CalBusiness
Winter 2006
Alumni Notes & News
Alumni NotesUndergraduate
MBA
Ph.D.
MFE
Executive Development
Submit an alumni note
UNDERGRADUATE
1941
Harold E. Kren, BS, writes,
"Seeing David Arminzadeh
making his post-Haas sky dive
leap (page 27) in the summer
2005 Cal Business inspires me to
attach this picture of me making a
leap Sept.10 of 2005 in celebration
of my 85th birthday. I'm now
living in Pebble Beach on the
Monterey Peninsula, where I've
been since 1956, fully retired,
of course, chairing the local
chapter of SCORE (Service Corps
of Retired Executives), pro bono
consultants to small business;
serving on a couple of nonprofit
boards; and enjoying great-grandfatherhood.
En route, I did acquire
an MBA, though not from Cal."1948 Woodrow Mayfield, BS,of Citrus Heights, Calif., writes, "In the summer 2005 issue of Cal Business, I was happily surprised to see two friends featured in alumni notes. The 1947 notes featured Jackson Eaves, with whom I enjoyed many meals when he worked in publicity for Wells Fargo Bank and I had a position of treasurer and finance director of an East Bay city. I continued studies and received an LLB in law and CPA by examination. The 1948 notes featured author Milan E. Wight, with whom I spent many happy days and miles traveling with our Airstream Trailer group. With the many thousands of graduates in 1947 and 1948, it was remarkable to see two friends."
Robert W. Moore, BA, writes, "In the almost 60 years since I graduated from Cal, I have been engaged in farming rice in California's Central Valley, and operating an aerial spraying and fertilizing/seeding company with my two brothers. We have also operated large fire-fighting aircraft throughout the United States. I am the very proud father of six wonderful children, five daughters and one son. My wife, Bobbi, and I also have thirteen grandkids and two beautiful great-granddaughters. Bobbi and I have been able to travel extensively and have been deeply involved in our community's activities. We are both in good health and hope to continue our travel and community activities for years to come."
1950 Fred Hawkins, BA, enjoyed the Haas alumni reunion in October. He writes, "The Bears won handily and my godson, Acting Dean Rich Lyons, did a wonderful, pre-kickoff lecture on the why's of our current US dollar's international status. I'm a retired US Navy captain who is currently the commanding general of the Naval Order of the United States, the military's oldest (1890) fraternal organization. Our mission is to preserve and promote our US Naval traditions. Married to Pat Christensen, BA 52, for 53 years, and living in Belmont, on the San Francisco Peninsula for the past 45 years."
Paul McKnight, BS, of Orinda, Calif., a vice president of Saylor & Hill Co., is in retirement transition after starting in the employee benefit insurance business in 1950. Saylor & Hill Co. has provided consulting and insurance brokerage services to the University of California and other universities, cities, the state of California, and employers in many industries. Paul has had a rewarding and very interesting career partnering with clients. He is married to Joan Kiessig, BA 53. Daughter Carol Mc Knight Warren, BS 80, is married and has a son (14) and a daughter (11) and lives in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., with husband, Ben. Joan and Paul are supporters of the Bear Backers, particularly rugby, football, women's golf, and men's golf. 1951 Hugh T. Gordon, BS, retired in paradise and operates a bedand- breakfast inn at Ruby Bay on the shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. Some family live nearby, while others are far away in the USA. He has three greatgrandchildren to keep the line going. See http://www.barkingfish.co.nz or look at Barking Fish at www. nelsonnz.com. Contact for old friends: hush@quik.co.nz 1954 Merlin "Budd" Henry Jr., BS, of North Tustin, Calif., writes, "I retired in 1999 after a 29-year rewarding career as a professor of marketing at Santa Ana College, the last 11 years as chair of the Marketing and Management Department. My wife, Mary Ann, and I celebrated our 25th anniversary last July after a wonderful Eastern Europe trip with stays in Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Warsaw. I have two sons, two daughters, and three stepsons. Retirement consists of tennis, traveling, volunteering on three boards, tutoring fifth graders, and a rewarding and challenging year serving on the Orange County Grand Jury."
1962 Thomas M. Jones, BS,of Corona Del Mar, Calif., is president and owner of TMJ Insurance Services, marketing life, health, disability, long-term care, annuities, and other estate planning products. He has two children, Felicia (31) and Tyler (21). He served as chief deputy commissioner of the Department of Corporations and assistant appointments secretary to Gov. Ronald Reagan, was formerly president of the board of governors of the California Community Colleges, Irvine Chamber of Commerce, Irvine Children's Fund; and vice chairman of Irvine Junior Games. He has also served on boards and committees of many other business, alumni, local government, and community organizations. Carlo Americo Odella, BS, president of Europamerican Inc., reports that his most recent article on ceramic tile, "Backsplashes: The Earrings of the House," has been selected for publication in the February 2006 issue of Kitchen and Bath Design magazine. Carlo has also published articles on grout, large-body tiles, and tile on countertops. He is the owner of a tile retailer/contractor in Dayton, Ohio. 1964 Charles Leo, BS, MBA 66,see Ph.D. 1973 notes. Andy Simmonds, BS,accepted a position with T-Mobile in Bellevue, Wash., as the property tax manager for the Western US. He is returning to the Northwest after working for Sprint Nextel in Overland Park, Kan. 1965 Kyle Ballard, BS, of Carson, Calif., was named West Coast regional manager for Final Expense Plus, the latest work site benefit product of Homesteaders Life Co. of Des Moines, Iowa. Vijay Kumar, BS, of Mountain View, Calif., writes, "After my BS from UC Berkeley from Haas School, I passed Society of Actuaries Mathematics and Statistics exams. I worked for IBM, BMC, Memorex and am now an advisor to Internet Speech, www.internetspeech.com, an Internet startup company working with audio Internet technology. In personal news, I am divorced and have two children. My son is a civil engineer in San Juan Bautista working for Willis Construction. My daughter is working for Coldwell Banker, trying to become a real estate tycoon. She has properties in the coastal towns of Santa Cruz, Eureka, and Ferndale. Both my kids are California surfers. My son, Jay, swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco without a wet suit. My daughter swims in organized triathlons such as the Sentinel Triathlon. I am a member of San Jose Cactii and Succulents Club, TiE, an entrepreneurial organization heavily involved in hi-tech, and local political clubs."
1966 Richard Vortmann, BS,see MBA 1968 notes. 1967 Darrell A. Smith, BS, of Stockton, Calif., writes, "Kitsy, BA 69, and I are very pleased to be an all-Cal family with our son, Todd Smith, entering Haas for his MBA in 2007. Our daughter, Kerri Smith, received her BA in English from Cal in 1988. Go Bears!" 1969
Daniel D. Asera, BS, president of the class of 1969
at UC Berkeley, is a professor
of business at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas, and director
of the Management Institute at
Nevada State College. Dan is
organizing the first Cal Alumni
Club in Las Vegas which will be
named, "Cal Spirit of Las Vegas."He volunteers as faculty adviser to Kappa Sigma Fraternity and to the UNLV Hockey Team. In the community, he is serving a two-year term as a member of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada Advisory Committee. He looks forward to his trips to Berkeley to visit his family and friends in the Bay Area. 1970 Larry Fredlund, BS, of San Jose writes, "I recently retired from Hewlett-Packard after a 30- year career that took me from the warehouse to the keyboard. After more than 20 years in procurement and supply-chain management, I followed my technical interest into IT, where I found a home as a software support engineer, implementing and supporting SAP for controlling worldwide distribution of software to HP's customers. I'm maintaining my interest in music by playing trombone in two South Bay jazz bands and a couple of brass quintets, as well as the Cal Alumni Band. I anticipate rejoining the tech world over the next few months, as I don't feel old enough to really retire."
1972
Glenn E. Carlson, BS, of
Las Vegas writes, "I have less
than five years until the end of
my career as an international
airline captain. My son is in his
last year at SJSU and wants a
career in aviation. My publishing
company, WatoshPublishing.com
is proceeding steadily. I wish the
Internet was around when I graduated
so I could keep up with my
cellmates at Erhman Hall. I have
remarried and have been happy
for 16 years. We enjoy ballroom
dancing, golf, and flying my little
amphibious airplane. The last two
years, I have flown all over the
world. Europe and Asia will open
one's eyes, and the 'flat earth'
theory is not far off. It is time for
Berkeley to once again educate
our country of trouble ahead.
Good luck to you all."1975 Karen Greenberg McConnell, BS, see MBA 1978 notes. 1978 John R. Mitchell III, BS,of Vancouver, Wash., writes, "I just celebrated my 16th year at Ingersoll-Rand. I am currently the western region residential sales manager for Schlage Lock. I am still very proud of my graduation from Cal and have a Haas School of Business license plate frame on my car (probably not good during football season with so many Oregon and Oregon State alumni in the area). Looking forward to spending New Year's watching the Bears in a bowl game."
1980 Louis F. Koo, BS, writes, "It's nice to see Cal's business school evolve into what it is today. I keep running into people who are graduates of Cal's business school even here in Hong Kong."
1983 Jeanne Castro Schmidt, BS, see MBA 1987 notes. Dave R. Garr, BS, of Sunnyvale, Calif., writes, "I just proposed to my girlfriend using the Web: www.daveloveselizabeth.com (See the Mercury News for one writeup: http://www. mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/ 13079185.htm.) Thank you, Cal for teaching me computer and marketing skills."
1984
Paul W. Armstrong, BS,of San Francisco is self-employed
at Earthwhile Endeavors Inc.,
doing product development and
marketing in the pet industry. The
company's brand, Earthbath, is a
full line of biodegradable grooming
products including shampoos,
grooming wipes, spritzes, and
shampoo bars. He writes, "We've
grown from regional distribution
in the Bay Area to national and
international distribution. On a
Cal note, we were a case study
for two awesome Haas MBAs for
a semester, and they helped us
strategize the development and
introduction of our two best-selling
products. On a personal note,
I'm married to Donna Armstrong
(duh!) and have an 18-month-old
boy nicknamed William, but technically
Paul Jr. We are expecting
a little girl in January. Hobbies
include strolling with my boy, real
estate development, playing 'roots'
music with two bands, The Mobile
Home Boys (.com) and The Big
Twang Theory (.com), snow skiing,
and scuba diving."Deborah Choate, BS,writes, "I have just begun a new job in Zurich as CFO of Esmertec AG, a provider of software solutions and technologies for mobile phones and embedded devices, which has recently gone public on the Swiss stock exchange. I will be keeping my home in Paris and living between the two cities."
1985 Brian Burns, BS, see MBA 1993 notes. 1986 Gary Lentz, BS, writes, "My family and I recently relocated to a brand new home in Santa Rosa (my hometown) from San Rafael to be closer to InfoStor, the offsite commercial records management company that I have been running for the past 2.5 years. Nicole and I have five children, four still at home: Courtney (17), Nick (16), Avery (7), and Katie (5). We are Golden Bear football season ticket holders. We are landscaping our backyard, including a pool! In addition to hard-copy records management, InfoStor is the North Bay leader in data vaulting (both electronic and tape), document shredding, and scanning. Go Bears!" Bruce Robinson, BS,writes, "I recently relocated from South Orange, N.J., to Shanghai, China, to open Avenue Capital Group's Shanghai office. We are making direct investments in Chinese companies, primarily related to the financial services sector. I have been happily married to Teresa Robinson for 13 years and have three sons (9), (7), and (5). After spending almost nine years in investment banking (Salomon Brothers, Bancboston, Robertson Stephens, and Banc of America Securities), I am now enjoying life on the investment side of finance. If you find yourself in Shanghai, do not hesitate to contact me, brobinson@avenue-asia.com."
1988 Raymond D. Marshall, BS, of Piedmont, Calif., writes, "I started a company called NuMedia Concepts LLC a few years back, and I'm currently developing an online classified web site at www.southland.la. The site will target the Southland, which comprises Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. The web site is operating in the Dot-LA domain space, the official domain for the Los Angeles metropolitan area (visit www.www.la for additional information). About 200 Dot-LA city domains will be connected to the site. The site will include classified features such as announcements/ events, personals, carpools, and dating, which, when combined with the various Dot- LA city domains, will create the potential for real online communities within the Southland. Feel free to send me your feedback at sales@southland.la."
Kevin Murray, BS, of Walnut Creek, Calif., writes, "Since Cal, I have followed a varied path from pubic accounting at Arthur Young (Ernst) to CFO in a manufacturing company, to an MBA at Notre Dame in 1993, then back home to begin an entrepreneurial career in real estate. My business is as a traditional realtor and mortgage broker serving Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, and I purchase and remodel homes for rental and resale. The former is an outgrowth of the latter, but is now my main business. I work in association with Kevin Clay, BS, 87, he in the West Bay and I in the East Bay. All this began when I bought a fixer-upper house during my undergrad years at Cal. I'm now involved in the leadership of the Berkeley Yacht Club, enjoy sailing and golf, and still get involved in some of the construction projects from time to time. You can contact me at kevinmurray@sbcglobal.net."
Alan D. Seigrist, BS, see MBA 1996 notes. 1989
Timothy S. Wong, BS,writes, "Our family recently moved
to Vail, Colo., to serve the Rocky
Mountain community through a
pre-kindergarten through eighthgrade
school, The Vail Academy.
Although this is a slight departure
from working as a principal for a
junior and senior high school, my
position as executive administrator
provides many new challenges
and opportunities to have an
impact on our future generation!
My wife, Lynne, and children,
Rachel (9), Micaiah (7), and Caleb
(5), are all loving the exciting life in
the Rockies and marveling at the
beauty of God's creation. We hike,
bike, and will soon be skiing and
snowboarding together!"
Marci B. Zaroff, BS, is
the founder and CEO of Under
the Canopy, a leading brand of
modern organic fashion and home
products, now available from
major specialty stores and catalogs
to Whole Foods Market. She
lives in Boca Raton, Fla., and is the
proud mother of daughter, Jade
(9), and son, Mason (7).
1990
Kirk Crenshaw, BS, of
San Francisco joined Next Stage
Consulting in January as vice
president of business development.
He writes, "After feeling the
pain of optimizing lead-generation
operations at a variety of startups,
I decided to join Next Stage to
help companies with the issues
that I faced in the past. I hope to
save companies pain, specifically
around vendor selection and
management, program mix,
spend, and achievement of revenue
goals. Specifically focused
in the complex sell/B2B space,
Next Stage provides dedicated demand generation resources to
help companies develop, plan,
and implement a high-quality,
lead-generated operation. (www.
nextstageconsulting.com)"
Dennis De Andre, BS,writes, "Somehow I ended up in
Palo Alto -- enemy territory. Let me
know if anyone wants to grab a
beer in Palo Alto and make people
take off their red shirts. I am married
now with three little ones. I
am the chairman of a company
called LoopNet that I started 10
years ago. It's a commercial real
estate exchange. For the past
year, I have also been running a
company called BizBuySell that
I acquired in partnership with
LoopNet. BizBuySell is a 9-year-old
exchange for businesses for sale."1992
Kristin O'Leary, BS, of Los
Gatos, Calif., writes, "My husband,
Rich, and I just celebrated our anniversary
at Kapalua Bay in Maui,
where we were married. I left HP
earlier in 2005 after many years
there in corporate financial planning
and reporting. I am pursuing
my CFP to become a personal
financial planner and am also
volunteering for various charitable
organizations. I'm continuing to
play the banjo with my 40-person
banjo band! My husband, Rich (Cal
class of 1988), works as an anesthesiologist
at several local hospitals
and serves as the director at
a surgery center. We enjoy biking
and traveling together."Patrick Poon, BS, writes, "I recently started the MBA program at Hitotsubashi University's Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Tokyo, Japan. I am learning from two illustrious Cal alums, Hirotaka Takeuchi, MBA 71, PhD 77, and Ikujiro Nonaka, MBA 68, PhD 72, authors of The Knowledge Creating Company."
1995 Paul P. Huang, BS, of San Francisco co-founded his third company, Pendulum Software, which provides leading-edge technology solutions for the life sciences industry. Previously, he successfully exited a healthcare software company and raised over $5 million. 1996 Jasprit Sandhu, BS, writes, "I am working as an assistant controller for a Santa Clara hightech company. I have been married for the last five years, and we are expecting our first kid in March. We are living in Newark, Calif. Go Bears!" Cindy Y. Wong, BS, of New York and Brian Zarahn were married Labor Day weekend at Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards in Woodside, Calif. 1997 Julie D. Bell, BS, of San Francisco writes, "Career wise things are going great. After many years with Bain & Company, I recently left to join JH Partners, a private-equity fund specializing in the consumer and retail spaces. Life wise, things are also well. Chris and I are wrapping up a significant remodel of our house in Rockridge, and enjoying settling into a life without dust and power tools everywhere."
Sanjog Sikand, BS, writes, "Since graduating from Haas, I worked for a couple of years with Ernst and Young with the information systems advisory group, followed by a four-year tenure as an international product manager with Ariba. I currently reside in Fremont, Calif., and work in international product marketing at eBay. Personally life has changed much as well. I was married in 2002 and was blessed with a beautiful baby four months ago. Still do reminisce about my days at Haas and the International House. Good times, good times."
1998 Alice G. Chen, BS, became engaged to Alan Lee April 8. She works as a senior marketing manager at American Express. She is also a 2004 graduate of the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. Alan is a vice president of business development at Citigroup Asset Management. The two met in New York where they currently live. Travis Darrow, BA 98 (political science), writes, "After spending my first week in Asia on a resort, I'm now working in Hong Kong full time. A boat cruise for National Day here and a great time at a friend's wedding in Singapore last weekend. Work? Good. IPOs, ADR, and 144A market heating up."
Dan T. Hua, BS, writes, "I am now happily married to the love of my life, Cora Lee (also a Berkeley Alum). We met after Cal in 2000 and got married last year in 2004. Currently finishing up my MBA at UCLA and looking for a new position in private-equity/venture capital funds. Go Bears!" Pratima Sethi, BS, writes, "I joined the family business in diamonds and fine jewelry to bring fresh ideas and take a successful business to the next level. I'm responsible for the branding of our fine jewelry line, Manak Couture Collection. The collection consists of earrings, rings, necklaces, and pendants in natural color diamonds. Celebrities such as Nicole Richie, Samantha Harris, and Traci Bingham have been photographed wearing these pieces at the recent Emmy's. Along with a career shift from IT consulting to the jewelry industry, I recently purchased a home in Redwood City. It's been a busy but fun year!" 1999 Chuck Gatchell, BS, writes, "I hope all is well with everyone. Melissa (BA, biology, 99) and I were married on Sept. 1, 2000. We had our son, Nate, Aug. 1, 2005 (visit www.babygatchell.com for pictures). After spending over four years at Ernst & Young (corporate finance, Los Angeles), and after a couple of graduate degrees (accounting, Virginia; public policy, UCLA), I've landed at Nike Inc., where I work on social/ environmental reporting and strategic planning in the corporate responsibility group. Melissa is working on her doctorate in public health at UCLA. E-mail me at chuckgatchell@yahoo.com anytime, and Go Bears!" After receiving his MBA from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, Yan Gelman, BS, is back in the Bay Area. He accepted a controller position at Jumpstart Automotive Media, a local automotive marketing firm. He recently purchased a condo in San Francisco's Diamond Heights neighborhood, so he is here to stay. Lee A. Thysell, BS, of Fremont, Calif., has been with IBM for six years and is still enjoying it. He left finance in March 2004 and is in business controls. 2000 Akiva Balfour, BS, writes, "After five years, I'm still trading index options for the same firm. In addition to work, I'm completing an evening MBA program at the University of Chicago. I enjoy my work, school, friends, and, in general, all the city has to offer."
Sara L. Cherlin, BS, writes, "I have just begun my new career in consumer goods marketing at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. I love my job branding hair care products! I moved to Cincinnati shortly after graduating from Haas in June and then taking a five-week vacation in China, Tibet, Nepal, and Japan (traveling with and running into Cal friends Jennie Tung, Charlotte Lee, and Michael Chiu). I look forward to moving into my new condo soon and continue to explore Cincy and the greater Midwest."
Will Edmonson, BS, of Alexandria, La., writes, "After graduating from New York University School of Law in May, I am currently working as a law clerk for Judge F.A. Little Jr. of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. I am also on a quest to see each major league baseball team play at home -- 18 down, 12 to go."
Daniel Phung, BS, is in the second year of his MBA at MIT Sloan. Highlights from his first year include organizing a leadership expedition up Mt. Kilimanjaro and an entrepreneurship conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 2001 Joe Spector, BS, writes, "After several years at JPMorgan's New York office, I decided to head to Wharton for my MBA. Although there are plenty of Cal and Stanford alumni out here to remind me of home, I still miss California and hope to be back in the Bay Area soon pursuing a career in real estate."
2002 Sidharth R Anand, BS,writes, "I am finishing my second year in the MD/MBA program at the USC School of Medicine. I am a Cal fan at heart, but these Trojans keep tempting me, so if there are any Cal fans in LA, contact me at sratrade@hotmail.com. As for my other activities, I recently organized a celebrity poker tournament fundraiser with Johnny Chan, raising over $10,000 for the Hurricane Katrina Victims. I am also just about to launch a healthcare technology consulting group, HealthTech Medical Management Solutions, so if there are any interested entrepreneurs out there, let me know!" Jacqueline Leão, BS, of San Francisco writes, "Oi Haas Community from Brasil! I am unemployed at the moment, and looking for opportunities in the biotech sector in the area of business development and operations. My e-mail is jacqueline_ leao@haasalum.berkeley. edu and you can see my profile at linkedIn.com. I wish you all success! Felicidades!" Joanne Liu, BS, of San Francisco writes, "I've started JiveSF, a local nonprofit involving young professionals. Please check out www.jivesf.com! We'd love to see Cal alumni at our events and activities!" Dane Suenaga, BS, writes, "Ohisashiburi! That means 'Long time no see' in Japanese. After graduating I immediately went to Japan to teach English for three years. I lived in a town of about 5,000 people. I spent my free time planting and harvesting rice and learning tea ceremony. My friends consisted of 70- to 80- year-old grandmas and grandpas, and I knew every kid in the supermarket. The experience taught me a lot about life and myself. I was able to travel through Japan in my $83 car and spend endless weekends surfing deserted beaches and camping under the stars. I returned to 'civilization' (aka the states) about two months ago and now am getting ready to work for KPMG in Los Angeles. I learned to cherish time. Time is a gift, that is why we call it 'present.'" 2003
Sara Araghi, BS, and Reza
Afkhami, MBA 03, write,
"We are pleased to announce our
engagement this past summer.
We did indeed meet at Haas! As
it turned out, we had a lot more in
common than a choice of school!
We always enjoy hearing from old
friends, so please drop us a line if
we have not had a chance to catch
up in a long time. We both live in
San Francisco's Noe Valley and
work on the peninsula. Cheers!" Brian Cason, BS, writes, "I am spending my days in Manhattan working for a real estate investment firm named DRA Advisors where I get to play with OPM (other people's money). On the side I take dancing lessons, perfect my table manners, and long for greenery. I remember a simpler time when I was a wideeyed puppy of sorts, shaping my soul at Haas. While the days are hurried and the nights long and oozing with enthusiasm, I mostly find myself a spectator in this foreign land of decadence. A quote comes to mind, first spoken by Jack Kerouac, which once inspired an invaluable personal revelation, 'If you own a rug, you own too much.'" Romita Jerath, BS, has been working at the Boeing Co. as a business analyst for the past year-and-a-half. Kyoko (Kinoshita) Bischof, BS, and Otto Bischof, BA 87 (physics), had a beautiful son, Alexander Sky Bischof, Sept. 1 in Kaiser Hospital, Oakland. She writes, "This great news was announced to parents' relatives and best friends who live in Japan, Germany, Wisconsin, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Minnesota, and so on. Alexander Sky is the star who shines on all of us!" After working in consulting at Deloitte for two years, David A. Miskie, BS, of San Francisco recently took the position as the senior financial analyst at Peet's Coffee & Tea at its corporate headquarters in Emeryville, Calif. 2005 Varun Paul, BS, of San Francisco writes, "Hello all, hope life is going well. I am working on two startups, one for an online rental service and another in Hollywood for the movie industry. Both projects are getting attention and I'd like to hear from fellow grads who'd like to get in on the action. When not running around and seeking capital, I'm interviewing and currently posted at the University of California, Office of the President. Take Care! varun22@yahoo.com". [Back to top] MBA
1948 Peter A. Firmin, MBA, is in his third career at the University of Denver as director of development, School of Accountancy. He will retire in 2006. He earned his Ph.D. in 1957 from the University of Michigan and has served as dean of the Tulane University Graduate School of Business, vice president of Corporate Finance Associates in Denver, president of M & A International in Denver, and in several positions at the University of Denver, including interim director of the School of Accountancy and dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration. 1962
Robert A. Lutz, MBA, and
Donald R. Fraser, MBA,were both flying with VMA l33,
a Marine Reserve Jet Attack
Squadron at Alameda NAS when
they graduated. They write, "We
were flying the A4 Skyhawk
during this time."Bob went off to Europe in the automobile business where he stayed his entire career, working for General Motors, BMW, Ford, Chrysler, and most recently back to General Motors as vice chairman, product development. Soon after graduation Don founded two companies, Aviva Enterprises and Inetics Inc. Both of these companies were involved in the licensing and merchandising of products around the world associated with the Peanuts characters. Don is now working with the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., and has created an oral history department for the museum. In May 2005, at the invitation of Bob, Don flew back to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a flying reunion. It had been 43 years since we had flown together and the total of our ages now comes to l44 years! We spent a long weekend flying Bob's two military jet trainers, one a Russian L-39 and the other a European Alpha Jet."
1963 Peter Green, MBA, and Rosemary Green, BA 59,celebrated their family reunion at Cape Cod this August. Twelve grandchildren and 12 parents spent the week at the beach in Chatham. The Greens are enjoying retirement in Waterford, Conn. 1964 Harley Smith, MBA,was one of two people inducted into the Oregon State University's College of Business Hall of Fame for 2005. This award honors Oregon State alums who have made sustained and meritorious business contributions throughout their careers. Harley received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State in 1959. Harley has been an investor since he received his MBA degree from Berkeley and is a past chair of OSU's College of Business Advisory Council. He is a trustee of the OSU Foundation, member of the Council of Regents, and chair of the class of 1959's Golden Jubilee Fund. Harley and his wife, Brigitte, have funded an annual Lifetime Financial Planning Contest at OSU, which is now going into its eighth year."
1966 Charles Leo, BS 64, MBA 66, see Ph.D. 1973 notes. 1968 Richard Vortmann, MBA, is stepping down after 22 years as president of National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in San Diego, a $1 billion revenue subsidiary of General Dynamics since 1998. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board but will relinquish day-to-day management responsibilities. Dick also serves as vice chair of Scripps Health a fivecampus, 1,300-bed hospital group in San Diego, is a member of the National Academies of Science Marine Board and of various civic boards in San Diego. After a 30- year career with National Steel and Shipbuilding, which included a management LBO and 10 years of operation as an independent, employee-owned company, Dick is now looking forward to consulting activities, and assisting other companies at the board level. 1969 Wallace Lowry, MBA, is a CPA who has worked as a business manager in private industry and was a professor emeritus at Sonoma State University. A retired US Navy captain, he served many years in the US Navy Reserves. He was elected to Santa Rosa Schools Board of Education in 2002 and has served as an officer or board member of many community organizations, including Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Sonoma County Family YMCA, Sonoma County Navy League, city of Santa Rosa Housing Authority, city of Santa Rosa Redevelopment Agency, and Empire Breakfast Club. He and his wife recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have two daughters. One is a CPA, and the other is a doctor. 1970 William Halal, MBA, see Ph.D. 1971 notes. Bob Klein, MBA, writes, "Yes, there is life after 29 years with AT&T! With the help of a few equally dedicated dreamers, I own and operate a private railroad car for charter out of Oakland to any destination on the AMTRAK system. (We took a group of alums to the Cal-Utah game in Salt Lake City two seasons ago). Come visit at www.silveriris.net for the whole story."
Gary W. Matkin, MBA, has been reappointed as dean of continuing education at the University of California, Irvine. He is responsible for all aspects of UC Irvine's continuing education initiatives, including UCI Extension, the Distance Learning Center (DLC) and Summer Session. He is a certified public accountant and the author of Effective Budgeting in Continuing Education (1985), Technology Transfer and the University (1990), and Using Financial Information in Continuing Education: Accepted Methods and New Approaches (1997). He resides in Irvine, Calif., with his wife, Maya, and their son, Ethan. 1971 Kenneth Golden, MBA, of Northborough, Mass, writes that his oldest daughter, Kelley, recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS in retail management and received the dean's award for most outstanding student leader. He's now college-shopping for his younger daughter, Dana. Ken is president of QBS Consulting, Inc., a software management consulting firm specializing in assessment, business process and project management work for the manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain industry. Cooling Springs Farm, the ancestral home of Pete Michael, MBA, was recently featured in a segment of Home and Garden Television's "If Walls Could Talk" program. The farm was founded by his family in 1768, and has been listed on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Places and two national registers and named a Frederick County, Md., landmark. Cooling Springs also will be featured soon in Southern Living, the South's equivalent of Sunset magazine. Since Pete and his wife, Vicki, made Cooling Springs Farm open to the public for tours and study, nearly 400 people have toured the farm, including the descendants of Underground Railroad freedom seekers who were sheltered at the farm in 1855. Haas alumni visiting the area, which is 45 miles west of Washington, DC, are welcome to drop by. Call 301.874.0235 or visit CoolingSprings.org. Max Oliva, MBA, is a Jesuit priest from California working in the business community in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in a ministry called, "Spirituality at Work."
An article about the ministry, including its "Commuter Retreat" for busy business people, can be found at www.businessedge.ca.
Bonnie
L. Parks,
MBA, of
Sacramento
was named
director of
government
relations
and public
affairs for the
California
Commission on Teacher
Credentialing. She has served as
a management consultant and
senior executive in both the private
and public sectors for over 25
years, and most recently served
as the executive director of the
Senior Worker Advocate Office
of the California Employment
Development Department.
She has previously held such
diverse positions as chief deputy
director of the Department of Fair
Employment and Housing, senior
consultant for the Pacific Gas and
Electric Company, and senior consultant
for the California Assembly
Revenue and Taxation Committee.
She served on the board of the
UC Berkeley Alumni Association
for three years and on the board
of the Cal Sacramento Alumni
Association for 10 years.
1972
Knute "Mike" Miller,
MBA, was recently appointed by
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to
the Board of Pilot Commissioners
for the bays of San Francisco,
San Pablo and Suisun. The board
licenses and oversees the operations
of the San Francisco Bay
Pilots, master mariners who guide
ocean-going ships and other vessels
into, out of, and around San
Francisco Bay, and as far inland
as Sacramento and Stockton.
Commissioner Miller's term is
for four years and is subject to
confirmation by the California
State Senate. Mike lives in San
Francisco with his wife, Ginna
Dean, and is affiliated with
Government Strategies Inc., a
Sacramento-based advocacy and
government-affairs consulting firm.
Bill Sherman, MBA, writes,
"After graduation, with what I think
was the first JD/MBA at Berkeley,
I began law practice with then-
Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San
Francisco and then moved 'across
the street' to Morrison & Foerster
in Palo Alto in 87. I have been a
securities lawyer doing over 250
public offerings. My Berkeley MBA
has always put me in good stead
in the practice of law because,
unlike a lot of lawyers, I am not
'afraid' of financial statements or
financial analyses. For over 25
years I have been trying to give
back by lecturing in the Haas MBA
program on legal issues business
people face in their careers. "
1973
Peter Liebowitz, MBA, of
Castro Valley, Calif., writes, "After
30 years playing in high-tech,
taking one firm public, helping
sell a second, shutting down a
third, and generally being ready
for a change, I have accepted
positions as a professor in the
business schools at the University
of San Francisco and Holy Names
University. Great adult and undergraduate
students, and it is quite
rewarding getting to use actual
experiences as the class case
studies. I am also helping run a
boutique auto dealership to supply
family, friends, and business associates
with wholesale vehicles.
Cal is my No.1 client, in fact! I'm
teaching 'Leading Change in
Organizations,' 'Survey of Global
Business,' and 'Fundamentals of
Marketing.' Three great kids, four
spectacular grandchildren, a marriage
of 39 years (got hitched very
young!) and I traded in the 'Silicon
Valley Ride' for an old Volvo Cross-
Country. The unexpected changes
life throws at each of us can be
good. Mine have been. See you in
the classroom."1974
Jay Gladieux, MBA, of
Cary, N.C., joined Smith Breeden
Associates in 2003 as a principal
after 15 years at Morgan Stanley,
including three years in Tokyo,
and six years at J.P. Morgan
Investment Management. He
writes, "Smith Breeden is a private,
employee-owned, research-driven,
academically rooted, institutional
investment management firm
headquartered in Chapel Hill,
N.C. founded by Doug Breeden,
currently the dean of the Fuqua
School of Business at Duke
University. Part of my responsibilities
include oversight of our business
in Japan, which represents
a significant share of our assets.
Many thanks to Mark Rubinstein,
who helped me build my base in
finance. It has been an interesting
road since Finance 101 in 1972!
And to the whole Haas team ? the
value trade of a lifetime! My wife,
Marlyn, daughter, Amanda (18),
and son, Clayton (15), are now
converted Southerners, greatly
enjoying our life in North Carolina
after 15 years of living in New
Canaan, Conn. I'd be interested in
hearing from Haas alumni with the
combination of strong finance and
client/marketing backgrounds,
particularly Japanese nationals or
those with deep Japan experience.
jgladieux@smithbreeden.com."1977 Stewart E. Chang, MBA,of Richmond, Calif., serves on the board of directors and is the chairman of the Development Committee of the Wesley Foundation at the University of California at Berkeley. Located on the corner of Bancroft and Dana, the Wesley Center provides a ministry outreach to the Cal campus and plans to build faithbased student housing to house more than 40 students. He writes, "We are always looking for board members and contributors."
ChangStewart@Yahoo.com. Dennis Covington, MBA,of San Rafael, Calif., continues to manage Ohana Advisors, the multi-family wealth management practice he founded in 1993. The practice handles all aspects of investment, estate, and tax planning. With an emphasis on private investing, he is also chairman of iMedica Corp., an electronic medical records company and PartsRiver, a fleet management software company, and an advisor to KRh Thermal, an automated hot food company, and Wireless Generation, the leader in putting technology into the hands of teachers. Gordon Gregory, MBA, chairman and managing director of Mosaic Capital LLC and Mosaic Capital Securities LLC - member NASD/SIPC, is pleased to announce the expansion of its M&A and corporate finance business. The expansion includes the opening of a second office, and the addition of three senior managing directors and two vice presidents. Mosaic Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles and is a member of IMAP, the leading international network of independent merger and acquisition partners, with 60 partner firms operating in 98 cities and 24 countries. IMAP partners complete in excess of 200 middlemarket transactions per year. 1978 Jerry Butzer, MBA, writes, "Just returned to California and 'home' to the San Francisco Bay Area weeks ago. I acquire largescale land, projects-in-progress, and financially distressed projects on behalf of developers and private- equity partnerships for further development or turnaround for sale. A private-investor fund is being organized for acquisitions of major projects. May go to China, on behalf of large Hong Kong home builders, by the summer of 2006, to help fill the demand for 400 million single-family units over the next 10 years. jerrybutzer@aol.com " Karen Greenberg McConnell, MBA, writes, "After exiting the world of investment banking (Morgan Stanley), having three children (in 18 months!) and becoming a full-time mother, I have now (since 1994) started a real estate business. Aside from running my own portfolio, I seek investors for a number of developments in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. My husband, kids, and I lived in London until 1998 when we moved to Frankfurt. We threw the kids into the German school system, which was quite a shock as none of them spoke German. However, they are now all bilingual. We have returned to London now so as to complete my children's education in English. I try to keep up with old friends at Cal. I also sit on the International House Board (I lived there during grad school), which allows me to go back to Cal to visit."
Azmat Malik, MBA, of Lahore, Pakistan, writes, "I have been teaching in the MBA program at the Lahore University of Management Sciences for about a year now. A very interesting change for the high-tech, semiconductor world where I spent the last 32 years of my life. I am enjoying connecting with some past professors and some current faculty at Haas, exchanging teaching and research ideas. The earthquake in northern Pakistan-Kashmir Oct. 8 has allowed the citizens to demonstrate their true compassion and heroism. There is now an excess of volunteers and donated goods that may have to be directed toward other needs."
1980 David B. Katague, MBA, formerly chemistry team leader for the Food and Drug Administration, writes, "My wife and I retired in Fair Oaks, Calif., a suburb of Sacramento, to be near our grandchildren. We are currently involved with Medical Missions to the Philippines through our organization, Marinduque International Inc. Our next mission ? No. 4 -- is scheduled for Feb. 5 to 11. We are looking for volunteers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and support personnel. MI Inc. will provide food and lodging and transportation in Marinduque, but you will have to purchase your own round-trip ticket to Manila. There is a $200 registration fee to help purchase drugs, medical supplies, and other incidental expenses. If you are interested, send me an e-mail at tagajaro@comcast.net. Details about the mission could be found in our Web site, www.marinduqueinternational.org."
John-Paul Leonard, MBA, of Joshua Tree, Calif. writes, "Since 2001 I have been a book publisher, with a niche exposing 9/11 as a false-flag psy-op (jargon for a conspiracy inside our own government to fabricate a war pretext). My latest project is www.PeaceWeek.net."
1982 Jose Serra-Vega, MBA, of Huaraz, Peru, began working in November for Antamina, the biggest copper mine in Peru. He writes, "I am in charge of the development projects for the urban and rural communities in the mine's area of influence. The mine is at an altitude of 16,000 feet and its area of influence goes over 16 districts for 150 miles along a sludge ore pipeline, all the way to the Pacific Ocean to a private port. Typical projects are drinking water, sanitation, agricultural development, education, and training. Conflicts between mining companies and the surrounding communities are increasing in Peru, sometimes becoming violent, as the awareness about the potential negative impacts of huge mining developments on the environment and the social fabric is rising."
1983 Enrico Hernandez, MBA, of San Francisco serves as the director of finance at Immaculate Conception Academy, an all-women's Catholic high school in San Francisco. He is also a member of the board of directors at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif., and an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco's School of Education. He writes, "I enjoy applying the skills I acquired at Haas in my daily work; even after 22 years!" David R. Posegate, MBA, who is also a Boalt Hall graduate (1980), writes, "My career has spanned four years as a lawyer, nine as general counsel and eight as a C-level executive, with more than 20 years (with major overlap) as an internal consultant to businesses public and private. I became an independent consultant a little over two years ago. I recently completed the Consultancy Business Development Program offered by the Institute for Independent Business (www.iibamericas.org) to select business executives, typically CEOs and successful entrepreneurs. Upon successful completion of the IIB five-day 'boot camp,' I was accredited as an Executive Associate by the IIB. My wife and I live in the Phoenix, Ariz., metropolitan area. I welcome contact from classmates and all Haas Alums at daveposegate@iib.ws, personal email: d.posegate@hotmail.com."
1984 Peggy Bush, MBA, has an active elder abuse and generalbusiness law practice, arbitrates and mediates business disputes, does some personal coaching, and is executive director of a nonprofit providing direct services to critically ill people. She writes, "I'm raising $2 million to keep alive an Oakland nonprofit. We care for the most vulnerable people in our community. We are the last, and sometimes the best, stop in the road. Our clients are from every walk of life. They bring a range of cultures, classes, beliefs. We hope that the community will help our agency survive. We need to find new space in Oakland/Berkeley. Looking for someone who wants a legacy. One year of food for someone who is dying and hungry is less than the cost of one day in a hospital. 510.325-1493 (cell)" Kenneth L. Myers, MBA, of San Ramon, Calif., was married in 1997 to a wonderful woman with a passion for fine wine, Kathleen Ann Brice. He adopted her interest in wine, and has recently combined his love for wine with his passion for small business. Ken is now the CFO and controller at Crushpad Inc., a boutique winery in San Francisco. Crushpad helps wine lovers produce their own small-lot, premium wines in the style they choose and with their own unique branding. The company contracts with dedicated, obsessive growers to provide their customers with a wide choice of varietals from premium California vineyards. Crushpad winemakers then support the customers in every step of the winemaking process. Ken encourages old friends and Cal Alums with an interest in wine to contact him at Ken@crushpadwine.com. 1985 Mike Gallivan, MBA, is an associate professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he teaches courses in e-commerce strategy and the management of information technology. He received tenure earlier this year, after six years on the faculty at Georgia State, and three prior years at New York University. He received his Ph.D. in 1997 from MIT Sloan School of Management. Although content in Atlanta, he misses California and both he and partner, Doug Rice, dream of retiring in the Golden State."
Stephen P. Miller, MBA, of Palos Verdes, Calif., writes, "I recently joined Citizen Watch Company of America as the vice president, finance and systems. The company is the subsidiary of Citizen Watch Co. Ltd., of Japan. Citizen of America also has responsibility for Canada and the United Kingdom."
1986 | REUNION Paul R. De Muro, MBA,partner at Latham & Watkins in San Francisco and Los Angeles, has been elected chair-elect of the American Bar Association Health Law Section where he also serves on the Finance Committee of the Sections Officers Conference and on the SOC Working Group on International Outreach. Michael J. Smith, MBA, of New York writes, "I'm still working at the Food Network and was recently promoted to senior vice president, marketing and creative services, responsible for brand strategy and creative direction of all marketing and promotions for the channel."
Pascale M. Weber, MBA,is a sell-side analyst at KBC Securities in Brussels, Belgium. He is single and enjoying friendships around the world. He writes, "Would love to get in touch with other MBA 86 my e-mail address is pascale.weber@telenet.be". 1987 Ken Bozzini, MBA, of Lafayette, Calif., recently celebrated his one-year anniversary as CFO of WildPackets Inc. As the first CFO for this self-funded private software company with 15 years of customer success and over 100 employees, Ken is excited to be a partner to the founders and motivated stakeholder base. On a personal front, he and his wife, Kit, are enjoying the trials and tribulations of raising and carpooling their eight kids. Eric H. Larson, MBA, is serving in a government appointment as chief risk officer for the federal electric utility, Bonneville Power. He and his family have made their home in the Denver area after several years in Texas and Louisiana. Bill Martello, MBA, writes, "After working in Silicon Valley for several years, I decided to get a Ph.D. Why? Quite simply, to try to be in a position to help business practitioners, current and future, to think about issues with a broad liberal- arts perspective before acting upon them. Received my Ph.D. in business from the University of Pittsburgh (my birth town) and have subsequently taught in Calgary, Canada; Los Angeles (at two schools and in several functions); and am currently in Austin at St. Edward's University, the city's primary liberal-arts institution. My wife, Dolores, and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary and we have one child in college (daughter at Swarthmore) and one high school senior preparing to go (our son, to who-knowswhere). Feel free to contact me at williamm@admin.stedwards.edu."
Jeanne Castro Schmidt, MBA, of Pleasanton, Calif., writes, "After graduating from Berkeley, I worked in commercial and corporate lending and then as the assistant treasurer for a San Francisco-based company. In 1995 I started a treasury/corporate finance consulting firm, Treasury Management Solutions, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. We continue to grow and celebrated our 10th anniversary this year. My two daughters, (14) and (16), are starting to talk about joining the family tradition and attending college at Cal (my husband of 23 years, Robert A. Schmidt, Jr., father, Manuel Castro, and sisters-in-law Barbara Schmidt and Jennifer Youstra are also Cal alumni.) Our family enjoys exciting white-water rafting adventures. We own our own boats and equipment and recently returned from a summer trip on the Selway River in Idaho. The best part of a rafting vacation is that the cell phones don't usually work on the river!" 1988
Ross T. Ellis, MBA, writes, "I
am still working at SEI Investments
in a suburb of Philadelphia, in
charge of about 20 folks involved
in providing back-office fund
administration services to money
manager clients, typically those
with hedge, private-equity and
mutual-fund offerings. Previously
my travels took me overseas once
a quarter, but my wanderlust
apparently is being satisfied by
trips to New York or Washington,
DC! My sports activities have taken
a break, as I have been recovering
from rotator cuff surgery on left
shoulder. Coming a few years after
torn discs in my lower back, my
early 40s have not been kind to
me from a sports perspective! My
wife, Johanna, continues to work
at Valley Forge Elementary School
and configured her hours to fit
in between our son's leaving for
school and his arrival back home.
She continues to be an avid runner.
Our son, Duncan (7) is in second
grade. Active in soccer and karate,
he is also an avid artist, drawing/
building anything at any time,
sometimes unfortunately on walls,
tabletops, or other places adults
generally frown upon! Pretty soon
he will be as tall as his mother, and
life will change dramatically."Renee A. Hardy, MBA, of Alameda, Calif., writes, Since graduate school, I gained 10 years marketing management experience in the high-tech, retail, and nonprofit arenas. Six years ago, I leveraged my alumni and professional network and started an executive search firm, Armstrong Joiner LLC. We help clients recruit and retain top finance talent quickly and cost effectively. Up to 10 percent of our profits are donated to charity. My husband of 20 years is of great support to me in life and business. I'd love to stay in touch. Visit our web site or write me at rhardy@armstrongjoiner.com."
Betty Kaufman, MBA, of Mountain View, Calif., writes, "After nearly 20 years in high-tech marketing, I started my own business as an independent wine consultant with WineShop at Home and am now leading in-home and in-office wine tastings. As a longtime wine enthusiast, I'm excited to share my interest in wine with others and to work in an industry that truly brings enjoyment to people. Cheers and Go Bears! www.wineshopathome.com/bettykaufman."
Kevin Renner, MBA, of Portland, Ore., joined FEI Co. as global marketing manager for its nanoelectronics division. FEI is a market-leading developer of transmission electron microscopes and scanning electron microscopes used in the production of semiconductors, data storage devices, and biotechnology, among other applications. Based near Portland, Ore., the company has major operations in Holland, as well as sales and service offices in 40 countries. In his spare time, Kevin ponders how an estimated total cost of $1.2 trillion for the Iraq war could have been used to fight: 1. hunger 2. global warming 3. the spiraling of the US into 22nd globally in public K-12 education 4. the crisis of 48 million Americans who are medically uninsured and 5. even the real war on terror."
1990
Merador LLC, a business intelligence
consulting firm founded
by Greg Herrera, MBA 90;
Gary Frings, MBA 90; and
Michael Bloch, MBA 90;along with Harvard MBA John
Peterson was recently named the
16th fastest growing company in
the Bay Area by the San Francisco
Business Times. Haas MBAs Ken
O'Boyle, MBA 90, and Joe
del Callar, MBA 01, are also
key members of the talented team.
Stephen Chan, MBA,of Sunnyvale and Ajit Patankar,
another UC Berkeley alum,
launched a software startup company,
Biztro, Inc. (http://www.biztrol.com), to provide cost-effective
Sarbanes-Oxley automation
solutions. Mario Rosati, a member
of the UC Berkeley Foundation
Board of Trustee, has joined the
company's board of directors. The
company has released v1.0 of its
product to customers.
Andrea Scheiber, MBA,a nine-year resident of Cincinnati,
has three girls, (13), (11), and (8),
and is happily married to Michael
Scheiber, a physician. She is
marketing manager for Tremor, a
Procter & Gamble social network
marketing company. Andrea is also
on the marketing committee for
the local Jewish Federation. She
and her family love to travel, mainly
spending time snow skiing, on a
beach somewhere, or water skiing.
Haas School Alumnus Michael
Ho, MBA, passed away
on August 14 in his home in
Sherman Oaks. Ho, 43, was the
Southern California Regional
Manager of Wells Fargo's HSBC
Trade Bank. He is survived by his
wife, Sylvia Vargas.
Born in Canada, Michael grew up
in Long Beach and graduated from
Cal in 1984 with highest honors in
architecture. He worked for various
architecture firms in the Bay Area
and Los Angeles and became
a licensed architect in 1987.
Michael returned to Cal in 1988
for a Haas MBA with an emphasis
in real estate finance. In the 15
years since completing his MBA in
1990, Michael worked tirelessly
for Wells Fargo Bank in commercial
banking, loan adjustment and international
trade finance in Southern
California and Seattle. Michael
ultimately became the Southern
California Regional Manager of the
Wells Fargo HSBC Trade Bank, and
successfully established a mentoring
program for the International
Group. He was an active member
and director of many civic organizations
in Southern California.
Michael loved to travel and was an
avid golfer. He will be missed.
1991 | REUNION
Sindri Anderson, MBA, of
Berkeley, writes, "After a year-long
career sabbatical spent in Greece
with my family, I've launched a
consulting partnership with a colleague,
Enact Global Consulting.
We are in the organizational devel-opment space, and have the enviable
problem of starting with lots
of work! I am loving the creativity
and freedom of being in business
for myself, and I only wonder why I
waited this long to venture out."Jerome (Jerry) Lerman, MBA, of Foster City, Calif., writes, "I continue my employment at Wells Fargo (24 years this month), now working in small-business lending as a risk-management consultant. I finished fourth in the top division of the 2005 National Scrabble Championship held in Reno, and will be one of 15 US players competing this November in the World Scrabble Championship in London."
Susan Persin, MBA, writes, "I am a partner at Foresight Analytics, an Oakland-based economic and real estate consulting firm that Matt Anderson, MBA, 90, and I founded in early 2005. Starting a new business is challenging, fun, and rewarding and keeps me very busy. Check out our web site at www.foresightanalytics.com. I live with my husband, Ben, and two sons, Eli (5) and Spencer (2), in the Oakland (Montclair) hills."
Having contributed to developing a new bank in Tokyo, Tsuguru Saito, MBA,moved in September to Softbank, a telecom/internet giant, as a director of IPTV business. The founder/CEO of Softbank is a Masayoshi Son, a Cal alum [a Haas alum?] whose personal assets once exceeded Bill Gates. Tsuguru writes, "I am glad I work directly with one of the most successful alumni. These two Cals have a chance to change the way of watching TV and advertising on TV. I feel very lucky also because after working for Kraft, Coca-Cola, Fidelity, and ToysrUs as a marketing executive, developing a medium myself makes me knowledgeable about both sides."
Atul Sharan, MBA, writes, "Teamed up with a few extremely smart Ph.D.s from the dark side (Stanford) to start Clear Shape Technologies, a semiconductor technology design and manufacturing company. Raised our Series-A in April 2004 and our Series-B was led by Intel. www.clearshape.com". Otis L, Spencer, MBA, of Warsaw, Poland, was promoted to senior vice president and director of portfolio management for Heitman International LLC. He writes, "In this role I will be responsible for all European portfolio and asset management activities in addition to running Heitman Europena Property Partners III, a private real estate equity fund focused on Central and Eastern Europe."
1992 Zenda Kuo, MBA, "Just moved back to Hong Kong after three years of mommy hiatus in Beijing. I am director of corporate finance at CLP Power Asia, financing independent power plants throughout Asia-Pacific."
David Shiver, MBA, reports that he is now a dad, living with his adopted son, Roberto Eduardo Roberts Shiver, at his Berkeley home. David is a partner and principal of Bay Area Economics, a real estate and urban economics firm based in Emeryville, Calif. Roberto is 14 months old and was born in Antigua, Guatemala; he is now quite busy teaching his dad baby Spanish! 1993 Brian Burns, MBA, of San Francisco, writes, "I am the vice president of Asia Pacific for a quickly growing company focusing on video processing chips for the home networking market."
Steinar Paulsrud, MBA, of Oslo, Norway, writes, "There are so many Cal friends I have not kept in touch with over the years. But if you should read this, I am proud to announce that Thomas and I became parents to two wonderful baby girls this year. I spoke about it quite a bit while attending Haas, and now, after 12 years, it finally happened. We are very proud of our two baby Americans. This will be a very special Christmas!" After graduating with his MBA, Jorge Spichiger, MBA, returned to his former employer, Citibank (Chile), as FX trader head. In 1996, he moved to the Corporate Bank, as financial institutions head. In 1999 he was recruited by Bank of America in Santiago, where until 2001, he was head trader and vice president at the bank's treasury. He was then called by the Spanish Bank BBVA, where he was promoted in 2004 as CIO/CFO of the bank in Chile. Jorge is married since 1995 to Patricia, and has three wonderful daughters, Sofia (8), Catalina (6), and Antonia (2). The family lives in Santiago. He plays the electric guitar in a classic-rock band, and practices tennis, golf, and swimming. 1994 Art Altman, MBA, has been promoted to program manager in charge of product development and research in energy market forecasting, risk management, and asset valuation for the Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif. Koji Asada, MBA, writes, "I'm responsible for M&A advisory activities for SME (small-mid cap enterprises) and cross-border M&A transactions, as a deputy general manager at Corporate Advisory Division, Mitsubishi Securities Co. Ltd. in Tokyo."
Tamar and Thomas Lowell, MBA, announce the birth of their daughter, Mia Victoria Lowell. Tamar writes, "She was born Feb. 7 and is an absolute love. Thomas is enjoying his new job with Visage Mobile as director of marketing. My role as head of Lonely Planet's web group was recently moved to Australia, giving me time to get to know my daughter before beginning a new job search. We still live in Oakland near many of our friends from Haas."
Margaret Meenaghan, MBA, of Beverly Hills writes, "I gave birth to our second child, daughter Devon, this past January. Big brother, Charlie (4), has been great with her. I am still with Eastdil Realty (check out www. eastdil.com) and enjoying the real estate bubble. Our family continues to enjoy Southern California although there are way too many USC and UCLA folks here! Go Bears."
Poul-Erik Olsen, MBA, of Oakland writes, "Two happy years married to my wife, Christine, two-plus happy years as senior portfolio manager at Rochdale Investment Management, passed first two levels of CFA exam (don't do this in your late 30s!), completed two Death Rides with fellow alums Thomsen and Schwab, and after 11 years still socializing with many of the great 94 class! No baby pictures to show -- I must be the only one."
Walter Scheiber, MBA, writes, "After leaving my job in April, we packed up our two little kids and embarked on an around-the-world journey. Our three-months-long travels lead us through China, Thailand, and Turkey until we came to rest in Central Europe for a month. We enjoyed peace on the beaches of remote islands in Thailand and the chaos of the super-fast growing metropolitan cities of modern China. Traveling with little children in Asia opened many hearts and doors for us and made the trip a wonderful experience. Can't wait to do it again but now it's time to get settled. Very likely we'll stay in Europe. Drop me an email when you pass through Vienna scheiber@gmail.com" Yves Speeckaert, MBA,writes, "Hi everybody, I am living in Paris, with my Brazilian wife, Clelia, and son, Joao Pedro. After a couple of years with KPMG and then investment banking, I am now fully immersed in the growing sector of social and economic development (in emerging market principally). I am heading MENAA Finance, a consultancy specializing in privatization, public sector reform, pension funds, and project finance/investments in Africa, North Africa, and Brazil. A growing field of interest of mine is that of alternative energies and biodiesel in particular. Anybody involved in that field? Cheers from Paris."
Paul Weiskopf, MBA,of Belmont Calif., joined Adobe Systems where he is now leading M&A and alliances for the company. 1995 Terry Goode, MBA, and his wife, Latondra Goode, welcomed Leiah Therese Goode to the world June 21. Lauren (2), is so excited to be a big sister and is looking forward to having a new playmate. On a work-related note, Terry was promoted to head of tax exempt research for Wells Capital Management in early 2005. Takeshi Sasaki, MBA,of Tokyo joined Credit Pricing Corporation Inc., which specializes in credit-risk management for any businesses who care for Japanese corporate credit. Takeshi writes, "We have a financial database of over 85,000 Japanese companies and give default probability and credit rating to each one of them every month. If you have an interest in this area, please contact me at takeshi_sasaki@creditpricing. com."
Jacqueline Schroeders (Ramirez), MBA, and her family moved back to New Jersey in 2002. She is vice president, finance/controller for GAIN Capital, an online foreign exchange trading and asset management company. GAIN Capital was recently named Deloitte's No. 1 fastest growing technology company in New Jersey, and ranked in the top 100 in terms of growth in the Deloitte National 500 Fastest Growing Companies. Jackie, her husband, Curt, and their two children are enjoying being back with family in New Jersey, since she was raised in the state. She credits her MBA and prior work experience in helping to prepare her to manage the rapid growth at GAIN Capital. 1996 | REUNION Clarence Chen, MBA,of Menlo Park, Calif., sold the company he started in 2001 to Manhattan Associates (nasdaq: manh), where he is now working. He writes, "It's true what they say about cost of VC money. Found time to get married in Colombia where I'm thinking of retiring to someday, bought a house in the Bay Area. Happy with life."
Paul Findlay, MBA, married
his longtime partner, Doug Ward,
Aug. 27 in Dana Point, Calif. The
ceremony was held in an outdoor
amphitheater overlooking the
Pacific Ocean, and was witnessed
by 75 friends and family. Paul is a
product manager with Panasonic
Avionics Corporation in Lake
Forest, Calif., and is very involved
with Men Alive - The Orange
County Gay Men's Chorus as
marketing director. Paul and Doug
make their home only a few miles
from Laguna Beach. For more on
Paul & Doug, visit their web site at
www.PaulFindlay.com.
Alan D. Seigrist, MBA, of
Hong Kong writes, "My company,
The Executive Centre, has continued
its expansion in Asia with
new facilities opening in Beijing,
Taipei, and Hong Kong, which
has meant I have been doing a
lot of traveling lately! We have
been most excited about opening
in TAIPEI 101, the world's tallest
building (for now). TAIPEI 101 is a
great project for us and response
for our product has been great
from the business community. If
anyone from Haas ever makes it
through Hong Kong, please be
sure to give me a call!"
Alex Sutton, MBA, was
married this past spring on
the beach in Hawaii to Karen
Easterbrook. Alex and Karen met
at Microsoft when their groups
were reorganized together. Karen
went to Stanford, but Alex doesn't
hold that against her. Alex can't
believe he's still at Microsoft, but
the work remains interesting. Alex
and Karen live in Kirkland, Wash.,
where they enjoy spending time
cruising the sound on their boat.
1997
Damien Dallemagne,
MBA, of Brussels, Belgium, left
UCB to join Arthur D. Little, where
he is consulting for the pharma
and chemical industries. He writes,
"I also intend to grow our activities
in the field of corporate sustainable
development."Klaus Fabian, MBA, and his wife, Mei, announce the birth of their daughter, Karina Jolie Yun- Yun Fabian, Jan. 30, 2005. The family lives in Castro Valley, Calif. Charles M Haynor, MBA,of San Rafael, Calif., is pleased to announce the renaming of his business to Rayner & Haynor. (The firm was formerly named Rayner Associates Inc.) Rayner & Haynor is an independently owned investment management firm that offers asset management and related planning services to individual and institutional clients. Founded in 1977 by Arno Rayner, MBA 54, and located in Mill Valley, Calif., Rayner & Haynor has over $250 million in client assets under management. www.raynerhaynor.com. Paul Hoff, MBA, writes, "After an extended downward ride on the startup rollercoaster, my wife (who is originally from Australia) and I decided to move our family from Denver, Colo., to Sydney for five years so that our three children could experience their Australian heritage. Ironically, immediately after moving, the company I cofounded, BrightPath Wireless, signed a deal with a major telecommunications provider in the Southeast US that may breathe new life into the venture. So I have one foot in each world at the moment. I would love to catch up with any Haas alums who are in or are coming through Sydney. We can be reached at paulhoff@mba.berkeley.edu."
Laura Keresty, MBA, of San Francisco is the associate publisher at Wilderness Press, a Berkeley-based outdoor guidebook company. Hiroyuki Kobayashi, MBA, of Tokyo, Japan, writes, "After 18 years at Mizuho Financial Group (formerly The Industrial Bank of Japan), I have determined to join a fresh innovative company, which my colleague started five years ago. Sofia Inc., my new office, is targeting the area of corporate value creation, which includes CSR advisory, corporate communications, M&A advisory, and net research. Also, we are starting a podcasting business in Japan, about which I am so much excited. I sincerely thank all education and circumstances at Berkeley, which developed my venture spirit."
Carlos Kokron, MBA, writes, "We just moved back to the US after a seven-year stint in Brazil. I'm still at Intel, now Intel Capital's 'man on the ground' in the Southwest US, based in beautiful Austin, Texas."
Raymond Y. Leung, MBA,of Hong Kong writes, "From
Janice and Raymond: We got
married on Oct. 8 in the beautiful
Chung Chi Chapel of CUHK.
After spending a good 10 days
at Maldives and Bangkok, we
are now back to our usual busy
life in marketing and investment
banking. Looking forward to visiting
California on next vacation."Alan Norquist, MBA, of Los Altos, Calif., writes, "Lisa and I were blessed with the birth of our second child, Stephen Norquist, in March."
Rukmani P Ramdharry, MBA, reports that her husband, Robert Spears, MBA 98s completed the Nautica Malibu Triathlon this past September, his first triathlon. As a volunteer with Team in Training, Robert raised money on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Neal Rayner, MBA, of Marin County writes, "I swam the English Channel from Dover, England, to Cap Gris Nez, France, Aug. 10 in 13 hours and 50 minutes. It was a fantastic swim, delightful even with the wicked currents, jellyfish, and starting in the dark at 1 a.m. For photos and story check out NealRayner.com."
Jacqueline Sofer, MBA,and her husband, Mike, are happy to announce the birth of their son, Nicholas Aiden Quebec Sofer, May 26. Nicholas joins older sister Madeline (2). They live in Westford, Mass., where Jackie is working at Deloitte Consulting. 1998
Victor Adint, MBA, writes, "Laura and I are excited
to announce the birth of Michael
Victor Adint. He was born Aug.
22 and weighed in at a whopping
9 pounds. My wife is my hero.
A friend told me that life would
become 100 times more difficult
and 1 million times better with
children. He was right on both
accounts. Gabriel and Michael are
an incredible blessing. I left Intuit as
a finance manager to join Morgan
Stanley as a financial advisor, and I
am really enjoying my new career."Mark French, MBA, Lauren French and big sister Audrey welcomed Lindsay Ann French to the world Feb. 16. The whole family has been living the suburban life just over the hill from Cal in Orinda since late 2003. Mark continues to enjoy his work at Greyrock Capital Group, which invests debt and equity in private middlemarket buyout transactions. Dan Geiger, MBA, joined Act Now Production LLC as vice president of strategy and client services. Act Now Productions is a progressive media company providing communications consulting, production, and distribution services, and is currently launching a new DVD subscription film club, Ironweed Films (www.ironweedfilms.com). Dan writes that he's "very excited to join the ActNow Productions team. I'm deeply impressed with the vision, smarts, and accomplishments of the founders, and believe that ActNow Productions has great potential to reshape the political landscape of our country. Building a progressive media company with these folks is going to be politically important, personally fulfilling, and fun!" Dan will play a major role in developing the company's strategies moving forward, and managing anticipated growth. He'll also be overseeing various company projects. Maryam Ghazi, MBA,writes, "My life has been busy with a full-time consulting job and my two sons, Touss (2 1/2) and Kia (1). Life is also exponentially more sweet than it ever has been because of them. We have moved from Mill Valley to San Rafael, which allows us to have a flat yard, which is not only good for the kids but for the kids inside the adults who still love to play, barbecue, and dance by the pool. I continue to work at FTI Consulting as a managing director in the Corporate Finance and Restructuring Division. So if you ever need a company restructured or need to have some financial due diligence performed on your deals give me a buzz. Actually I would love to hear from any of you socially, perhaps for a lunch in the city. Though I manage to keep in touch with some of my Haas friends, I don't get to see any of you nearly as much as I would like to."
Benjamin Goodman, MBA, of Boston, Mass., co-produced "Conquering the Real Estate Cycle," a seminar on the state of the market for the Haas Alumni Network of New England in conjunction with MIT Sloan. With 120 attendees it was a very successful event, spreading the Haas brand to metro Boston. He is working in real estate as an agent/developer when not busy rearing the boys, Harrison (4) and Leonid (2). Nancy Hazlewood, MBA,of San Francisco writes, "My financial and management consulting practice in healthcare and biopharmaceuticals continues to keep me busy, but I still find time to take my tenor sax out and enjoy playing music in the local clubs. Fortunately, my husband still plays bass, and sometimes we are both on the same gig, or else we wouldn't see each other much on weekend nights! We had a great spring vacation this year, cycling in Tuscany (you can never train too much for those Tuscan hills)."
Valerie Houts, MBA, of San Francisco writes, "On July 8, my husband, Tim, and I welcomed Adriana Cruz Houts, our second daughter, into the world. I'm now back full-time at Merrill Lynch, where my partners and I lead the venture-services group and advise private-equity firms on public stock market exits. Though juggling two children and career keeps me on my toes, I feel truly blessed!" Rajiv Jain, MBA, reports that his 3-year-old offshore engineering company, OutworX Corporation (www.outworx.com), becomes the right partner for funded and prefunded startup companies racing to catch the second coming of dot-com wave. JT Klepp, MBA, writes, "I finally got tired of the cold and snow so I said goodbye to Oslo and hello to Sydney. While I am trying not to feel guilty that the beaches have wifi access, I am still working for Mobile Media and now focusing on starting up made-for-mobile production of video content in Los Angeles (yes, the commute is somewhat of a pain), while also heavily being involved in acquiring a number of companies in our space. The reason I moved has nothing to do with career or work, but the 'I move or she moves' decision was deducted using a simple Black Scholes replacing the stock prices with average temperatures and days with sun."
Jeff Marshall, MBA,and Jeanette Gurmendi, MBA, welcomed Jeffrey Lucas Gurmendi Marshall into the world on March 23. Mom, Dad, Jeff Jr. and big sister Olivia are all doing great. Srivats Srinivasan, MBA,of Redmond, Wash., writes, "Our second daughter, Anushka, arrived in September 2004. To add to the excitement and work, I just embarked on another adventure. I quit Microsoft in June and have started a little venture of my own. We're in the content (written, graphical) development business and promise unbelievable quality at unbeatable prices. After many years in corporate America, it's fun to be on my own. And now I truly understand what Andy Grove meant when he said, 'Only the paranoid survive!' Check out www.nayamode.com and tell us how we can help you."
Philipp von Heydebreck,
MBA, writes, "Caroline and I are
happy to announce the birth of our
fourth child. Valentin Claus Tessen
was born April 5. Valentin is an
extremely happy baby, smiling the
whole day despite the fact that
he has to share his parents with
three siblings. We are now two
years in Munich and have adapted
very well to the Bavarian lifestyle.
After five years of Sao Paulo, Brazil,
we are enjoying the quiet and
safety of the Bavarian countryside.
In my job as director of global
sourcing at Mannesmann Plastics
Machinery no day is like the other.
I am working in a young team of
ex-consultants and traveling a
lot to Eastern Europe and China.
There is still so much to learn! If
anyone from Haas family is visiting
Munich, please let us know, you
are always welcome!"
1999
Joao Adao, MBA, and
Maco's second daughter, Alexia,
was born Aug. 15. All are healthy
and happy, especially Joao, with
the house full of pink clothes. The
family lives in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
Michael Barcellos, MBA,of El Cerrito, Calif., recently joined
Bio-Rad Laboratories in Hercules,
Calif., as global head of marketing
and business development for
the BioPlex Division of Bio-Rad, a
$1 billion life-science and clinical
diagnostics company based in
the Bay Area.
Seth Brenzel, MBA, of
San Francisco, writes, "I'm still
working at the startup software
company I've been with for
nearly six years, which was
acquired by WebSideStory in
May 2005. I'm director of customer
marketing, working 50
percent of my time there. The
other 50 percent is spent as the
executive director of The Walden
School, the music school I have
been working with for 10 years.
I am also currently serving as
the president of the Swarthmore
College Alumni Council, as well
as two-year term on the college's
Board of Managers."Alan Knitowski, MBA,of Newport Coast, Calif., and Kelly Knitowski welcomed their fourth child, their first son, into the world Oct. 29. Kane Pierce Knitowski weighed in at 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. Mother and son are doing fantastic and are comfortably back home with daughters Kaylan Paige (6), Skylar Payton (4), and Sage Parker (3). On the business front, Alan serves as chairman for Caneum Inc., in the business process and information technology outsourcing space (www.caneum.com), chairman for Trycera Financial Inc., in the prepaid stored value and Visa/ MasterCard debit space (www. trycera.com), managing director of Ecewa Capital Group LLC and co-manager of Trymetris Capital Management LLC, and the Trymetris Capital Fund I LLC (www.trymetris.com). Life is hectic, but remains exciting. Most recently Alan has been working to help re-energize the Haas Alumni Chapter for Orange County, Calif., (groups.yahoo. com/group/oc-haas-alumni) and encourages all Haas alums in the greater Orange County area to sign up via Yahoo Groups. Adrien Lanusse, MBA,was made partner at Cheskin Research and Consulting and manages Cheskin's New York office. He is also engaged and planning a wedding in Berkeley for next May. Adam Leader, MBA, writes, "It's been an eventful year. Since March, I went on my annual ski vacation, got engaged, quit Microsoft, moved to New York, found a new job, started working at Google NYC, got married and had a fun honeymoon to Italy and Switzerland. Robin is really great: I'm very, very lucky. Nancy Riess, MBA 99, set us up on a blind date -- thanks, Nancy! I'm a product manager at Google, based in our Times Square office -- no, Google doesn't limit the fun to the Bay Area. It's really a lot of fun and I like the people a lot. Let me know when you are in the New York area!" Dana K. Meade, MBA, and husband Patrick had twins Jan. 22 at 6:01 and 6:02 a.m. Nicholas Raymond weighed 5 pounds 11 1/2 ounces and was 19 inches long, and Josephine Kay was 5 pounds 5 ounce and 18 inches long. Big sister Katie (2.5 yrs) loves her new siblings! John G. Millar, MBA,writes, "Starting in February, I took over as the CEO of Budda Amplification, a San Francisco based startup company that makes guitar amplifiers. Probably the strangest mix of old and new technology that you can imagine; all our products are based on vacuum tubes and wired by hand. We've been lucky enough to have some success with several well-known bands including Foo Fighters, Good Charlotte, and Matchbox 20. And the Scott Stapp band will be using our gear on their upcoming tour. Meanwhile, I'm getting married in November so I've been planning my wedding for the past several months. Looking forward to some time off to honeymoon in Australia."
Ron Rossetti, MBA, of Boston, Mass., writes, "My wife, Elizabeth, is pregnant with our second baby (we think it is a girl). Due date is late March. Still doing healthcare real estate development/ investing."
2000 Hemendra Aran, MBA, of London, England, writes, "I started ARANCA alone in February 2003. Today we have a team of 70 analysts with offices in London, New York, and Mumbai. We provide financial and business research to advisory firms such as investment banks, PE/VC houses, management consulting firms, corporate finance boutiques, and independent research providers. For the customer intensive corporates such as telecom, insurance, credit card, and airlines, we have specific offerings in the field of data analytics where we provide customer insights by in-depth analysis. Our list of 50 clients include reputed firms like Bain & Co, Amadeus Capital Partners, Reuters, and Nasdaq. Entrepreneurship lectures at Haas were of great help to me. They not only helped in building the organization and managing the growth but also getting the funding."
Kirk Edwards, MBA, writes,
"All is well in Southern California
with me and my wife, Sheba.
Our two children are healthy and
growing, and our career life is
moving along. I wanted to share
a photo taken when my family
and I took a trip to Thailand this
summer. We had an opportunity
to stay with Raihan Zamil
(BBA, 88) and his wife Naheed
Islam (Ph.D., Sociology, 02) who
have been working there for the
last two years. As it turns out,
Raihan and a Haas classmate
of mine, Sunsanee (Aey)
Karanasuta, MBA 00,
worked together at the Bank of
Thailand. Naheed and Sheba (Ph.
D., Sociology, 01) are good friends from Berkeley as well. We live
in very much a small world, and
Berkeley has a growing alumni
community -- not a bad combination.
Sunsanee came to visit for
dinner and we took this group
photo. Aey is expecting her first
child in this photo and would have
delivered it by the time you read
this. Wishing you all well."Flavio Feferman, MBA,and Deborah Zimmerman welcomed baby daughter, Tania Elena Feferman, Oct. 22 at CPMC hospital in San Francisco (a favorite maternity for Haas grads, it seems). Tania is already wearing her Haas Gear baby bib. Flavio works in consulting and is directing a feasibility study for the development of a trade park near Bogotá, Colombia. Dave Marron, MBA,of Lafayette, Calif., launched SphereBuilder LLC, a marketing and technology company catering to residential real estate professionals. The company is operational and expanding. After tuning up the business plan, Dave is actively seeking first-round funding. On a personal note, he and his wife, Dana, welcomed their second son to the Marron family Dec. 22, 2004. Jack Marron and his big brother, David, have been enjoying attending Cal football games this fall. Cheryl Proctor, MBA,writes, "I had a busy year. In the spring I moved home to Calgary and then finished the two-year project of becoming a registered dietitian. I'm now working at the Cardiac Wellness Institute of Calgary, where I get to take heart attack survivors on healthy grocery store tours, and facilitate classes for them on things like restaurant survival and weight loss. So much fun! I hope everyone else is doing well, and I miss you guys in the Bay Area!" Atsushi Sakahara, MBA,writes, "I directed my first short film, 'Destined,' this spring. I am editing it now. I started writing my first novel in Japanese. I started developing my first feature film screenplay, 'Kyoko the matchmaker.' I started my small company: www.goodp.co.jp That's the update for now. Cheers."
2001 | REUNION Gabriela Baum-D'Ambra, MBA, and Lorenzo D'Ambra, MBA 02,of Neuss, Germany, proudly announce the arrival of their first son, Victor-Maximilian, in May. In his first five months Victor was a real globetrotter. He twice visited his grandparents in Italy and went to other countries, such as Sweden, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Naard Broeckaert, MBA,writes, "Last July, our daughter Fien was born in good health. Evy and I are delighted with our third child. I am still working with Goldman Sachs in London building out a private wealth management business with a focus on Belgian, Dutch, and international (e.g. clients in California) families and entrepreneurs. We look forward to attending our class reunion next April!" Michael Ehrlich, MBA, of San Francisco writes, "After three years as a partner on a high networth money management team at Merrill Lynch's Private Banking and Investment Group, where I focused on hedge-fund portfolios, I have joined the Access Fund, a San Francisco-based fund of hedge funds, as principal and co-director of investments, due diligence, and marketing. The fund is entering its 18th year, and First Republic Bank has a minority ownership position. This is a very exciting opportunity, and I'd be interested in talking with fellow Haas colleagues who work at hedge funds. michael@accessfundlp.com."
Miguel A. Flores, MBA,writes, "Everything is going well here in Southern California. Still working with the same company since graduation, Capstone Turbine Corporation. We manufacture and sell products for clean distributed power generation. It has been quite an interesting experience, as the company has grown rapidly and is in constant change. I bought a condo last year in a nice area in northwest San Fernando Valley. There is a guest room for anyone visiting the area. Cheers!" Raj Manghani, MBA, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., writes, "Ruja and I welcomed a baby girl, Sonam Prem Manghani, June 6 at 3:06 a.m. Sonam (pronounced Sonum) entered the world weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches tall. Our son, Om, (3 1/2) has warmed up well to his little sister. On a professional note, I am still at Barra as the business manager for Enterprise Risk. In the spirit of the Haas connection, I am glad to report that Dean Lyons will be the keynote speaker at our annual client conference. Ruja has taken a well-deserved break from her medical practice to attend to her full-time duties as a mom of two."
Leonid Pinski, MBA, writes, "On Oct. 26 my wife, Anna, and I welcomed our baby son, Mark David Pinski. All three of us are enjoying life in the city. I am still heading Vega Capital Group, a San Francisco-based investment advisory company I co-founded right after graduating from Haas in 2001."
Vivek Sanghi, MBA, of Santa Clara, Calif., writes, "We were blessed with a baby, Vidur, Oct. 27. The baby and mom, Rashi, are doing great! Also, I recently moved jobs within Intel to Intel Capital, managing worldwide business development for our current portfolio companies through Intel's global distributor, reseller, retailer, and service-provider channels."
Nick H. Turner, MBA, writes, "I was recently married to Kelly Lunsford, and we're settling into a South of Market condo. I'm still working at Investor's Business Daily's technology bureau, so everyone should feel free to send tech-related gossip my way and I'll put it in print (just kidding...sort of). Hope everyone is doing well."
Rob Weinberg, MBA, of New York recently left a four-year career in institutional sales as a vice president at Goldman Sachs to make a career change. 2002
Seong Chen, MBA, writes,
"I proposed to Sue Chen on my
birthday this year in New York, and
now I am happily engaged. The
wedding date will be late 2006
in Melbourne, Australia. Sue and I
are very excited about the coming
big event! Work wise, I am still
with Roche Molecular Systems at
Pleasanton, responsible for pricing
and special projects in finance."Emilie Cortes, MBA, of San Francisco travelled to Tanzania alone to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. She made it to the top. Stephen Coughlin, MBA,of Falls Church, Va., writes, "On Oct. 30 we welcomed our second child and first daughter, Claire Murphy Coughlin, into the family. Claire was in a hurry and was born only an hour after we arrived at the hospital. Everyone is at home now and doing well. Nolan is very excited to finally meet 'his new baby.'" Robyne Eldridge, MBA,writes, "Simon and I live in Kensington (Berkeley Hills) with our two fat cats, Freddy and Tiger. Although the decision to leave bathroom cleaners at Clorox was a hard one (chuckle), I am now working in the wine industry for Diageo (Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyards, Acacia, etc.) and enjoy calling what I do work, when it really is having the time of my life!" 2003 Gregory A. Brown, MBA,writes, "Erika and I recently welcomed a baby girl, Madeline, into the family. She was 8 pounds, 19 inches, and joined us Oct. 16, in time to enjoy Cal's victory over Washington State. I am a privateequity investor with The Sienna Group, a Seattle-based buyer and builder of middle-market companies in the Western US and the UK. Erika, Madeline, and I live in Mercer Island, Wash."
James Eron, MBA, writes, "China is hot! Kay and I moved to Shanghai from Tokyo in June and are having a great time. I'm a manager in the financial services practice for BearingPoint consulting. Business is good. With an expected GDP of $1.85 trillion USD in 2005, the economy is growing by $480 million USD per day."
Becky Frank, MBA, writes, "The last few weeks have brought several changes, including getting engaged to my boyfriend of four years, Justin Pallari, at Lake Tahoe. We have also made the decision to relocate to Salt Lake City where he has started a job with Intermountain Healthcare. I will continue working for the corporate strategy group at McKesson in San Francisco, traveling as necessary. We will miss the Bay Area immensely, but hope to welcome many of our classmates on future trips to Utah!" Christopher Phenner, MBA, writes, "In September I joined a mobile media startup called Thumbplay, which provides subscription services to consumers who can download ringtones, games, and wallpaper to their phones. I joined the Berkeley- Columbia Executive MBA class of 2006 for dinner during their first block in New York, and had a great time seeing them in their (social) element. They are coming together as a spirited, close-knit and really fun class. It was glorious."
Karl Pisor, MBA, writes, "My wife Manami, big sister Leia (5), and I welcomed little Charlotte Pisor to the family June 14. She's a big one --14 pounds already at just four months and growing like a weed! I am keeping busy in Tokyo at my IT consultancy, Joho Technology, applying lessons from my Haas courses, and helping to grow and strengthen the business. While my title is business development manager, I spend at least half my day doing HR, marketing, systems development, and more. Never a dull day in a small business! If business or pleasure brings you to Tokyo, please drop us a line!" Larry Roadcap, MBA 03,of Melbourne, Australia, joined KPMG's performance and compliance group as a director in its financial risk management and capital markets practice. He is living beachside with his two dogs, Penny and Tracy, who are delighted to have tons of room to roam. 2004 Clay Akiwenzie, MBA,writes, "Paloma Evangeline Akiwenzie was born Oct. 27, weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces. The labor itself was extremely difficult. After observing firsthand the 52 hours of work and pain it took to bring Paloma into the world, I can safely say that were that responsibility mine there would be no more children from this limb of the Akiwenzie family tree! Ricki was unbelievably strong and we are happier than we have ever been."
Christian A. Bennett, MBA, of San Francisco writes, "Genevieve and I welcomed our son, Ronan, on March 27. I hope you all get to meet our new addition -- he's a rock star."
Jason Berkin, MBA, writes, "I must say I miss the days of hanging with my fellow MBAs, so jotting a few words down for CalBiz I am wondering how all of my friends out there are doing as well. Recently I have been doing some technology management consulting in Canada and working on a new startup here in Los Angeles. My wife is busy with producing TV and film. She just sold a show to MTV and is working on a book. Our dog, Newman, keeps us laughing and not taking ourselves too seriously. To put the startup into context, I have been working out two to four times a week for years. I often felt that some of my most productive workouts were with trainers, but it was simply too expensive to do regularly. I always work out with my iPod, earbuds in place, and music blasting. So my partner and I figured, Why not combine the two and create a cheap and fun alternative to professional training? We looked around and found that no one was doing it right yet; most similar products focus on in-home DVD training, which can't come with you to the gym or outdoors. So we started GYMp3 Inc. which produces and distributes downloadable audio fitness routines for use on iPods and popular mp3 players. GYMp3's are a totally new workout experience: For women and men, inside the gym or outdoors, GYMp3 workouts put a celebrity trainer in your head, coaching you through your routine, telling you what to do, pushing you, while great music inspires you. For more information, visit http:// www.GYMp3.com."
Linh K. Do, MBA, writes,
"It's been wonderful to live and
work in Hanoi, Vietnam. I just
wrapped up my one year contract
on a USAID project with
Development Alternatives Inc., on
SME development, primarily in
home furnishings, software, and
tourism. In addition to consulting
in the public and private sectors,
I'm taking advantage of the good
fall weather to explore Southeast
Asia by motorcycle. I just returned
from riding 2000 kilometers from
Hanoi through the mountains of
Laos on a rebuilt Minsk, a Russian
motorcycle with technology from
30 years ago. Arturo Morosoff,
MBA 04, Julie Earne, MBA 04, and
Lori Chelius, MBA 04, have joined
me for some Vietnam adventures:
kitesurfing in Mui Ne and ultimate
frisbee and touch rugby in Hanoi.
Drop by if you're in the region.
Harish Gaur, MBA, writes,
"The last six months brought multiple
changes in my life. I moved
from sales to product management
strategy within Oracle. Now I have
the responsibility of managing the
worldwide strategic customer program
for our middleware product.
Secondly, we bought a house in
Fremont. Finally, Swati and I were
blessed with a cute baby boy May
8. His name is Agastya (named
after revered Hindu sage). Agastya
was born 21 inches long and
weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces.
He is growing fast!"
Rodrigo Moreira, MBA,of Sunnyvale, Calif., writes,
"Alessandra and I proudly
announce our wedding on Jan. 7,
in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Check it at
www.brumana.com/casamento.
We'll post a wedding picture in
the next issue. Look forward to
seeing you in our beloved Brazil!
We miss you!"
Brian Solon, MBA, and
Ashley Bryan, MBA
2003, moved to Southern
California. Ashley started a new
job with women's luxury fashion
company St. John Knits, where
she runs their in-house nonprofit
foundation with new company
spokesmodel Angelina Jolie. Brian
continues writing and consulting
while working in business and
legal affairs with an entertainment
company.
Michael Zahm, MBA, relocated
to the Bay Area from Seattle
and is working as a senior director
of business development at SAP
America Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif.
2005
Benjamin (Ben) Allen,
MBA, writes, "I am working for
Parnassus Investments, a San
Francisco-based socially responsible
mutual fund company, as an
equity analyst. My wife, Cortney,
and I are expecting our first child in
March 2006. We're really excited
about that!"
Having survived both business
school, and a two-year engagement,
Kelli (Chester)
Nardis, MBA, was married
to Mike Nardis on June 11. Seven
Haas classmates made the trip to
Atwood Lake, Ohio, to celebrate
the occasion:
Eric Poretsky, MBA 03, Lorenzo Canlas,
MBA 05, Jody Plotkin,
MBA 05, Dina Koss, MBA
05, Scott Winder, MBA
05, Cynthia Fong, MBA
05, Marc Panzer, MBA 05,
Paul Bieber, MBA 05, and Danie Pretorius, MBA 05.
The newlyweds have settled in on
the Peninsula, where Kelli works
for Yahoo!.
Joel Drescher, MBA,writes, "After traveling to Israel for
the Maccabiah Games, I am now
living in New York and working for
XL Capital Investment Partners,
an alternative investments group.
I found a great apartment in
Gramercy Park, and I see Colonel
Alex Jeffers, Frenchie le Freak,
Wildcat Willie and Jess, and
Rodney with regularity. Although
it is difficult to be so far away
from Mother Berkeley, I have
found the city to be welcoming. I
look forward to catching up with
everyone at Big Game!"
Brad Irby, MBA, of San
Francisco writes, "After graduation,
I took a position with Embarcadero
Technologies managing their
development tools line of software
products. The position is exactly
what I was looking for so I'm
having a great time! Marcela and
I are also expecting our first child,
Maxwell Allen Irby, Jan. 10. If
anyone knows any secrets to good
parenting, please let me know!"
Mark Martel, MBA, of
Mountain View, Calif., writes,
"Anita Yuen, MBA 04, and
I got married in May. After a wonderful
honeymoon in Spain, we
enjoyed a spectacular summer in
Kirkland, Wash. Since September,
I returned to the Bay Area to start
work at Google."Kelemen J. Papp, MBA, is an associate working with Rutberg & Co., a research-centric boutique investment bank focused specifically on the wireless and digital media industries.
[Back to top] Ph.D. 1970 Peter Pellatt, Ph.D., of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, writes, "After graduation with my MBA, I taught in the business school at the University of Manitoba until 1973, taking two years off in the middle to complete my Ph.D. course work. Increased consulting to businesses and I had some great assignments in New York and Philadelphia. Since 1978, I have owned a number of small companies and have enjoyed the diversity of activities. I was significant owner and CFO of a regional airline, have been active in a management role in real estate development and currently have two businesses -- one that manages the fuel supply contracts for approximately 220 rural municipalities across the Canadian prairies and the second that is in the industrial and commercial lighting retrofit business. The University of Alberta School of Business recruited me to teach business ethics and small-business management 1984 to 1990 and again from 2002 to date. I love the interaction with the students and have lots of fun with them. My style is to stimulate as much interaction and a case atmosphere wherever possible. I am giving back to the system, as I believe students need both exposure to excellent instructors with the academic credentials and exposure to qualified instructors with many years of practical business experience. I have no plans to retire, as I am enjoying what I am doing too much to quit!" 1971 William Halal, Ph.D., of Washington, DC, launched a web site that pools the knowledge of experts working online to forecast breakthroughs in all fields of science and technology. The site can be seen at http://techcast.org. Marc Lenoir, Ph.D, writes, "Still running my real estate agency in Château-d'Oex, 15 minutes from the well-known ski resort of Gstaad in Switzerland."
1973
Charles P. Leo, Ph.D., of Huntington Beach, Calif., writes, "In addition to having 25 years in several executive-level management capacities for various industries, I have also served for over 20 years, and still continue to serve, as an adjunct professor at the Pepperdine University School of Business and Management, teaching in both undergraduate and graduate programs. I have also written several articles for business publications, with the most recent co-authored article for the Pepperdine University Business Journal entitled, 'A New Imperative for Management: Sexual Harassment Training.' A partial listing of consulting clients include Bank of America, Zenith Insurance Company, Paramount Picture Corporation, Warner Bros, Studios, city of Orange, city of Santa Barbara, TRW, Boeing Aircraft, UCLA, California Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Social Security Administration."
[Back to top] MFE 2003 Patrick L. Beatty, MFE,writes, "I am a Ph.D. student at Wharton. While in Wharton, I picked up choral singing in my first year (though have dropped it this year due to upcoming qualifying exams) and sang for Martin Sheen, Jeb Bush Jr., and others while touring through South America."
Jong Won Park, MFE, moved to New Jersey and started working at Standard & Poor's, New York. He manages quantitative risk management products. 2004 Larson Shih, MFE, of New York writes, "For career highlight and my sample research achievement, please go to my personal web site, www.geocities.com/larson_shih/career."
Tao Wang, MFE, of Washington, DC, is working in the World Bank, focused on financial credit reporting system development research analysis and operational support.
[Back to top] Executive Development 1996 James Seay, Executive Development, writes, "Hello, Haas friends. This is my first attempt to update my life to all of you, as I actually had to think about what I've accomplished since studying at Haas. I live in the East Bay and have for my entire life. Pretty rare feat nowadays. However, I work for Siemens managing a global business unit, and as a result, I travel all over the world meeting with customers, employees, and suppliers. There are two key points and areas of satisfaction that I would like to personally convey. One is that the Bay Area is such a rich and talented environment that offers so much in terms of knowledge, social views, intellect, and learning. We are fortunate to live and work where we do, and this is only confirmed by the many people that I meet who are envious in not being able to live here. Second is that the Haas experience opened my eyes and thinking to a much broader world of opportunity. Our class had 26 students, of which all but 14 lived in the US. We came from all walks of life, brought with us so much energy and ideas, and as a result, the classroom learning experience was outstanding. It's great to have stellar professors and instructors, which Haas has, but the real value that Haas offered me was its ability to attract a student body that in itself represented the true essence of lifelong learning. My son is now applying to attend UC Berkeley in the fall. We both hope to continue to benefit from the great education that our local university has to offer."
[Back to top]
Previous Story |
"Alumni Notes" Table of Contents |
Next Story
