SJSU College of Business Advisory Board
Mission
The mission of the San José State University College of Business Advisory Board is to assist the Dean, faculty, and staff in attaining global status as a leading college of business.
The Advisory Board will achieve its mission through a membership of individuals whose business community stature and accomplishments bring credit to the College and who individually and collectively provide:
- Advice and counsel to the Dean, faculty, and staff on strategy, important issues affecting the future of the College, curricula and programs;
- Support and assistance to the fundraising efforts of the College;
- Input to the Dean, faculty, and staff for assessing the progress of the College and measuring achievement of goals and objectives;
- Insights to the Dean, faculty, and staff on how the College can enhance the impact of its services on various stakeholder groups;
- Valuable contacts for faculty access to the business community for applied research purposes and to help them further develop their public service skills; and
- Valuable contacts for students and advice in their career selection decisions and job-seeking activities.
| William E. Barton | Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Granite Construction |
| Edward E. Benson | President and Chief Executive Officer Two Sheltie Productions, LLC |
| Gregory K. Belanger | President, Technology and Life Sciences, Comerica Bank-California |
| Phillip R. Boyce | President of Boyce & Associates |
| Terry H.Carlitz | Independent Business Advisor (former Chief Financial Officer and Director of Saba Software) |
| Richard L.Conniff | President & Chief Executive Officer, Focus Business Bank |
| Joseph C. Consul | Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Everdream Corporation |
| Rod Diridon, Sr. | Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute |
| Melissa Dyrdahl | Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Bring Light, Incorporated |
| Robert W. Foy | Chairman of the Board, California Water Service Company |
| Jay B. Fulcher | President & Chief Executive Officer, Agile Software |
| Cynthia Lazares | CPA, Retired cofounder of Shilling and Kenyon/SK Consulting |
| Bradley S. Maihack | Corporate Controller for Open View Software, Hewlett Packard |
| Gary J. Sbona | Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Regent Pacific Management Corporation |
| Dr. Gary M. Silver | Retired Cardio-thoracic Surgeon and Private Investor |
| Larry T. Solari | Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BSI Holdings |
| James E. Thompson | Founder and Chairman of Crown Worldwide Group |
William (Bill) E. Barton,
BS '67 Accounting & Finance
Mr. Barton started at Granite Construction in 1980 as a cash manager until promoted in 1988 to company treasurer, and then in 1990 as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President. He is now Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Granite Construction and serves on the subsidiary board of directors of Wilder Construction, Incorporated and ITC, Incorporated, to which Granite Construction has a minority interest in. Mr. Barton received his MBA from Santa Clara University in 1973.
Top Edward E. Benson
BS '61 Industrial Management (Minor in psychology) &
MS '62 Business Administration
President and Chief Executive Officer, Two Sheltie Productions, LLC.
Top Phillip (Phil) R. Boyce
BA '66, Business Administration
Mr. Boyce is the President of Boyce & Associates, a property development firm. Mr. Boyce is the retired chairman of Western Capital Management. He and his wife, Susan, founded Pacific Western Bank when he was 30 years old, which later became Western Capital Management. In 1994, the bank merged with Comerica Bank.
Top Terry Carlitz
BS '77 Accounting
Mrs. Carlitz is currently an independent business advisor. From 1999 to 2002, Ms. Carlitz served as Chief Financial Officer and board member of Saba Software, Incorporated, a provider of human capital management applications. From 1998 to 1999, she served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer of SPL World Group B.V., a provider of customer relationship management solutions for the energy industry, and from 1995 to 1998 as Chief Financial Officer of Infinity Financial Technology, a provider of derivatives trading and risk management solutions until its merger with SunGard Data Systems. She held various senior financial management positions at Apple Computer from 1987 to 1995. Mrs. Carlitz is currently on the boards of Photon Dynamics Corporation, Hyperion Solutions, Incorporated, and Advent Corporation She holds a M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Top Richard (Dick) Conniff
MBA '87
Mr. Conniff is the President & Chief Operating Officer of Focus Business Bank. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive officer and Chairman of Heritage Commerce Corporation Mr. Conniff has been President and COO of Heritage Commerce Corp since 2000; President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank East Bay, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heritage Commerce Corp, from 1998 to 2000; President and Chief Executive Officer of Acacia Bank, an industrial loan company, from 1997 to 1998; and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of South Valley Bancorporation from 1995 to 1997.
Top Joseph C. Consul
BS '82 Business Administration
Joe Consul is responsible for all of Everdream's financial, accounting, human resource and IT operations. Mr. Consul brings to Everdream 20 years of finance and operations experience with full business life cycle experience from start-up stage through public offerings and a successful track record of achieving significant ROI for investors. Prior to joining Everdream, Consul was the Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Arcot Systems, a leading provider of identity management solutions for e-payments, pharma and banking applications. Before that Consul served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Tumbleweed Communications (NASDAQ: TMWD), where he led Tumbleweed's IPO. Previously, he served as Vice President of Operations for Fractal Design Corporation, and also held senior finance positions at Ray Dream, XA Systems Corporation, and Adobe Systems. Consul holds a B.S. in Business Administration from San Jose State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, and was licensed as a California C.P.A.
TopRod recently retired as chair of the County Board of Supervisors and Transit Board after 23 years in elected office. He chairs transit projects at the local, regional, state, national and international level and is credited with returning rail to the Valley. He is currently on the corporate boards of the San Jose National Bank and Empire Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous community associations. He has served as chair of over 50 local and national organizations. The main San Jose train station is dedicated the San Jose Diridon Station. Rod was the 1983 College of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient and a charter member of our Association. He served as our Association's President for two terms from 1996 to 1998 and currently serves on our Executive Committee as Past President.
TopIn May 2004, Dyrdahl was named "Best Marketing Executive" by the American Business Awards for her work in helping transform Adobe's brand into new markets, and she later oversaw the marketing and communications efforts related to Adobe's 2005 acquisition of Macromedia, Incorporated. She joined Adobe in 1994 as a founding member of the Home and Office Products Division, where she led worldwide marketing for consumer and small and medium business products, and was promoted to her current position in 2000.
Prior to joining Adobe, Dyrdahl was director of worldwide sales operations at Claris Corporation, the software subsidiary of Apple Computer Incorporated, and held several marketing management positions at Hewlett-Packard Company.
Dyrdahl sits on the board of directors for the San Jose Museum of Art, the advisory board for the CMO Council, and the western region advisory board for Catalyst, a research and advisory organization working to advance women in business. She is a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women in Industry award and is an active mentor. Dyrdahl attended San Jose State University, where she majored in advertising.
Top Robert Foy
BS ' 59 Business Administration
Mr. Foy has been chairman of the board for the California Water Service Company, a subsidiary of the California Water Service Group, since January 1, 1996, and has been director of it since 1977. The California Water Service Company, organized in 1926, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the western United States, and one of the largest in the country. In 1964, Foy became associated with the Pacific Storage Company, where he held the position of president from 1977 through 1995.
Top Jay B. Fulcher
BS ' 85 Management
Jay B. Fulcher serves as Agile's President and Chief Executive Officer. In his role, Mr. Fulcher is responsible for sales, marketing, product development and customer service. Mr. Fulcher partners closely with Agile Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Stolle, on the company's strategy and corporate direction. Mr. Fulcher's career spans nearly 20 years of senior management roles in sales, marketing, field operations, professional services and product development at leading enterprise software companies including SAP, Red Pepper Software, and PeopleSoft. At PeopleSoft, Mr. Fulcher served as President of the Products Division, and then as Executive Vice President of PeopleSoft Global Services.
Top Cindy Lazares
BS ' 76 Accounting
Mrs. Lazares is the Co-founder of Lazares Companies. She was one of the original founders of Shilling & Kenyon, Incorporated in 1982. Prior work experience includes four years as a tax manager with Arthur Young and two years as the in-charge director of tax for the regional firm of Moss Adams & Company She remains a part-time financial consultant. Cindy is the recipient of the 1995 California Legislative Woman of the Year award. She was also selected to receive the 1995 Women of Achievement Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Top Bradley S. Maihack
BS ' 78 Accounting
Brad is a 31 year veteran of Hewlett-Packard's Financial leadership community. Over Brad's career at Hewlett Packard he has held a wide range of senior financial management and controllership roles across a broad range of high technology businesses, most recently as Controller and Worldwide Director of Finance for Hewlett Packard; OpenView Management Software Business (the 13th largest software company in the world).
Brad is a recognized financial & business leader within Hewlett Packard and is often sought after in regards to leading significant business turnarounds and growing high profile new business ventures in the company. He and his global team of Finance professionals lead the development and implementation financial management strategies & processes necessary to optimize global business performance and to transform the financial management culture of organizations. Recognized for his unique background and experience in successfully managing high technology businesses throughout every stage of the business life cycle, Brad is uniquely qualified for the leadership challenges inherent in helping make Hewlett Packard the world's number one information technology company.
Brad holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration; Accounting concentration, from San Jose State University. He is the co-creator & co-chair of the Silicon Valley Financial Management Institute, an active member of Silicon Valley Financial Executive International, and serves on Board's of a number of other Silicon Valley professional organizations.
Top Gary J. Sbona
BS '66 Business Administration
Gary founded Regent Pacific in 1974, and is chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As a senior executive with over 38 years of domestic and international business experience, Gary has led the Regent Pacific teams involved in the firm's most difficult and complex engagements. He has participated in over 100 technology, commercial and retail/distribution engagements providing expertise in the analysis and development of alternative courses of action available to underperforming or troubled companies. This expertise includes the development of successful turnaround plans, negotiations with creditors and stockholders, and management of worldwide operations for multinational companies, as well as, operational and financial restructuring for businesses of all types. Gary has also acted as an advisor or a principal in more than 85 merger, acquisition, and divestment activities. His experience spans global publicly-traded and privately-owned companies as well as limited partnerships and family-owned businesses.
Gary currently serves as executive chairman of Verity, Incorporated. He is a member of the board of directors of KTEH-TV, a San Jose public television station, and a member of the International Board of Advisors for the College of Business at San Jose State University. He has recently served as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Auspex Systems, Incorporated, a publicly-traded storage solutions company; as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clarent Corporation, a publicly-traded broadband telecommunications company; as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Accelerated Networks, Incorporated, a public company providing broadband telecommunications; as a director of 3D Systems Corporation, a publicly-traded global solid imaging and mass customization company; and as a director of Calico Commerce Corporation, a publicly-traded software company.
He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Institute of Directors, London-UK, the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), the International Federation of Insolvency Professionals (INSOL), the Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors (AIRA). Gary was selected as a finalist for the 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Under Gary's leadership, Regent Pacific has been the recipient of the TMA 1999 National Award for the Large Corporate Turnaround of the Year, the 1997 Silicon Valley Service Provider of the Year award, and the 1994 TMA Turnaround of the Year award.
Top Larry T. Solari
BS '65 Business Administration, MBA '66
From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Solari was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BSI Holdings, Incorporated in Carmel, California. Mr. Solari was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sequentia, Incorporated from 1996 to 1997 and President of the Building Materials Group of Domtar, Incorporated from 1994 to 1996. Mr. Solari was President of the Construction Products Group of Owens-Corning Fiberglas from 1986 to 1994. Mr. Solari held various other positions with Owens-Corning Fiberglas since 1966. Mr. Solari earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from San Jose State University and is a graduate of Stanford University's Management Program. Mr. Solari is a Director of Pacific Coast Building Products, Incorporated, Atrium Companies, Incorporated, Aneco, Incorporated, Listman Homes Technologies and Performance Contracting Group. Mr. Solari is a past director of the Policy Advisory Board of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and an Advisory Board Member of the National Home Builders Association.
Top James (Jim) E. Thompson
BS '62 Aeronautics Engineering
Founder and Chairman of Crown Worldwide Group, Jim Thompson is a US citizen and permanent resident of Hong Kong. Raised in New Jersey, Thompson graduated from San Jose State University in California, receiving a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering. He has also studied in Stanford University's (US) Executive Program, a post-graduate course for senior executives.
An experienced expatriate, Mr. Thompson has lived in the Far East since 1963, when he moved to Japan. Two years later he founded his company, which was originally named Transport Services International. The company became known as Crown Pacific in 1970 and today it is known as the Crown Worldwide Group. He moved the company headquarters to Hong Kong in 1978.
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