Vicki Amon-Higa

Vicki is a passionate and experienced catalyst and coach that partners with leaders throughout organizations to identify and drive improvements that matter to employees, customers and shareholders.   She has spent more than 30 years, both as an internal and external consultant, to influence mindset to deliver the best outcomes for employees, customers and ultimately shareholders.  Her career started in the early 1980s doing research and translation of how Japan was achieving such top Quality results and continued through high tech and health care employing quality improvement, lean six sigma, customer experience and design thinking frameworks and methodologies. Her work experience spans industries and countries … high tech (NeXT Computer, Apple, Symantec & Cisco), electric utility (Florida Power & Light), defense (Hughes Aircraft), construction (Shimizu), film (Pixar), software (ADPgsi, KANA & Intuit), and healthcare (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, La Clinica de La Raza & Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System) … in the US, Japan and Europe.  She has led teams in Quality, Project Management, Operations, HR, Merger Integration, Process Excellence and Customer Experience.   She is passionate about helping people discover what needs to be done to improve the customers’ experience and coaching employees to be the best they can be. Vicki has a BA in Asian Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a Masters in Int’l Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.  She is a mother of four, married to her life partner, Peter Higa, and is a consummate volunteer.  She and Peter co-founded Animal Assisted Happiness in 2009 … a place for children with special needs to interact with animals and find happiness.  Her mantra of never letter the crystal balls drop reminds her to focus on health, family, faith and her friends.

Lawrence Neal Benedict

Lawrence Benedict is an accomplished diplomat with extensive international experience in many world hot spots. He has demonstrated success in diplomacy, policy formulation, management, including crisis management, and leadership.

Tim Bennett

Tim Bennett was the president of Harpo Productions and was best known as the broadcast executive who helped take Oprah's Winfrey's local Chicago-based show in 1986 into the national syndication arena. It then grew into 130 international markets as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" where it was the No. 1 program in daytime for 25 consecutive years. For almost two decades, Bennett helped manage and grow Oprah's businesses and philanthropy, which evolved from broadcast television & syndication (Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rachael Rae) to publishing (O Magazine), films, online, and finally a cable network of her "own.” He also oversaw the development of Oprah’s Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa which is a successful boarding school for girls and still serves on its financial advisory board. For two decades prior to Harpo, he had positions of president, promotion manager and program director at four television stations in four states.

Santiago Brown

After finishing his studies and having traveled the world, Santiago started a plant genetics company in Ecuador to develop novel and unique Roses for the European and North American markets. Originally from Miami, Florida, his studies in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Boston University sent him on a path of vaccine research when life changed course and pushed him into the business world. With two semesters of Business Administration (Minor at B.U.) in one pocket and a Master’s degree from Wageningen University (The Netherlands) in Plant Breeding & Genetics in the other, he ventured into the entrepreneurial world and ran a business for 10 years. The decision to start Brown Breeding was triggered after a yearlong journey on a sabbatical to explore the world of cut flowers learning from businesses throughout the world, traveling though countries as far as Colombia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Kenya, Vietnam and China. Currently he is the Director of Research & Development at Ball FloraPlant, where he runs several Plant Breeding and Product Development research programs designed to serve the ornamental plant industry in several regions across the world. He and his family are in love with San Luis Obispo and the California Central Coast, you can find him frequently rolling down the nearby hills of CalPoly on his mountain bike.

Jeff Buckingham

With over 25 years of experience in the telecom industry, Jeff brings extensive knowledge and leadership skills to Blue Rooster Telecom.  Jeff began his career in 1983 when he joined Call America -- just as the Bell System was broken up.  He began as the company’s first sales person and led the company to many successful and profitable years as its President. Jeff transitioned to Vice President / General Manager of GST Call America when he and his partners sold Call America to GST Telecom.  He then became VP of New Edge Networks and helped them to build their network in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. After a brief stint as a full-time rancher, Jeff and his long-time business partner, Cheryl Lovell, founded the “new” Call America in 2001.  The company provided telephone and Internet service to business customers on the Central Coast. Call America grew to 25 employees serving more than 2,000 customers when he left the company in May of 2009. In September of 2009, Jeff co-founded Blue Rooster Telecom with his business partner Cheryl Lovell.  Jeff’s passion is with helping customers solve problems they face, and he couldn’t wait to get back into the day-to-day telecom business he loves so much. In 2014 Blue Rooster Telecom and Norcast, another great local telecom company, joined forces and Jeff is now President of Norcast Telecom Networks. Jeff has served for 2 years on the national Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) board of directors where he helped to shape the national policy before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Congress, and the White House. Jeff is also a board member and past President of CALTEL (The California Association of Competitive Telecommunications Providers) CALTEL represents the concerns of telecommunications companies at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Legislature. In 2009 CALTEL presented Jeff with a Champion of Competition award for his contributions to the telecom industry. Jeff is an active member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and is a past board member and former Board Chair of the SLO Chamber of Commerce. Jeff also serves on the Cuesta College Foundation Board, the SLO County Farm Bureau Board, and the Farm Supply Company Board. Jeff and his wife Joan, children Leslie and Lochlan, a tortoise, a rooster, 4 dogs, 14 cats, 3 horses, 3 bulls, 36 cows live “off the grid” on a ranch near Los Osos, CA.

John Combs

John Combs is a results-driven executive with a proven track record of scaling small organizations to leaders in their industry. His career has focused in high technology industries with special emphasis in the telecommunications industry. Combs created a foundation of success built upon world class teams with crystal clear objectives and a passion to deliver on their commitments. He has built teams that work together to develop a clear strategic plan and business concept, where specific quarterly goals and objectives flow from the milestones in the strategic plan. According to Combs, growth has been delivered by combining superior products with significant competitive differentiation and powerful distribution to scale revenue and profitability. One of the key pillars is to deliver a superior customer experience that is measured and incented as a key driver of long term business success. Significant accomplishments include: Nextel – Combs was the 34^th employee and first area president for Nextel Communications. He launched the company’s first market on schedule — August 1993.  His organization delivered the highest unit penetration per total population in the U.S. and was the first area to reach 500,000 customers. By 1999 his team’s annual was $600M+ generating $300M in positive cash flow. His team led the company every year in customer acquisition, service revenue, average revenue per subscriber and positive cash flow. ShoreTel – Combs grew annual revenues from $19M to $200M which grew market share to become the third largest IP Telephony supplier in the United States. His team expanded regional partner network to over 800 partners worldwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Telstra, CDW, Black Box, Telecom Italia and Vodafone. He led the company through a successful IPO in July 2007. John is looking to mentor students who are serious about becoming successful business leaders. He lives in the Sacramento area, has two wonderful daughters and a granddaughter. He has run or worked out once a day since January 2, 1980.

Jon Comeau

Jon Comeau is a Senior Vice President in Avidbank’s Specialty Finance Division. Jon manages a team in the bank’s San Francisco office and is leading the development of a leveraged lending platform focused on the lower middle market. Prior to Avidbank, Jon worked in the asset based lending group of Bridge Bank. Jon recently completed a program at Pacific Coast Banking School, a graduate level program focused on banking and offered in partnership with the University of Washington. Jon graduated with honors and his final paper was select to be featured in the program’s library. Jon graduated from Cal Poly is the fall of 2009 with an economics degree and a concentration in finance and received the Outstanding Senior Project award for his paper, Incorporating Uncertainty into Discounted Cash Flow Equity Valuations. During his tenure at Cal Poly, Jon completed two internships. The first focused on finance and accounting on a large construction project with Kiewit and the second focused on strategy with MUFG Union Bank. Jon is looking to help Cal Poly students with networking, interviewing, and, finding jobs in the banking and financial services industries.

Dave Cox

Dave Cox is a native of Northern California whose family had the first TV in the neighborhood -- and a 50’ rooftop antenna to prove it. His early fascination with the communications industry led him full speed into a career marked by prestigious accomplishment. Before he graduated from Chico State University with a degree in theater arts, Dave had already leapt into positions in newspaper and radio. His early success led him to television where, at the age of 30, he was named the youngest president and general manager in the history of SLO-based KSBY-TV. Dave distinguished himself with another first at KSBY: under his leadership the station was profitable for the first time ever. An entrepreneur at heart, Dave pursued a longtime dream to create his own business with the 1989 founding of Barnett Cox and Associates. Twenty years later, he steers an industry-leading communications firm that is adept at new media, public relations, web design and other disciplines. His leadership and business acumen have helped the SLO Chamber of Commerce, Hospice, the Private Industry Council and numerous other community service organizations which he has served as chairman of the board. In 1996, Dave and his wife Maggie were named San Luis Obispo Co-Citizens of the Year. He is the father of two grown daughters, a rabid SF Giants fan, and a businessman fascinated by conventional and new media.

Sandra G. Davis

Sandra (Sandy) received her CPA in 1985 after graduating from Fresno State University with a degree in Accounting. Sandy moved back to her native San Luis Obispo County after accepting a position with a local CPA firm and later moved on to become the Controller for American Eagle Airlines. Sandy was promoted to Vice President of Administration at American Eagle where she gained experience in managing training, facilities, flight services. After moving to Den-Mat Corporation, Sandy served as Vice President of Business Development and was responsible for managing the entire sales and marketing organization achieving double digit growth in sales and profits throughout her tenure. During this time the Company sold the Rembrandt Brand to Oral B/Gillette, and then later sold the remainder of the Company including the LUMINEERS Brand to Private Equity Company of Credit Suisse. Sandy also served as the Assistant Superintendent of Business for the Lucia Mar Unified School District overseeing all of the business functions, transportation, facilities and food services. During this time, Sandy led the effort to pass the school districts first bond measure and built the Nipomo High School. Sandy is currently serving as Den-Mat Holdings Vice President of Finance and Controller. Sandy provides extensive knowledge and experience in finance including the day to day operations and management of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, closing processes and procedures, cash flow planning and forecasting, complex financial forecasting, and modeling, sales and marketing management, incentive sales planning, and more.

George Dubois

George is currently the owner of his own business, Jed Delta Corporation where he does consulting work on textiles and chemicals. He is from Rhode Island and attended MIT where he got a degree in Chemistry. He was also an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island where he taught courses in the Department of Textiles, Merchandise and Design. He has spent more than 20 years owning and operating dyeing and finishing mills for the suit and dress trades as well as formulating and producing chemical treatments for apparel and industrial textiles. His personal strengths are technical, production management, environmental compliance and personnel relations. He enjoys gardening, canoeing, and working on technical projects.

Denise Dudley

Denise Dudley's professional career affirms the values she expresses in her numerous books, audio programs and seminars. She not only excelled in a rigorous academic discipline, earning a Ph.D. in psychology, with post-doctoral work in the areas of agoraphobia and chronic schizophrenia, but she put her expertise to use in activities that directly served several populations in need--as a field therapist for housebound individuals with agoraphobia, a psychiatric hospital administrator, and an AIDS educator. Continuously dedicated to the empowerment of individuals, her focus on adult education led her to public speaking in the areas of mental health, assertiveness training, communication, self-esteem, leadership and managerial skills, and women's issues. She is the author of several books, including The Supervisor’s Guide, Every Woman's Guide to Career Success, now in its fifth printing, and Simon and Schuster's best-selling audio series, entitled Making Relationships Last. Denise is a clinical psychologist, a licensed hospital administrator, a preceptor for administrators-in-training, a certified AIDS educator, a licensed field therapist for individuals with agoraphobia, and is also licensed with the state of California to give continuing education credit to medical professionals. After spending ten years as the Clinical Director of, California's largest and most prestigious corporation of private psychiatric hospitals, Denise turned to her primary love of public speaking, and launched a career as a professional public speaker, touring the country giving seminars on business writing, communication skills, management and supervisory skills, and her favorite, personal relationships. Denise next made a move to Kansas City where she, with partner Jerry Brown, founded SkillPath Seminars in 1989. Starting with 1200 square feet of office space, SkillPath quickly grew to become the world's largest public seminar company. Cited by INC Magazine in 1994 as number 32 on its list of fastest growing companies in the USA, SkillPath has enrolled senior executives from every Fortune 500 Company, as well as countless first-time managers, supervisors, and business owners. Within ten years of its founding, SkillPath employed 350 full-time employees, 700 trainers, had become a major force in the business-related publishing industry, and had a gross income of 200 million dollars. SkillPath remains the world's largest public seminar company to this day, and has now trained over nine and a half million people in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its subdivision, CompuMaster Seminars, is the largest provider of computer-related training seminars in the USA and Canada, and is proud to be the primary public seminar training vehicle by which Microsoft introduces its new products and product updates. Denise left SkillPath in 2000, after selling it to Graceland University, a liberal arts college in the Midwest, but she continues to make her expertise available to SkillPath on a daily basis as both a consultant and advisor. She is also a member of both the SkillPath and the Graceland University Boards of Directors. Denise now resides in California and makes her living as a professional speaker and a business consultant in the areas of direct marketing, management and leadership, and business growth. Denise is also a board member of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, and the Coordinator of the SLOIFF Youth Filmmaking Contest.

Gabe Encarnacion

Gabe studied Business Administration at Cal Poly (Finance concentration, Economics minor).  Two days after graduation, Gabe started his career as the principal accounting officer of an investment company, and during his 4 years there, learned to work with all areas of management while managing a $50 million real-estate loan portfolio.  He then moved to a health insurance company as a financial analyst where he worked on cost-accounting and budgeting projects until he was presented with the opportunity to manage and own a small company.  Gabe now serves as the Vice President of an industrial safety equipment distributor, running the daily operations.  He has gained valuable experience in the areas of management, HR, IT, sales, and marketing in addition to accounting and finance.  Gabe has never stopped learning, and continues to fuel his interest in management and work by participating in industry trade groups and research projects outside of his company.  He has embraced the role of an entrepreneur and is excited about developing his company and investing in the people that make it all possible.  Gabe enjoys spending time with his wife (who he met at Cal Poly) and their three boys and spends his spare time cycling, running, and reading.

Terri Furrer

Terri is a 1991 Poly Grad (Bus Admin/Marketing) and a 27 year CPG (consumer packaged goods) veteran. She has spent the last 19 years at PepsiCo, and currently serves as Sr Manager Sales Strategy for the nation’s largest grocery retailers Kroger, Albertsons Enterprises and Publix. She's spends every day guiding account managers on the "Four P's of Marketing". Her favorite day includes digging through data to solve the business problem, and designing a marketing plan to create winning solutions for the brand and the retailer. Then comes the fun part, the sales negotiation, which she loves. Prior to working at Pepsico, Terri spent 8 years at Campbell Soup getting her feet wet with store level selling, presentation skills and account management. At both companies she received the highest sales and contribution honors, ranking in the top 2% of employees. Most recently, she's been selected to attend PepsiCo's future leader workshop. An employee affected greatly over the years by PepsiCo acquisitions, she has tremendous experience navigating through change. While CPG is rewarding, Terri has many ideas on how to balance work and life. She never lets work slow her down from "what's next". After volunteering nonstop for over 15 years in local schools, Terri now spends her time organizing large events on her country property, raising chickens, gardening, yoga, and traveling around the world with her Cal Poly husband of 26 years, David Furrer (Bus Admin, Marketing '89). Her two college-aged children provide great excuses for more travel!

Dave Garth

President/CEO, San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, 39 years. Managed a non-profit association with 15 employees and 1,500 business members. Grew association from 1.5 employees and $35,000 budget to 15 employees and $1.5 million budget. Counseled business members on strategy and business plans, governmental relations and public relations. Skills: small business management, budgeting, non-profit funds raising, board of directors management, public relations, publication management, community visioning, governmental regulations and compliance. Previously, news director, anchorman and television reporter. Longtime consultant and public speaker on corporate communications issues, specializing on crisis and confrontational communications. Cal Poly Commencement Speaker 2010 on business ethics and personal responsibility. Longtime part-time professional wildlife, nature and environmental photographer specializing in the humanitarian and environmental issues of developing countries. Published in National Geographic, New York Times, Outside, Rotary, Geo and more than 50 other national publications. (Website: www.davegarth.com)

Michael Gunther

Michael Gunther, founder and managing partner of San Luis Obispo-based Collaboration Business Consulting, leads a team of highly skilled business professionals dedicated to assisting proactive individuals develop into collaborative leaders. His entrepreneurial story began with a degree in business administration and a master’s in psychology; using this background, he focuses on building solid teams by improving engagement, developing leadership skills and growing businesses to reach their potential. From running a $40 million division at Shurgard, as the youngest vice president at the age of 28, to now guiding over 500 organizations in their growth, training thousands of leaders and managers, and assisting nearly 300 business get started ─ he understands what is takes to build impactful, purposeful, and authentic collaboration that results in profitable and sustainable organizations. At the end of the day, Collaboration’s clients are re-energized with a newfound passion for their business and the confidence to lead their teams to build profitable, sustainable businesses.

Brent Hansen

Brent Hansen is the Director of Sales at Morris and Garritano, a full service insurance agency based in San Luis Obispo. He oversees all aspects of the sales process for the agency’s Risk Advisors who specialize in all lines of insurance coverages. Brent also has a hand in the marketing efforts of the agency. Prior to joining Morris and Garritano, Brent lead multiple sales teams for First Data, the world’s largest merchant services provider. He oversaw teams of Business Consultants throughout the southwest United States, leading them to multiple President’s Club awards during his tenure. He is very well versed in all aspects of the sales process and has completed numerous presentations around the topic. Before beginning his sales career, Brent spent three years as the Marketing Coordinator for California State University, Fresno - Auxiliary Services. Brent graduated Cum Laude as a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College at Fresno State with a Business Administration-Marketing degree. While at Fresno State, he had the unique experience of being the school's bulldog mascot, "Timeout," for two years. He is an Ambassador for the SLO Chamber of Commerce, a member of Leadership Class XXV and volunteers his time to a variety of different community organizations. His ties to the local community run deep; he looks forward to networking students with key players in the local business community. In his free time he is an avid golfer, plays in multiple community sports leagues, is a huge San Francisco Giants fan, considers himself a trivia guru and enjoys wine tasting with friends and family.

Annie Heath

Annie Heath is the Sr. Director, Integrated Business Planning (IBP) for the Stryker Corporation. Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical device companies and together with their customers are driven to make healthcare better. Annie has worked at Stryker for over 16 years within supply chain, manufacturing, operations and IBP. She has posted impressive results in key operational metrics while leading highly engaged teams. She was the 2015 recipient of the Stryker Women’s Network (SWN) Leadership Award. This award is given to one individual each year who exemplifies the mission of SWN to foster the development, growth and retention of females. She is described as someone who leads from the heart, delivers results, and is committed to developing and engaging teams. Annie is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Business Administration. Annie currently lives in Los Gatos, Ca with her husband and three boys. She is an avid soccer fan with season tickets to the SJ Earthquakes, Vice President of the Parent Teacher Group, loves reading, and is the biggest fan at her boys sporting events. She looks forward to working with students on developing skills in leadership presence, increasing confidence, and developing relationships throughout an organization. In addition, she is passionate about the power of process and will share expertise in operations, supply chain and management.

Kim Hibler

Kim Hibler, a Cal Poly grad, has spent her entire career in technology – which she loves.  She has retired from corporate life but knows she won’t be without a purpose for long. Throughout her career Kim has always considered her greatest legacy to be the advancement of the people who she worked with and learned from. Her last role was VP of Global Sales for Citrix, where she was responsible for the SaaS products including GoToMeeting.   Before joining Citrix in 2014, Kim held a variety of executive roles at Dell for over 11 years, most recently as Vice President and General Manager of the Small and Medium Business for the Americas, which at the time was a $7B business. Kim also served as VP of global sales effectiveness, where she was responsible for improving the effectiveness of the global sales organization by re-engineering the sales tools, processes and routes to market. Kim started her career working in Electronic Distribution and held a number of senior roles at both Arrow and Wyle Electronics. She started in the business as a sales engineer and throughout her entire career she has been focused on STEM and loves what technology enables the world to do. Kim is also passionate about entrepreneurs and is a leader in advocating for professional women.  Kim has sponsored women in a number of ways, including chairing and leading the international Women’s employee resource groups at both Citrix and Dell and multiple mentorships.   Kim is also a member of the Committee of 200, a membership organization of the world’s most successful women entrepreneurs and corporate innovators – which collectively generate more than $1.4 trillion in annual revenues. Always interested in people and culture, Kim spends time giving back to organizations that are focused on winning the war on cancer and Alzheimer’s.  She recently completed a 6 year term on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas and has volunteered as a judge for the Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the year program.  Her favorite pastimes include globetrotting and camping with her family, Soul Cycle and learning new things.

Kory Holback

Kory Holback, a Cal Poly Alumn with a degree in Industrial Technology, has over 20 years experience in the technology industry with various roles in business development and operational management at companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Cisco Systems and GE. Kory is well versed in cloud software based business models and building partnership programs that support those sales strategies. In current role as Senior Director of Ecosystem & Channel Programs at GE, Kory is building  strategic partner sales programs to scale their Industrial Software Application market share.  Kory started his career in the telecom hardware technology working in service operations roles for two technology startups. He then transitioned into business development and channel management roles within the cloud software and IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) arenas. Kory's career has led him through three startup technology companies, two large acquisitions and leadership roles at three Fortune 100 companies.  Through these experiences Kory has gained a strong understanding of various sales, product management, operations and channel business areas and the career opportunities and skill sets needed to be successful within these functions. He is a well practiced in building 'the business case' and selling that vision and plan throughout an organization. Kory's approach is to leverage the power of teamwork, the use of data to drive decisions and a sincere interest in everyones success as a means to achieve positive business outcomes. Kory currently resides with his family in Reno, NV and takes advantage of all that the area has to offer, including skiing, mountain biking and fly fishing. He still, however, has a soft spot in his heart for the North Bay and his home town of Santa Rosa, CA and the California Central Coast.

Mark Landon

As Founder and Executive Director of the Nature Corps, Mark Landon has held management positions in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years. His involvement began while working with Jacques Cousteau at the Cousteau Society in 1975 where he directed film research and assisted in the production of the Society's television series for the Public Broadcasting System. He also helped to produce the Cousteau Encyclopedia for the European market and organized a development campaign to support the institution's multi-million dollar program. In 1983 Mr. Landon founded the Nature Corps. Since its establishment, thousands of volunteers, many of whom are underserved youth, have participated on critical conservation projects to protect our nation’s most cherished natural treasures. For its accomplishments, Nature Corps has earned numerous state and national awards including a Congressional “Take Pride” Award and the “George B. Hartzog” Award, one of the highest recognitions the National Park Service can bestow upon a nonprofit organization.

Tom Lawrie

Tom's interest in being an Executive Partner is to help build students' capabilities in both practical business skills as well as the important area of "emotional intelligence".   Experts estimate that ~50% of employment terminations are due to a lack of the employee's skills in the broad area of "playing well with others."  Tom's career success was built on these two areas of learning. Tom has had four employers - American National Bank (a local Denver bank) for 3 years, Citicorp/Citibank for eight years, Fidelity Investments for four years, and Charles Schwab and Company for eight years.  He retired in 1999 and relocated his family to Atascadero, California. His career path is a story of acquiring skills and experiences in many areas of retail financial services.  He started his career as a credit card collector, and eventually was a Senior Vice President responsible for ~2,000 employees located in 5 locations from San Francisco to Orlando, Florida.  He views his career as a "tool belt" which was empty at the start and quite full with acquired skills and experiences when he retired. Tom retired in 1999 to become a full time husband and father to his twin daughters, and he and his family relocated to Atascadero.  Since then, Tom has been an active volunteer in the Atascadero Unified School District.  Since 2009, he has been learning the complexity of investing in the stock market.  This learning continues. Hobbies include reading, exercise, and travel.

Abe Lincoln

Abe graduated from the Cal Poly Business school in 1992 with a concentration in Financial Management and a minor in Psychology, ready to take on the world. His journey into the world of business began with Financial Services, and over the years he worked his way through roles in Operations, Marketing, Finance, and Project Management for Fortune 500 companies (Household, Transamerica, and GE). At times, he left the corporate world to run smaller businesses, taking a CFO role for an aviation company and a COO role for a healthcare company. Abe has developed extensive experience working with the public sector for over 10 years in roles at Microsoft and United Healthcare. After a 3-year adventure traveling with his family throughout the United States, He returned to the beautiful, foggy Central Coast, ventured into the world of non-profits, and finally found his Calling. When he returned to SLO after being away for 25 years, HE really felt like HE wanted to give back to the community that launched my career; He volunteered with Pacific Wildlife Care and RISE, attended the SLO Sheriff's Citizen Academy, became a Rotarian, and even took on a part-time job as a stagehand at the Performing Arts Center on campus because of his love for the arts. In July of 2017, he took on the role of Interim Executive Director at the SLONoor Foundation, a local non-profit that provides free medical, dental, and vision care to uninsured adults in SLO county, and by January 2018 the role was made permanent. Abe is a strong believer in the "Learn by Doing" motto instilled at Cal Poly.  He understands the importance of diversifying and continually growing his skill set and then “taking on challenges that not only excite, but scare me.” Abe credits his successes to a strong foundation in the fundamentals of business, combined with years of people-management, and he does not believe in the word "impossible." Abe loves traveling, music, spending time with his four children, and is also a bit of a sports fanatic. Areas of Expertise: • People Management • Strategic and Tactical Business Planning • Business Process Design & Redesign • Financial & Organizational Management • Key Alliance & Partnership Building

Matthew Locati

As TerraCorp Financial, Inc’s President and founder, Matt Locati oversees company operations in its multifamily and commercial property management business. Matt is also President of Terrex Development Corp. and Terrex Construction Corp. Matt’s responsibilities include management, design, construction, finance and business development. Matt’s experience in the real estate industry began through his father’s building and development business where he observed the development and construction of numerous housing projects, designed and coordinated from his father’s home office. Through high school, he worked in the trades, starting as a laborer, over time acquiring masonry, electrical, plumbing and carpentry skills. While earning his Bachelor’s in Business Finance from Cal Poly, Matt operated Fineline Construction, and he was an instructor in the campus computer lab and craft center during his first two years. In his junior and senior years, he worked for the Homes Company Mortgage Brokerage, where by graduation he was Vice President of Marketing. Concurrent with his time at the Homes Company, Matt started Terrex Land Development Company, with his first project being a 120 acre subdivision in Creston California. After improving access to the property, he subdivided it, graded building pads and re-positioned the property from agricultural use to executive home sites, which he successfully marketed and sold. Following graduation, Matt joined Hampstead Pacific Development Corporation where he served as Operations Manager and Project Coordinator. Matt established a computerized accounting system for the firm and he directed the entitlement, mapping, feasibility analysis, and contract drafting on a wide range of projects including subdivisions, apartments, retail centers, a truck stop and a casino. After nine months at Hampstead, Matt decided to return to working for himself, and never looked back. Over the course of the next two years, he started Buyer’s Brokerage of America Inc., Buyer’s Financial Mortgage, and Housing Guild Associates property management. These companies were coalesced into TerraCorp Financial, which he continues to operate along with the Terrex companies and various subsidiaries.

Mark Lynch

During Mark’s career at Chevron, he held numerous senior Financial Management positions.  Positions included; Global Compliance Manager, North America Finance Manager, Global Credit Manager, Global Audit Manager, Manager of International Financial Reporting, Manager of Internal Controls/Accounting Policy and various other positions.  All of Mark’s positions have had international responsibility and he has personally been to over thirty countries. Mark was instrumental in the creation of Cal Poly’s Accounting Board and chaired the board for over 25 years. He is currently a board member on both the Dean’s Advisory Board as well as the Accounting Board.  Mark has a very good understanding of both the public and industry sectors of Finance/Accounting.  Mark has a very strong passion for mentoring and continues to mentor Chevron employees, Cal Poly students and young professionals in his neighborhood in Walnut Creek, CA. Personally, Mark loves staying fit, playing golf, coaching Special Olympics and being active in his local community. Mark played baseball and tennis in college and was a tennis professional for two years following his graduation.

Louis Marcoux

Louis spent his early years in Canada and Australia then settled down in California and chose Cal Poly for his alma mater, where he earned his B.S. in Business Administration (International Business), a minor in Economics and completed a pre-med course of study. While at Cal Poly, Louis worked for the College of Science and Mathematics as a Health Professions Peer Advisor, and co-founded the local chapter of the American Student Dental Association. “I really enjoyed learning about the medical field, but found myself drawn more towards the business aspect,” says Louis. Two weeks prior to graduation, he was recruited by Stryker Corporation, one of the world’s leading medical device companies. “They were hiring in their Regulatory Affairs Department, a function I knew very little about, and it seemed like the perfect blend of medical, international business, and legal. I accepted the position and the rest, they say, is history.” Louis spent six years with Stryker in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, splitting time between San Jose, San Diego, and Dallas. Ready for a return to California, he accepted a position to join Coapt Systems, a privately held facial aesthetics medical device company in Palo Alto, serving as head of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs. Three years later, Louis transitioned to ZELTIQ Aesthetics, the company behind the now wildly successful CoolSculpting, and spent six years in roles ranging from Regulatory Affairs to International Sales and Marketing. He was part of the team that helped drive the business from startup to IPO and ultimately to become one of the most admired companies in aesthetic medicine. Ready to do it again, he transitioned to another thriving startup, NeoTract, which aims to become the preeminent urology company. The company is shifting paradigms with UroLift, a device that is revolutionizing treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Louis is Sr. Director of Global Regulatory Affairs for NeoTract. With a passion for learning, Louis also loves to teach and mentor those seeking guidance. He has been fortunate to serve as guest lecturer at Arizona State University’s College of Nursing in the Masters of Regulatory Science Program, and has been invited to speak at various conferences and industry events on Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management. “I want to help students understand what drives them, figure out their options, get the most out of their experiences, and prepare them for the world after graduation,” he says. “It is amazing what a well-prepared Cal Poly graduate can accomplish in this fast-paced, competitive, and challenging world. I want to be a resource students can count on to help them see what is yet to be seen. This program is one I would have gladly appreciated as a student trying to figure it all out.” Louis lives in Pleasanton with his wife and their young son. When he’s not chasing a toddler, he enjoys golf, scuba diving, and pairing wines with his inventive cooking.

John Marinovich

John is a lecturer for the Marketing Dept. at Cal Poly and has previously taught at Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis, MN.  He spent his career as an Ad Agency marketing integrator and brand building executive with solid experience on Fortune 100 brands. He has expertise in cross-platform marketing strategy and digital communications including how brands can maximize their delivery across all major touch points, the effect of consumer culture in a global environment and product design integration with business strategy.  He ran his own Agency for many years and has terrific interpersonal skills and a strong desire to work with students on improving their professional skills.  On a personal note, spontaneous to a fault, loves to cook and hates rules.

John Miranda

As Market Insights Manager, John manages Intel's global, company-wide early market and technology sensing function that inform business unit executives, strategic planning teams, and Intel's corporate strategy office. John partners with domain experts across Intel, including product development groups, Intel Labs, sales, marketing, and manufacturing teams to gather signals, uncover insights and evaluate key trends that shape Intel's global direction and strategy.  John is passionate about the intersection of business and technology, shaping business strategy, and to never stop learning.

Outside Intel, John serves on the board of University of Arizona's Eller Graduate Business School Industry Advisor Council and supports the business school by regularly presenting to MBA students on topics such as developing proposals, presenting to executive audiences, and performing ROI/NPV analysis.

John’s hobbies include photography (especially with travel), running and hiking.

John has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Texas.

Joe Mulhearn

A Northern California native, Joe Mulhearn graduated from Cal Poly in 2004 with a degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing management. His summer internship with Gallo Winery and part-time jobs with local bars and restaurants helped Mulhearn land his first job working for The Wine Group in the Bay Area, Orange County and Colorado. In 2007, he joined Bacardi, where he worked in distributor sales and field marketing. Most recently, he has returned to California as a member on the customer marketing team as a commercial planning and activation manager. In this role, he oversees plans and programs for the Western region, an assignment that spans 11 states and annual sales over $200 million. He possesses a highly motivated, results-driven, and diligent professional outlook equipped with broad-based experience in sales, marketing, and business management. In addition to his considerable marketing knowledge, Joe has extensive experience in measuring for success and building trusted relationships at various levels of an organization: from interns to sales force, finance and CEO. He is happy to join the Executive Partners Program to professionally and personally help Orfalea College of Business students develop and prepare to become successful business leaders.

Maryam Nasim

Maryam Nasim (a Cal Poly graduate) is a Manager in KPMG’s Mergers and Acquisition Services practice with several years of experience across M&A strategy, and market and equity research. In her current role, Maryam serves both corporate and private equity clients. She has an extensive background in commercial due diligence, for which she has leveraged advanced data analytics and research tools. As a mentor, Maryam hopes to help students identify their strengths and bridge any gaps by sharing resources and experiences.

Michael Nevares

Mike is a native Californian, where he graduated from De La Salle High School, attended Diablo Valley Junior College and then chose Cal Poly as his alma mater.  Mike earned a B.S. in Industrial Technology (concentration in Quality).  While at Cal Poly, Mike enjoyed all that college had to offer, was involved in various clubs, intermural and outdoor sports, IT department programs, and fraternity life.  Mike was the Secretary and then President of his fraternity where he started to develop his organizational, managerial and interpersonal skills and first got involved with service, giving back, and philanthropic activities. “Attending Cal Poly was one of the best choices I ever made. I had engineering aspirations but found myself drawn toward business aspects as well, so for me Industrial Technology was a perfect fit” says Mike.  After graduation, Mike started his Masters in Quality at San Jose State where he networked himself into his first job as a Quality Engineer, and later a Supplier Quality Engineer in the semi-conductor industry. He spent 5 years in the semi-conducted industry working with companies like Applied Materials, Lam Research, Intel, and Komag. Mike’s real career passion came when he got his first offer with a Medical Device company named Baxter Healthcare (Novacor Division).  Baxter Novacor was working on an artificial heart as a bridge to transplant for the thousands of patients each year waiting on a heart transplant list.  “I thought it was pretty cool working in the semi-conductor industry and all the cutting-edge technology but this was a whole different level of coolness. I was actually working on products that saved lives.  It was because of this I knew that the Medical Device industry was home for me.” Starting with Baxter, Mike has worked the last 20 years in the Medical Device industry for various start-ups and large companies, including Edwards Life Sciences, TheraSense (acquired by Abbott), Abbott Diabetes Care, AngioScore (acquired by Spectranetics), Ventus Medical, and currently with NeoTract (recently acquired by TeleFlex).   “If you can’t wake up each morning and get excited to pull your feet out of bed and go to work improving people’s lives then you’re missing out.  I’m thankful each and every day that I have to pleasure of doing something I really enjoy and that makes a difference.” Mike has also done much volunteer and philanthropic work as well; serving as a Board Member at his former grammar school, a Trustee and Chairperson on the Board of Trustees for his former high school, a Board Member and Vice President for a youth soccer club, and being the Founder and Tournament Chairperson for an annual charity golf tournament benefiting local hospice care (SLO Charity Golf Tournament. “ I see the opportunity to work with Cal Poly students as an Executive Partner is just another one of those opportunities to give back.  As an Executive Partner, I want to help prepare Cal Poly students for the real world; by engaging, enabling, encouraging, and challenging them to learn everything they can from each experience they have, to understand what drives them and what they are passionate about.” Mike lives with his wife and their three teenage children in Martinez, California.  When Mike is not involved in kids’ activities of one kind or another, he enjoys golfing, attending local professional sports games, traveling, visiting with family and friends, and frequent trips to the wine country and Lake Tahoe.

Janice Odell

Janice is the CFO of IQMS, a software developer of a complete ERP software suite for manufacturing companies. Prior to IQMS, she was CFO for Chemlogics, a chemical company recently sold for $1.3 billion to a large international public company. A Cal Poly Alumni (BA International Management, MBA), Janice began her career as an auditor with Deloitte where she obtained a CPA license and spent the following 20 years in Silicon Valley where she served as Chief Financial Officer at several technology companies from initial start up to profitable international operations. While working for venture backed companies in Silicon Valley, she managed the financial aspects of business plans including complex financial projections and models and assisted in raising several rounds of venture financing. She has extensive experience in financial management, infrastructure planning and implementation, integration with operating groups, systems implementations, issues and complex rules respecting revenue recognition, consolidations and foreign exchange. She also implemented several stock option various and compensation structures, developed new hire and annual performance evaluation processes. Working at international companies, she managed consolidation and intercompany processes and established finance and accounting and finance functions for newly formed operations in Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Europe and Canada. In addition to mentoring business students in the Executive Partner Program, she also serves as an advisory board member to a start-up company in the incubator program through the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She also has served on the SLO Chamber of Commerce Issues Committee and is the Treasurer of the 99’s, a club of licensed women pilots for the advancement of aviation. She and her husband are also developing the farming and cattle operations on the farm they purchased when they moved to SLO 4 years ago. In addition to flying, her hobbies include skiing, cycling, cooking and gardening.

Joe Pechota

Joe Pechota has been with the Fastenal Company for 16 years with 11 of those in his current capacity as a District Manager.  His responsibilities include Key Account Sales, Personnel Management, P&L Management, Training, and Recruiting.  His career path since College in Chico has taken him to Sacramento, Ca., Chico, Ca., Southern Oregon, Central Valley California, and now the beautiful Central Coast of California where he and his family now reside.  He currently is responsible for 12 locations between Santa Barbara, Ca. and Gilroy, Ca. that has 63 employees and generates approximately $15 million in annual revenue. Joe spends a lot of time working with college campuses helping students with career preparedness.  He is well versed in resume writing, interviewing skills, and how to make yourself stand out to potential employers.  He enjoys working with Universities and looks for every opportunity to help any student, regardless of their major or desired career path. Joe is actively helping with Cal Poly Career Services and several classes on campus.  He has been a guest speaker in a Sales, Marketing, and Industrial Technology classes.  He has been a mentor for the AMA pitch competition and has participated in panels for AMA and Career Services. With many customers in the San Luis Obispo area, Joe intends to utilize his contacts to expose students to the very diverse business opportunities around the local area.

SiSi Pouraghabagher

SiSi Pouraghabagher a lecturer in the Accounting area of the Orfalea College of Business, with over 20 years of industry experience in finance, operations, and executive administration. Over the course of her career, she has held leading executive positions including CFO, COO, and CAO for several organizations. She currently serves as a Board member for State Auto Financial Corporation (NASDAQ). Pouraghabagher began her career as a CPA at Deloitte in Orange County, Calif. She then went on to a variety of privately held technology companies and spent the last several years of her career at one of the top 20 public global insurers in the world, managing large scale business transformation and integration activity as well as complex divestitures, acquisitions and mergers. She was actively involved in several corporate governance committees, leadership boards and talent initiatives, including serving as the North American executive chair for the diversity council of a public, billion-dollar company. Pouraghabagher graduated magna cum laude from Cal Poly in 1994 with a degree in business administration, concentrating in finance and accounting.

Tony Rogondino

I was born and raised in San Diego, studied International Management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago to work in the music business. While in college, I was President of the Cal Poly Surf team and Chair of the Cal Poly Concert Committee, where I was in charge of booking concerts for the university, with acts ranging from Sugar Ray to Bob Dylan. After college I lived and worked in Germany for six months for a Management Consulting firm on an AIESEC internship which allowed me to travel throughout Europe. While in Los Angeles, I’ve worked at the William Morris Agency, owned my own record label (working with Grammy award winning musician / producer Todd Hannigan) and most recently produced Experiential Marketing programs for On Board Experiential with clients such as Air France, Nike, Kashi, AT&T, and Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. I am currently a Global Real Estate Advisor for Sotheby's International Realty, where I focus on selling luxury Real Estate in Los Angeles.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my 8 year old daughter coaching her U9 AYSO Soccer team, riding our bikes on the strand or watching her Manhattan Beach Youth Basketball team. I’m also a surfer who has traveled the world in search of the perfect wave. I’ve had the privilege of surfing in Australia, Hawaii, Central and South America, Europe and Indonesia with my next trip planned for Tavarua Island in September. I also enjoy playing soccer, golf, snowboarding and running.

Michelle Roth

Michelle graduated from Cal Poly in 1997 with a degree in Finance and in 2004 earned an MBA from the University of Southern California. Michelle started her career with Deloitte Consulting as a Systems Analyst. After Deloitte Consulting, Michelle held roles of increasing responsibility at five companies over the past 20 years, because there is nothing more exciting than variety in a career. Michelle has held roles as an HRIS Manager, a Benefits manager, a Strategic Planner, an HR Business Partner, A Project Manager, Head of Human Resources and in her most recent role at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as the Head of Talent Management where she leads the teams responsible for all hiring at the Laboratory as well as Employee Relations. Michelle’s work experience has ranged from Financial Institutions, to Biotech and Consulting, each culture and role adding to her broad perspective of the business world and what works and what does not. As a leader in Human Resources, Michelle’s full-time job includes mentoring executives, employees and students in making decisions that lead to positive outcomes, and she is excited and invested in supporting the next generation of top business talent in developing their career path. Michelle lives in Thousand Oaks but visits the Central Coast frequently to visit friends and savor the SLO life.

Jim Seybert

Jim Seybert describes himself as a “serial encourager”. His private practice consulting firm specializes in helping companies “get better at what they already do well.” He has published 2 books on counter-intuitive management styles and numerous white papers on workplace productivity, employee engagement, management training and leadership development. His monthly column – Counter Intelligence – is distributed to readers on six continents and has been in regular circulation since November, 2001. Jim’s career path includes nearly 20 years as a radio news announcer, talk show host and station manager; eight years as Vice President of Business Development for a national retail association and 12 years as the owner of the Jim Seybert Company. He speaks frequently to conferences and corporate events on Strengths-Based Work environments, Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Psychology in the Workplace and maintains an active management coaching schedule. Jim and his wife, Rhonda, have lived in Arroyo Grande since moving to the Central Coast in 1988.

Dan Sheehy

After growing up on the Central Coast and graduating Cal Poly in 1984 with a degree in Business Administration, Dan moved to Los Angeles to start his career.  He’s held three jobs over the past 33 years, working in the accounting field for Nestle for 5 years, Wolfgang Puck for 9 and finally the 19 years for Panda Express, where he worked as Vice President/Corporate Controller before retiring in 2017.  His work experience has encompassed everything from a Fortune 500 multinational organization to a startup restaurant venture to a fast growing, well managed restaurant chain that has blossomed from $160 million in annual sales to over $3 billion during his tenure, making him well suited to providing career planning and insights into various cultures of the corporate world. As an Executive Partner, Dan strives to work with students to find ways to turn their passion for business into a viable career path, by first identifying career goals and then building a path to achieving success along their chosen journey.  Dan is pleased to give back to the Cal Poly community, as he found his time as an Executive in Residence to be both fulfilling as well as an opportunity to meet our exceptionally motivated students. As a continuous learner, Dan has sought to broaden his skills by taking on new challenges, such as obtaining his pilot’s license, brewing beer and is currently learning Spanish.  One of his core beliefs is that in order to be successful, a person needs to continue to grow, whether it be in their selected field of study or work, or in their personal life, and he strives to instill that work ethic in his mentees. Dan Lives in Sherman Oaks but visits the Central Coast frequently to visit friends and family, play golf, fish and go wine tasting.After growing up on the Central Coast and graduating Cal Poly in 1984 with a degree in Business Administration, Dan moved to Los Angeles to start his career.  He’s held three jobs over the past 33 years, working in the accounting field for Nestle for 5 years, Wolfgang Puck for 9 and finally the 19 years for Panda Express, where he worked as Vice President/Corporate Controller before retiring in 2017.  His work experience has encompassed everything from a Fortune 500 multinational organization to a startup restaurant venture to a fast growing, well managed restaurant chain that has blossomed from $160 million in annual sales to over $3 billion during his tenure, making him well suited to providing career planning and insights into various cultures of the corporate world. As an Executive Partner, Dan strives to work with students to find ways to turn their passion for business into a viable career path, by first identifying career goals and then building a path to achieving success along their chosen journey.  Dan is pleased to give back to the Cal Poly community, as he found his time as an Executive in Residence to be both fulfilling as well as an opportunity to meet our exceptionally motivated students. As a continuous learner, Dan has sought to broaden his skills by taking on new challenges, such as obtaining his pilot’s license, brewing beer and is currently learning Spanish.  One of his core beliefs is that in order to be successful, a person needs to continue to grow, whether it be in their selected field of study or work, or in their personal life, and he strives to instill that work ethic in his mentees. Dan Lives in Sherman Oaks but visits the Central Coast frequently to visit friends and family, play golf, fish and go wine tasting.

Abbey Silverstone

Abbey was an entrepreneur whose career path spanned technology companies as main-stream as Xerox, Rockwell International and Silicon Graphics and included ventures in element detection, large scale data backup systems, sewer monitors and reconfigurable computing. On the R & D side he was an important part of the Xerox-PARC management team responsible for the design and production of the first personal computer called the Alto. The first laser printer called Dover (one page-per-second) was designed and built in 1974 at PARC by the same team. The first color laser printer was designed and built in 1976 during a 75-day effort by the team that was managed by Abbey. In 1982 he co-founded Silicon Graphics, the company that revolutionized the Computer Graphics world resulting in TV and Motion picture graphics that are difficult to distinguish from the real thing. The movies Jurassic Park, Terminal Man and The Matrix made extensive use of SGI workstations. He was the COO of SGI from 1982 until 1989 where he was responsible for all manufacturing, test and operations, corporate quality, industrial and manufacturing engineering, reliability engineering, order administration, and all facility decisions from selection and implementation through large scale production. After leaving SGI in 1989 he began a Consulting Practice specializing in leading-edge technologies including working with Russian physicists on the design and manufacture of broad-spectrum element detectors that utilized leading-edge crystal technology and leading a tele-communication company that connected China, Taiwan and the USA.

Andy Smith

Andy Smith is Founder and President of Numberwise Accounting in Westlake Village, California. He founded the firm in 2009 and works with growing companies on financial strategy, cash flow management, tax planning and back-office administration. After graduating from Cal Poly in 2000, he started his career at Deloitte & Touche in the audit department of their Los Angeles office. After leaving Deloitte, he worked for several years at Fox Cable Networks before moving back to Ventura County and joining a local CPA firm. In his work with hundreds of small businesses, Andy has enjoyed helping to build better business owners with a focus on evidence-based metrics. He loves the energy of early-stage companies and is always looking for opportunities to share his insights on starting, growing, and selling a business. He has also served as a mentor to start-up companies at Hub101 - a coworking space and incubator in Westlake Village - and has spoken to entrepreneurs at Startup Week Conejo Valley about preparing a business plan and setting up a business for a sale. In additional to his CPA designation, Andy is also a Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor and holds a Certificate in Private Capital Markets from Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business and Management. Andy lives in Newbury Park with his wife (also a Cal Poly grad) and their two children.

Jordan Stankowski

Jordan Stankowski grew up the better part of his life in the bay area, and didn’t venture far when he decided to go to Cal Poly. After four amazing years that included joining a fraternity, becoming a student ambassador, and double concentrating in accounting and finance, he returned to Silicon Valley to join Apple. His career began in Apple’s financial development program, where he held various analyst roles with iTunes, M&A, Online (Japan), and Enterprise (Australia). He then joined the iPhone team helping to support new market expansion in the telco market and developing commercial strategies for key carrier partners. While at Apple, he also finished level three of the CFA, a program he started while a senior at Cal Poly. After Apple, Stankowski went back to school to continue both his personal and professional development, and holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Today, Stankowski is an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm located in Silicon Valley that invests in technical founders with disruptive ideas strongly rooted in software and computer science. He is responsible for counseling portfolio companies and startups on go-to-market strategies. Stankowski also helps to broker sales and partnership opportunities between startups and Global 2000 firms, with a heavy focus on consumer businesses in the marketing and digital field.

Cal Stevens

Calvin Stevens is currently a faculty member at the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly. His immediate past career was his 17 years with Intel Corp as a manager, HR and Organizational Development practitioner. Stevens' operating principle has been to see people and organizations thrive. This not only benefits his work with students, but also over his careers where his consulting and management has helped teams and individuals gain effectiveness. With him you'll gain both the practical insights about technical preparation for a career, but also (and maybe even more importantly) the instincts and relational expertise to manage the things of success that do not appear in any textbook. In addition to his teaching management and HR concentration courses at Cal Poly, Stevens runs a consulting business providing facilitation, learning and org design expertise.

Kurt Tahira

Kurt Tahira is a Cal Poly alumni with a degree in Industrial Technology and concentration in Sales.  Kurt has spent almost 25 years in sales, marketing, negotiating, recruiting, coaching, and management.  Currently employed at Omron, a $7.5 billion dollar automation manufacturer, he is the Regional Sales Manager responsible for the Pacific Northwest region.  He has 3 direct Account Managers reporting to him and they are responsible for growing sales and relationships with distributors and customers.   Working in Silicon Valley has given him the opportunity to work with customers, such as, Google, Facebook, Tesla, Applied Materials, and many more.  Omron has an extensive product portfolio that includes robots, motion controls, plc’s (industrial computers), hmi’s, vision systems, controls, bar code readers, rfid and safety.  Omron’s mission is to improve the lives of people and contribute to a better society.  Kurt has taken this to heart and decided now would be a great time to give back to the school that has opened up so many opportunities for him.  Prior positions have been in sales as an Area Manager, Account Development Manager and Business Development Manager.  Cal Poly’s Learn by doing experience, prepared Kurt for the working world and he would like to share this with others.  Kurt is married, with two children and has lived in the Bay Area his entire life.  In the future, he would love to retire in SLO County.  Hobbies include his kids sporting events, being outdoors, and wine tasting.

John Townsend

Innovative, entrepreneurial technology executive experienced in leading start up and early stage organizations, large scale enterprise technology transformations, and as the IT executive within restaurant/hospitality companies with hands on experience implementing technology driven business improvement for mid and large sized businesses. More than 30 years experience in the information technology field. Served as a global consulting partner at Andersen Worldwide having led the firm’s largest and most complex technology and process improvement implementation project for a Fortune 50 client. Clients included: General Motors, Mitsubishi, Northrop, Oakley, Boeing, Edison, and Toshiba. Over 15 years experience leading restaurant technology teams as the Vice President of Information Technology at Real Mex Restaurants and at Chart House Enterprises, Islands Restaurants, Paradise Bakery and in a consulting capacity doing the same for numerous other fast casual and casual segment leading restaurant brands. Graduate of LEAD San Diego. Certified in project management. APICS CPIM. Founding member of the Southern California Restaurant IT Executives organization. Frequent speaker at industry and technology events.

Jim Valdez

Jim has had over 30 years of executive business management experience. Jim started his career in the oil industry. Jim progressed from a Regional Manager with Ethyl Corporation’s Petroleum Chemicals Division to Director of the Product Engineering Division for The Pennzoil Company. His Product Engineering Division was responsible for the successful introduction of Pennzoil’s first synthetic lubricant, among dozens of other new product introductions. After leaving Pennzoil, Jim joined Castrol as Director of Sales and Marketing for their Specialty Synthetics Division. In 1993, Jim became the Chief Operating Officer of CSF, Inc., an automotive parts manufacturer with plants in Asia and global marketing. In that position, Jim built the company to four times its original size in 7 years, retiring in 2000. He has, also, been a Board (Committee) Member for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. He has been affiliated with the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (formerly NAIT) for which he is a Certified Technology Manager (CTM). Jim is, also, an Independent Financial Consultant (Registered Principal), in San Luis Obispo, California. He is Chairman of the Board of Invental Laboratory, Inc., a company which specializes in bringing new and innovative products to market. Jim was a Major in the US Army.

Ward Williams

After graduating from Cal Poly with an I.T. degree, Ward went on to receive his MBA from SJSU before embarking on a successful career in both fortune 50 companies (HP, Tyco/TE Connectivity) as well as a few startups. Ward currently serves as CEO of a global fiber optic hardware company, ProLabs. Though ProLabs is headquartered in England, Ward is based in the Silicon Valley office. In his career Ward’s responsibilities have progressed from Marketing, Product Management, Sales and Business Development to Executive management.  Ward has started a company, taking it from an initial ten page PowerPoint pitch, through multiple rounds of VC investment, to an eventual sale of the company.  Along the way Ward has worked within two separate Venture Capital firms.  Lately, Ward has become well versed in international Private Equity, working closely with London based PE firms while executing an M&A strategy for his company.  With deep experience in many regions of the world, He has strong knowledge of Asia and European market dynamics.  Ward benefitted tremendously from receiving mentorship very early in his career at HP, and has in turn acted as a mentor within formal programs at several times throughout his career.

Heidi Williams

Heidi Williams is from Santa Monica and is a Cal Poly Alumna with both undergraduate and Masters degrees. She is President and CEO of Lawco Foods Inc., a family-owned business which manages and develops investment properties. In her current role she and her team are working on renovating properties and vetting tenants to create innovative spaces for today’s marketplace. She collaborates with her staff to set direction and strategy in a dynamic and creative environment. Prior to her current role, she spent more than a decade managing Non-Profit organizations where she was the Executive Director of the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Association for SLO County. She has lived in Santa Barbara and Chicago and has Corporate experience in Customer Service and Operations . Her interactive and engaging management style will resonate with students. She is looking forward to sharing her expertise in several areas including interviewing, salary negotiation and communication strategies. Heidi resides in Shell Beach and serves on a committee for the Hearst Cancer Resource Center. She enjoys athletics, music, dancing, yoga, and is always looking for her next travel adventure.

Kathy Wright

After growing up in Idaho, New York and Pennsylvania Kathy attended the Pennsylvania State University where she received a B.S. in Management and held the position of Business Manager at the school newspaper, The Daily Collegian. The leadership experience helped her land a position with the Procter & Gamble Distributing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio where she worked in various assignments of increasing responsibility through June of 2009 when she retired after 28 years. Much of her career was spent in Northern California where she managed the shipment planning department of P&G's diaper plant for several years followed by a move into the selling end of the business. Her most recent assignment was on a business development team where she developed, managed and enhanced the partnership with a multi-billion dollar grocery retailer. In this role, she owned the supply chain management of several consumer products categories with annual sales in excess of $30M. Kathy has developed several valuable skills such as strategic and tactical planning, process improvement, mobilizing and leading cross-functional teams and facilitating decision making in complex situations. She possesses a highly enthusiastic and collaborative style and has been consistently recognized as an influential vendor and thought leader in her field. Of all the skills Kathy has learned over the years, she has a high interest in working with students in the areas of communication such as developing and making presentations and writing for results. In addition to her considerable supply chain knowledge, Kathy has extensive experience in measuring for success and building trusted relationships at various levels of an organization, from technician to CEO. After retiring from P&G, Kathy and her family moved to the Central Coast in July of 2010. Her husband is a retired physician and they have 2 sons. Hobbies include travel, wine tasting, sewing and crafts.

Stephen Yost

Stephen has more than 40 years of commercial banking experience, mostly with large regional banks (First Interstate, Mellon, Comerica) and is currently on the board of directors of two community banks (Heritage Oaks Bank and Pacific Mercantile Bank). His career in banking focuses on credit risk management: approving and structuring working capital and term loans up to $50MM, managing the administration of those loans, and providing expertise in their collection when needed. Stephen’s banking career began in a management training program at First Interstate and culminated as an EVP for Comerica Bank some 35 years later. During that long stretch, he served as a lending officer, branch manager, credit administrator, senior credit manager, special assets manager, and Chief Credit Officer. In his spare time, he was an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University graduate business program and led numerous seminars in lending. He was fortunate to work with many industries, but developed credit specialties in technology, agriculture, and asset based lending. Working with all forms of business structures from entrepreneurs to corporate borrowers, he developed an understanding of what it takes for a company to succeed financially.

Ron Yukelson

Ron Yukelson is Chief Operations and Strategy Officer for Wilshire Health & Community Services, which provides home health, hospice, mediation and counseling services on the Central Coast.   Prior to that Ron had more than 30 years of experience in senior level positions in the hospital industry, principally with Tenet Healthcare where he was Chief Strategy Officer for the Central Coast Service Area for 13 years. His professional expertise includes operations management, strategic planning and business development, marketing, physician recruitment and retention and media relations. Prior to coming to San Luis Obispo, Ron was the Director of Business Development & Strategic Planning at St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles and held similar positions at Century City and Midway Hospitals in Los Angeles, Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. He started his career as a sports writer and covered professional and collegiate sports including the Angels and the Lakers. He also spent five years as the publicist for the Cal State Northridge Athletic Department, where he was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Ron holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Journalism from San Diego State University and earned a Masters of Business Administration at the University of La Verne. His current local community involvement includes: • Board Member and Chair, Governance Committee, San Luis Obispo County YMCA • Trustee, Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County • Board Member, Leadership San Luis Obispo • Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business Executive Partners Program