strategies and transactions, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, management changes, licensing and partnership agreements and product recalls. Clients benefit from a wealth of investor relations, crisis and transactional expertise from her years at leading investor relations and crisis communications agencies. Jody brings an additional aspect to her client counsel through experience heading an in-house corporate communications department. Jody works closely with senior management teams to develop messages that resonate with investors and identifies the best avenues to communicate these messages to targeted audiences. In addition to expertise in preparing shareholder letters, news releases, conference call scripts, investor presentations and Fact Sheets, Jody has been instrumental in arranging high-impact Analyst Day events, from date, venue and speaker selection to investment community targeting and presentation consulting. Jody has been a speaker on investor and media relations at SEC Institute and International Business Forum conferences, as well as on investing in biotechnology at the UCLA/MIT Venture Forum. She holds BA and MA degrees in Communications from the University of Washington.
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About LHA: LHA is a leading provider of investor relations services.
Becky Herrick
Senior Vice President and Principal of LHA
Becky Herrick began her tenure at LHA in July of 2000 and has led investor relations programs for companies in a variety of industries, including alternative energy, industrial services and technologies, transportation and consumer products. Becky has provided investor relations counsel and developed strategic communications platforms for public companies with market caps as high as $2 billion, as well as multiple private companies on their IPO planning strategies. Outside of LHA, Becky worked in the public sector for an education reform organization in Oakland, CA where she was involved in fundraising, business development and project management. Becky received her BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University, attended the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley for her MBA and completed graduate coursework in economics at Western Governor’s University.
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About LHA: LHA is a leading provider of investor relations services.
Jay Arendt
Vice President of Onside Technology Solutions, Inc.
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About Onside Technology Solutions, Inc.: Onside specializes in cloud hosting solutions, computer and network tech support & IT Outsourcing services for Sacramento area businesses.
Sasan Raeisi
Owner & President of Los Angeles SEO Inc
Highly driven and results-oriented SEO Director with more than ten years of career experience in internet marketing and more than 30 years of information technology management experience. Adept in original site design search friendly architecture solutions, and keyword research. As an Internet marketing manager, having proven expertise in Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing with an excellent familiarity with various Internet resources expresses a keen desire to learn about Web Marketing for the organization’s benefit. Successful record and in-depth knowledge of corporate websites, blogs, web analytics, SEO, SEM. Extensive knowledge of website design tools and platforms. Superior technological and computer skills. I planned new Internet marketing strategies with provided leadership and guidance to search-engine marketers. Developed ways to significantly improve web content, create On-page and off-page optimization, website design, and technical adaptation.
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About Los Angeles SEO Inc, Web Direct Inc: Los Angeles SEO specializes in the fields of market research and SEO services.
Dawn DuMont-Perdew
President & Founder of The DuMont Project
Dawn began her media career in the burgeoning DRTV world in the 1990s, working with some of the most successful traditional direct marketing companies like Bose, Nordic Track, Readers Digest and Time, Inc., among many others. She has helped launch the most successful branded direct response campaigns for CPG and healthcare Rx/OTC clients. She also served as the VP of Client Services for ID Media (the largest direct media service company in the US as part of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.) Currently Dawn serves on the executive board of the Emmys and focuses on the evolution of digital assets for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences archives. Additionally, she served on the Google Agency Council providing thought leadership and architecting many of Google’s new products.
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About Cart.com, The DuMont Project: The DuMont Project provides direct-to-consumer advertising and marketing consultancy services.
Shanon Marks
President & Founder of MU/DAI
Shanon Marks is president and founder of MU/DAI, a design firm that simplifies technology by blending the imagination of digital with the power of practical. MU/DAI’s work transforms ideas into experiences and makes technology more effective and useful. For 15 years, Marks has focused on the application of emerging technology and harvested data to augment and improve the human experience, accelerating the market through innovation and emerging technology.
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About Agency 39A, MU/DAI: MU/DAI is a digital design company which offers mobile application development, product design, content strategy, and ecommerce services.
Natalie Zensius
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications of Relation Insurance
Natalie Zensius has helped organizations with brand-aligned marketing communications strategy and execution for almost two decades. As Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications at Relation Insurance Services she oversees the development of marketing, public relations, and communications strategies that promote, strengthen, and protect Relation’s brand, create interest in Relation’s products and services, and attract, recruit and retain acquisition partners and top talent to the agency. Classically trained as an illustrator at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Natalie got her professional start in the motion-picture industry as a special-effects artist and producer. Throughout her career, she’s worn many hats, including multi-media producer, account manager, and head of marketing communications in both the private and public sector. Prior to joining Relation, she built a successful marketing-communications consulting practice—and counted Relation amongst her happy clients. When she’s not working, she’s either traveling, hiking, or backpacking. She also runs a vacation rental business in the mountain foothills of California, near Yosemite National Park.
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About Relation Insurance: Relation Insurance is a premier insurance broker that offers superior risk-management and benefits-consulting services.
Scott Weiss
Senior Vice President of USI Insurance Services
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About USI Insurance Services: USI Insurance Services is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm that delivers diversified insurance and financial services.
Mike Witherspoon
President and Founder of CodeScience
Mike Witherspoon is the founder and President of CodeScience.
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About CodeScience: CodeScience is a product development organization that helps SaaS businesses thrive on the Salesforce AppExchange.
Lindsay Mann
President of AskBrien
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About AskBrien: Business to Business Question Answer site
Miles Loo
Executive Vice President of Newmark Knight Frank (NKF)
Miles Loo, Jr. joined Newmark Knight Frank’s Valuation & Advisory in 2017 in the Downtown Los Angeles office, where he serves as executive vice president and is global lead, Valuation & Advisory, for NKF’s Data Center Consulting Group. Mr. Loo is well recognized as the industry’s leading appraiser of data center properties. His experience includes advising private equity funds, institutional investors, large pension funds, Fortune 500 companies, cloud companies and Global IT conglomerates on investments on all types of data centers, including mission critical, disaster recovery data centers, colocation facilities, carrier hotels, internet gateways and life science properties. The assignments involve data centers owned and/or operated by Fortune 500 companies across numerous industries, as well as Uptime Institute Site Certified Tier III and Tier IV facilities, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Platinum, Gold and Silver, and state and federal disaster recovery data centers. He has led valuations of large portfolio valuations spanning multiple countries across five (5) continents (N.A., EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions) and consulted on a number of the World’s Largest Data Centers featured in DataCenterKnowledge. He is very involved in the data center industry as a member of Infrastructure Masons, AFCOM and 7×24 Exchange. He is also a regularly invited speaker & moderator at many of the major data center conferences in key markets across the North America, EMEA and APAC regions. In addition, Miles Loo, Jr. has achieved the CRE designation (The Counselors of Real Estate®), FRICS designation (Fellowship with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), and ATS designation (“Accredited Tier Specialist™” designation) with the Uptime Institute.
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About Newmark Knight Frank (NKF): Newmark Knight Frank is a full-service commercial real estate services business that offers a full suite of services.
Uzoma Okoro
President of Eco-Alpha
President of Engineering for Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services. With a passion for environmental issues and a leader in the field of mechanical engineering, Okoro graduated from the California Maritime Academy in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering. He is skilled in facilities and operational efficiency improvements, facilities cost-reduction strategies, revenue optimization strategies, and client relations. As mechanical commissioning manager for EYP Mission Critical Facilities, he was responsible for the development and execution of hundreds of pre-functional, functional, and integrated systems tests for new and existing facilities. From 2005 to 2011, he enhanced the energy efficiency and operational procedures for multiple data centers in the tech industry (e.g.,Facebook, Microsoft, and Cisco). In 2011, Okoro transitioned from area data center efficiency and operational procedures to the acquisition and execution of third party vendor contracts for 15 facilities — from Florida to California. As the corporate facilities engineering manager for The Doctors Company, he was responsible for all data center Mechanical Electrical Plumbing (MEP) operations and maintenance. His passion for environmental matters, lead him to facilitate and implement upgraded and ensured efficiency standards and upgrades for each facility. In 2014, he transitions the Director of Engineering for the Golden 1 Center Arena his located in Sacramento, California. Thanks to Okoro’s leadership, negotiation skills, and supervision as director of new client acquisitions and retention in innovative stationary engineering operations, the Golden 1 Center Arena, is currently the most technologically advanced sporting venue in the nation and the first LEED PLATINUM arena in the country. A director he developed and supervised preventative maintenance programs, service work order response protocols, capital projects, tenant improvements, new construction, and commissioning. He supervised all arena engineering related activities, from 21KVA power installation and building automation systems management, to serving as liaison and owner representative for union negations and general contractor services. As a skilled union liaison, he successfully developed and managed multiple collective bargaining agreements with The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) (Local 39). This unique position also included accounting aspects such as pay processing , development of variance reports, and maintenance budgets, which continued to hone his skill-set in all areas of business and client relations. In addition, he was responsible for the management of building system permits, warranties, and third party vendor approvals. During his tenure, he supervised and managed a large pool of stationary engineers and contract workers along with developing and distributing safety and technical training modules — deepening his understanding of the wide variety of skills and competencies needed to manage a large-scale sports and entertainment venues. Okoro also acquired new engineering service contracts in the sports and entertainment, commercial real estate, and mission critical environment areas as a business acquisition administrator. As an owner’s representative, he managed commissioning and stationary engineering services for several Fortune 500 companies such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Facebook, and Sutter Health. With over 15 years of cross-functional engineering experience in high performance building operations including business acquisitions, multifaceted facilities construction, and facilities operations, Okoro has the experience and expertise that prepared him for his current position as President of Engineering for Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services. Currently, as president of engineering for Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services. Okoro is responsible for the direction and management of corporate engineering services and strategic client relations. His priorities include strategic planning, product design, quality assurance, and problem resolution.
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About Eco-Alpha: Engineering and environmental firm providing design, construction, consulting, and facility operation.
Jorge Ruiz De Castilla
President of The Chip Merchant
Jorge Ruiz De Castilla is President at The Chip Merchant.
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About The Chip Merchant: The Chip Merchant is a full-service San Diego IT consulting firm committed to providing personalized service & viable IT business solutions.
