Program Advisory Committee
Ambassador Frank E. Baxter is Chairman Emeritus of Jefferies and Company, Inc., a global investment bank focusing on mid-cap companies. He retired as Chief Executive Officer in 2001, a position he had held since 1987. He is the former Ambassador to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, where he served from November 2006 to January 2009. Mr. Baxter has been involved in numerous civic activities, including the following: Chairman of After-School All-Stars; Chairman of the Board of Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, an organization dedicated to starting a number of charter schools in Los Angeles; Board Member, California Institute of the Arts; Member, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth; Vice Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Opera, whose budget grew 2 ½ times during his tenure as President; Chairman of the Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, while undergoing a major building campaign; Trustee, University of California Berkeley Foundation; and Trustee, I Have a Dream Foundation, LA Chapter.
As Founder and Chairman of Panda Restaurant Group (PRG), Andrew Cherng has created a company that strongly believes in its mission “To deliver exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives.” Andrew’s inside-out approach to both his personal and professional life has created an environment at PRG that prioritizes people and guests before financials – a philosophy that has helped to elevate PRG as the nationwide leader in Asian foodservice. PRG currently employs over 16,000 associates and will exceed $1Billion in sales in 2007. What started as a passion for food has evolved into a passion for life, learning and people. Andrew Cherng Panda Restaurant Group Founder and Chairman
Andrew F. Barth is chairman of Capital Guardian Trust Company, chairman of Capital International Limited, executive vice president of Capital Group International Inc., and vice chairman of Capital International Research, Inc. He also serves as a director for the Capital Group Companies, Inc. He is a member of the Global Institutional committee. Mr. Barth joined the Capital Group Companies in 1985 after completing his MBA at Columbia Business School. He graduated from Columbia summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. His civic duties include serving on the board of trustees for the California Science Center Foundation, and Pomona College, and on the board of overseers for the Huntington Museum, Library and Gardens.
Andrew David Gross is Vice President of Development at Tomas Safran & Associates. Mr. Gross is experienced in many aspects of a¬ffordable and market rate housing development, including finance, government agency negotiations, and project management through planning, design and construction. Tomas Safran & Associates owns and manages over 3,200 units of a¬ffordable rental housing in California. For over 25 years, the Company has specialized in developing aff¬ordable housing projects, many of which have won awards from prestigious organizations.
Jeffrey S. Levine, President, Levine Management Group, Inc. is a recognized specialist in real estate management, construction and development, of multi-family and senior citizen apartment communities. Over the years, the firm has managed in excess of $100,000,000 of real estate from pre-design through the completion of construction. Levine Management Group, Inc. currently manages in excess of 4,500 apartment units throughout southern California. Jeff’s duties on projects have included project management, site acquisition and procurement, financial analysis, selection and supervision of architects and consultants, purchasing, oversight of permit processing and expediting, government regulatory compliance, monitoring of construction, and asset and property management. Jeff is a member of the Advisory Board for Fremont College of Business, and is active in other civic and philanthropic organizations in the Los Angeles area.
Piyush has over 7 years of experience in income tax planning, tax return preparation and financial reporting for individuals, family owned and closely-held businesses. Piyush’s main industry experience includes tax planning, tax compliance, tax and business consulting services to clients in the real estate industry, as well as high net worth individuals. He has also represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the Franchise Tax Board in audit matters.
Dr. Luskin is an education pioneer who has developed several new programs, including the Webcast continuing education program for healthcare professionals, the High Hopes program, the Emeritus Institute at Coastline College, the Center for the Partially Sighted, and many variations of distributed and adult learning programs, including the launch of the first PhD program in Media Psychology. University Business Magazine profiled Dr. Luskin as one who has had exceptionally successful careers in both education and business. He has worked internationally on programs in China, Japan, The UAE, Bahrain, Ireland, England and throughout Europe. He has been President/CEO of divisions of Fortune 50 and 500 companies, including Philips Interactive Media, Philips Education and Reference Publishing, Jones Interactive Inc., and Jones Education Networks. He has served as president of Orange Coast College and Coastline Community College, as well as Chancellor of Jones International University.
Dr. Young is also a Professor of Accounting in the Leventhal School of Accounting and holds joint appointments as Professor of Management and Organization in the Marshall School of Business, and Professor of Communication and Journalism in the Annenberg School of Communication. Previously, Young served at the Associate Dean of the Marshall MBA Program. He is also a New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestselling Author.
Dr. Brophy has served as the President of Marymount College Palos Verdes in Los Angeles since 2006 and has held leadership appointments at the University of Wisconsin Colleges, Long Island University (New York), the State University of New York and the Sage Colleges (New York). As President of Marymount, he has led the transformation of a single campus private two-year college (Marymount) into a multisite four-year college with suburban and urban campuses. During his tenure, enrollment at Marymount increased by 70% and fundraising improved by 1,000%. Through collaborative programs, Dr. Brophy’s institutions provide access for urban students to higher education in New York City and Los Angeles. The New York City Board of Education recognized Dr. Brophy as a co-developer of the city’s model school/university partnership.
Dr. Gedney is former vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Ex'pression College for the Digital Arts located in Emeryville, California. He was formerly Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Silicon Valley College with campuses located in Fremont, Walnut Creek, Concord, San Jose, and Emeryville, California. He has devoted more than 30 years to education, the last 20 of which he has served as a college president or chairman of the board. Prior positions include director of student financial aid, dean of student services, and professor of counseling psychology. Ellis holds a B.A. degree from Denison University, a Master of Science degree from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Virginia. His publications include presentations at both national and international conferences on higher education.
Mr. Strouse has over two decades of experience in private postsecondary education having previously held executive positions at two institutions, and has provided legal and consulting services to numerous others. Mr. Strouse is responsible for regulatory compliance and new program development at Taft. Since 1989, Mr. Strouse has been a primary resource for the drafting and implementation of statutes and regulations related to postsecondary education in California. During the last 15 years, Mr. Strouse has served on several state committees, which have drafted regulations related to the California Education Code. He has also drafted legislation, position papers and testified before the legislature regarding numerous statutes and regulations in California on behalf of the school industry. Mr. Strouse was the Chief Legislative Counsel for the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools.
Mr. Clohan was founder and former chairman of U.S. Education Corporation (USEC), a postsecondary education company with 17 campuses serving approximately 10,000 students in seven Western states, using institutional, regional, and programmatic accreditation. He served as general counsel to the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (1992-98), General Counsel to the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (1982-96), and General Counsel to the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools (1982-92). Mr. Clohan served from 1981 to 1982 as U.S. Undersecretary of Education, from 1978 to 1981 as Education Counsel (Republican) to the Education & Labor Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and from 1976 to 1978 as legislative assistant to two Members of Congress. Mr. Clohan was an o¬fficer in the U.S. Air Force from 1970 to 1975, serving as Commander of Headquarters support squadrons for Tactical Air Command and for Air Force Systems Command.
Armen Orujyan, Ph.D., is an entrepreneur, innovator, and founder of Athgo, one of the world’s leading entrepreneurial platforms in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the United Nations Department of Public Information. Dr. Orujyan established Athgo as a small program at UCLA, it has since provided financial, intellectual, and networking opportunities to nearly 10,000 young innovators, entrepreneurs, and students from over 600 universities in 80 countries. Dr. Orujyan’s 20 years of experience with innovative young people and his academic research on human expected utility and rationality are the foundation for his popular quantitative behavioral framework—Four Pillars of Success—a methodology he employs when providing strategic guidance to governments, the private sector, and leading global agencies. Previously, Dr. Orujyan served as an advisor for various U.S. political campaigns; served as Co-Chairman of the UN’s Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID); and currently serves on the UN’s venerated Broadband Commission for Digital Development. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and his Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University (CGU).
Katheryn Schloessman is president of the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC). She oversees and manages the day-to-day operations of the Commission, which acts as the official organization for the City of Los Angeles to seek, host, promote and retain special sports and entertainment events such as Super Bowls, Grammy Awards and All-Star games. LASEC was founded in 1995 by Mayor Richard Riordan and other civic leaders to provide a single point of contact for the City of Los Angeles for sports and entertainment executives and for events. These events positively impact the local economy by attracting visitors to the city, giving them a reason to stay longer and return more frequently. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Schloessman held the position of managing officer of CB Commercial’s downtown Los Angeles office, where she was responsible for business development, operations, and management of the Los Angeles region’s office professionals and oversaw CB Commercial’s community relations efforts.
As President and CEO of ClubCorp, Eric Affeldt, is responsible for all aspects of domestic and international operations for “The World Leader of Private Clubs.” Founded in 1957, Dallas-based ClubCorp is the world leader in delivering premier golf, private club, and resort experiences. Internationally, ClubCorp’s affiliates own or operate nearly 170 golf courses, country clubs, private business and sports clubs, and resorts. Prior to joining ClubCorp, Mr. Affeldt served as a principal of KSL Capital Partners, the private equity firm that recently purchased ClubCorp. KSL Capital Partners is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises.
Berg Family of Companies has two cornerstone businesses: Ellis Paint Company, a specialty paint manufacturer, celebrating 125 years in business and Pacific Resource Recovery. Services, an EPA permitted TSDF facility recycling paint related waste streams. Innovative leadership, proactive compliance and community outreach have been key elements which set both Ellis Paint Company and PRRS apart from their national and international competition. In 2004, Sandra was appointed to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) by Governor Schwarzenegger. CARB is the lead policy agency responsible for the air quality in the state. They are recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in policy, innovative technology and driving green business to California for clean air solutions. Combining her leadership in business and community service efforts, Sandra brings a practical and dedicated perspective to her board service.
Cynthia is executive chairman of Lindora Clinic, the largest multisite medical weight control system in the United States. A nationally recognized expert in the field of weight management, Cynthia has been actively involved in the growth and development of Lindora since 1988. She is the author of three books, including the best-selling Lean for Life and bodyPRIDE, and is founder of the Lean for Life Foundation. She was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners, was named 2010 California State University Long Beach (CSULB) Distinguished Alumni for the College of Business Administration, and was subsequently appointed the Center for Ethical Leadership at CSULB’s 2010 William Dickson Leader-in-Residence, and Ukleja Center Faculty Fellow. Cynthia holds a law degree from York University as well as a B.S. in business
Dennis Lisaius, Director and Senior Therapist at LA Sports Massage, is an NCBTMB Board Certified Massage Therapist who has over 30 years of experience. He has over 1,500 massage therapy training and education hours and over 6,500 hours of experience providing massage at sporting events, team training support, business outreach massage and entertainment industry sports shoots. His most notable experience includes: Therapist at 2007 & 2008 Ironman World Championships, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, and personal therapist for Chris McCormack and Natascha Badmann in the 2007 Ironman World Championships, Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Dennis is a member of the following organizations: Los Angeles Triathlon Club, LA Leggers, American Massage Therapy Association, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Robert began his sports medicine and physical therapy career in Santa Monica California in 1980 after graduating from the University of New York at Stony Brook. Robert’s professional career spans 8 Olympic games. Under his direct care athletes have earned 54 US Olympic Medals, Wimbledon, Grand Slam, Wrestling, and MMA World Champion titles.
Forster has served the Santa Monica, California area for over 35 years. He is the founder and CEO of both FORSTER PHYSICAL THERAPY© and the PHASE IV Scientific Health and Performance Center©, voted Best in LA by both Los Angeles and Competitor Magazines. Both facilities are clinical campuses, and provide research for the Geffen School of Medicine, and the National Institute of Health, they are also the exclusive physical therapy providers for the Los Angeles Marathon©.
Emily is currently the Southern California Recruiter for Burke Williams Day Spas. Prior to her career with Burke Williams, she had an almost six year career managing Massage Envy locations in Southern California, and truly has a passion for the wellness industry. Emily graduated from Music Business college, and also has a background in the Music Industry.
Thomas S. Levyn is the second three-term Mayor of Beverly Hills since the City’s 1914 incorporation. As Mayor, Mr. Levyn created cutting edge, innovative and community-building programs. He was responsible for balancing general and capital fund budgets approaching $250,000,000. Recognizing the need for efficient, cost-effective legal organization, Mr. Levyn created and implemented the first case management system for Beverly Hills, resulting in significant savings for the City. Mr. Levyn is a well-recognized, leading expert in complex real estate and business transactions, and has implemented effective risk management protocols for national real estate companies. Currently, he represents public companies and private concerns with o ces throughout the country, including national banks, realty advisors, insurance companies, asset and property managers, equity investors, real estate brokerages.
Jim Childs practices in the business transactions area, with emphasis on corporate, real estate, and partnership transactions. His practice involves corporate acquisitions, both taxable and tax free, real estate transactions, LLC matters, tax planning, and real estate taxation. Jim is a member of the State Bar of California (past chairperson of the Tax Section) and the Los Angeles County Bar Association (Taxation Section). He has lectured extensively for various legal, accounting, and continuing education groups on a variety of tax-related topics. Some of Mr. Childs’s most prominent cases include advising e Deutsch Group in its $1.04 billion acquisition by WENDEL Investissement.
Kristine E. Kwong, Esq. is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Musick, Peeler & Garrett, LLP. She advises and counsels clients on a wide range of business and employment issues and her practice includes the drafting and updating of handbooks, policy manuals, codes of conduct, and severance packages. She defends employers in complex litigation matters in both federal and state courts and regularly produces and presents training programs for employers on current issues of employment law. She was previously an Adjunct Professor and the California State University at Northridge and an instructor at Fremont College.
Attorney Faith Nouri has a successful practice in Huntington Beach specializing in Family and Immigration Law. She is licensed to practice law in both California and Canada. Ms. Nouri has designation as a Certified Family Law Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization. Her extensive experience in divorce, child custody, support orders and property division makes her a valuable advocate for families. Ms. Nouri also has expertise in the ¬field of Immigration Law with over 10 years of experience serving the O.C. and L.A. communities. She specializes in helping clients ¬le for deferred action, provisional waivers, investment visas and family member residencies. She also assists those with matters pertaining to prior deportations, inadmissibility with Canada and border issues.
Lee Paige is the owner, principal and driving force behind Novus Lumen Consulting. Mr. Paige is a dynamic motivational speaker, career and business development coach and consultant, educator, legal professional, sommelier and licensing consultant. He has coached lawyers, paralegals, law students, engineers, struggling artists, secretaries and other business professionals and has coached instructor and administrators at colleges, universities, small and large businesses and charitable and professional organizations. He recently held the important post of Development Officer at The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and serves an adjunct professor of Contract Law, Civil Procedure and Labor and Employment Law at Fremont College in Los Angeles and also at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.
Ms. Manu has had a successful legal and human resources career as a billable professional, manager, leader, and recently as an educator. She has experience as a small business owner, in public and private companies, fi¬rms, and with the federal government. Ms. Manu has experienced success as a high-energy leader and motivator of staff, with signi¬ficant responsibility in law (transactional, corporate and litigation), privacy, human capital and culture, loss/risk management, contracts – drafting, negotiation, mediation, organizational management, change and crisis management, process creation/improvement/execution, intellectual property, unauthorized misuse and fraud, and a strong record of reducing costs by optimization of in-house and external resources.
As Chancellor and CEO of Fremont College, Sabrina Kay brings an expansive vision to the field of higher education and understands the difference education can make in the lives of students. She believes that the beneficial effects of education extend far beyond the walls of any campus. Armed with an outstanding management team, Sabrina’s goal is to create an institution that fosters success with integrity by empowering students and staff to achieve their full potential. Sabrina comes from a diverse and successful business and education background. As founder of various entrepreneurial businesses such as California Design College, Premier Business Bank, Fremont Private Investments, Fashion Umbrella LLC, and LAdesigns.org, she has been at the forefront of education and inspiring others to achieve their goals. She has had a profound influence on a generation of young professionals by spearheading several educational programs and influential events in design, business, finance, and leadership.
Dr. Luskin is an Emmy award-winning, licensed psychotherapist, who has split his life's work between education, commerce, entertainment, and the corporate world. Dr. Luskin was president and CEO of Fortune 500 companies like PolyGram New Media and Philips Interactive Media and currently serves as the president of Moorpark College. He has degrees in business and a UCLA doctorate in education, psychology, and technology. Career highlights include: Launching the first Ph.D. program in media psychology, spearheading breakthroughs in interactive technology including the world's first CD movie, and founding the first fully web-based university. Dr. Luskin received lifetime achievement awards from the Irish Government and the European Union for his contributions to education and digital media and a 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to media psychology from the American Psychological Association. He currently serves as president of the APA's "Society for Media Psychology and Technology."
Armen Orujyan, Ph.D., is an entrepreneur, innovator, and founder of Athgo, one of the world’s leading entrepreneurial platforms in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the United Nations Department of Public Information. Dr. Orujyan established Athgo as a small program at UCLA, it has since provided financial, intellectual, and networking opportunities to nearly 10,000 young innovators, entrepreneurs, and students from over 600 universities in 80 countries. Dr. Orujyan’s 20 years of experience with innovative young people and his academic research on human expected utility and rationality are the foundation for his popular quantitative behavioral framework—Four Pillars of Success—a methodology he employs when providing strategic guidance to governments, the private sector, and leading global agencies. Previously, Dr. Orujyan served as an advisor for various U.S. political campaigns; served as Co-Chairman of the UN’s Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID); and currently serves on the UN’s venerated Broadband Commission for Digital Development. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and his Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University (CGU).
Jon Vein co-founded MarketShare Inc. and serves as its CEO. Previously, Mr. Vein served as Chief Operating Officer of Artists Management Group and Artists Production Group, overseeing all divisions, including talent, literary, animation, sports, music, publishing, and feature film production. Mr. Vein engineered AMG's sale to The Firm, which he joined as Co-Head of the M&A/Strategic Advisory Services Division. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Film Roman LLC and serves as a board member of the Young President' Organization, the California Cultural and Historic Endowment, UNICEF, LA Channel 36, Youth, Inc., and the Advisory Board for the Governor's Appointments to the Regents of the University of California. Mr. Vein holds a US Patent in the field of tissue engineering and is an Emmy Award winner. Mr. Vein graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a double B.S. in Material Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.
Chris Anthony is Senior Business Development Manager at ExactTarget Inc., a digital software marketing firm recently acquired by Salesforce.com. Mr. Anthony previously worked for Premiere Global Services as a regional manager and Chicago Interface Group as a regional account manager. Mr. Anthony is a board member on the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission and is also involved with ThinkLA. He graduated from Michigan State University.
Drew Baldwin is founder of Tubefilter Inc., a digital entertainment media company that covers the online video industry. He is also co-founder and executive producer of the Streamy Awards, the first awards show celebrating excellence in online video programming. Before joining Tubefilter, Mr. Baldwin was an award-winning creative director at Studio 8 Entertainment, which produced original series and new media campaigns for major brands, such as Nike, AT&T, and Intel. He has served as an advisor on the American Film Institute Digital Content Lab's design roundtable for ABC-Disney, serves as the Chair of the New Media Council of the Caucus for Directors, Writers, and Producers, and on the Interactive Media Peer Group for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Mr. Baldwin graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities.
Trina Albus is the founder of Magenta Agency, an analytics-focused social media agency with primarily fashion and beauty clients in Los Angeles and New York City. Magenta's clients include W Magazine, J. Mendel, and GLAMGLOW. Before founding Magenta, Ms. Albus worked at Price Waterhouse, Discovery Communications, Time Inc., and BeachMint. She balances her time running the agency, teaching social and digital marketing workshops and courses at General Assembly, and presenting at conferences, including the Lucky Magazine Fashion and Beauty Blogger (FABB) Conference. Ms. Albus serves as a mentor at Launchpad LA and as an advisor to start ups.
Lin Miao is currently Managing Partner of Be Great Partners, a leading startup incubator in Los Angeles that provides resources, funding, facilities, and business advice to new businesses. In 2007, Mr. Miao was named top a 25 Entrepreneurs under 25 by Business Week. In 2013, he was nominated for Forbes' top "30 Under 30." Mr. Miao is a graduate of Babson College.
Steve Weiss is a co-founder of MuteSix, a marketing company that helps companies understand and leverage digital marketing to dramatically boost their ROI. The company specializes in Facebook advertising, lead generation, and e-commerce. Mr. Weiss has over a decade of experience in online marketing.
Richard Jun is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of BAM Ventures, a Los Angeles based venture capital firm that he started with Brian S. Lee. Prior to BAM, he served on ShoeDazzle's senior management team as its General Counsel and helped orchestrate the merger of the company with its largest competitor. Previously, Mr. Jun headed the corporate practice at Lee, Tran and Liang, a boutique downtown Los Angeles law firm. He has extensive experience in all facets of transactional law having served as outside corporate counsel to a variety of companies across a multitude of industries and stages of growth. He was also the head attorney and lead business development executive at the US division of a prominent South Korean Entertainment conglomerate. Mr. Jun graduated from Harvard College and received his J.D. from Columbia Law School.
Robert Graham is the Co-founder of AArrow Advertising, the largest sign spinning company/franchise in the world. He is also the Co-founder of Brander. Mr. Graham wаѕ honored аt the 2014 TechCrunch Startup Showdown and is a 2010 Impact Award recipient. Mr. Graham attended Arizona State University with a degree in Strategic Marketing and Leadership Services.
Ron Lin is the founder and CTO of CARD.com, a Santa Monica-based internet company that is the hip alternative to the traditional branch bank account. Mr. Lin has a background in science, technology, and computation. He graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lin received the 2008 Lindau Young Researcher Fellow, Lindau Meeting for Nobel Laureates award.
Carl Schloessman is the EVP Sales & Marketing for Live Nation / House of Blues, managing the Special Event division for Live Nation's 40+ Clubs and Theatres across the U.S., including the 12 House of Blues locations. Mr. SChloessman is a board member for After-School All-Stars which provides comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them achieve in school and life. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from University of Colorado, Boulder.
Jason Nazar is the co-founder and CEO of Docstoc (Acquired by INTUIT), the premier online destination to start, grow, and manage small businesses. He also created and hosted Startups Uncensored, the longest running and most widely attended technology gathering in southern California, which regularly brings together thousands of entrepreneurs, techies, and investors. Before starting Docstoc, he was a partner in a venture consulting firm in Los Angeles where he worked with dozens of startups. Mr. Nazar holds a BA from University of California, Santa Barbara and JD/MBA from Pepperdine University. Mr. Nazar was named one of the "Most Admired CEOs in Los Angeles" by the LA Business Journal. He is a regular writer for Forbes, WSJ, and BusinessInsider.
Gunther Shia serves as Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at City National Rochdale in Beverly Hills. Mr. Shia previously worked in Singapore, Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, England, India, and Pakistan providing investment advice to institutions and high net-worth clients for Goldman Sachs. He has been a guest lecturer on investment theory at the University of South Florida Graduate School of Business. Mr. Shia was a former CFO, board member, and president of the Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD). Through CLAD he has raised funds for charities such as animal shelters and shelters for abused women. He shared the judging panel with the late fashion critic Richard Blackwell and had trained and recruited contestants for several Miss USA® state contests.
Mr. Frye is an artist and designer dedicated to creating compelling corporate graphic design in Los Angeles for almost twenty years. Mr. Frye has an extensive list of corporate projects he has designed and participated in for clients including; Amdahl, Bandai Toys, Blue Cross, The Collective, Dreamworks, Epson, The Getty Museum, KPMG, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, NBC (Olympic games), Princess Cruises, Fran Norris Scoble Leadership Coashing, Starwood Hotels, Tribute: An American Gift Collection, UCLA Center For Performing Arts, The UKLA Festival, The Southern California Tennis Association, W Hotels, Warner Bros., Wells Fargo, The Wiltern Theatre, World Cup Soccer, as well as pro-bono work for Hospice of Santa Barbara.
Brent Bushnell is the CEO of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company. Most recently the team launched STEAM Carnival, a modern re-imagining of the midway to inspire kids about science, technology, engineering, art and math. Previously he was the on-camera inventor for the ABC TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He was a cofounder of Anti-Aging Games creating casual games to reduce the risk of early memory loss and a founding member of Syyn Labs, a creative collective combining art and engineering to create high engagement for large brands and bands including Google, Disney and responsible for the viral hit Rube Goldberg music video for OK Go that garnered 40 million views on YouTube. In his spare time, Brent mentors teens in game development and entrepreneurship via programs such as Spark and NFTE. He publishes at
brentbushnell.com
and @brentbushnell
Kristen Moore currently serves as an advisor and marketing consultant to early-stage technology and media companies. She helps high-growth businesses establish and build their brands specifically to drive market adoption and sales. Ms. Moore brings 20 years of strategic marketing experience in both growth-stage startup companies, as well as Fortune 50 corporations. She was most recently Head of Corporate Marketing & Communications for Demand Media, a publicly-traded digital media company, where she was responsible for all marketing and internal and external communications. Ms. Moore led product marketing for FedEx’s retail operations after the company acquired Kinko’s, where she headed up business marketing. She also built business-to-business marketing disciplines at technology startups, including Astata and Spotrunner. Having a passion for education, Ms. Moore has dedicated her non-profit service to organizations that focus on underprivileged children. She served as a Board Member for Trinity River Mission in Dallas and HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles), where she helped develop college prep programs for high school students. Ms. Moore received a B.S. in International Studies from Arkansas State University and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Entrepreneur, visual designer, UX evangelist, mentor and cook, Marcella has a background in economics and business but spent most of her higher education years immersed in art, visual and performance experiences and working as a professional pastry chef.
Marcella's work has been seen and used globally. She finds passion and inspiration in mentoring and teaching to inspire the next generation of designers, creators and thinkers. In both her companies, she guides her teams to set the standard for usability and user experience that is not only functional, but is rich in emotional experience as well as delightful!
As President of UXPA, Los Angeles chapter, a 501(c)6 non-profit, she and her leadership team have become a formidable force in the tech world, focusing on the needs of the 2300+ membership through community outreach, education and service.
Marcella is also an active participant and speaker in many design, ux and technology events and her work can be seen throughout the world.
10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010
900A
Cerritos, CA 90703
