Alumni Notes

 

 

UNDERGRADUATE

 

1940

 

David Rea, BS, of Stockton, Calif., writes, "I'm writing this on Dec. 7, 2010, which is 69 years to the day since Pearl Harbor. In my senior year at Cal, I enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program that was then available and in early 1941 I was accepted as an aviation cadet in what was then the Army Air Force. About 4 ½years later I left the Air Force and started out on what I'm pleased to say became a successful business career."

 

1951

 

George Nelidov, BS, of Oakland, Calif., writes, "While a sophomore, I bought some peanut vending machines. I continued building my route, as time allowed. I married Sylvia Stevens, BA 49, and when I graduated, we went into the business full time. She supported us by teaching while I worked at the business. Every industry has a period of growth, maturity, and decline. We got in at a good time, when the industry was growing. The vending business is a service business that requires many hours of hard work. To prosper, I used my education in purchasing, marketing, and financing. During our tenure, we had vending machines at Herrick Hospital, Kaiser Hospital, Oakland Airport, Alameda Naval Air Station, and Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. We travelled extensively to business conventions and seminars. We have been abroad to 33 countries. We have three children. The oldest, a daughter, is Cal BS 75. Our son is Stanford BS 85 and Barcelona MBA 94. Sylvia and I grew up in Berkeley. We enjoy the Bay Area and are living in the house we built in the Oakland Hills 50 years ago. A group of us studied together in the library. When we graduated, we went in different directions and lost contact. I am hoping that someone in the group will read this and contact me."

 

1954

 

Merlin L. Henry Jr., BS, writes, "After 13 years in retirement, I am enjoying it more than ever. Spend most of my time volunteering in the community, playing tennis, and traveling. I broke my wrist on the tennis court so our traveling was limited to a wonderful Bear Treks trip to New England to observe the beautiful fall foliage. Did spend some time last year volunteering for former Dean Tom Campbell's unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate. We also celebrated our 30th anniversary. Go bears."

 

1959

 

Robert Varni, BS, of San Francisco writes, "Unfortunately, there was no Haas School in 1959, so I graduated from the School of Business, University of California- Berkeley. Fortunately, in those days, there was no tuition and my $110 per month G.I. Bill money got me through. It has been a good life. I am an investor in Kiawe Corp., which is in the process of revolutionizing the way we program computers."

 

1963

 

Ronald Cassano, BS, of Walnut Creek, Calif., was elected to a fifth term as Walnut Creek city treasurer and is serving as treasurer of the Diablo Symphony Association. He is a practicing CPA with an office in Pleasant Hill, Calif.

 

1964

 

Clay Henley, BS, of Chicago, is currently a registered investment advisor with JPMorgan, handling separately managed accounts. His son, Keven, is a state-ranked swimmer and is currently exploring colleges. He writes, "Still loving what I have done for 45 years— investing! No plans for retirement —I'm having too much fun."

 

1965

 

Vijay Kumar (Pandit), BS, of Mountain View, Calif., writes, "I am on the board of advisors for the San Jose company, InternetSpeech. Its sales in the United States are static, but are improving in India, Thailand, China, and Africa. For my past work and various contributions, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee invited me to a dinner on Oct. 25 with First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. I got to shake hands with Speaker Pelosi and I listened to speeches by all three. My daughter, Amba, continues to care for my granddaughter, Linden. She is successful selling properties even during this soft economy. My son, Jay, is a civil engineer who took his seismic and survey exams in late October."

 

1969

 

Bonnie Welling, BS, see MBA 1971 notes.

 

1979

 

Linda Coleman, BS, of Pleasanton, Calif., writes, "Greetings all, it's taken 30-plus years to shrug off the excuse of being too busy to provide news updates so, here we go. After graduation, I worked briefly at Wells Fargo, followed by a stint with Standard Oil of Ohio (BP). After a couple of years, I had the option to move to Houston or Prudhoe Bay. Talk about extremes. In the end, there weren't enough incentives to transplant this happy Californian. I have been happily situated with AT&T for these past 25 years in finance, marketing, and finally in business sales, from where I recently retired this November. In addition to working, my husband, Chris, and I managed to raise three children. Our oldest, Marissa, graduated from Boston University in May. Our second, Ryan, followed in his mother's footsteps and is a junior at Haas. Our last, Ming, is in ninth grade and an aspiring Broadway star. She's also burning up the basketball courts in between Glee episodes. In retirement I'm looking forward to rediscovering dormant interests long buried by the demands of work and raising a family."

 

1980

 

Cameron Hess, BS, of Sacramento, Calif., chaired the CalCPA Education Foundation annual real estate conferences in San Francisco and Los Angeles last November and recently became treasurer of the Sacramento Valley Rental Housing Association. In addition to serving as a board member with Easter Seals Superior California and doing other community activities, Cameron and his wife, Danielle Hess, are planning to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in Hawaii. Their son, Alexander (19), recently ran the Orange County marathon.

 

1982

 

Michael Skarpelos, BS, of San Jose, Calif., writes, "I started swimming a little over 10 years ago because back injuries prevented me from running. About three years ago, I started learning to swim butterfly. I set a goal for myself to swim 50 meters of butterfly in 50 seconds on my 50th birthday. It took a bit longer since I had a cold on my 50th birthday, but a month later I successfully met the goal."

 

1986

 

Mike Johnson, BS, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., has been with Deloitte and Touche LLP in San Francisco for 25 years, spending 13 of those years as an audit partner. He oversees the high-technology practice in San Francisco, and was recently selected to lead the firm's Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services program for the northern Pacific region, helping primarily private companies with audit, tax, and consulting needs. He is married to Celeste, and has two children, Melissa (13) and Jeffrey (11).

 

Jeff Myers, BS, of Washington, D.C., writes, "I left Booz Allen after 12 years as the firm began making significant changes to its culture and prepared to go public. In August, I joined a small business, REI Systems, where I am focused on open government and transparency. Our firm developed and operates data.gov, USAspending.gov, and performance.gov, helping federal agencies share what they spend and achieve, and giving the public information to hold the government accountable. My family has grown, too, with son, Tucker, joining daughter, Hope, and wife, Lin Liu."

 

Leslie (Lindahl) Schibsted, BS, was recently appointed director of advancement for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California State University, Chico, after raising over $5 million for the College of Natural Sciences since 2006. She writes, "The highlight of the past year was serving as district chair for the California Alumni Association Scholarship Committee in Butte County. With a son in his freshman year at Oberlin College and a daughter in her sophomore year in high school, my husband, Steve, and I are proud and busy parents."

 

1988

 

Robin (Lovell) Knowles, BS, of San Marcos, Texas, has earned an MBA from New York University, an MSA degree from the University of Connecticut, and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation since graduating. Robin was married in 2005, and returned to academia to pursue a PhD. She graduated in August and now teaches financial statement analysis and intermediate accounting at Texas State University.

 

1989

 

John Cornwell, BS, see BCEMBA 2005 notes.

 

1996

 

Lucky Sandhu, BS, was recently honored as the 2010-2011 Business Person of the Year in San Ramon, Calif., for his distinguished leadership in the business community as well as outstanding service to the people of San Ramon Valley. He writes, "I owe this recognition and a rewarding career in real estate to the academic, business, and leadership principles learned at Haas." He is president of Reliance Financial, a mortgage brokerage, and co-president of the Haas Alumni Network's 2010 East Bay Chapter. He invites fellow alums to join one of the four excellent Bay Area HAN chapters and writes, "My work with HAN has allowed me to continue my amazing Haas experience that started in fall of 1994. It is a matter of tremendous pride for me to have attended one of the best academic institutions in the world. With increasing support from Haas alums it is now up to us to ensure that Haas maintains its leadership position in the decades to come." Lucky can be contacted at lucky@reliancefinancial.com.

 

1998

 

Alice Chen, BS, of New York, writes, "After six years of marketing with American Express, I recently left to pursue my passion for shoes full-time. My husband, Alan, and I founded Alice Alan Designs, a luxury comfort footwear company, about three years ago. The debut collection launched this past October. Underlying Alice Alan footwear is the belief that women (and soon men) deserve fashion that's good for the sole. The styles are classic and sophisticated, and principles of good foot health are incorporated into every design, such as heel height and shape of the toe box. Visit us at www.alicealan. com."

 

2001

 

Patrick Merrill, BS, writes, "After first learning about the Foreign Service while at Cal and asking 'what if' ever since, I finally took the plunge last year and was sworn-in as a Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State in June 2010 and am now serving in Toronto, Canada, on my first tour."

 

2003

 

David Miskie, BS, left GESD Capital Partners to launch San Franola, a premium snack food company based out of San Francisco. The company's first product is a low-sugar, low-carb and high-protein, high-fiber granola. David writes, "Our goal is to create products that combine what's best for your body with cutting-edge packaging design. Business has been incredible." A few of their current partners include The Four Seasons Hotels, Tyler Florence, and Straus Yogurt. The granola can also be found at David's favorite breakfast spot, Rick & Ann's in Berkeley.

 

2005

 

Anita Bhat, BS, writes, "After graduating from Cal, I felt ready to explore the world. I gained cross-sector experience by helping to open Wells Fargo's first India office and then working on social innovation for the chief minister of Rajasthan. Throughout my three years of India travel, I felt the same resourcefulness and empathy engendered by our Berkeley campus. As I complete my MBA at the University of Michigan, I continue to learn about the social venture sector and recently interned at the White House to assist with energy and social innovation. I look forward to pursuing a career in the private sector with a focus on advancing public goals. Let me know if you're in Ann Arbor before May. It would be great to reconnect with Golden Bears!"

 

Samir Gharib, BS, of San Francisco, and Stephanie Abuyaghi, BS 06, write, "We recently celebrated our engagement in the company of family and friends on Oct. 16, 2010. Our wedding is planned for June in downtown San Francisco. We are excited to begin our lives together. Go Bears!"

 

Karan Singh, BS, of Cambridge, Mass., worked as a management consultant in San Francisco at ZS Associates after graduating from UC Berkeley with dual bachelor's degrees in business administration and economics. More recently, Karan worked at Humedica, a health informatics startup. Karan is currently pursuing a dual degree in the Biomedical Enterprise Program, an MBA from MIT Sloan and an SM from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health, Science, and Technology. As a fellow at the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, he is working on a new startup at the intersection between health care and mobile technology. This past summer, he married Leena Bhalerao, BS 06 (Integrative Biology). He writes, "Despite our current residence on the East Coast, we continue to cheer,'Go Bears!'"

 

2006

 

Michael Johnson, BS, of Santa Monica, Calif., began studying at the UCLA Anderson School of Management this past fall as part of the full-time MBA class of 2012. He is specializing in entrepreneurship and real estate.

2007

 

Robert Bogolub, BS, of San Francisco, writes, "In September, I got married to my college sweetheart Megha Rajput (Cal BA 07). We were married on campus at the Faculty Club, and we look forward to a lifetime of Cal football games together. Professionally, I work for Apple as a business-planning analyst. In this role I work with Apple's international businesses and analyze performance. Outside of work, I teach martial arts and serve on the San Francisco Haas Alumni Board."

 

Heston Liebowitz, BS, of San Francisco, Calif., writes, "Until September, I was the head of user experience for search engine startup Cuil. Although the company never gained market traction, it did attract the interests of Google. I and several other members of the Cuil team were hired together and are now at Google in the research division. I'm currently a UI designer there, working on new ways to make the world's information universally accessible and useful (and hopefully fun, too)."

 

2008

 

Sheena Sharma, BS, of Oakland, Calif., writes, "I'm nearing my two-year anniversary at a great company—animationmentor.com. It's an online animation school that teaches character animation to budding animators. I work in the marketing department, helping with events, coordinating our display advertising, and managing our social media properties. The company is growing, and our school enrollment is growing as well. We are always looking for bright minds to join our team!"

 

 

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MBA

 

1966|45th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011


1971|40th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011


After retiring from the state of California, Bonnie Welling, MBA, started painting landscapes. She showed her work at an art show at the Atherton Library for the entire month of January 2011.

 

1973


James Eaves, MBA, of Heidelberg, Germany, recently completed a year at the National War College in Washington, D.C., earning a master's degree in national security strategy. He has since transferred to Germany and has been promoted to head of the Army Installation Management Command Logistics Division, providing maintenance, supply, service, and transportation support to soldiers, families, and civilians throughout Army installations within Europe. He writes, "My son, Edward Eaves, just received his doctorate in education at UNC Greensboro. My parents, Pat Faber Eaves (BA 1948) and Jackson Eaves (BS 1947), remain active in Old Blues and keep me up to date on the Bay Area and the Haas School of Business, both of which I miss very much."

 

1976|35th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

1977

 

Gordon Gregory, MBA, writes, "Completing a JD at UC Hastings College of the Law (1978) while earning an MBA at Haas, I practiced tax and corporate law for 10 years before launching Mosaic Capital LLC and later affiliate Mosaic Capital Securities LLC in 1989. Mosaic Capital is a specialty middle-market investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles, and provides financial advisory services to business owners and managers throughout the world, including institutional private placements of debt and equity, mergers and acquisitions, valuations and strategic advisory services. We have successfully completed in excess of $5 billion of transactions. Mosaic Capital is the Southern California representative office of IMAP, a global organization of leading merger and acquisition advisory firms located in over 30 countries, and most recently ranked sixth worldwide in the Thomson Reuters league tables. Concurrent with the launch of Mosaic Capital was the recognition that a wide variety of resources was required to meet the needs of the market I now would serve, middle-market companies and their owners. In 1990 I co-founded and serve as managing director of ProVisors, the leading alliance of trusted advisors and respected professionals serving the needs of middle-market businesses and their owners. ProVisors now has over 1,800 members and 72 chapters in California and has just announced plans to expand into New England in 2011."


Lynne Levesque, MBA, Boston, Mass., writes, "Having used my first 'retirement' to get my doctorate in creativity and launch my consulting and research practice specializing in leadership development and creativity, I have no plans for a second one. Instead, I am becoming social marketing savvy (follow me at twitter.com/ LynneLevesque, or check out my newly re-invented website: LynneLevesque.com) and am planning for a busy 2011, with some European travel for work and play. My latest research topic is the neuroscience of creativity. The New England alumni chapter continues to prosper so I try to stay connected to Berkeley as much as I can! Happy (and creative) New Year to all!"


James "Jim" Robinson Jr., MBA, of Gloucester, Va., started a consulting business in 1996 in the Tidewater area of Virginia after 20 years in the ad agency and corporate marketing world. The consulting business has expanded into East River Marketing (consulting), and East River Productions (video production). They are now starting Talent-Works, a technology company that creates solutions to help employers find employees who will fit in and contribute at a high level. James writes, "We've been doing some interesting things using our video background to develop solutions to screen job candidates (www.icandidatescreener.com), and for distance interviewing. I feel a deep and abiding appreciation for Cal and all it contributed to my life. I just wish I could spend more time in the Bay Area."

 

1979

 

Ralph Goldsticker, MBA, of San Francisco, recently published an open letter to Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner in Barron's. In it, he suggested that the Treasury introduce amortizing TIPS (A-TIPS) as a way to assist retirees with their financial planning and budgeting.

 

1980

 

Karen (Wachtel) Nielsen, MBA, of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, writes, "Howie, my husband, and I have been working in Cambodia since 2006, when we decided to leave Maine for an extended expedition to Asia. We volunteered to work for Wildlife Conservation Society, and I ended up being a local hire for a year, developing a sustainable eco-tourism program for a local NGO partner of WCS. Howie worked training my guides, who are now skilled birders in their own right. My current work is on an eco-agricultural project with a new NGO partner, and Ibis Rice is the certified wildlife-friendly product that links improved livelihoods to biodiversity conservation. Working with three different Haas IBD teams, who have come to Cambodia to create business plans for different WCS projects, has given me a glimpse of the caliber of students drawn to Cal. I was never disappointed and often delighted and humbled."

 

1981|30th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

Edie (Mathews) Heilman, MBA, of Oakland, Calif., writes, "After over 25 years of senior executive experience, most recently as a senior vice president at Charles Schwab, I am now bringing my firsthand experience as a former company president and Fortune 100 executive to helping talented leaders increase their personal and organizational effectiveness. I have my own executive coaching company, Sequoia Leadership Consulting, and am also affiliated with Mariposa Leadership. It is deeply gratifying work."


Joani (Krieger) Mitchell, MBA, writes, "I moved to the beach town of Aptos and am enjoying the ocean and Santa Cruz County. Still consulting for Clarity, Oliver Wyman, and On Point Consulting, as well as running my own travel business. I love to travel, too. When I'm not working I can be found this year in Cuba, Ecuador, France, Spain, Mexico, and Burning Man. Next year, who knows? I'm always looking for the next big adventure."

 

1983

 

Diane Belknap, MBA, was appointed to the Redwood City Public Library Advisory Board by the City Council in November after three years of involvement as a volunteer tutor in the community literacy program, "Project Read." Redwood City is the top-rated public library in the Bay Area, and a center of learning for the city. Diane writes, "I'm excited about using my education and experience to benefit our community. I urge anyone who has ever even thought about it to become a tutor and see what you learn."

 

1986|25th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

Mark Coopersmith, MBA, of Tiburon, Calif., is excited to be back at Haas teaching the "Entrepreneurship Workshop for Startups" course in the MBA program in spring 2011. Mark is busy advising a number of businesses, including leading a turnaround, and sitting on several boards. He recently joined the Lester Center Startup Board of Mentors, which helps promising new ventures with a Haas connection.

 

William Ledeen, MBA, of Rancho Cordova, Calif., writes, "I'm still living out in the state capital (near Sacramento anyway) and working the odd consulting project in high-tech product management and sales and marketing. Looking forward to seeing everyone from class of '86 at our reunion in the spring and would like to encourage everyone to make a donation of any size to the annual fund in honor of the 25th anniversary of our class."

 

1987

 

Ken Bozzini, MBA, of Lafayette, Calif., recently volunteered to be the treasurer for the Oakland Strokes, a local nonprofit that provides training and competitive rowing programs for middle and high school youth. He has two high school daughters who are participating and is very impressed with the program and coaches.

 

John Murray, MBA, writes, "2011 finds our family with many reasons for thanks and gratitude. We have lived in San Francisco for over 15 years. Our daughter, Lauren (13), and son, William (8), are enjoying school, sports, and music in great learning environments that will prepare them for a future at Cal. Despite advancing years, I was able to complete a four-day, 50-mile hike this summer between Yosemite and Mammoth Ski Resort. The hike covers a couple of high passes and beautiful back-country and in my case, no bears. The family, including our 2-year-old dog, Fudgie, enjoyed a great road trip to Santa Barbara this past Thanksgiving with stops at Hearst Castle, Pinnacles National Monument, Solvang, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and famously, the 'bubblegum wall' in San Luis Obispo. Professional life has been exciting. I joined as the chief information officer at Genworth Financial two years ago after two years managing the merger of two divisions within the company as a consultant. Genworth Financial is an investment services firm in the East Bay with just over $20 billion in assets under management. In addition to work, my wife and I volunteer locally as board members with The San Francisco Foundation and the San Francisco Symphony along with other youth-serving nonprofits. Please stay in touch via LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin. com/in/jwmuray."

 

1988

 

Kathryn Peyton, MBA, of McLean, Va., was recently named Virginia's 2010 Outstanding Economic Educator of the Year by the Virginia Council on Economic Education. She teaches IB economics and IB business management at Marshall High School in Falls Church, Va. Kathryn writes that she and Tyler are obsessing about getting their two children into college. They hope to return to the Bay Area once that happens.

 

1990

 

Chris Johnson, MBA, of Dubuque, Iowa, is the engineering manager for the global construction and forestry division of John Deere. He is responsible for experimental operations and testing and evaluation of new product designs, including motor graders, bulldozers, front end loaders, and backhoes.

 

Lynda Mansson, MBA, is now the CEO of the MAVA Foundation, after 13 years with the World Wildlife Fund International. The MAVA Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation focused on biodiversity conservation and is the largest environmental foundation in Europe. Its focal regions are Coastal West Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, and the Alpine Arc. She writes, "I am still based in Switzerland but am fortunate enough to be able to travel to many interesting places. I live by Lake Geneva with my partner, Gary, and my two sons, Nicholas (21) and Matthew (19)."

 

1991|20th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

Frank Hundley, MBA, of Bridgewater, N.J., writes, "2010 was a busy year. In the spring, I earned my Certified Financial Planner designation, awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. I also concurrently earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation from the College for Financial Planning. In the summer, Monica Dean, MBA 90, became my summer neighbor on Martha's Vineyard after purchasing the house three doors down from mine. In July, I attended a Haas welcome event at the 79th Street Boat Basin in New York and a happy hour reception in lower Manhattan with members of the Cal Athletics staff, Oski, and head football coach Jeff Tedford. In the fall I attended the UC Berkeley Campaign Kickoff Gala Event at the Museum of Natural History on Central Park West, a simply wonderful event, which inspired giving back to the university. I made it back to Berkeley for the big game for the first time in seven years, reconnecting with several Haas'91 classmates including Joe Brand, Lou Pelosi, and Steve Ramirez. The gathering was organized by Shaw Taylor, MBA 92. Although the game was forgettable, the day was memorable as it was the last big game in the 'old stadium.' I had a chance to connect with Tenny Frost and Fran Hill while in town. In November, I was selected to the Leadership New Jersey (LNJ) 2011 class. LNJ is a fellowship program designed to develop future political, civic, and business leaders in New Jersey. In 2011, I look forward to returning to Haas for my 20th Reunion."

 

William Wilfong, MBA, writes, "Golden Land Property Development PLC, the company where I have been CEO since 2006, won the grand prize as 'Best Developer' at the 2010 Thailand Property Awards in November. The award was brilliantly timed, as I had already informed the board that I would be stepping down at the end of the year, and this has allowed me to leave on a high note. It has been a wild ride here in Bangkok over the past five years. I certainly hope that last May's'red shirt' protests will be the only time in my career that I need to barricade the office with barbed wire! I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish at Golden Land under some very challenging conditions. As I approach the 20th anniversary of my arrival in Southeast Asia, I am looking forward to some well-earned R&R before deciding where life's adventure will lead next."

 

1993

 

Efrat Kasznik, MBA, writes, "After spending over 15 years in the field of intellectual property consulting, I started my own IP consulting firm, Foresight Valuation Group (www.foresightvaluation. com). Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Foresight provides IP valuation, strategy, and litigation support services to corporations (ranging in size from startups to Fortune 100 companies), law firms, universities, and research institutions."

 

1994

 

Art Altman, MBA, manages research in energy derivatives and forecasting for the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif. His current focus is portfolio management, given massive uncertainty in technology, regulations, and markets (e.g. carbon, electric vehicles, wind, solar, storage, etc.). He welcomes contact at aaltman@ epri.com.

 

 

Susan Bernstein, MBA, of San Rafael, Calif., fulfilled a longtime dream to have her own radio show. She hosted "Work from Within" on www.HayHouseRadio. com, the publisher of personal growth authors like Dr. Wayne Dyer, Cheryl Richardson, and Louise Hay in September and October.

 

Toshiyuki Ogura, MBA, is in a third-year Ph.D. student program at the University of Texas, Austin. Toshiyuki is conducting a bicycle study in association with urban development, integrating knowledge learned from sports management, school, urban planning, and sustainability studies as well as the Haas School of Business. Toshiyuki has also conducted studies on cause-related sport events, and a community obesity prevention project to increase access to healthy food and physical activity.

 

1995

 

Tawny (Kusich) Lees, MBA, of Pleasanton, Calif., writes, "After many years of not paying attention, I am now plugging into the Cal alumni network. It's fabulous! Thanks to Abby Scott, who runs MBA Career Services at Haas, for reconnecting me. I look forward to meeting more of you, especially those in the East Bay/Tri-Valley area. On the work front, I'm leading a business while continuing to do executive coaching as the new COO of Mariposa Leadership Inc. On the home front, life is full with the husband and three kids (one of whom is a newly minted adult, eek!)"

 

1996|15th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

Robert Simpson, MBA, of Tucson, Ariz., is now dean of the arts, communications, and humanities at Pima Community College, the sixth largest community college in the country.

 

1999

 

Gianmario Corniola, MBA, and Elisabetta Crespi were married in June surrounded by family and friends in Lake Maggiore, Italy. Many Haas classmates made a long journey to enjoy the very special day. After over six years in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs in London, Gianmario founded a multi-family office in Milan, Italy, at the beginning of 2005. Elisabetta has a business degree from Bocconi University and is head of marketing for Generali Investments in Europe.

 

Nancy Riess, MBA, of Baltimore, Md., and Adam Riess joyfully announce the birth of Noah Spencer Riess on Nov. 28. Nancy writes, "Gabi is now 6 1/2 and is an enthusiastic big sister. She is even excited to change dirty diapers!"

 

2000

 

Achim Dunnwald, MBA, writes, "I recently moved to Frankfurt from Cologne, where I now live with my wife, Kerstin. Not a big step in the grand scheme of things, but it still feels significant. Job-wise I have just passed the 10-year mark with McKinsey."

 

2001|10th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

Mark Brown, MBA, writes, "I've left the corporate world behind and have started an urban greening nonprofit, CitiNature, which works to green urban environments in the poorest areas of large urban centers, particularly in Latin America and Africa. Bogota, Colombia, is the focus of my work now, and I'm preparing to launch a new project here in this huge metropolis of more than 9 million people, where the divide between the green rich areas and grey poor areas is enormous. If you have questions or would like to get involved in any way, drop me a line: mbrown@citinature.org."

 

2002

 

Vivek Sanghi, MBA, writes, "I relocated back from the East Bay, to New Delhi, India, in June 2010, along with my wife, Rashi, and our son, Vidur, to participate in the amazing growth story that's unraveling in this region! Vidur loves his new school and teachers here (and vice versa), and is thriving on all the love and attention he receives from our huge family here! Rashi has her hands full being a full-time mom and getting us settled in, though she plans to get back to work in the near future. I'm working to establish a local consulting practice, targeting small and medium businesses, focused on global business and eco-system development, goto- market strategies and programs, and product and service innovation strategies."

 

2003

 

Mark Kurowski, MBA, of Fallbrook, Calif., writes, "Well, we couldn't stay away from California, but this time we're down south instead of in Silicon Valley. I'm reopening my law practice (probably in Oceanside or Vista), this time focusing on bankruptcy law and consumer protection. Karen's a veterinarian in Temecula, and Spencer's loving school and life as a 6-year-old."

 

The last quarter of 2010 was quite an eventful period for Richard Velazquez, MBA 03. Microsoft nominated him for the Young Hispanic Corporate Achiever Award through the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. He was among a select group of two dozen individuals from across the country honored with this award. He was flown to Washington, D.C., to attend the awards ceremony and professional development seminar, meeting with inspirational political and corporate leaders. At the NSHMBA National Conference in Chicago, Richard also received the Distinguished Leadership Award from NSHMBA for his dedicated leadership to the organization, including his role as president of the Seattle Chapter. Just before the holidays, he was invited to give the keynote address at the Young Executives of Color Forum at the University of Washington, a mentorship program for distinguished high school students. Richard was also asked to give the keynote address at the Executive Development Institute in Seattle in late January. For the holidays, he spent a week with his wife, Christine, in Honduras, followed by a week of paragliding through El Salvador and Guatemala.

 

2004

 

Steven Egli, MBA, of Mill Valley, Calif., and Sarah adopted a son, Alexey David Egli, from Russia in September. Alexey joined their family at 19 months old and is currently about to turn 2.

 

Martin Huffmann, MBA, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, writes, "In 2010, I finally jumped over the VC-counter and landed on the entrepreneur side of it. I launched Telediagnosis (www.e-telediagnosis. com), a telemedicine startup that provides cardiology diagnostics to remote locations in real time. We successfully implemented a big project in Mexico, and we are about to start another in one of the most isolated provinces in Argentina. Our vision is to improve and spread medical services in emerging countries through communication technologies."

 

Brian Leslie, MBA, writes, "Enjoying life in Seattle. January 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of SwitchPoint, a boutique strategy consulting firm I founded with another Deloitte Consulting alum. We've had great success in the market, but more importantly SwitchPoint has let me focus on clients in the Northwest and I've been able to spend more time at home with Anna, Roan (4) and Liam (20 months). Family is doing great, and hope to see more Haas alumni here in Seattle!"

 

Nadeem Sheikh, MBA, of San Francisco, writes, "After nearly four years at McKinsey & Co. in San Francisco, I left this summer to join OPOWER, a software startup which uses analytics and behavioral science to help consumers become more energy efficient. So far things are going great. This year OPOWER raised $50 million, got a visit from President Obama, and more than doubled our team. Now I just need to find time to use all those McKinsey frequent flier miles!"

 

Monica Wiese, MBA, writes, "In May, my husband, Pablo Seminario, MBA 04, and I welcomed a new addition to our family, Pablo Frederick. He is the light of our life, bringing unfathomable joy and perspective to the daily routine. We continue to live in Pablo's hometown, Lima, Peru. In the last two years, he has opened over 20 new grocery stores for Falabella in Peru. I just left McKinsey & Co. and am currently pursuing a job in the health care realm. We are always happy to welcome alumni here in Peru. Make sure to look us up when you are in the area."

 

Eric Marnandus, MBA, of Singapore, writes, "2010 has been an exciting year for my family. I got married to a great woman, Yelly, in early January. We moved to a new apartment. We were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Gabrielle, on Oct. 8. And I recently decided to leave McKinsey and join Affinity Equity Partners, a pan Asia PE firm. Please let us know if you are in Singapore (or Jakarta). My email is emarnand@gmail.com. It would be great to catch up."

 

2006|5th reunion
April 28-May 1, 2011

 

2007

 

Daniel Hoffer, MBA, was married this fall and accepted a job as entrepreneur-in-residence at Benchmark Capital. He writes, "Life is good in Menlo Park."

 

Arif Koca, MBA, was promoted to head of department, services industry, at the State Planning Organization of Turkey. The department will lead strategy and policy formulation as well as public investment programming in the Turkish services industry.

 

Sean Silas, MBA, of Seattle, recently co-founded Heartbroker, a more objective approach to online dating. Integrated with Facebook, Heartbroker determines compatibility between matches by incorporating confidential and honest feedback submitted by trusted friends.

 

Viral Mehta, MBA, of Danville, Calif., writes, "It has been quite busy since graduating in 2009. We moved to Blackhawk that year, and our daughter, Eesha, also started kindergarten. Preety completed her PhD in epidemiology from Cal last summer and is now a scientist at Kaiser. Since finishing Haas I continued with GE in senior business operations and a program management leadership role. I had the opportunity to lead diverse product teams and partnered with leading public and private sector companies across the globe. Recently I have moved into a global operations role at Adobe. I enjoy working within the East Bay Haas Alumni Board and during weekends try to hit many of the biking trails in and around Danville. Go Bears!"

 

John Pettus, MBA, spent winter break in an apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Justin Parker, Sean Bornheimer, Craig Klemp and Gonzalo Balarezo, for Adrian Greystoke's wedding, where they also saw Jacob Rios, Will Wright, Mariah Byrne, Jenn Van Royen, Oliver Strutynski, Elizabeth Berkey, Sylvia Lacayo, Morgan Eckles, and Matt Bernstein. He writes, "Next I'm heading to Brazil for 10 days and then I will be back in San Francisco developing LBO opportunities of small businesses through The BearFund."

 

Jenny (Xu) Woo, MBA, writes, "Kevin and I are delighted to announce the birth of our son, Tyler, on Sept. 1. We are doing great and moved to the Orange County area."

 


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BCEMBA


2005

 

John Cornwell, BCEMBA, and his wife, Briana, enjoyed the holiday season with their first child, Anika Grace Cornwell, who joined the family in November. John continues his endeavors with startups in the biotechnology and real estate fields in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

2006

 

Jonathan Lowenhar, BCEMBA, of San Francisco, writes, "Bay Area startup life is treating me very kindly. Our company, Trooval (www.troovalinc. com), is a venture-backed startup that delivers predictive modeling products to the North American timeshare industry. Launched in 2009, Trooval's proprietary technology enables sales and marketing leaders to make instantaneous predictions as to the value of incoming sales leads. In the last 18 months we've progressed from concept to prototype and from launch to rapid growth. We're fortunate to have a growing portfolio of clients, including industry leaders Westgate Resorts and Starwood Vacation Ownership, and in October we closed a $1.6 million round with North Bridge Venture Partners."

 

2008

 

Jed Paulson, BCEMBA, joined the Urban Outfitters—Free People brand as director of customer relationship management, responsible for direct marketing, working from the home office at the historic Navy Yard in Philadelphia. He writes, "Enjoying time with family and happy in my new role with a great company."

 

2009

 

Gabe Burke, BCEMBA, has joined the Corporate Services Group at Colliers International in Redwood Shores, Calif. The group specializes in commercial real estate transaction management, advisory services, project management, workplace consulting, and corporate finance.

 


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