Chairman, The Job Forum
BELOSIC, ALEXANDRA
BLAIN, ANDREW
Emeritus Leader
Emeritus
Emeritus
Job Forum 1-On-1 Advisors
BEACH, JANET
Management and Marketing Consultant, Strategist, Market researcher, US Marketing Services
Janet Beach is a Marketing consultant, strategist, market researcher with US Marketing Services. Janet is Chairman (Executive Director) of the Job Forum and has volunteered with The Job Forum since 1981. Janet runs her marketing strategy-consulting firm, US Marketing Services focused on improving clients marketing and brand strategies. US Marketing Services consults in high technology, telecommunications, healthcare/biotech business, and consumer products. Janet Beach and her team at US Marketing Services develop marketing strategy, conduct market research, develop marketing implementation programs, and position and develop new products. Clients include Wells Fargo, Symantec, Intuit, Schwab, Ariba, UCSF Medical Center, and a wide range of start-up and new product companies.
Areas of Specialty: Providing management insights, actionable strategy that drives customer adoption and sales via market research and consulting for high-tech, biomedical, healthcare, financial services, consumer packaged goods, and entrepreneurial firms.
ALLEN, MARK
Director Business Development at Gaper
Mark spent 40 years in the IT industry. In his last job, he was VP of engineering. However, he always wanted to start his own business and he finally took the plunge in mid-2018, starting his own print marketing business. When COVID hit he pivoted back to his technical skills and became an independent computer consultant. When not working, Mark can be found on one of the many wonderful golf courses in the bay area. He also plays ice hockey once a week in San Mateo. For many years he coached youth hockey and baseball in Buffalo NY, his hometown. He has 2 grown children who have graduated from college and have started their careers in IT. He recently has taken on the role of Ambassador for the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce where he has connected with and helped many other entrepreneurs.
Areas of Specialty: Enterprise software development, database administration, management of technical staff, integration of complex systems, automation of repetitive tasks
ANTHONY, MICHAEL
Financial Services GRC (Governance Risk & Compliance) Information Security, DevOps, Unix Systems Administration Data Privacy, Technology Control & Incident Management
Most recently (May 2025) with Wells Fargo’s International Technology Control Management and Global Delivery Risk teams for Canada Branch and India workstreams. Previous roles include Lead QA BSA/AML with First Republic Bank, Team lead Wells Fargo Online Brokerage and Sysadmin with Charles Schwab’s global technology. Former licensed stockbroker (series 7/63) and CISA, CISSP & CRISC certified.
Areas of Specialty: Systems Administration, Functional Test & Integration, Incident Management, Technology Control and workstreams, Data Analysis, Application Development, BSA/AML, QA test plans, IT Project management, Business enablement & Team building.
AVINA, JODI
Retired, Director of recruiting services CFOs2 go, CFO and Financial Management executive Recruiting and Placement
Jodi was the Director of Recruiting Services for the 2Go Companies and co-led the Health Services & Life Science practice group. She had been with CFOs2GO for more than 15 years providing executive search and placement services for a variety of clients, utilizing her knowledge of international cultures and fluency in several languages. While her career has taken a bit of a circuitous route – from working with Ernst and Young and then pursuing healthcare and medical device sales, and ending up in financial recruiting — when you add it all together it is clear why she is able to evaluate candidates and connect people with positions. Her clients have included many well-known start-ups up the ladder to Fortune 100 companies. Today her clients represent middle market high growth companies. In her free time, she is a proud member of the Salvation Army of Alameda County Advisory Board and the East Bay Leadership Council.
Areas of Specialty: Recruitment of finance and accounting executives in various industries including life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, high tech and non-profit.
BAMBRICK, AMANDA
Life Coach and Job Coach
Amanda Bambrick is a skilled Life Coach and Job Coach. She will help you with professionalism, caring, reliable follow-through, combined with smart, good ideas and a can-do attitude. She has been a Professional Counselor and Job Coach at RAMS, where she assisted people facing challenges in gaining employment. She also managed and mentored two teams of Job Coaches; teams which achieved the job placement of over 80 San Francisco residents.
Previously, Amanda managed and supported staff working with the Adult/Older Adult Employment Services Program at Hire-Ability, which is open to all San Francisco residents with a mental health diagnosis. She also managed/supported staff of NextGen, an employment services program for disengaged youth ages 18-24, also at Hire-Ability. Both programs help job seekers prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. As a former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor/Coordinator, Amanda has spent much time in direct client services assisting San Francisco residents in maximizing their vocational potential. As a hiring manager, her perspective on the hiring process is relevant.
Areas of Specialty: Employment prep, job development, application processes, networking, psychology and community resources.
BELOSIC, ALEXANDRA
Executive Coach at Alexandra Belosic Consulting
Formerly Senior Career Coach and Facilitator at Lee Hect Harrison, Alexandra Belosic is a psychology professional with experience coaching professional clients and business leaders as well as utilizing personality assessments to illuminate strengths and areas for development. She has supported business leaders during times of transition to new opportunities, assisting define and achieve career and life goals. Some of her coaching focus areas include personal awareness, executive presence, communication, and development of individual development plans. With a warm and direct approach, Alexandra asks thought provoking questions that elicit creative thinking and illuminate unseen potential to help the client achieve his or her goals.
Areas of Specialty: Professional employment coaching, work capabilities assessment methods, career transitions, interviewing skills, career planning and goal setting
BERGMAN, LAURA
Nonprofit Board Member and President, Z Space Theater, a leading laboratory for developing new voices, new works, and new opportunities in American theater.
Bergman has served the non-profit sector for 25 years. She started her career in California politics before earning a Masters degree in Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. After graduation, she spent four years overseas, creating the first-ever Parliamentary internships in Eastern Europe, then starting an arts foundation in Prague. Back in the U.S., Laura worked at the Exploratorium Museum before becoming the executive director of Z Space Theater, where she is currently Board President. She also works part-time teaching various nonprofit management topics, most recently at Candid.
Areas of Specialty: Fundraising, strategic planning, grant-writing, nonprofit management and communications, board development, event planning.
BLAIN, ANDREW
Account Executive at Arkenstone Defense
Andrew Blain is an Account Executive at Arkenstone Defense. Arkenstone builds operating infrastructure for modern technology companies working inside the U.S. national security ecosystem, and Andrew is responsible for building the client relationships that make that mission possible. Before joining Arkenstone, Andrew spent years helping businesses across the United States find the right workforce and operational solutions for their stage and environment. He has worked with companies and start-ups in building and developing new markets, advised business owners on HR strategy, compliance, and operational infrastructure, and developed deep familiarity with the challenges founders and operators face as they scale. His experience spans multiple industries including home services, clean energy, and HR outsourcing services and includes both entrepreneurial ventures and corporate leadership roles.
Areas of Specialty: Defense workforce infrastructure, PEO and HCM solutions, business development, market building, compliance strategy, channel partner development, and operational scaling.
BRINCKERHOFF, COLEMAN
Career Coach and Recruiting Industry Consultant with Lee Hect Harrison, outplacement
Coleman has over 25 years in the Recruiting industry in both Executive Search and in-house recruiting roles. He has reviewed tens of thousands of resumes and conducted thousands of interviews. Coleman was also one of the earliest adopters of LinkedIn and has been using the tool at an advanced level for over 20 years. Coleman has spent the last ten years in the software sector and has focused on multiple job functions as a recruiter for Adobe, Microsoft, Smartsheet, Bullhorn and others. He works with hiring managers to deeply understand the needs of the role both from a hard and soft skills perspective. He then interviews for both skill sets. Why is this important, he deeply understands the interviewing process and what the hiring manager is specifically looking for.
Coleman is a subscriber to both performance as well as behavioral interviewing techniques. Based on the client’s need he can prepare you for whatever interview situation presents itself.
Areas of Specialty: Corporate recruiting, job search strategy and management, coaching, career development, and LinkedIn.
BROOKS, ROGER
Marketing Research Consultant & Strategist
Roger Brooks consults via his consultancy practice, Research and Marketing Strategies. He has over 25 years diverse marketing research experience, ranging from consulting to senior management positions with leading digital and social media, technology, marketing research, and startup organizations. Clients have included Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, Visa, HP, Ingram Micro, Pfizer, digital advertising agencies, and early stage and startup companies. Roger graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with BA & MBA degrees. He has hired new college graduates to seasoned professionals and has been a Job Forum volunteer for over 25 years.
Areas of Specialty: New product concept evaluation, segmentation research, and Awareness, Attitude & Usage studies with startups, non-profits, and the wine industry
BROTHERS, LINDSAY
Senior Product Manager at Indeed
Lindsay Brothers is a Senior Product Manager at Indeed, where she works on helping job seekers communicate with employers. She previously worked in startups in marketing and product management. More information and her blog is available on her website: lindsay-brothers.com
Areas of Specialty: Technology for hiring and recruitment, social media for networking and job search, product management
BROWN, DANIELLE
Recruiting Coordinator at OURA, the company behind the Oura Ring, that delivers personalized health data.
Previously, Danielle was Operations and Client Services at LiveWell Capital. She was also a Business Recruiter at Clockwise, a vc funded new technology approach to calendars and part of the recruiting team at Zillow Group in their SF Office. She worked mainly with tech focused roles and enjoyed being able to create an unforgettable candidate experience and be a part of an amazing organizational culture. Previously, Danielle was Director of Selection at Northwestern Mutual, where she helped bring in financial advisors and wealth management advisors to her firm. In addition, she is a member of the advisory board for Alex’s Lemonade Stand in CA. Danielle is a North Bay native and attended California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo.
Areas of Specialty: Networking, LinkedIn optimization, sales, philanthropy
BROWNELL, ELISE
Founder, Zephyrbiotech LLC and Board Member/Advisor to Impact Biomedical
Dr. Brownell has diversified experience in the biopharmaceutical arena where she has played key roles in discovery, development, opportunity assessment, and Executive Leadership to drive innovation. She has deep experience in discovery research and development through her history at Bayer Healthcare and venture-backed startups, with a focus on rare/orphan diseases, and the bench-to-clinic transition. She earned her BS in Biology from Allegheny College and MS, MPhil and PhD in Biology from Yale University.
Areas of Specialty: Drug development, due diligence, executive leadership, project, program and portfolio management
BUGDAYLI, ISMAIL
Program Manager at Partnership Health Plan, a nonprofit community-based health plan serving over 550,000 members in Northern California. PCH works with California’s most vulnerable populations.
Previously, Ismail managed and developed sales in product safety compliance services across diverse electrical and electronic industries, such as innovative medical, consumer, and industrial technologies at Eurofins E&E Laboratories.
Prior to that, Ismail had a diverse background encompassing entrepreneurship, customer relations, marketing, and strategic communication. He founded Chikoo Baby, an e-commerce start-up. He worked as a Customer Relationship Manager and Marketing Specialist while pursuing his graduate studies on the East Coast. Before moving to the US, he worked at a strategic communication & PR firm in Istanbul, developing and implementing comprehensive PR, marketing, and social impact strategies for clients within the healthcare, biotechnology, MedTech, and food & beverage sectors.
Areas of Specialty: Strategy development, process improvement, project management, strategic decision-making, social impact
BURGOYNE, FRANK
Interview Success Coach, Owner: www.yourinterviewsuccess.com
Frank is currently the owner of www.yourinterviewsuccess.com where he serves his clients as an Interview Success Coach. Previously he worked for “UC Berkeley Haas Business School” to help grads prepare for their interviews. He completed an advanced curriculum at “The Coaches Training Institute” and he leverages 14 years of Bay Area Talent Acquisition expertise including UCSF, Fortune 500 companies such as Gap, and Bank of America, and innovative tech start-ups including Edusoft and Bluelight. He brings his “real world” knowledge to all career matters with his clients. In addition, Frank worked for 6 years as a General Manager for two retailers: Gap, and Ann Taylor where he managed high sales volume stores. He has volunteered his coaching expertise at the Veterans Administration, the SF LGBT Center, and also at Grace Cathedral’s job search group Graceworks, and is currently Board President of Unity San Francisco. He is excited to help San Francisco job seekers who attend the Job Forum.
Areas of Specialty: 14 years Bay Area Senior Recruiter experience in Fortune 500 and tech start-ups, mock interview coaching, salary negotiation, executive interview preparation, FAANG interview preparation, and job search strategies.
BUSTAMANTE, TERRY
Vice President of Business Development at Tavio, a platform for HR technology.
Terry’s interest lies in HR technology and providing a consultative sales approach to help his customers succeed as he has professional experience in consulting with medium, enterprise and top Fortune 500 customers. He also has experience in, and enjoys, managing and mentoring employees to drive internal results and deliver stellar customer satisfaction.
Terry is a San Francisco native living in the East Bay with his wife, two kids and a Labradoodle. He is a dedicated Coach, Board Member of the California Staffing Professionals, Board Member of the Downtown Berkeley Chapter of Toastmasters and in his spare time he enjoys snowboarding and golfing. He works out of DaXtra’s West Coast, Berkeley division, heading up the U.S. Sales team.
Areas of Specialty: Staffing & Recruiting, Corporate Recruiting, Recruitment & Cloud Technology sales (SaaS), Social Branding & Marketing, Managing/Mentoring, Prospecting, Marketing, Territory Development, Presentations, Contract Negotiations, Client Retention, Building Teams and New Markets
CHAIR, ANTINEA
VP of Technical Operations at Cellares
Previously, Antinea was the VP of Manufacturing, Science, and Technology at Synthego. Synthego is a genome engineering company that enables the acceleration of life science research and development in the pursuit of improved human health. The company leverages machine learning, automation, and gene editing to build platforms for science at scale. With its foundations in engineering disciplines, the company’s platform technologies vertically integrate proprietary hardware, software, bioinformatics, chemistries, and molecular biology to advance basic research, target validation, and clinical trials.
Antinea was formerly the Process Unit Facilitator at Novartis, in San Carlos. There she was responsible for production unit operations, ranging from daily production needs to health authority audits, budgeting, and capacity planning. Prior to her work at Novartis, Antinea led operations at a small biotech start-up, and oversaw lab operations in oligo and gene synthesis. Antinea specializes in pharmaceutical and lab operations, as well as employee development and organizational culture.
Areas of Specialty: Operations, Tech Transfer, Scale-up, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Pharma
CHOI, TINA
Consultant at Propeller Consulting, Management Consulting company
Tina is a consultant at Propeller Consulting (a medium sized management consultancy) and formerly at Xelay Acumen. Tina has expertise as a Technical Program Manager for Cloud Security and Network Security and as a Business System Analyst/Product Manager. She serves clients on projects across a variety of functions including Project Management, Data Analytics, Information, Strategic Planning, and Corporate Development Training.
Areas of Specialty: Project management, process improvement, and change management
CHOY, PAMELA
Creative Director at Niantic
Pam is a Creative Director, currently leading the creative experiences, art, technical art and web UX design teams that support Niantic’s Platforms and Game Publishing efforts. Prior to Niantic, she led operations at Limitless Ltd, a VR startup creating a platform for interactive characters and in-VR content creation. And prior to that, she was part of the studio leadership at Pixar Animations Studios, overseeing technical artists in Camera and Staging, Characters, Simulation and Sets.
Areas of Specialty: Creative and technical development and production, Building and leading teams, Project management, Coaching, Career development
CLARK, LISA
Chief People Officer, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Lisa Clark leads People Operations for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and sees the crux of her role as “creating the conditions for contribution” while helping staff to thrive. She is a big believer in leadership development and its ability to uplift the effectiveness of the entire organization. Prior to joining the Packard Foundation, Lisa worked for 25+ years at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. All three organizations share a founder and the same commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and inclusion — values that are deeply woven into Lisa’s DNA.
Areas of Specialty: Leading, mentoring & developing individuals & teams, strategy, vision & execution, change management, staff recruitment, professional development, organizational design and development.
CLARK, SANDRA
Coach and Consultant at LinkedIn Mentoring
Sandra Clark has run her own business, LinkedIn Mentoring, since 2010 where she works with individuals from a variety of industries—including software, hardware, biotechnology, insurance, consulting, etc.—to create and manage their LinkedIn presence. Formerly she worked at the University of California Extension (both UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz) as a manager and Director of Corporate Training and Communications. Prior to that she was a teacher.
Areas of Specialty: LinkedIn, small business marketing
COSTEN, MARIA
Cross Platform Account Executive at ABC 7 Walt Disney Television
Maria is a highly motivated sales professional with experience in integrated cross-platform marketing and advertising programs. She has a proven track record with new business development with both advertisers and advertising agencies.
Areas of Specialty: Digital strategy, social media marketing
CROSSETT, LISA
President, Crossett Search & Advisory Group
Lisa is the President & Founder of Crossett Search & Advisory Group where they offer: Professional/Executive Search. Talent Advisory Services for organizations to optimize their talent strategies and Job Search Advisory consults with job seekers from beginning to end of the job search process to assist landing that perfect job. Formerly she was the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Mechanics Bank, where she built the talent acquisition function from the ground up, scaled all functions through 3 bank acquisitions and optimized the end-to-end talent strategies and operational effectiveness.
Prior to her tenure at the bank, Lisa was a staffing industry executive for 18 years at Nelson Staffing and held several key leadership roles. As a Regional Vice President, she successfully led 8 branches, 3 onsite programs, and designed and executed several strategic programs. Lisa led the talent acquisition strategies and enablement for the organization through curating creative and modern approaches. Lisa is the President of California Recruiters, a board member for Recruiters Network, past board member and co-chair for NCHRA and board member for Community Arts Foundation.
Areas of Specialty: Recruitment, Process Improvement, Job Search Process from A to Z, Banking, Talent Acquisition Process from A to Z, Staffing Industry.
CUADRO, ANTHONY
Managing Director of Private Banking – Tri Counties Bank; Tri Counties Bank is the largest Bank headquartered in Northern California.
Anthony has 19 years of experience in banking with 15 years of that coming from working at First Republic Bank in San Francisco. Anthony specializes in working with high-net-worth individuals, families, non-profits, start-ups, and professional service firms. Anthony also sits on several boards and enjoys being a part of his community.
Areas of Specialty: Private Banking, non-profits, high net worth clients.
DAS, SANDIP
Senior Principal SoC Architect at CARIAD
CARIAD is a company owned by Volkswagen group, which provides software and hardware integrated solutions for ADAS and infotainment for car brands owned by Volkswagen group eg. Volkswagen, Audi, Bentely, Porsche, Lamborghini, Skoda, Ducati. Cariad’s mission is to transform automotive mobility. Cariad is building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry to make automotive mobility safer, more sustainable, and more comfortable in a new way.
Previously, Sandip worked as SoC Architect at Aeva Inc which builds Lidar perception technology for a broad range of applications like autonomous driving to consumer electronics, consumer health, industrial robotics, and security. Sandip is focussed on SoC Architecture and among other things, has worked on 5G Baseband chip for handsets at Intel, AI training and inference chips at Luminous Computing. Sandip has a 22+ years of Silicon Valley experience working with leading companies like Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Broadcom, Intel and Luminous Computing.
Areas of Specialty: Computer Architecture, Deep Neural Networks, Automotive, Wireless and Networking, Coherency, Memory sub-system, Security, SOC, FPGA
DELLISANTI, SUE
SVP, Global Recruiting FutureFore at Salesforce.com
Suzana DelliSanti is SVP of Global Futureforce Recruiting at Salesforce, where she oversees a global university recruitment team responsible for expanding our hiring to 18% of Salesforce’s total external hires. With a keen understanding of her high-tech, ultra-connected Gen Z demographic, Suzana has built a team dedicated to attracting, cultivating and retaining this next-generation talent, leveraging non-traditional marketing efforts, creating custom programs and delivering a first class candidate experience in a way that differentiates Salesforce across the industry.
During her tenure at Salesforce, Suzana has collaborated with groups across the business from COO and Marketing to Finance and Strategy, to help them grow and hire for their next evolution. She’s led the development of Salesforce’s first-ever PhD program, partnering with Chief Scientist Richard Socher to build out a robust hiring strategy to recruit research scientists and engineers in the field of machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision and more.
Suzana has over 18 years of experience leading high-growth recruitment teams for some of the most innovative financial and technology companies, including LinkedIn, McKesson & Barclays Global Investors. She thrives on building world class teams to do great work and evolve talent acquisition for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Areas of Specialty: G&A and customer and sales growth, recruitment, use of LinkedIn for job search and recruitment, effective job search techniques, expertise in how employers look at candidates
DEWING, MADISON
Engagement Manager at TEKSystems
Madison was formerly a Technical Recruiter and Onboarding Coach at TEKsystems, where she recruited software engineers and helped them find their dream job. She also helps with the training and development of new recruiters during their first three months with the company, to ensure that new recruiters get ramped up quickly to become successful within the company.
Areas of Specialty: Communications, coaching, recruiting, time management, inclusion
DITTMAN, SUSAN
M.A. Vice President, Executive Recruiter, Truist Bank
Susan recently joined Truist Bank as a supporting the Wealth Management division. Truist is the 6th largest bank in the USA and Susan is responsible for recruiting highly successful Wealth Advisors and expanding Truist’s West Coast footprint. Susan has over 15 years of talent acquisition and career coaching experience within the Financial Services, banking and wealth management industries. She is a Senior Regional Recruiter with U.S. Bank and recruits Wealth Management Advisors in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland. She has a Master of Arts in Organization Development from Marymount University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. Susan lived in Japan for two years and worked for a Japanese company after graduation. She also speaks Japanese.
Areas of Specialty: Recruitment, job search, banking and financial services
DOW, VALERIE
Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Custom Programs at UC Berkeley Extension
Valerie Dow works on marketing the wide range of courses and programs designed for Bay Area professionals who are looking to change or advance in their careers. She has a B.A. from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Areas of Specialty: Marketing strategy and branding, integrated marketing campaigns, e-commerce and web analytics, event development and management, continuing education and professional development programs.
DOWLING, JIM
Director of Job Search and Placement at JVS
Jim was previously Training and Logistics Manager of the San Francisco Department of Elections and the owner of Change With Purpose Coaching. Jim helps people get beyond their stuck places and assists them in developing new tools and resources for achieving personal and professional success.
Areas of Specialty: Group facilitation, workshop delivery, career development, employment development, training and development, team coaching, leadership development, personal development, mentoring, conflict resolution and mediation, and communication skill building
DRECHSEL, DUNCAN
Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant at Growth Axis & The Drechsel Group
Duncan coaches executive leaders to realize their full potential, and help organizations cultivate highly engaged employees and teams. Duncan provides consulting services for companies focused on smarter decision making as organizations work to drive positive disruptive change. He helps individuals and teams to understand their strengths, to recognize behaviors that hold them back, and to develop new leadership skills. When at Walmart.com, he was responsible for social media that drove engagement and conversion leveraging the Walmart community, where he also launched online media and classifieds businesses. Earlier roles include launching BabyCenter.com and an interactive TV offering at PacTel (now AT&T). His 15 years experience in digital consumer businesses also includes strategy roles at PacTel focused on broadband networks and devices, and multi-channel retail at Walmart.com. Duncan’s advisory roles have included a number of advertising and ecommerce businesses. He holds a BA from University of California Irvine, and an MBA from Cornell.
Areas of Specialty: Marketing and advertising management, effective supervision, high performance leadership, change leadership and organizational development
DRIESSLER, JESSICA BLAIR
Associate Director, Talent Acquisition at UCSF and UCSF Health
She is responsible for leading a team of forty two talent scouts that assist UCSF and UCSF Health in achieving its mission to leading revolutions in health worldwide by recruiting top talent. Most recently, Jessica developed and launched LEAN Standard Work for Executive Recruitment endorsed by the Chancellor as part of his Anti-Racism Initiative. She works closely with several community programs focused on employment equity and inclusion. Jessica serves as a Board Member at San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development Information and Communications Technology Committee, Bay Area Council Gender, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and Healthcare Anchor Network focusing on tackling the underlying economic and racial disparities in public health. Jessica has an MBA from Golden Gate University, graduate of the Yale Executive Leadership program, a LEAN Certified Practitioner, and certified Workforce Planning from the Lean Human Capital Institute.
Areas of Specialty: Recruitment, changing careers, technology, using LinkedIn for job search, management, effective supervision, and organizational development.
ENFERADI, DARIN
Head of Talent at Kiddom, an e-learning company
Darin is currently the head of talent at Kiddom, an e-learning company focussed on creating transformative tools to make learning personal, expand access to quality content, and foster community collaboration. Prior to Kiddom, Darin was the VP of Talent at Apollo.io, an Enterprise software company in San Francisco. He has years of impressive and progressive recruitment experience working in the bay area. His recruiting experience spans a wide range of business sectors and company sizes and he’s helped scale several of Silicon Valley’s top tech companies (Google, Linkedin, Splunk, Mixpanel). He is currently focused on building teams at venture capital backed startups.
Areas of Specialty: Strategic Recruitment,Tech Companies, Talent Leadership
ENGLAND, LAUREN
Director, Customer Success at Calabrio, a workforce performance platform
Previously, Lauren was director of Customer Success for Pathlight, a platform for measuring key performance metrics for customer success, inside sales and sales development. Prior to Pathlight, Lauren worked for Scoop, a car pool platform company and she formerly worked at Twitter as an Account Executive, managing Fortune 100 online retailers’ online media strategy. Prior to Scoop, Lauren worked at Twitter as an Account Executive managing Fortune 100 online retailers online media strategy.
Areas of Specialty: Sales, relationship building, marketing, online media, transportation, product management
ETHERIDGE, ETHAN
Registered Client Associate at RBC Wealth Management (Royal Bank of Canada), a multinational financial services company.
Ethan Etheridge currently helps direct a $425M portfolio of business owners and successful retirees alike at RBC Wealth Management, and is an experienced community relations and public affairs specialist. Ethan utilizes a decade of coaching experience to upskill small/med size businesses and startups on deploying realistic strategies that reflect the businesses and individual’s financial goals. Ethan is The Job Forum Volunteer Engagement specialist, keeping Job Forum volunteers well-networked.
Areas of Specialty: Securitized Lending, Economic Advising, Holistic Business Consulting, Fixed Income Investing, ESOPs and Ownership Transfer Solutions
EVANS, ABBY
VP of People and Talent Programs at Scopely
Abby was formerly VP of Talent Management at Niantic where she led the HRBP, L&D, performance and talent programs, and was formerly at Dolby Labs, where she was an HRBP and then went on to lead talent, leadership and culture programs, including diversity and inclusion. She is a certified Co-Active Coach and has additional experience serving in HRBP and Chief of Staff roles at AAA Northern California.
Abby is Director of Advancement Support for Women in STEM at The Job Forum.
Areas of Specialty: Coaching, Career transformation and transitions (especially mid-year career transitions), worklife balance, strategic planning
EXCELL, MICHELLE
Creative Technology Strategist at The Antipodean, an immersive technology consultancy and production collective.
Michelle Excell started The Antipodean in 2016 and consults on immersive technology strategy including AR, VR, Voice, AI, IOT and digital/experiential CX with direct clients, and through ad agencies. Prior to launching The Antipodean, she ran interactive production and strategy for ad agencies and digital agencies in NZ, Australia and NYC for 15 years.
Michelle is a regular contributor to The Beancast Marketing Podcast, panels on immersive tech and runs workshops at conferences including TED Women and Spikes Asia.
Areas of Specialty: Business analysis/requirements, change management, process development, team management, training and education, technology translation, and mentoring.
FANSELOW, JEFF
Principal Consultant at FanSolo Learning, LLC
Jeff Fanselow is a passionate and experienced learning professional who specializes in the development and delivery of engaging training programs that focus on the human side of managing people and creating inclusive workplaces. As the Principal Consultant of FanSolo Learning, LLC, he strives to create safe spaces where people can connect, learn, share ideas, and have fun. Prior to launching FanSolo Learning, he was the Vice President of Learning & Development at CBS Corporation where he created and delivered programs that developed the management teams of such well-known brands as Showtime Networks and Simon & Schuster Publishing, as well as the CBS Television Network.
Areas of Specialty: Learning and training, onboarding, talent inclusion, organizational development
FASSLER, CINDY
Executive Search Professional at Career Coaching and Executive Search with Cindy
Cindy Fassler, Vice President, Chief Talent Officer & Founder at Career Coaching and Executive Search with Cindy, brings over 30 years of expertise to the table where she specializes in Executive Search. Cindy is in the unique position to share her years of expertise in recruiting and coaching with her business partners and clients. Her areas of expertise are Accounting, Banking, Finance, Human Resources, and Executive Administration. Cindy’s expertise has led her to write Get Hired!, a comprehensive guide for job seekers, and Great Managers Lead, a book that mentors business leaders.
Finding top talent and coaching people to reach their goals is Cindy’s passion.
She has been in business for over two decades, and have helped tens of
thousands of job seekers approach their job search and careers from new
perspectives to deliver breakthrough results and land their dream jobs.
She is driven by a desire to empower people to be the best that they can be. She leads by example, and her passion for career coaching and recruiting is
infectious.
Areas of Specialty: Accounting, banking, finance, HR, executive administration
FERINO, RANDY
Executive Recruiter and Small Business Owner
Randy is an Executive Recruiter with a specialty in the financial services industry. Randy was formerly VP employee relations and employment manager at Exchange Bank. Randy served in the US Navy for five years. He graduated from Sonoma State University in 2001 and earned his MBA in 2006. Randy has 25 years in the HR field, he serves on the Sonoma State University alumni board and the Santa Rosa city school career technical education advisory board
Areas of Specialty: Talent acquisition, employee relations, employee development, performance coaching, performance management, mentoring, career coaching.
FORD, CHRISTOPHER
Senior Vice President at TopBloc
Christopher Ford is an experienced and accomplished executive, leader, investor, realtor and entrepreneur. He is the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for TopBloc (A Workday services company), and he is an investor and Realtor for EXP Realty, where he services Sacramento County and the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a passion for helping people succeed, and has volunteered through several organizations to help people find the connections and skills designed to further their careers. Christopher is a dynamic public speaker, mentor and influencer across several areas of specialty. Connect with Christopher Ford and discover the “Serendipity of Success.
Christopher is Director of African American Outreach & Impact at The Job Forum.
Areas of Specialty: Workday, HR Technology, HR Operations, Hi-Tech Start-ups, Mergers, Acquisitions, Divestitures and Restructuring, Communications, Public Speaking, Mentoring, Travel & Global entertainment.
FUNG, LISA
Chief Development Officer at Enterprise For Youth
Lisa is a mission-driven leader with deep experience in nonprofit development, strategic partnerships, and youth empowerment. Currently serving as Chief Development Officer at Enterprise for Youth, she is passionate about opening doors for under-resourced young people through transformative, paid internship experiences. With a background spanning education technology, fundraising, and social impact data solutions, Lisa brings a collaborative, entrepreneurial spirit to every project she leads. She is a proud UC Berkeley graduate and active community volunteer, committed to advancing equity and opportunity in the Bay Area.
Areas of Specialty: Fundraising, Business Development Partnerships
GALLO, WOOJIN
Account Manager, Sales at ULD, an eDiscovery and litigation support company
Woojin is an Account Manager at ULD, which provides eDiscovery and litigation support to legal teams and AM Law 100 firms through managed services. Previously, he worked as an Intern and Associate at PwC in their Technology Consulting, Financial Services practice, where he worked with clients at a global top 5 bank and a global Japanese motor company. He also worked as a Claims Intern at Travelers, where he supported policyholders to secure appropriate cover, and resolved claims efficiently.
Areas of Specialty: Customer and sales growth, customer relations, analytics, project management
GARG, ANKUR
Consultant | Medical Device, Biotech & Pharma | Global Health | Portfolio & Program Management | Clinical Research & Operations | R&D
Ankur Ankur Garg brings 25 years of medical device, pharmaceutical and global health experience across the private, non-profit and public sectors. She has successfully led a wide array of life-saving technologies from concept to commercialization in the cardiac, oncology, urology and neurology fields at companies such as Guidant/Boston Scientific, Coloplast, St. Jude Medical, Amgen and most recently, Genentech/Roche. She is particularly proud of her design work on the first implantable cardiac resynchronization device at Guidant, the global team she managed at Amgen for a new migraine drug recognized as one of the 50 best inventions of 2018 by Time, the multiple initiatives she led to enhance cancer control policies across the Asia-Pacific region at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and her time as Executive Director and President of the Sexual Violence Center in Minnesota.
Ankur holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Minnesota, and a B.S. from Case Western Reserve University. She is also an alumna of the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship in Washington DC, the Embassy Science Fellowship at the U.S. CDC in Thailand, and the Policy Fellows program at University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Ankur is an avid actor and classical singer, and loves to travel – 74 countries so far!
Areas of Specialty: Medtech & Health Innovation, Portfolio & Program management, product development, clinical research/operations, strategic alliance leadership, cross-functional communication, cross-sectoral collaboration, cultural proficiency
GERSTEN, DEBBIE
Executive Director, Emerging Middle Market Commerical Banking at J.P. Morgan
Debbie is a Commercial Banker with 20+ years of experience at J.P. Morgan and other large, global financial services organizations. In her current role, she is focused specifically on Multinational Corporations in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s committed to building cross cultural relationships, and is dedicated to providing her clients with financial expertise and unparalleled firm wide capabilities.
Areas of Specialty: Banking, cross cultural relationships
GILMAN, TERESA
CEO/Founder of BrainStack
Teresa is the CEO/Founder of BrainStack.app, an ai-interview platform that helps high-volume industries such as restaurant/hospitality find quality people quickly. She has a distinguished career in recruiting and staffing, with deep knowledge and experience in accounting, tech, finance and more. In the past decade, she has been active in the startup scene, advising and nurturing pre-revenue businesses.
Teresa is Co-Director of Corporate Partnership Program at The Job Forum
Areas of Specialty: Technology & social platforms for accessing talent and recruitment, account sales, SaaS, Market Expansion & Growth, working internationally, Sales, Marketing, Accounting, Networking
GOUWS, JOHN
VP of Finance at Alumis, Inc., a publicly-traded Biotechnology company
John is a finance leader at Alumis, accountable for Accounting and Controlling, FP&A, and Procurement teams. His prior corporate positions were progressively growing responsibilities at a large Biopharma company focusing on R&D Finance partnering, decision-making, and strategy. In between he launched a solo-preneurial venture into executive coaching and career advisory services. In addition John volunteers are President of the Business Council.
Areas of Specialty: Career development, networking, finance and accounting, and soft skills like influencing and communications.
GREEN, BRENT
Principal @IntelliVen-SF, Adjunct Instructor UC-Davis Extension, Executive Coach
Brent Green, Ph.D. is an organization psychologist who has worked in a variety of organizations. Brent is currently Principal at IntelliVen, a leadership development and system change group, and adjunct professor at UC DAVIS. His career focus is executive, team, and organizational change. He is a veteran career coach with the Job Forum, a speaker, and author of a wide variety of publications in professional journals. He is a former Sr. Manager of Training & Organization Development at Medtronic, Director of Organization Effectiveness at McKesson, and former Director of Assessment and Learning at The American Management Association in New York City.
Areas of Specialty: Executive Assessment & Development, Coaching, Organization Development, Talent Alignment with strategic objectives, career transition.
GUERRERO, ÁNGEL-MAX
Pathway Programs Manager & Anchor Institution Mission Workforce Development Co-Lead at UCSF
Ángel-Max Guerrero, MA, was appointed the University of California, San Francisco’s first Pipeline Programs Manager in November 2020. He serves as a campus expert on strengthening engagement with internal and external stakeholders to increase impact for UCSF’s pipeline, outreach, and internship programs through the Office of Diversity & Outreach and the Center for Science, Education & Outreach. His work also supports the UCSF Anchor Institute Mission framework, specifically in increasing the effectiveness of the education pipeline for under-resourced populations. His work in support of the Anchor Institution Mission also centers on connecting education pathway programs with entry-level employment opportunities in the institution and connecting these opportunities to career pathways over time.
Areas of Specialty: Pipeline racial equity, work-based learning strategies and programming, college access and equity
GULATI, SURINA
Quality Systems Engineering Lead at iRhythm Technologies
Surina is a Quality Systems Engineering Lead at iRhythm Technologies with more than eight years of experience in quality, regulatory compliance, and digital health within the medical device industry and serves as the Professional Development Program Chair on the San Francisco RAPS Chapter Leadership team.
She is an Exemplar Global–certified Lead Quality Management Systems Auditor and an adjunct instructor and Advisory Board member for the Regulatory Affairs and Medical Device Quality & Design programs at UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley. Her published work includes contributions to Fundamentals of Medical Device Regulations: A Global Perspective and multiple industry articles on regulatory best practices.
Her professional background spans roles at Align Technology, a Stanford StartX AI/ML start-up, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Surina holds an MS in Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship from Johns Hopkins University and a BS from the University of California, Berkeley. She was honored with the RAPS Rising Star Award in 2024.
Areas of Specialty: Quality Systems, Lean Six Sigma, project management, auditing, networking
GUNTHER, ERIN
Program Specialist, UC Berkeley Extension Department of Science, Mathematics and Biotechnology
Erin is currently a Program Specialist at UC Berkeley Extension in the Department of Science, Mathematics and Biotechnology, where she supports portfolios through designing, conducting and promoting the implementation of public education programming. She also has experience as a part-time Liberal Arts instructor, teaching critical reading and writing, as well as coaching Cross Country running at the college level.
Areas of Specialty: Writing, training, education, teamwork, communication
HAGGERTY, LAURA
Business Leader IT Communications & Change Management formerly at Visa
Laura Haggerty has worked with several high tech and consulting organizations including the Technology teams at Visa, Alcatel Lucent and Ernst & Young and worked in operations, product management, marketing and information technology organizations.
A creative technology leader with expertise in change management, program management, product portfolio planning, project management, and process improvement, Laura also brings international business experience that includes directing multidisciplinary, multinational teams working in development, planning for products, and systems transformation programs. Laura has a bachelor’s degree from the NY State University at New Paltz and a Masters degree from UC Berkeley.
Areas of Specialty: Technology marketing, product management and program management, change management.
HAILE, BETIEL HADGU
Medical and Scientific Affairs Professional at Roche Diagnostics
Betiel oversees evidence generation projects, with a Masters in Public Health, certified as Clinical Research Professional and Scrum Master, Instructor at UC-Berkeley Extension, in Clinical Research Conduct and Management.
Betiel is a member of The Job Forum Board of Advisors.
Areas of Specialty: scientific evidence generation, clinical study operations, clinical research management, project management, public health practices
HART, SOPHIA
AI/ML Engineer at AAA
Sophia was a data analyst at Acumen, analyzing large Medicare data to support actionable policy recommendations. She previously worked on circuit design at Intel, biomedical device material at Sandia National Labs, and neural stem cells at UC San Francisco. She is currently looking for a data scientist role.
Areas of Specialty: Data Science, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, AI
HAYES, DIANE
President, Diane Hayes Sales Training & Consulting
Diane has worked in the traditional and digital industry for over 35 years. She has been teaching sales teams how to sell digital and traditional media together for the benefit of their advertisers. She has extensive experience working with sales leaders and salespeople to believe in themselves and achieve success beyond their own expectations.
Areas of Specialty: Leadership, management and sales coaching, sales, sales management, sales turnarounds, and business development.
HEFFERNAN, BARBARA
Artist at Islais Creek Studio
Barbara is a working artist at Islais Creek Studio in San Francisco. She has 20+ years experience in organizational development, project management, career and performance management. She has worked for international and domestic organizations across the following industries: financial services, health care, technology and pharma. Her strengths: working with teams and individuals to achieve performance results.
Areas of Specialty: Learning and development and career management.
HERSH, MELISSA
Director of Workforce Development & Transitional Employment at St. Anthony Foundation in San Francisco, a nonprofit organization that fights poverty and provides hope, love and renewal for residents in the Tenderloin.
In her role at St. Anthony’s, she leads an Employment Services team, building financial stability and sustainable job opportunities for individuals with employment barriers. She launched the first ever Transitional Employment Program at the Foundation, providing guests with a livable wage and opportunities to gain meaningful employment along with on-the-job training.
She brings over 30 years of experience and passion to St. Anthony’s and believes that sustainable, meaningful employment is the gateway to a productive, stable life. She enjoys additional roles as convener/facilitator, presenter and leadership coach. Melissa is a connector and builds relationships with nonprofit executives, business leaders, educators, and government officials.
Areas of Specialty: Workforce Development/Employment Services, Leadership Coaching (through her business Answers Within, LLC), Learning and Development, Community & Economic Development.
HERZENBERG, JULIA
Design Innovation, Director of Maternal and Child Health Services, Clinical Innovation Consultancy at Kaiser Permanente
Julia has been working at Kaiser Permanente since 2000 focusing on clinical improvement and quality projects in the outpatient and inpatient setting. In her current role she manages a team of non-clinical and clinical consultants who specialize in designing and implementing new innovative clinical care delivery models.
Areas of Specialty: Performance improvement, project management, mentoring.
HING, CINDY
Founder of Collaboral Consulting, an HR consulting and organizational development company
Previous Cindy was Director of People Business Partners (HRBPs) at Volta Charging, where she focuses on aligning business goals with all things People and Culture. Her expertise is in technology sectors, working closely with C- level leaders to strategize on talent and business needs for achieving short and long term Company-wide goals. Prior to that, she worked at Ford Motors in the AV (Autonomous Vehicle) sector, supporting a scaling global technology organization.
Areas of Specialty: Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement, Professional Development Coaching and Leadership Coaching, Organizational Change and Management Strategies, Scaling Organizations (from private to global public companies)
HOLLAND, STACY
CEO of Exceptional People, International
Stacy founded Exceptional People, International in 1994. The Firm has been distinguished by entrance to IRC Global Search Partners and designated IRC’s Global Head, Technology Practice. Stacy has an exceptional track record of success completing challenging senior management searches, leveraging her earlier career as VP Sales and Operations, General Mills and Division Head, Burlington Industries. She received entrepreneur and leading businesswoman awards nationwide. Stacy completed her undergraduate degree at Dominican University, earned a secondary teaching credential from the same university, and is a lifelong learner continuing a Master’s in Theology, as a ticket to heaven.
Areas of Specialty: Executive search, recruiting, sales, operations
HRICHAK, MARYANN
Immigration Specialist, Arcadis DPS Group, a global engineering, architecture and design company to improve the quality of life.
Maryann manages immigration matters for international personnel, guiding them in maintaining their legal status in the US, and also advising those going overseas for assignments. She has previously worked as an impact coach and cultural mentor with TechWomen, a public private partnership with the US Department of State and the International Institute of Education, collaborated with the Dept. of Homeland Security and the International Organization for Migration and private companies on international public affairs, legal, tech and managerial initiatives. She has previously worked in Croatia and the Philippines and studied in Greece.
Areas of Specialty: Intercultural relations & communications, writing, editing, coaching and project management
Areas of Specialty: Intercultural relations & communications, writing, editing, coaching and project management
HU, JUDY
Business Development Director at HyperFair VR
Judy is currently a sales consultant in business development, sales, web technology, and content management. She was formerly the Director of Business Development for Hyperfair VR, a Social VR solution for enterprises, part of the HTC Vive X portfolio. As a specialist in the Virtual Reality realm, she led the on-boarding of new clients in diverse markets across industries, including green building & marketing, finance, art, travel, architecture, and real estate. With substantial experience in fund-raising, sales, and communications in publishing, media, arts, hospitality, and property development, Judy holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Areas of Specialty: AR/VR, Technology/Digital Sales, SaaS, Startups, content management, web technology, real estate, property management
HUANG, SAKURA
Senior Business Analyst , Global Operations Excellence at Equinix
Sakura is currently a Business Analyst specializing in Knowledge Management and Collaboration at Equinix, supporting global operations teams keeping data centers running. She also focuses on supporting first generation identifying individuals with their career transition and growth, particularly those, like her, who come from low income, immigrant, and disadvantaged backgrounds. Previously, she has worked a variety of roles as both a full-time employee and temp/vendor/contractor (TVC) in Adtech, Fintech, and Cybertech. She has been a part of Big Tech, High-Growth and Small Startups, as well as a traditional not-for-profit organization.
Areas of Specialty: Knowledge management, stakeholder management, consumer online banking, basic social media, ads delivery and targeting, technical support, first generation experiences.
HUDIS, PAULA (PENNI)
Non-profit Consulting
Penni is Chairman of the Board at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, a 32 year-old non-profit in Berkeley. Prior to this role, she was Interim Executive Director and Board Treasurer. She has also been the Director of Institutional Development and Director of Program and Curriculum Development at ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, a Berkeley non-profit serving low-income school districts. Her earlier career in education and human resource management also included positions as Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley (part-time); education researcher and Director of Program Evaluation at MPR Associates, Inc.; Vice President and Human Resources Manager with Bank of America; and EEO and Affirmative Action Operations Manager at the Bechtel Corporation. Penni holds a Ph.D. degree in sociology and demography from the University of Michigan. Penni also serves as the Job Forum’s Director of Fundraising and is a volunteer panelist.
Areas of Specialty: non-profit management, non-profit fundraising, education and equity research, and program evaluation
HYDE, REBECCA
Member of Data Science Staff at OpenAI
Previously, Rebecca was Princiapal Data Scientist at Atropos Health. Before that, she was a data scientist at Facebook/Meta, where she performed analyses to inform the strategy for the company’s new Health organization. Holding a Masters of Public Health, Rebecca’s interests lie in the intersection of technology and health, and she has explored a variety of roles, ranging from machine learning to epidemiological research, in order to find the right balance. Rebecca also enjoys being involved with Facebook’s efforts around recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding of new data scientists.
Areas of Specialty: Data science, statistics, biostatistics, public health, project management
IAMS, MARIA
Executive Communication Consultant, Lange International
Maria is an executive communication consultant specializing in leadership development and curriculum design. She holds a master coaching certification and is an accredited Enneagram practitioner. From the C-suite to mid-career professionals, Maria helps her clients leverage their strengths to develop into effective leaders. Clients partner with Maria for support on message construction, delivery, and managing through change.
Areas of Speciality: Communications, leadership, coaching, workshops, curriculum design
IMHOFF, JEROME
Career Coach at The Résumé Shop, “INK.” and Randstad RiseSmart
Jerome Imhoff is a professional résumé writer and career coach with more than 15 years of experience in the “employment” industry. After moving to California from the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he worked as a music teacher, Jerome made his foray into the world of employment services as a vocational counselor and job developer for an adult vocational training school in Concord, California. He then spent 5 years working as a recruiter and headhunter for a national staffing agency before starting his own business, The Résumé Shop, “INK.” As a career coach, Jerome helps job seekers and career changers to assess their career goals and acquire a strategic edge to navigate an ever-changing and highly competitive job market.
Jerome is a certified human resources professional (PHR) and a certified ARTbundance Life Coach and Practitioner. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with majors in English and music as well as a Master of Arts degree in education with an emphasis on language arts. Jerome is the co-host of the podcast UpLevel Your Career with Judson & Jerome and the host of the podcast Manifesting Brilliance: Living Your Authentic Life.
Areas of Specialty: Life coaching, podcasting, resumes, career coaching
JAIN, ANU
Product Manager at Google
Anu Jain is an experienced entrepreneur and technologist with a diverse background in data science, data engineering, artificial intelligence and overall software management. He is currently at Google working on the travel business, bringing the Google Voice Assistant to other surfaces in the ecosystem. Prior to Google, he ran a machine-learning based hedge fund. Just before that, he was the CTO of HitFix.com which was acquired by Uproxx Media. Anu has started multiple technology companies and has developed enterprise strategy as well as consumer features for Internet Explorer at Microsoft. He is constantly a technological adviser to many startups in the SF Bay Area. Anu received his M.S. from The Ohio State University. When Anu is not hacking away at his computer, he can typically be found at the squash courts in San Francisco, or out sailing on the bay.
Areas of Specialty: Strategy, product management, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, mobile, web, apps, media, analytics and technology management.
KEENEY, KELLY
Customer Success Manager, Senior Manager at Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Kelly is currently a Principal Success Manager at Salesforce where she works with enterprise customers to increase their business value of their Salesforce Marketing Cloud investment. She has been working in customer success in the MarTech and AdTech space for the last 10+ years across the US and APAC.
Areas of Specialty: Customer success, sales, project management, working internationally
KEHL, JOSHUA
Associate / Project Architect at HED, an integrated design firm, combining architecture, engineering, consulting, and planning
Previously, Joshua Kehl was with Gould Evans for 4 years working on Bay Area projects primarily focused on public schools, public space, and multi-family housing. Coupled with his projects, he contributes to sustainability efforts to decarbonize and remove red list chemicals from our building interiors. He also works on issues of community activism, equity, and justice within the firm and profession at large. Outside of the profession, Joshua volunteers with Post: Ballet, a Bay Area ballet company, and is a member of SPUR, ACLU, and NAACP.
Areas of Specialty: Architectural design, project management, design coordination, graphic communication, written communication, and information design
KIM, JI
Senior AI Product Manager at Follett Software
Ji is an experienced product leader with a focus on 0-1 product development, rapid prototyping, and lean product methods across consumer, education, nonprofit, and SaaS sectors. At Follett Software – provider of integrated technology solutions that streamline education processes and improve the educator experience – Ji leads the development of new AI products for K–12 schools
Areas of Specialty: Product management, UX design, AI, engineering, edtech, youth work-based learning, analytics, startups, entrepreneurship, mentoring
KNUDSON, KATHY
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Career Counselor
Kathy Knudson is a Career Counselor and Therapist. She is a former adjunct faculty member, teaching graduate division courses at both San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco. As a corporate recruiter, Kathy helped connect large companies with highly qualified candidates. She also has 22 years of experience with the City and County of San Francisco as a Vocational Assessor, and later as a Counselor in the Employee Assistance Program, providing mental health services to 40,000 S.F. City and County employees and their families. With her unique background in both corporate and governmental work environments, she welcomes clients from government agencies and private industry. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Kathy is a therapist and career counselor, helping people explore career options and address career issues, especially those seeking assistance with toxic workplaces, difficult co-workers, “bad bosses” (as in “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me”) and crisis intervention. Kathy has extensive experience helping clients effectively improve personal and professional relationships, management/response to violence in the workplace and substance abuse issues. Kathy has a BA from San Jose State University and an MS from San Francisco State University. She is an active member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and a long-time Job Forum panelist.
Areas of Specialty: Kathy specializes in helping clients address the often-overlooked emotional issues surrounding job search and career change.
KOEHNE, TREVOR
Corporate Sales Development, Workday
Trevor works within the Workday healthcare team, and is a former Account Manager for TEK systems, specializing in Enterprise applications and Data insight and analytics. Trevor was with TEKsystems for almost 2 years and started out as a recruiter, recruiting primarily in Devops and systems engineers. Trevor has been a part of the Job forum for a few years now and was introduced from Janet Beach. Trevor has been supporting Uber and Splunk for their external contractors working on projects, marketing, and data purposes.
Areas of Specialty: Analytics, recruiting, sales, customer relations
KOPATZ, JENNIFER
Senior Engineering Recruiter at Autodesk
Jennifer is a Senior Engineering Recruiter at Autodesk. Previously, she was a Senior Technical Recruiter at Google, and a Segment Lead and People Manager for the America’s Engineering Recruitment Team at Cisco Systems focused on technical positions. Jennifer is a native San Franciscan and attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree. She has 15+ years of experience in recruitment focused on technical recruiting for high tech positions and companies. She worked for 5 years in San Francisco recruitment agencies and 10 years at high-tech companies, including GuardianEdge (acquired by Symantec), Cisco Systems, and Google.
Areas of Specialty: Recruitment experience focused on engineering, technical positions, marketing, sales, and operations.
KUEPPER, BRIAN
Franchise Consultant and President at New Ground Consulting
Brian Kuepper, Franchise Consultant with New Ground Consulting, helps individuals determine if franchise ownership is right for them. Working with both investors and those looking for a change from corporate, he matches your goals, skills and financial qualifications with carefully screened franchise opportunities.Brian will help you get the franchise information you need and find the right franchise opportunity for you. His services are available at no cost to those contemplating business ownership.
Areas of Specialty: Franchising, Business Systems, Sales and Marketing Strategy, Customer Retention and Satisfaction
KULLAR, RANDEEP
Assistant Director of Study Abroad Program at Loyola Marymount University
Previously, Randeep was Partnership Director at CEA Capa: Education Abroard. Randeep is a higher education professional and more specifically a Career Counselor and International Educator. She is now Partnership Director at CEA CAPA: Education Abroad. Prior to this, Randeep spent the first part of her career developing global internship programs while supporting students on their professional and study abroad journeys. After this, she transitioned to developing international institutional relationships centered around creating customized experiential learning programs at universities around the world. Randeep received a M.S. in Counseling with a focus in College and Career Counseling from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in History with a minor in Education from the University of California, Davis. During her professional career, Randeep has been committed to improving access to higher education and helping remove barriers faced by underrepresented populations. She has served on committees with Diversity Abroad, NAFSA, and the Global Leadership League.
Areas of Specialty: Career Services, Higher Education, International Education, Partner Relations, Program Development
LAPORTE, ROBERTA (BOBBIE)
Professional Training & Coaching Executive at Bobbie LaPorte & Associates
Roberta (Bobbie) LaPorte, is Founder and Principal of Bobbie LaPorte & Associates, a consulting firm providing career and leadership development services to Fortune 500 organizations and promising start-ups. Before founding her consultancy, Ms. LaPorte served in CEO, COO and CMO roles in several Fortune 50 companies, including IBM, GE and United Healthcare, as well as leading two healthcare technology start-ups. She has an MBA from Harvard, and is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program in Positive Leadership and Strategy at IE Business School in Madrid.
As a thought leader on how to handle challenges of all kinds, and an endurance athlete and multiple-Ironman triathlon finisher, she understands how today’s professionals can benefit from the strategies and disciplines of athletes, including perseverance, mental toughness and resilience. She also is an evangelist for the idea that your job is what makes everything else in your life possible.Bobbie is currently training for her seventh Ironman triathlon. When she is not coaching executives she proudly serves on a number of Bay Area non-profit boards and happily rescues senior Golden Retriever dogs.
Areas of Specialty: Career management, career/life balance, executive leadership team development, women in leadership
LEONE, BOB
Senior Advisor, Communications and Outreach (retired)
For sixteen years, Bob managed the communications and outreach functions for several iterations of a global health and development program funded by the US Agency for International Development. In that capacity, he was responsible for selection, logistics and participation in 50+ events a year across the country. Bob developed materials and took part in numerous national conferences, career fairs, online career forums and one-on-one informational interviews with a focus on helping junior, mid and senior level global health professionals and career changers achieve their goals. Working closely with recruitment staff, Bob provided job seekers with an employer’s perspective on the job application process, insight into the skills required and what it was like working on public health projects in developing countries. He is passionate about the effective writing and editing of resumes, cover letters and essays that showcase the skills and experience of individuals. Bob has a BA in English Literature from Cal State East Bay and currently volunteers with the San Francisco SPCA, Students Rising Above and San Francisco Heritage.
Areas of Specialty: Writing, editing, interviewing, global and public health, outreach management
LEWIS, ALLISON
Practice Manager, Medtech Services, Quality and RIM, Veeva
Allison leads the MedTech Quality and RIM implementation teams for Veeva, focusing on software implementations around Quality and Regulatory for the Medical Device industry. She has 17+ years experience in Quality, Regulatory, and Compliance, with knowledge of various aspects of Medical Device manufacturing and associated integrated computer systems.
Areas of Specialty: Medical device manufacturing and associated integrated computer systems selection and implementation, business process improvement, computer systems validation, LifeScience technology risk and compliance analysis, and strategic software product development
LIM, NICOLE
Equity Research Analyst at Thornburg Investment Management
Previously, Nicole was part of the Strategy team at Chegg, a market-leading connected student learning platform. She helped develop Chegg’s strategic priorities. Prior to that, she worked in investment banking in NY. Nicole graduated with a BA in Economics from Macalester College.
Areas of Specialty: Corporate strategy, M&A, startups
LIU, MICHELLE
Principal
Michelle is an Inquisitive, results-oriented Business Transformation Leader with 15+ years of Management Consulting, PMO/Program/Project Management, and strategic global large-scale process, organization, and technology improvement projects. Successfully delivered ~30 transformation solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Possess versatile communication skills to engage C-suite, business / IT partners, and global cross functional audiences. Extensive sales and business development experience.
Areas of Specialty: Management and technology consulting, PMO/program/project management, and business/finance transformation M&A, startups
LONDONO, MICHELLE
Principal at Proactive Network Consulting
Michelle Londoño, Principal at ProActive Network Consulting, pulls from her
experience as a Girl Scout troop leader, a community organizer and as a Public Health Nurse. Experienced in the nursing process, as a USF College of Nursing School grad, Michelle digs deeper and gets to the root of the client’s needs with the Design Thinking process. She enjoys growing internal and external relationships, cultivating a positive company culture, and stands behind her team. She will continue to guide ProActive’s customer experience and give tech the personal, feminine touch. In the off hours, you’ll find Michelle volunteering, learning the nuances of Tahitian dance, or hiking with her family.
Areas of Specialty: Design thinking, human resources, public health, project management and UX content writing.
LONGO, NANCY
Producer, Writer, Presenter – Longo Productions
Nancy Longo is currently using her established track record in television and business to develop and host an on-line job show. She also uses her media and marketing expertise to help a wide variety of Bay Area companies find their voices and get them heard. Longo’s broadcasting career began over 20 years ago in Los Angeles, CA. She has worked at stations on both the East and West Coasts including: WHP-TV, Harrisburg, PA, KCBS-TV, Los Angeles, CA, KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA, KABC-TV, KPIX-TV, San Francisco, CA, KNTV-TV, San Jose, CA. Longo has met, interviewed, and established relations with business and community leaders, politicians, top chefs, authors, and more.
Areas of Specialty: Marketing communications, broadcast journalism, career/presentation coaching
LORDA, RENEE
Asst. Circuit Executive for Public Information, Conference and Education at the Office of Circuit Executive, United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit (Federal Courts)
Renée Lorda is the Asst. Circuit Executive for Public Information, Conference and Education in the Office of the Circuit Executive, which operates similarly to a consulting service group in the United States Federal Courts, Ninth Circuit. She manages public information and community outreach, organizes Conferences and education programs for judges and federal practitioners. The Ninth Circuit is the largest federal circuit court in the United States, including nine western states, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. Renée has extensive experience in marketing professional services and the administration of executive education programs. The areas of expertise she brings to The Job Forum include marketing communications, executive seminar development, program development, and community relations, public affairs and communications administration.
Areas of Specialty: Marketing communications, professional services marketing, special events, education and training, career development
LOWE, VINCENT
Principal Technical Instructor Salesforce Trailhead Academy
Vincent is a 25 year veteran of technical classrooms, having taught for MuleSoft, Apple, Sun Microsystems, Verity, MapR, xMatters, SCO and many others on his way to Trailhead Academy. That journey offered insight into dozens of companies who have looked to Vincent for clear technical communication with a focus on the essentials. When he’s not in the classroom, Vincent writes about technology and occasionally makes short films to make his friends laugh.
Areas of Specialty: Programming, Cloud Services, API design and development, Social Media, Video Production, Event Management
MAHONY, PAT
Principal Career Coach and Strategist
An HR professional with over 20 years of experience in High Tech. She has supported all functions, including Business Units, Finance, Legal, IT, Marketing, and Product Development. She has worked in the medical device, hardware, and software industries. Companies range from start-ups to large corporations. She has also worked specifically in the outplacement industry as a career coach. She has coached executives and managers and helped many individuals transition into new positions and careers.
Areas of Specialty: resume writing, interview preparation, and salary negotiation
MARK, KATHY
ITT Project Director at SFO (San Francisco Airport)
Kathy is an IT Project Director at the SFO Airport and an IT professional with 35 years experience in creating automated solutions in private and public sectors within financial, retail and the transportation industries. She is a certified project management professional. As a Project Director for City and County of San Francisco at the Airport Commission, Kathy is involved in deploying enterprise-wide property management and billing systems, a Project Management Office (PMO) and a suite of business portfolio training programs. Kathy was a Senior IT Manager, directing complex Federal Reserve Enterprise Projects and the National Y2K Program Office, and an expert in producing measurable business value on time and within budget by translating requirements into automated solutions to enhance operations. Kathy is also a Competent Communicator and Leader as Past President and current Vice President of Membership with SFO’s Plane Talk Corporate Toastmaster Club.
Areas of Specialty: Information Technology (IT), project management large scale, enterprise projects, public sector systems, Federal Reserve systems, City and County of San Francisco
MASON, HEATHER
AI Adoption and Change Manager, Weyerhaeuser
Previously, Heather was at Enstoa. Heather is a career development professional and founding member of UC Berkeley Extension’s Career Services department, where her work is focused on designing, managing, and delivering high quality and high impact professional training programs. Prior to her work for University of California, she worked in international education, adult education, and taught high school.
Areas of Specialty: Program management, internships/early career, event management, training, up-skilling, and re-skilling
MCSILVER, ANNE
Senior Marketing Manager at LinkedIn, the professional network
Anne creates thought leadership and data reports for talent professionals who used LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning to hire and develop employees. Previously, Anne was Chief of Content for AAA and Via magazine.
Areas of Specialty: AI transformation and the future of work, content marketing, editing, writing, communications strategy, data analysis and infographics
MEDEVSKY, DAYANA
Financial Advisor at Merill Lynch Wealth Management
Diana was formerly at JP Morgan Chase and Citi Group, among others.
Areas of Specialty:wealth management, retirement planning, personal investment, business financial strategies
MEHTA, SALONI
Designer at Study, a San Francisco Architecture and Interiors company
Saloni is an internationally -trained artist, architect, and urbanist with an Advanced Sustainable Systems Management degree. She holds six years of experience in residential, workspace, retail design, and urban green planning. Currently, she’s engaged in interior architecture while pursuing an MBA to further her entrepreneurial ambitions.
Saloni has made a significant impact in design through her work with the Open Architecture Collaborative, contributing to projects like urban outdoor classrooms and hydroponic farms. She also played a crucial role in drafting a winning proposal for reversing the Urban Heat Island effect in Hunts Point, NY, during her time at Gaia Technologies.
She is also currently volunteering with the Good Future Design Alliance to help the community of designers, architects and builders across the country cultivate a culture of low waste. Outside of her professional endeavors, Saloni is an avid hiker, a food enthusiast, an empathetic soul, and a perpetual learner. Her diverse skill set and commitment to sustainable, beautiful living environments make her a remarkable presence in the world of design and business.
Areas of Specialty: Design, portfolio and resume building, networking and volunteering opportunities.
MEINTZER, LEESA
Executive Recruiter at Talent2Go, part of the 2Go Advisory Group
Leesa has a distinguished career in staffing and has worked as an in-house recruiter in various industries, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, she has experience as a solo-preneur and possesses knowledge across tech, healthcare, finance, and more.
Areas of Specialty: recruiting, relationship building, hiring, technical recruiting, Executive sourcing
MONTINOLA, KATRINA
Fractional and Interim CTO, CAIO, VPE | AI Strategy and Implementation | Board Member and Technology Advisor | Developer Hiring Strategies | Silicon Valley Remote Teams Pioneer | Advising for Inclusive Tech
Katrina leads the Practical AI Practice at 2Go Advisory Group, a San Francisco-based pioneer in fractional C-suite services. A seasoned leader with a passion for real-world AI implementation, Katrina guides clients through transformative but pragmatic AI adoption. Katrina brings a wealth of experience to the table, having previously served as VP of Engineering at Archimedes, Inc., a Kaiser Permanente-owned healthcare analytics company. Katrina and her team developed tools that leveraged AI to drive impactful outcomes within the healthcare space.
In her early career, Katrina was a software engineer and engineering manager at Oracle Corporation and 3 early-stage Internet startups in Silicon Valley. She holds a Computer Science degree from Georgia Tech.
Areas of Specialty: AI, software development, people management
MUGNANI MONROE, DEBRA
President at Monroe Personnel Service, LLC & Temptime
President, Monroe Personnel Service LLC and Temptime, temporary and regular office and event support employment agency. Debra founded and manages this 34 year old staffing agency and leads the company’s marketing and business development efforts. She also has a “side hustle” professional jazz and cabaret singing career.
Areas of Specialty: Placement, recruitment, negotiation, editing, writing, communications, social media, and marketing.
MURILLO, ANTHONY
Regional Sales Director – Northern California, at Lumen Technologies.
Anthony leads a team of 10 account directors, 3 solution engineers and support admins. He sells full stack security solutions, as well as network and cloud infrastructure – all wrapped in managed and professional services. Previously, Anthony was VP at Mobilitie and Enterprise Sales Director at Lumen Technologies and at Unitas Global he has responsibility for Global Connectivity and Cloud Infrastructure and Managed Services.
Areas of Specialty: Fiber Infrastructure, IoT, Networking, Data Security, Voice, New Business Development, Recruitment & Talent Development, Strategy Planning & Execution, Incentive and Compensation, Expert Top Sales Performance, Teambuilding & Leadership, Market Expansion & Growth, Incentive and Compensation Expert, Client Acquisition & Retention
OSHANA, SHARONA
Product Designer at Google
Sharona Oshana is a seasoned Product Designer currently working at Google. She strives to bridge the gap between empathy and innovation. She is passionate about creating meaningful and accessible user experiences. Her responsibilities include leading projects, helping to push innovation, and designing products used by millions around the world. Sharona excels at fostering cross-functional collaboration with engineers, program managers, researchers, and UX. Prior to Google, she spent six impactful years at R/GA as a Senior Designer. During this period, Sharona provided invaluable support and leadership on various projects for clients like Google, Nike, Microsoft, and OpenTable.
Areas of Specialty: Storytelling, resume editing, one on one mentoring, design, cross-functional collaboration, time management and organizational skills.
PARADISE, LAURA
Career Coach at Paradise Coaching
Laura Paradise is a career coach who guides professionals through career transitions, workforce re-entry and leadership development. Her experience spans nonprofit management, politics and consulting. She has directed national and international environmental quality programs. Laura is known for helping clients get visible, get interviews and get hired! A former fundraiser, Laura specializes in interview and networking skills. Laura holds an MS in Organizational Management and is a certified life coach (trained at the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Laura is based in Oakland California.
Areas of Specialty: Career coaching, interview/networking skills, management
PERA, MELISSA
Career Transition Consultant at Lee Hecht Harrison
At LHH, Melissa helps provide individualized support and strategies to job seekers in transition, helps them identify career options and achieve a successful outcome.
Melissa has spent her career in Sales and Consulting Leadership and recently started her own Executive Coaching practice. She was a Market Leader for an EV start-up and a communications development consultant. She spent much of her career at global companies like MTV, Prada, and Giorgio Armani to working in smaller firms such as Aspen Ski Company and a modern art gallery.
Areas of Specialties: Interviewing skills, personal presentation, networking, editing, coaching.
PILLE, ROBIN
Technical Writing Manager at Sigma Computing
Robin is a Technical Writing Manager at Sigma Computing, where she works together with other writers to produce documentation that helps customers meet their business goals using Sigma. Robin got her start in tech at MuleSoft, then spent ten years at Splunk, Inc. Before her tech career, she worked in educational publishing at Pearson, project managing and developing college textbooks for microbiology and anatomy & physiology courses.
Areas of specialty: Management, leadership, writing, editing, documentation, information architecture, process improvement, project management, mentoring.
PLINCK, MATTHEW
Head of Global Talent Operations at Krebar International, a consulting and Executive recruitment firm.
Matthew most recently led talent acquisition and operations for Lob and was formerly at Rocket Lawyer, where he headed global TA and operations, building efficient teams in the United States, Mexico, Poland, and the United Kingdom. He started his career in research and transitioned from there to agency recruitment and consulting. He has worked with several technology companies helping them build their talent acquisition strategy involving employer branding, capacity planning, workflow automation, data integrity & visibility, and training.
Areas of specialty: Operations, people analytics, project management, strategy, training programs, coaching
POLLAK, WILLIAM
Founder & Managing Principal at Itineris Financial Advisors
Bill is the Founder and Managing Principal of Itineris Financial Advisors, which provides personal financial planning and investment management services. He is a Registered Representative with, and Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a registered Investment Advisor and Member, FINRA/SIPC. He has been a Job Forum panelist since 2010.
Areas of Specialty: Mid-life career transition, entrepreneurship, counseling, public speaking, personal financial planning and investment management
PRESCHUTTI, MARY
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor at New Perspectives Center for Counseling
Mary Preschutti is currently an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, specializing in clinical and career counseling. She also has a background in workforce development helping professionals and students with disabilities obtain jobs. Additionally, Mary has substantial experience in the non-profit sector in program coordination and exchange program management. She very much enjoys being part of the Job Forum and helping people find meaningful work. Mary speaks Spanish, and Italian.
Areas of Specialty: Career advising, clinical counseling, workforce development
PUNJABI, GIA
Finance Manager at insitro
Gia excels at telling the story behind the numbers and formerly worked at Pendulum Therapeutics and Flexport, a logistics company using its technology platform to fix the global supply chain problem. Previously, she worked at Levi Strauss, first in the Corporate FP&A team focused on taking the 160-year company public in 2019 and later transitioning to the Investor Relations team responsible for effectively communicating the financial results of the company to the investment community. Prior to settling into her current career in Corporate Finance, Gia tried her hand at Auditing, Consulting and Operations via 1-2yrs each at KPMG, Impossible Foods, The Carlyle Group and The Bank of New Zealand. Outside of work, Gia is an avid reader, hiker and people connector.
Areas of Specialty: Corporate Finance, Investor Relations, IPO Readiness, Networking
RAFF, ROBIN
CEO/Founder, Pulse Healthcare Marketing
Robin Raff is CEO/Founder, Pulse Healthcare Marketing. She is a seasoned marketing consultant with leadership experience at world-class advertising agencies working on premier brands across multiple industries, with over 25 years marketing healthcare products and services. In addition to her marketing consulting, Robin is a career coach working with individuals wishing to develop their personal brand, clarify their mission and values, and develop a path to achieve their career goals. She completed her coaching training with an International Coach Federation-accredited training program and is working toward her ICF Associate Certification. She recently became a licensed health coach so that she can provide an integrated approach to her coaching work and to provide deeper insights in her healthcare marketing strategies. She has completed ChatGPT training is cautiously and strategically applying these skills in her marketing efforts.
Areas of Specialty: Coaching, marketing
RAINEY, WAYNE
Senior Recruitment Manager at Nautilus Biotechnology
Wayne Rainey is the Senior Recruitment Manager at Nautilus Biotechnology which is a a high-throughput, low-cost platform for analyzing and quantifying the human proteome (These are protein sequences produced from human genome) .Wayne has been part of the hiring process for companies big and small for over 30 years. He considers himself a Career GPS with the goal of sharing information with both the company and the candidate. Hiring is a binary process which means that both the company and the person have to connect. Over the last decade plus, Wayne has niched himself in the medical device and biotech industry and has worked on hiring all sorts of roles and all levels. The fun part of the process is he gets to learn about everyone else’s profession without having the student debt that came with getting that knowledge.
Areas of Specialty: Recruiting top candidates, medical devices, biotechnology, innovative companies in healthcare and life sciences.
RAMNATH, LAVANYA
Regulatory Affairs Professional, Insulet Corporation
Lavanya Ramnath is a regulatory affairs professional with more than eight years of experience across medical devices, software as a medical device (SaMD), and digital health. Her work spans diabetes and cardiovascular technologies, with a strong focus on advancing innovative and breakthrough technologies through complex global regulatory pathways.
Lavanya has held regulatory roles at Insulet, Abbott, BD, and MiniMed (formerly Medtronic Diabetes). Across these organizations, she has supported and led regulatory strategy throughout the full product lifecycle, from new product development and clinical trial planning to sustaining changes and product retirement. She has extensive experience working cross-functionally with engineering, clinical, quality, and product teams to align innovation with global compliance and help bring cutting-edge technologies to market.
Beyond her industry role, Lavanya serves in several professional leadership and service positions within the regulatory community. She is the Communications Chair for the RAPS San Francisco Chapter and a Program Committee Member for the San Diego Regulatory Affairs Network (SDRAN). In these roles, she helps shape educational programming, support event strategy, recruit expert speakers, and host podcasts and interviews with regulators and C-suite leaders. She is also a committed mentor who supports students, early-career professionals, and experienced professionals as they navigate career growth in the regulatory field.
Lavanya is also invited as a speaker at RAPS Convergence and other professional conferences, podcasts, and industry events. She holds a master’s 22 degree in Medical Devices and Diagnostic Engineering from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Mumbai.
Areas of Specialty: Medical Devices, SaMD, Digital Health, Diabetes Technology, Cardiovascular Devices, Regulatory Strategy, Global Market Access
RATTO, KIM
Senior Director, Corporate Recruiting at Salesforce.com
Kim is an experienced recruiting executive who currently leads the Corporate Recruiting team at Salesforce. Kim has worked in both start-up environments as well as large, global organizations. Her HR and Recruiting experience spans across several industries, including corporate retail, finance, technology, and management consulting. Kim has held a variety of roles within HR and Recruiting and is passionate about developing high-functioning teams and leveraging people’s strengths to help them reach their full potential.
She has a degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology and completed the Co-Active Coaches Training Program at The Coaches Training Institute.
Areas of Specialty: Talent Acquisition, Behavioral Based Interviewing, Forecasting and Reporting, Job Search Strategies, Career Coaching, Resume Development, Interview Preparation.
RIZZO, JAMES
Founder and College Essay Coach, Essay Launch
James was a Group Product Manager at Lyft, where he led the product management team for Lyft Business, Lyft’s B2B business unit that generates over $300m/yr in revenue. Prior to that, James was a Senior Product Manager at Intuit, where he led the launch of QuickBooks in Mexico as part of Intuit’s global expansion team. James is currently on sabbatical, pursuing his passion for compelling storytelling and communication by coaching undergraduate and graduate students on their admissions essays via his coaching practice,Inner Compass Essays.
Areas of Specialty: Product management, hiring and interviews, writing, storytelling
ROCKERS, KERRY
Founder, Principal Coach and Consultant at Kerry Rockers Coaching & Consulting, an executive and career coaching and consulting company (www.KerryRockers.com).
Kerry is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coach and global Human Resource (HR) strategist with extensive experience partnering with leaders to develop talent, lead teams through change, and support individuals as they step into bigger roles. With a client base spanning industries such as financial services, technology, higher education, healthcare, and hospitality, Kerry delivers tailored coaching and consulting services that drive meaningful progress towards client goals. Prior to her current role, she worked at Wells Fargo for over 20 years in a variety of HR leadership roles with the last 10 years focused on leading global HR initiatives.
Areas of Specialty: Executive & Career Coaching, Human Resource Consulting, Change Management, Group Coaching and Facilitation, Organization Effectiveness
RUIZ, JANICE
Talent Acquisition Partner at UCSF Health
Janice Ruiz is a recruiter for UCSF and has been with them for nearly two years. Janice has been a recruiter for over 10 years and the last 3 1/2 years have been focused on healthcare recruiting. Janice also worked for Dignity Health for 2 ½ years before UCSF acquired St. Mary’s (Stanyan Hospital) and St. Francis (Hyde Hospital). Janice is a native San Franciscan and grandma of two little boys.
Areas of Specialty: recruiting, talent acquisition, healthcare, hospital operations
RUSSO, ANNE-MARIE
Career Coach at App Academy
Anne Marie Russo is a career coach at app academy which trains students in computer coding skills. Anne Marie has held positions at other nonprofits which train and develop people for success, including JVS where she was a career coach for the technology program and the employees relations manager.
Areas of Specialty: Training, career coaching, project management, presentations skills, strategic partnerships.
SACCUZZO, WENDY
Career Counselor, Graduate Students at University of San Francisco
Wendy is a career counselor in private practice and at University of San Francisco, where she supports graduate students navigating career transitions and preparing for their next professional step. She brings two decades of experience in recruiting, career coaching and community, with a focus on the tech industry at organizations like Skillcrush, Tech Ladies, Hackbright Academy, Riviera Partners, and Women Who Code.
Areas of Specialty: job search strategy, technical recruiting, career transition, and interview preparation
SAHAGUN, CHRISTINA
Experienced HR Professional, Autodesk
Christina is currently a member of the HR Team at Autodesk, a software design company headquartered in San Rafael with over 100 million users worldwide. Christina comes with 10 years of progressive HR generalist experience in various industries throughout the Bay Area. Previous companies include: Comcast, Recology, and Natus Medical. In each of her roles, Christina has gained valuable knowledge of recruitment practices and technologies companies leverage to attract talent. She has extensive experience in sourcing candidates, managing applicant tracking systems, maintaining company LinkedIn pages, and partnering with hiring managers to build their teams. Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and an MBA with an emphasis in Sustainable Business from San Francisco State University.
Areas of Specialty: Human resources, recruiting, applicant tracking systems
SANDOSHAM, RENITA
Global Head of Analytic Editorial Operations at LexisNexis
Renita is the former VP, People Experience at Everlaw, a high-growth, legal tech startup based in Oakland, California. She led People strategy and programs, including talent acquisition, learning and development, total rewards, and employer brand. During her time at Everlaw, she oversaw 5x headcount growth through multiple funding rounds and established a strong DEI foundation embedded across all hiring and talent management practices. Prior to Everlaw, she spent over a decade at LexisNexis in product operations, building global teams and optimizing business processes. She is a former journalist who is passionate about great storytelling and creating connection.
Areas of Specialty: People strategy, employee experience, high-growth environments, global collaboration
SANTANA, AMANDA
Associate Director, Talent Acquisition at VIR Biotechnology, which is an immunology company focused in preventing and treating infectious disease including COVID-19, hepatitis B and hepatitis D, influenza A and HIV.
Amanda is a Talent Acquisition professional with 4+years of broad-based full-cycle Life Science recruiting experience. She currently works for Vir Biotechnology a commercial-stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. At Vir she partners with all departments across the business from Clinical Operations to R&D and G&A functions. Amanda was the first Talent Acquisition professional at Vir and she helped build the department from the ground up for the first 3 years. Prior to talent acquisition Amanda received her BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Diego State University and was working working in academia and industry as a bench scientist. During those 8 years she developed novel RNA based gene therapies and delivery platforms for HIV, cystic fibrosis as well as cell/animal based models and molecular assays to help support new CRISPR/ Cas9 drugs targeted to latent and persistent viral reservoirs.
Areas of Specialty: Talent Acquisition, Mock Interviews, Resume Development, Biotechnology, Virology
SARAPPO, TERRI
Employment Engagement Associate, JVS
Terri Sarappo is a career advisor and employer engagement specialist at JVS. During her tenure at JVS she has worked with clients who are making career transitions into Salesforce and Digital Marketing. She hosted employer panels on a weekly basis for the Digital Marketing program at JVS, helping clients to stay abreast of hiring trends. She also advised clients on a variety of job targets on resume writing, LinkedIn practices and informational interviewing.
Prior to JVS Terri worked as a business trainer and coach at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment and as media consultant. She worked in broadcasting for many years at CBS, Emmis Broadcast and Cablevision’s New York Interconnect.
She served as the president of the New York Chapter of Women in Cable for two years.
Areas of Specialty: Career transitions, resume, marketing and Salesforce jobs.
SCHARINGER, JOANA
Interim Director, Career Services (Undergrad/Grad) at Golden Gate University
Joana is a Career Counselor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She provides career guidance to students and alumni and helps them pursue and plan their career paths. She provides support for resume reviews, LinkedIn profiles, interview preparation, job search, and networking strategies. She also helps organize and facilitate career development workshops on campus. Before joining GGU, Joana worked as an agency recruiter helping Fortune 500 and start-up companies to expand their teams. She worked with hiring managers from companies such as Facebook, Salesforce, GAP, Banana Republic, and several start-ups. Joana has a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University.
Areas of Specialty: Career Development & Planning, Resume Review, Interview Preparation, Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies
SEDER, DIANA
Employer Outreach Manager, UC Santa Barbara
Diana is a higher educational professional who is experienced in academic program administration, college admission, student affairs, alumni relations and career development. She is an effective communicator and bridge-builder who enjoys identifying and creating connections between individuals and corporations.
Her professional experience includes providing leadership and guidance to a nationally recognized undergraduate career center operation, founding and operating an entrepreneurial college counseling business, operating a regional MBA program, and managing a graduate level career development office. Her current role provides her the opportunity to connect with organizations around the state creating beneficial hiring relationships between companies and UCSB.
Areas of Specialty: Include and profile-building, cover letter writing, interview preparation, networking, resource utilization and negotiation.
SHAH, ANERI
Head of Product Marketing at Ethos, a data and analysis company that is a cause based service providing important information for financial advisors, asset managers, asset owners, tech platforms, and others to understand values and impact of companies.
Aneri is Head of Product Marketing at Ethos, a fintech startup, where she works on strategy, launch & scaling new products. Prior to Ethos, Aneri spent 5 years at Facebook leading product marketing for both consumer and business products. Previously, Aneri was a Product Marketing Manager at Facebook WhatsApp. As product marketing manager Aneri worked on strategy, launch & scaling new products. Prior to Facebook, Aneri led product marketing for an edtech startup called Clever, and worked in marketing at Microsoft. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration and B.A. in Economics from Berkeley. Originally hailing from Hong Kong, Aneri enjoys travel and has visited 30+ countries. Outside of work, she has her own career coaching practice and enjoys volunteering in the education space, with experience ranging from tutoring at San Quentin prison to mentoring at-risk girls in Oakland.
Areas of Specialty: Marketing, Product Management, Startups, Product Marketing, Entry Level, H1-B visas
SHVARTS, OLGA
College Counselor at City College of San Francisco
Olga is currently working as a college counselor at City College of San Francisco with Disability Programs and Services for Students program. She is in the process of launching Transformations Lab, a B2B provider of modular on-site group workshops to workforce and workforce-adjacent programs whose participants can benefit from psychoeducational work and human-first skills. Olga brings 25 years of experience in vocational rehabilitation, career/college planning and guidance.
Areas of Specialty: Vocational Planning, Career and College Guidance, Government Employment and Civil Service Processes, Educational and Workplace Accommodations.
SILER, DON
Senior Consultant, Bridge Light Consulting
Don is a strategic change leader with a passion for customer success. Don has served in a variety of leadership capacities at Tipalti, Unity, Splunk, Cisco, Thomson Reuters, Visa, and Xerox, implementing programs focused on business transformation and operational efficiency. Before starting his business career, Don served as a cryptanalyst for the National Security Agency. He is an active speaker at industry events, from local meetups to major conferences.
Areas of Specialty: Project and portfolio management, cross-functional collaboration, PMO operations, strategic planning, data science, organizational change management, workshop facilitation.
SLATER, MEGAN
Program Management Consultant, Impact Evolution Technologies
Previously, Megan was VP of Business Platforms at Okta, and Head of IT Business Operations at Unity Technologies, where she was responsible for aligningstrategy and strategic initiatives with Unity business partners and across the office of the CIO. Megan is Director of Workforce of the Future, The Job Forum’s youth program.
Areas of Specialty: Enterprise Systems implementations, executive communications, building and leading cross-functional teams
SPENSIERI, JOHN
Retired Financial Advisor
John served as a Financial Advisor in San Francisco with MorganStanley SmithBarney. Prior to that he was a Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in NYC.. He made a career change into the financial services industry joining AG Edwards in NYC which was acquired by Wachovia Securities, which was then acquired by Wells Fargo Advisors.
Prior to Wells Fargo Advisors he was a VP & Senior Partner with Core Strategies, a market development consulting firm providing services to technology small businesses to help them dramatically grow their sales & profitability.
Previous responsibilities included Chief Marketing Officer for an eMarketplace startup Fast Parts, President of a new business unit within International Data Group, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Avnet’s Computer Marketing Group and Vice President of Marketing for Arrow Electronics’ Commercial System Group.
John received his MBA in Marketing from Loyola University in Chicago and a BSME from Marquette University in Milwaukee. John is a board member of the San Francisco Embarcadero YMCA, has served on the board of the NYC McBurney YMCA, Enterprise for HS Students- Board member & mentor in the Career Exploration Program, Career Coach for Summer Search, Volunteer for KIPP Charter Schools, Volunteer for First Graduate, Co-op Board Finance Committee Chairman, Co-President of the NYC Loyola Chicago Alumni and Host Committee member for Marquette University Circles events. Has served on various committees including the advisory committee for Youth Chance HS, YMCA Board Development Committee, YMCA Financial Development Committee , Program and Development for EHSS and Mentor for Enterprise for Youth. He and his wife Jayne enjoy collecting Contemporary Art and traveling.
John is a first generation college graduate.
Areas of Specialty: Wealth management, asset location, strategic planning, business development, business strategy, marketing, consulting, finance
STOOPS, JP
Commerce Business Development Lead at Tik-Tok
Previously, JP was Principal Consultant, Pixl Inc., an independent professional consulting firm. JP has over 15 years of experience building consumer-focused products, brands and technologies that delight. JP has a mix of Fortune 500 experience as a former buyer and licensing executive for Discovery Inc, and start-up execution having founded a tech toy company, Pixl Inc in San Francisco. Currently, JP acts as an advisor and consultant to consumer and media technology companies. He has a love for taking concepts from idea to launch and is kept busy with a toddler at home.
Areas of Specialty: Go-to-Market Strategy, Product & Brand Development, Growth Marketing, Merchandising & Licensing, Ecommerce / Multichannel, Sourcing
SUGARMAN, MARK
1-On-1 Advisor
Mark Sugarman has had an impressive career as a successful Executive Recruiter where he actively sourced and recommended qualified job candidates to Private and Public companies. He specializes in recruiting sales, marketing, purchasing, operations, and finance candidates at all levels of small, medium, and large private and public US corporations. Mark is also a knowledgeable career and job search generalist so he can discuss tech careers and new career trends.
Before starting his executive recruitment firm, Banks & Sugarman, Mark spent over thirty years in management positions with both public and private distribution companies. Mark received his Bachelor of Science at the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in marketing at Columbia Business School.
If you want to talk things over with an experienced senior level “headhunter” in order to have some help to identify more career and job search opportunities for yourself, make more contacts, weigh the pros and cons among options and make good decisions, Mark is who you should meet.
Areas of Specialty: Talent acquisition, job search strategies, interview preparation, resume development, and networking strategies.
SWEENEY, JACKIE (DA COSTA)
Founder, Redefine Your Path Coaching LLC
Jackie is a certified career coach and Strong Interest Inventory ® practitioner. She spent 10 years in the corporate insurance and risk management space before pivoting into non-profit fundraising. She is passionate about helping individuals find careers they love which is why she moved towards career coaching. Jackie specializes in working with individuals who are looking to change careers or figure out a career path but they don’t know where to start. She works with clients from career identification to securing their new role and beyond. Jackie has a business management degree from Santa Clara University and is a certified career coach through the World Coach Institute.
Areas of Specialty: Career coaching, career pivots, Strong Interest Inventory ®
TOU, YVONNE (BENAVENTE)
Compliance Auditor at Stanford Health Care, leading teaching hospital in innovative and new technology for patient care.
Yvonne is currently a compliance auditor at Stanford Health Care and was formerly at John Muir Medical Center as a coding specialist and a data analyst at Sutter Health Care. She currently works on an auditing team for hospital billing integrity that comply with the most stringent state and federal policies dealing with hospital billing. Prior to that, she worked at John Muir Medical Center as a coding specialist and Sutter Health in the West Bay Region of California as a data analyst for the regional director.
Areas of Specialty: Data analysis, auditing, ICD-10-CM/PCS coding, CPT coding, editing, research
TOY, TOM
Managing Director of Startup Capital Ventures
Tom Toy is a Managing Director of Startup Capital Ventures and Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund, LP (www.startupcv.com), both Menlo Park-based venture capital firms focused on early stage information technology companies. Tom is also a Venture Partner/Advisor for ICCP SBI Venture Partners (www.iccpventurepartners.com).
Tom has invested in early stage IT, cleantech and healthcare companies as a VC for more than thirty years. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of public and private companies. Tom’s current and past companies include SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), UTStarcom (NASDAQ: UTSI), White Electronic Designs (NASDAQ: WEDC, then acquired by Microsemi), LifeCell (NASDAQ: LIFC, then acquired by Kinetic Concepts), Physiometrix (NASDAQ: PHYX; then acquired by Hospira), SyStemix (NASDAQ: STMX, then acquired by Novartis), CafePress (NASDAQ: PRSS), U-Systems (acquired by GE Healthcare), FastSoft (acquired by Akamai), HealthCrowd (acquired by mPulse Mobile) and Hanwha Q CELLS (NASDAQ: HQCL). Tom is currently on the boards of directors of several private companies.
Tom graduated from Northwestern University with B.A. and MBA degrees.
Areas of Specialty: Venture Capital investment, high potential companies, high technology, Asia business ventures
TUMAN, SETH
Chief Administrative Officer/Partner, 2GO Advisory Group
Seth Tuman has more than 20 years of experience managing resources, budgets and financials, and growth for law firms. He has worked with sole proprietors, limited liability companies, professional corporations, and government agencies to assess and manage personnel, develop and implement efficiencies, strategize business development and scale, and maximize profits. His education, experience, and entrepreneurial spirit facilitate analysis of each unique environment to help businesses succeed. Seth earned his J.D., but early on recognized and followed his passion for the business-side of the law. While gaining litigation and project management experience, he obtained his M.B.A. from Pepperdine. He has experience in both the day-to-day functioning and logistical requirements of a law firm, as well as the strategic planning necessary for business continuity and growth. Seth recognizes the success of a business relies not just on the provision of a service or product, but the efficient and effective collaboration of all members of the business team. Each business has its own unique personality, culture, and expectations. One size does not fit all when it comes to administration and management. Seth recognizes that individual empowerment and recognition of the value of each team member’s contribution to the enterprise are foundational prerequisites to success. He works diligently to evaluate and implement procedures and processes to ensure cross-functional collaboration that optimizes organizational productivity. Prior to joining the 2GO Advisory Group, Seth served as Chief Operating Officer for startup and mid-sized law firms, where he worked in conjunction with stakeholders and employees to establish and meet goals and objectives, and foster client relations. In addition to day-to-day operations and management of budgets, payroll, accounting systems, financing, and banking matters — including compliance and fraud protection — Seth has recruited, hired, and trained all levels of professionals and contractors to meet business needs. He has also managed the expansion, build-out, and development of new office spaces, as well as the creation and staffing of temporary office locations around the country.
Areas of Specialty: finance, accounting, human resources, IT, marketing, recruiting, real estate, litigation support, and trials.
WALD ZUCKER, MELISSA
Strategic Human Resources Lead at Wald Consulting
Melissa was previous in HR at Oniracom. Oniracom is a marketing service agency specializing in brand strategy, content production, and web development. Melissa partners with company leaders to address organizational needs, including change management, organizational design, learning, and development and employee relations. Previously, Melissa was the Human Resources Executive at Cisco. Melissa was a senior HR professional Sr. HR Partner at Cisco where she provides consultative support/leadership for Senior Services Executives – on strategic talent management, change initiatives, and people/organizational effectiveness issues. Melisa has a background as a manager at Microsoft where she worked within the Human Resources industry for more than a decade, partnering with companies such as: T-Mobile, Oracle and Quantum. Previously she has been an HR Consultant with multiple start-up companies throughout the SF Bay Area. She has a BA in Psychology from Whittier College and an MA in Psychology from University of SF, with Emphasis on Life and Career Transitions.
Areas of Specialty: HR strategy and operational excellence, six Sigma Green Belt, Performance Manager, Career Coaching, Executive leadership
WALSH, JUDSON
Career Path Strategies, Founder and Principal
Judson Walsh brings to the table over a decade of career consulting experience. From 2006 to 2014 Judson was the director of business development at the San Francisco Business Times. It was during this time that his local knowledge for the Bay Area marketplace grew which subsequently led him to assisting business professionals in the areas of career development and job-search assistance.
From 2014 – 2017 Judson was a consultant for a global HR consulting firm and worked exclusively with executive professionals in career transition. He also facilitated workshops designed to assist job-search candidates identify job opportunities in the Bay Area. In 2014 Judson founded Career Path Strategies, a career coaching firm that specializes in job-search readiness.
Judson is also a public speaker who specializes in local job search and career-readiness. He has a long history of speaking at Bay Area colleges/universities including Stanford, UC Berkeley/Haas School of Business, University of San Francisco and Golden Gate University.
Beyond the Bay Area …Judson shares his career coaching experience by volunteering at San Francisco-based Job Forum and also speaking at various job-seeking groups around the country. Judson lives in Vail, Colorado and enjoys golf, tennis, biking, traveling and being in the mountains.
Areas of Specialty: Career coaching, career development, job search advice
WONG, GORDON
Principal Electrical Engineer at BART
Gordon is a Traction Power Engineer at BART working on infrastructure upgrades and modernization projects for BART. His main areas of expertise include electrical design review, plan checks and consultations with general contractors on large scale public works projects. Prior to BART Gordon received his start in the public sector while at the City and County of San Francisco, where he successfully coordinated capitol projects with a variety of city departments and external stakeholders. Gordon has a BS in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University and started his career in the semiconductor industry working in product marketing and applications engineering. He also has PMP (Project Management Professional) and CCM (Certified Construction Manager) certifications.
Areas of Specialty: Field engineering, Government construction planning and specification, Electrical lab testing equipment, Health and Safety Compliance, Contract Negotiations, Product Marketing
YEE, FIONA
Engineering Program Manager, Search and Discover at Google
Previously, Fiona was a Project Manager at Facebook on the Health & Social Impact team, where she helped teams develop and measure the success of machine learning models. Prior to that, she was at a healthcare technology company where she led a team of engineers to develop a mobile application aimed to decrease operational inefficiencies for healthcare workers. Outside of work, Fiona enjoys spending time on one of the numerous Bay Area hiking trails, reading, and cooking.
Areas of Specialty: project management, product development, operations, resume writing, networking
YOUNG, BRYAN
Chief Talent Officer at St. Anthony Foundation
Bryan has been Chief Talent Officer at the St. Anthony Foundation since 2017. Previously, he was the Director of HR there. He is a highly driven top human resource professional, with multi-state business experience. Strong strategic mind with the ability to communicate within all levels of the organization. Operational experience combined with Human Resource knowledge helps him partner with operators to seek ideal candidates, coach employees with accuracy and vision, and assist people in aligning their behaviors with company desires.
Areas of Specialty: Vision, creativity, understanding human behavior, business knowledge, and ability to evaluate talent and skill set.
YOUNG, CHRISTINE
Human Resource Consultant & Career Coach
Christine Young is principal of CCY Consulting, specializing in career coaching and human resources consulting. She has hired more than 5,000 people in the high-technology, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries. This makes her a career strategist who applies her business knowledge and deep understanding of the talent acquisition process to the job search. Companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Sony Electronics, Johnson & Johnson, Intel, and Silicon Valley start-ups have benefited from her career coaching, HR services and training programs.
Christine has been actively involved in multiple HR organizations in leadership positions. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and a B.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University.
Areas of Specialty: Resumes, interviewing, negotiation, LinkedIn, human resource solutions, executive coaching, learning and development, performance improvement, and team building.
YU, MICHELLE
Talent, Benefits and Well-being at Hellman & Friedman, a financial services company
Michelle is a former HR executive turned Career and Leadership coach. After working in the Tech industry for a decade at companies like SoftBank, Google and LivingSocial, she left the corporate world to pursue self employment and entrepreneurship. Now she coaches and helps professionals move past work related overwhelm, burnout and stagnation, so they can reach their fullest potential. She is also a Career consultant for Lee Hetch Harrison. Michelle graduated from UC Irvine and has an MBA from Duke University.
Areas of Specialty: Coaching, career transitions, leadership development, resume review, interview and negotiation preparation
YU, SANDY
Founder and Growth Executive at Revenue Retention Advisor, a post-sale strategy firm that focuses on customer retention and growth to drive business profitability.
Sandy is the founder of Revenue Retention Advisor and formerly held leadership positions in customer experience and strategy with Oracle, Cisco, PricewaterhouseCoopers and several growth companies. Sometimes known as the customer attrition doctor, Sandy helps her customers prevent and stop the pain of losing customers by assessing the symptoms of customer attrition, investigate the root causes and provide data-backed recommendations to keep and grow the customer base.
Areas of Specialty: Monetizing and retaining customers; cross-selling products and expanding accounts; developing effective customer segmentation, journeys and engagements to help cultivate customers for life.
ZHANG, ALICE
Sales Lead, Business Development
Alice was formerly at Makeblock, where she grew with the company as it expanded from 5 to 500 employees. She led a sales team in Makeblock cooperating with agents in the USA, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to bring robot kits to school and help the next generation learn to code and STEM. During her tenure at Makeblock, she worked with software, hardware, and design teams to bring the Neuron Explorer Kit to Apple.com and hundreds of Apple retail stores, its compatibility with Swift Playgrounds software helped promote coding education widely. She worked with Japanese educational organizations to use Makeblock robot kits for K12 school’s teacher’s programming/STEM training. She helped build the company’s maker community. Connected with hobbyists, makers’ communities, organizations, K12 schools, and universities. Led corporate business development and new partnerships for hobbyists’, education and retail markets.
Areas of Specialty: Business development & strategy, customer relationships, startups.
ZHOU, JO
Talent Acquisition partner at Airwallex, the global payments and finance platform
Talent Acquisition partner at Airwallex, the global payments and finance platform. Jo graduated from University of San Francisco and originally from China.
Areas of Specialty: Networking, LinkedIn optimization.
AUERBACH, JOANNE
Emeritus Member – Executive Recruiter & Consultant, JGAuerbach & Associates
JoAnne Auerbach provides executive search and related consulting services for technology, healthcare/pharma/biotech, legal/financial services, and public sector employers and positions. She specializes in recruitment of corporate and product marketing, product management, sales, business development, professional services, attorneys, and human resources staff at executive, management or senior individual contributor levels. Founded in 1995, JG Auerbach & Associates also provides consulting on recruitment, organizational, and people issues. Prior experience includes Human Resources/Staffing leadership roles with Octel Communications; Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP; PacTel Spectrum Services; and the City & County of San Francisco. She has a BA degree from UC Berkeley.
Areas of Specialty: Sales and marketing recruitment, technology careers, government sector employment, jobs at start-ups.
FRANGQUIST, DEBORAH GAVRIN
Emeritus Member – Principal at Chosen Futures, Career Consulting and Executive Coaching
Deborah Frangquist is a San Francisco career consultant who coaches professionals in transition, helping them create oases of clarity so they can tune in to what matters to them. Her approach combines deep knowledge of the world of work with NLP-based change work, systemic constellations, and Reiki and other energy modalities. She has advised people through several cycles of technological and economic change and is known for her savvy in fostering success and fulfillment in any economy.
Areas of Specialty: Career change, spiritual & emotional transition, sustainable careers, effective job search techniques and career development strategies for professionals and executives.
WILSON, JAN
Emeritus Member – HR & CRM Software Consultant at Vital Assets LLC
Jan is a Strategic Human Resources Business & ACT! and CRM Consultant at Vital Assets LLC. An HR consultant with 30+ years’ experience, Jan Wilson has extensive knowledge of all aspects of Human Resources strategy and management. Jan holds the SPHR-CA (Sr. Professional in domestic HR, and a CA specialty) and GPHR (Global Professional in HR) and has served in leadership positions in the HR field. She has significant experience in counseling and training of employees and executives and is an adjunct professor of graduate HR at Golden Gate University. Jan is also the Founder and President of Vital Assets, an entrepreneurial CRM software sales and consulting business.
Areas of Specialty: Human resources, HI tech & Biotech, Biz performances management
YOUNG, ARTHUR
Emeritus Member – Strategic Marketing Consultant
Arthur is a communications professional with in depth experience in media and journalism and for many years has taught marketing courses as a UC Berkeley Instructor. In the past, he was an executive at media companies including ABC and NBC. He also has been PR Director at Panasonic and PacBell. He is interested in sustainability and teaches on the subjects of marketing and sustainability.
Areas of Specialty: Public relations, communication, marketing, renewable energy, project management