Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Madelyn Alfano (B.S. ’79)

Madelyn Alfano, one of California’s most successful restaurant owners, believes that food is not just a necessity or pleasure, but a lifelong passion. Inspired by her parents and life in a large Italian family, Madelyn blends the finest ingredients, traditions and new ideas with the best aspects of family life to create a truly unique dining experience at Maria’s Italian Kitchen.

A native of Hoboken, New Jersey, Madelyn worked in her parents’ Italian deli while still a young girl. After graduating from UCLA in 1979, she worked at her parents’ Village Mart in Brentwood, Calif., with the vision of opening a true sit-down trattoria like those found in rural Italy. In 1980, Madelyn began her first solo venture when she opened International Meat and Deli Market across the street from the Village Mart. In 1985, she opened her first Maria’s Italian Kitchen in Sherman Oaks, Calif. She was 28 years old and used her life’s savings to create this neighborhood Italian restaurant. In February, she opened her tenth location in Oxnard. Today, Maria’s includes three concepts and a robust catering business.

Madelyn is involved in a number of philanthropic initiatives and is a member of NAWBO-LA, YPO/WPO (City of Angels Chapter) and Rotary, as well as the California Restaurant Association. She is married to Dr. Jeffrey Tucker, and has three children: Josh, Danielle and Nicolas.

Madelyn earned her B.S. in psychology from UCLA in 1979 and is also a graduate of the Management Development for Entrepreneurs program at UCLA Anderson.

Spiros Bouas

Spiros Bouas is an entrepreneur who has spent his entire career commercializing innovation in Silicon Valley. He has held senior roles in engineering and operations, as well as in sales, marketing and finance. Bouas spent the 1990s at Silicon Graphics, where he led teams who brought to market revolutionary products that contributed billions of dollars in revenue to the company. In 2000, Bouas, together with Benny Madsen and Christian Olgaard, co-founded LitePoint Corporation, where he served as chief operating officer. Litepoint grew from a three-man team to a world leader in the wireless industry. From the very beginning, LitePoint created breakthrough innovations in wireless test and continues to deliver the most technically advanced wireless test solutions available today. LitePoint was acquired by Teradyne in 2011.

Bouas is a graduate of the University of Rochester, where he earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering, and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a U.S. patent holder in the area of 3G wireless systems. Born and raised in Corfu, Greece, Bouas lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is an early-stage investor in various technology companies.

William M. Cockrum

William M. Cockrum has won numerous teaching awards, including recognition as the top entrepreneurial professor in the nation in a survey conducted by Business Week in 1996. He has become a legend for a case-study entrepreneurial finance class he has taught for more than 25 years, teaching students the ins and outs of acquiring and sustaining the financing for organizations.

Prior to joining the UCLA faculty, Bill Cockrum spent 25 years in financial services initially as a marketer and lastly as CFO/CAO and one of the top senior officers at Becker Paribas, Inc. a 3,000-employee investment banking firm. When the company was sold to Merrill Lynch in 1984, Cockrum began his second career as a consultant to chief executive officers. He serves as a consultant in a variety of industries on issues such as organization structure, strategy, marketing, finance, and administration.

Shortly after starting consulting, Cockrum became a full-time professor at UCLA Anderson teaching students the business and finance skills needed to succeed as entrepreneurs. Mr. Cockrum currently teaches entrepreneurial finance, business ethics, and investment management and more than 7,000 students have passed through his classroom for these courses. He also is a member of the School's Board of Visitors, the Anderson Alumni Board, the Advisory Board of the Price Center, and a member of the UCLA Foundation investment committee and a Governor of the Foundation.

Professor Cockrum is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Graduate School of Management of Cranfield University, Cranfield, England as well as a visiting Professor and a member of the Advisory Board of the Betteny Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies at Cranfield. Cockrum is also a Visiting Professor ay the Graduate School of Management at Warwick University, Coventry, England.

Greg Craig

Greg Craig is the CEO of Inupiat Energy Marketing, Inc. responsible for overall business activities, risk management, strategic direction, and ensuring a culture of ethical and mutually beneficially business relationships. Previously, Mr. Craig has been chairman and CEO of large, public and privately held, energy companies and active on a variety of boards and advisory councils. Most recently, Mr. Craig served as chairman and CEO of Commerce Energy, a publicly listed (AMEX:EGR) natural gas and electricity retailer serving more than 150,000 customers. In this capacity, he led a complete business turnaround which involved refinancing, restructuring, and selling the business to Universal Energy Group, a public energy retailer based in Toronto, Canada (TSX: UEG)

Prior to Commerce Energy, Mr. Craig served for two years as CEO of Macquarie Cook Energy (formerly Cook Inlet Energy Supply, LLC), a multi-billion dollar North American energy supply and services company. Mr. Craig had previously founded and served for 15 years as CEO of Cook Inlet Energy Supply, LLC, which was acquired by Macquarie Bank of Sydney, Australia, in November of 2005.

In 1996, Mr. Craig was selected as one of 20 United States (U.S.) delegates to join President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor at the Asian Pacific Economic Conference in Manila, Philippines. In 1997, Mr. Craig was appointed by Energy Secretary Federico Pena to the National Petroleum Council and, in that capacity, also advised several subsequent energy secretaries. In 1998, Craig was appointed by President Clinton to the President's Export Council as one of a select group of CEO's who provide recommendations to the President on U.S. export issues. He has also served as a member of the Natural Gas Business Development Roundtable at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Mr. Craig was born and raised in Alaska, is a shareholder of Cook Inlet Region Inc, (one of the 11 Alaskan Native Corporations established by Congress Under the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971), and is of Inupiat Eskimo heritage. He earned a BA degree from the University of Alaska and an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Mr. Craig is chairman of the board of the Price Center for Entrepreneurial studies at UCLA and also serves on the boards of Junior Achievement of Southern California and the Weingart Center, the western U.S.'s largest homeless shelter. Previously, Mr. Craig served on the board of directors of the Minority Business Roundtable in Washington, D.C. and on Sempra Energy's Community Advisory Council.

Mike De Paola

Mike De Paola (’94) left Wall Street and his role as an equity derivatives trader for JP Morgan to venture into the world of entrepreneurialism in 2001. Since then, De Paola has founded and managed over a dozen companies in the lifestyle fields of music, entertainment, real estate, beverages, home improvement and venture capital.

DePaola’s most successful endeavor, Fine Art Acquisitions, has landed him in a leadership role in the art community. He sits on the painting and sculpture committee at the Whitney Museum of American Art and is on the art advisory board of ArtWalk, supporting Coalition for the Homeless. On November 6, 2012, the Wall Street Journal recognized him in its “Donor of the Day” column for his work with and dedication to ArtWalk and Coalition. De Paola is also a trustee of the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City.

De Paola’s interest in the arts goes beyond advising, collecting and serving the community. He was a co-executive producer of the McDermott & McGough short film Mean to Me and has earned a platinum record through his company Planetary Records for his work on the Hurricane Bell’s single “Monsters,” which was featured in the Twilight: New Moon movie and soundtrack.

De Paola is also a founding member of Likwid Concepts, the creator of the Paintbrush Cover. His team had a successful pitch on Shark Tank (aired April 4, 2014) and the Paint Brush Cover is now currently available at, among other places, QVC (first aired June 8, 2014), Home Depot and every Ace Hardware store in the United States.

De Paola earned his MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he has played a key role in his class reunion efforts, and lives in Harlem. He has three daughters who go to three different schools on the Upper East Side. He is an avid collector of fine art, photographs, sculpture, drawings, ethnography and design, from 1950s Abstract Expressionism through “stuff created yesterday.” Mike also has homes in Southampton, New York, and Miami Beach, Florida.

James B. Freedman

James B. Freedman is Chairman and Managing Director of Intrepid Investment Bankers LLC. He has more than 30 years of investment banking and corporate finance experience and is an expert on the financial aspects of corporate strategy. Since founding Barrington Associates (the predecessor firm to Intrepid) in 1982, which was subsequently sold to Wells Fargo in 2006, he has advised over 500 middle-market companies in the area of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate valuation and strategic decisions. Mr. Freedman has acted as the principal financial advisor in numerous corporate finance and merger and acquisition transactions ranging in value from $20 million to $1 billion, including the acquisition of the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team, the sale of Applause, Inc., Encore Video, Roundhouse Products, and OnStaff, and the recapitalization of RSI Home Products, Inc., Halex Products, and L. Powell Company.

Mr. Freedman is active in community affairs and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors of the Anderson UCLA Graduate School of Management Entrepreneurial Studies Center, the Board of Visitors of the UCLA Anderson School, the Board of Directors of the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center, the Board of Directors of the Yosemite Conservancy, the Board of Directors of the Simon Foundation for Education and Housing and the Board of Directors of the Concern Foundation for Cancer Research. Mr. Freedman is a frequent lecturer to industry and professional groups, including the American Management Association, The California CPA Society, The Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Los Angeles Venture Association, Vistage, Young Presidents' Organization and the Anderson School at UCLA.

Since 1994, Mr. Freedman has been listed in "Who's Who in Banking and Finance" in the Los Angeles Business Journal's annual poll of the 100 most influential individuals in the Los Angeles financial services community. In 1995, he was name "Finance Man of the Year" by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Mr. Freedman graduated from Cornell University where he earned a B.S. degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. In addition, he received an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from the Anderson School at UCLA.

Tom Georgis

Tom Georgis is senior vice president of development at Solar Reserve where he leads the company's efforts to develop large-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic energy projects in the Americas and Asia. He manages SolarReserve' project development portfolio of over 3000 MWs in the United States and is leading the company's expansion into China, Australia, and Latin America.

Mr. Georgis has over 20 years of development and operational experience in the energy, technology, and government service sectors, holding several senior management positions, most recently as Managing Director of International at GlobalTec Solutions, a privately held technology company where he was responsible for all aspects of the company's international expansion. Mr. Georgis was a Principal and Managing Director at Exodus Energy LLC a Houston based privately held power and natural gas firm. While at Exodus, Mr. Georgis focused on the development and acquisition of energy assets, acting as lead developer on several multi-million dollar innovative technology energy facilities including natural gas storage, offshore LNG regasification, and petroleum coke gasification. Previously, Mr. Georgis was a manager at Enron Corp. where he was responsible for developing and structuring energy asset projects internationally; negotiating and closing over 500 MW of power generation agreements.

Mr. Georgis's experience includes structuring transactions for energy and infrastructure projects, negotiating with lenders, and advising investors in all aspects of energy project acquisition and project development including: storage and transportation capacity sales, gas and alternative fuel power generation, natural gas pipeline arrangements, and power purchase agreements. Mr. Georgis also served nine years as a Naval Special Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. Mr. Georgis graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in International Studies and obtained a Master's of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School at the University of California Los Angeles.

Elaine Hagan

Elaine Hagan is the executive director of the Price Center, which oversees teaching, research, extracurricular and executive development programs related to entrepreneurship at UCLA Anderson. She has served as the Center's chief operating officer since 1991, and is also a member of its Board of Advisors. In addition to her responsibilities within the Price Center, Elaine works closely with other centers and external affairs units throughout the school, and serves as a member of the advisory committees for the UCLA Teaching Incubator (based in the California Nanosystems Institute building) and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) Program consortium of schools. She has also been an advisor to numerous growing companies and entrepreneurial programs around the world.

Previously, Elaine worked in Stanford University's Office of Development, and served on the turnaround management team of a privately-held manufacturing firm in San Diego. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California at Irvine and her MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Amir Heshmatpour

Amir Heshmatpour is the Founder and Managing Director of AFH Holding & Advisory LLC, an integrated advisory and consulting firm serving U.S. and international clients who seek strategic counsel and sophisticated access to global capital markets. Since founding the Company in 2003, he has led AFH through numerous successful transactions both in the United States and China. Prior to founding AFH, Amir Heshmatpour was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Metrophone Telecommunications, Inc., a company he began in 1994 with $ 30,000. At the age of 24, Amir Heshmatpour completed his first reverse merger between Metrophone and Datawave Communications, a prepaid telephone card company, which was affiliated with AT&T. Over the next ten years, Amir Heshmatpour spearheaded Metrophone's growth, leading it through a total of 17 acquisitions and growing the business to over $100 million in revenue. Metrophone was twice named among the 100 fastest growing companies in the Northwest and by 2003 the company operated in 34 states and was ranked among the top 10 public service providers in the U.S.

Mr. Amir Heshmatpour was recognized as "Businessman of the Year" by the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2003 and served as Head of the Republican Congressional Business Advisory for the year. His philanthropic exposure began at an early age, as his family founded Holding Hands Pediatric Therapy & Diagnostics, an organization serving children with special needs and their families. He has served on the Board of "Young Life", a teen-mentoring organization and currently serves on the board of the California Council on Economic Education (CCEE), an organization promoting financial and economic literacy. Amir Heshmatpour attended Pennsylvania State University, and in 2010 he completed the UCLA Anderson Director Education & Certification Program.

Jonathan "Jake" Jacobs

Jonathan "Jake" Jacobs is a senior partner at Rose, Snyder & Jacobs, a 45-person full service CPA and consulting firm in Encino that deals with high net worth families, and public and private middle market companies. He spent 20 years at KPMG Peat Marwick where he was partner-in-charge of the Los Angeles middle market practice and partner-in-charge of the first Big 5 office in the San Fernando Valley. Jake received his B.S. in economics from the Wharton School and an MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School at Northwestern.

Christopher D. "Kit" Jennings

Christopher D. "Kit" Jennings is managing director of Roth Capital Partners. Previously, he was co-Chief Executive Officer of Global Euro Net Group and a managing director of Cruttenden Roth Incorporated. Before joining Cruttenden Roth in 1995, Mr. Jennings was a managing director at Sutro & Co., and a principal and senior managing director of Maiden Lane Associates, an equity fund organized to arrange and invest in management buyouts. Mr. Jennings was previously associated with Dean Witter Capital as a managing director he was responsible for major corporate clients in Southern California. Prior to joining Dean Witter, Mr. Jennings was an investment banking officer with Warburg Paribas Becker. Mr. Jennings graduated with a BA in economics and public policy from New College in 1975, and received his MBA from UCLA Anderson in 1980.

Leslie Kimerling 

Co-founder and CEO, Double Helix Optics
Boulder, CO

Leslie, a serial entrepreneur, has spent her career working with early stage and growth companies in health care and life sciences. She is co-founder and CEO of Double Helix Optics, based in Boulder, CO, commercializing Nobel Prize winning nanoscale precision 3D optics to enable next generation drug discovery and diagnostics. DHO’s patented technology enables instant precision 3D imaging, eliminating the need for traditional scanning. 

Leslie is a founding board member of StreetSquash, an afterschool youth enrichment program serving 7-12 graders in Harlem NY and of its Denver sister program MileHigh360. Leslie is a regular guest lecturer on entrepreneurship in optics and serves as mentor to women and other entrepreneurs in the optics field.

Leslie earned her BA with honors in economics and Middle Eastern studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in economics from Stanford University and MBA in finance and strategy from UCLA Anderson.  At Anderson, she co-founded the Heiko Haskamp Fellowship that provides supplementary financial support to MBA students who choose to work in the non-profit or social impact sectors in the summer between their years at Anderson.

Alan Kleinman

Alan Kleinman (’04) is CEO of Elevado Group, a real estate holdings and investment management company. His primary focus is making seed investments and developing multifamily real estate complexes. Previously, Kleinman was president of Paysafe (LSE: PAYS), a global payments company that in July 2014 acquired a company he co-founded, Meritus Payment Solutions. Prior to starting Meritus, he held multiple executive roles at National Merchant Center. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Kleinman was a venture capitalist at Pacific Venture Group, a $210 million health care fund. Kleinman is a member of the Price Center Board of Advisors and is a faculty advisor to the AMR Program.

Jed Leidheiser

Jed Leidheiser is a Partner at March Capital, a venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, with $1B+ under management.  March Capital invests from Series A through IPO, with a focus on enterprise software and fintech companies that are poised for hyper-growth.

Jed has over 15 years of experience across investing and operating roles.  Prior to joining March Capital for its first fund in 2016, Jed invested through the lifecycle: from early stage at Work-Bench Ventures in New York City, to public equities at Balyasny Asset Management in San Francisco.

Earlier, Jed spent a decade at Accenture, where he consulted Fortune 500 CxOs on strategy and technology, and led the Goldman Sachs account. He credits this experience with teaching him how to sell 7-figure contacts, develop partnerships, own a P&L, and manage distributed teams. 

Jed received his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he was a member of the Student Investment Fund and judged the Knapp Venture Competition.  He received his BS from the University of Virginia, where he double majored in economics and computer engineering, and wrote his senior thesis on cybersecurity.

Select Investments: ASAPP, Forter, Immuta, SpyCloud, Thoughtspot, Uniphore, and Unqork

Select Exits: CrowdStrike (IPO), KnowBe4 (IPO)

Jeff Lipp

Jeff Lipp is the Co-Founder and COO of the Kive Company, creators of the ARTKIVE app and Tastemaker Mom. Prior to the Kive Co., Jeff was the Executive Director of Gift and Loyalty Services for Heartland Payment Systems, one of the largest merchant credit card processing companies in the United States. He was the co-founder and CEO of Chockstone, Inc. (acquired by Heartland Payment Systems in 2008) and Pure Payments, Inc. (acquired by iMALL in 1999), building two innovative technology companies in the payments and loyalty industries. Prior to those experiences, Jeff worked in the merchant acquiring and e-commerce business of First Data Corporation, as well as in corporate finance in Lehman Brothers' Technology Group. Jeff holds a BA from Williams College, an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, and serves on the Board of Open Doors Organization, the Los Angeles Chapter of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Sound Body Sound Mind, and the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences.

Nicholas C. Memmo

Nicholas C. Memmo is a managing partner of Vicente Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based investment firm providing equity capital to privately held growth companies across North America. Previously, he joined Kline Hawkes & Co. as a Partner and is currently a member of the investment committee for Kline Hawkes Pacific, L.P. Nick is Chairman of Rayne Water Corporation which is an innovative water technology and services company that sells and services smart water treatment products for the residential and commercial markets.

Previously, Nick was a Founding Executive and member of the Board of Directors of USFilter Corporation (NYSE: USF), a Fortune 300 company and the leading global provider of water and wastewater treatment systems, products and services. He was at the center of USF's strategy to consolidate the water industry and played a key role in the growth of the company's revenues from $17 million to $5.2 billion. Nick was president & COO of the Process Water Group, the industrial process water equipment and services division of USF. Prior to USF, Nick was employed by Hercules Incorporated, a specialty chemical company, first in engineering and product development, and later in sales, marketing and distribution positions.

Nick is presently a Board Member for Medbridge Healthcare and he has had board seats and board observer positions for the following companies: CaseStack, Environmental Services Group. IPMobileNet, Keylime Software, National Water & Power and PrimeSource Surgical.

Michael Morgan

Michael Morgan (’97) joined Caltius Equity in 1999. He is responsible for sourcing, executing and managing investments. His prior experiences include positions at Salomon Smith Barney in their financial sponsor coverage group, Kline Hawkes & Co., and Continental Illinois Venture Corporation (now CIVC Partners). Morgan received his B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he was also a Venture Capital Fellow. Morgan currently serves on the board of directors of Starpoint Health, MCC Control Systems, Diversified Human Resources and Kiss My Face. His primary focus is the service sector, which includes health care, facilities management, industrial and business.

Pat Morrin

Pat Morrin is he former co-founder, CFO and vice president of Basis Communications Corporation, a communications semiconductor company based in Fremont, California, which was acquired by Intel Corporation in 2000. Pat was previously Director of Marketing and Business Development at Intel, and held various positions at Cirrus Logic, Inc., including Controller, Manager Business Development and Treasury Analyst. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland and a member of the Board of Advisors for Playworks of Oakland and the East Bay. He has served on the boards of eHospital, Inc. and Annexient (now XPFLOW Software). Pat received a BA in English and a BBA in business management from the University of San Diego, and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Judy Munzig

Judy Munzig is a vice-president of Topa Equities, Ltd., a family held business in beverage distribution, insurance and financial services, automobile dealerships, and real estate. She also manages Topa Topa Ranch & Nursery in Ojai, California where she lives. Topa Topa Ranch is a citrus and avocado ranch including a wholesale avocado tree nursery. Prior to working at Topa Equities, Munzig was a teacher with the Ojai Unified School District. She received a B.A. from Stanford University and is active in community affairs.

Alfred E. Osborne, Jr.

Alfred E. Osborne, Jr. is senior associate dean of UCLA Anderson. In this role, he oversees a variety of key areas and initiatives within the school, including development, alumni relations, marketing and communications, and executive education. Dr. Osborne is also professor of Global Economics and Management and founder and faculty director of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, which serves to organize faculty research, student activities and curricula related to the study of entrepreneurship and new business development at UCLA Anderson. He has been at UCLA since 1972.

Osborne established UCLA Anderson's Director Education and Certification Program, designed to assist officers and directors of public and private firms better understand their responsibilities as fiduciaries and best practices in corporate governance, and the Management Development for Entrepreneurs program, which provides management training for executives in growing companies. Together with UCLA colleagues, he has led the development of several programs that apply business models to the nonprofit world, including four in partnership with health care giant, Johnson & Johnson: The Head Start - Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows Program, The UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Institute and The Johnson & Johnson/UCLA Health Care Executive Program and The Management Development Institute for Providers in the AIDS/HIV Supply Chain.

Dr. Osborne currently serves as a director of Kaiser Aluminum, Inc., Heckmann Corporation, Wedbush Inc., and First Pacific Advisors' Capital, New Income, and Crescent Funds. He has served on the corporate boards of Times Mirror Company, US Filter Corporation, Greyhound Lines, Inc., Nordstrom, Inc., and First Interstate Bank among others. He has served as an economic fellow at the Brookings Institution and directed studies at the SEC that contributed to changes in Rule 144, Regulation D, and other exemptive requirements to the securities laws designed to lower costs and improve liquidity and capital market access to venture capitalists and emerging growth firms alike. He is also a trustee of Harvard-Westlake School and the Fidelity Charitable Trust, and has served as a governor of the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Investment Company Institute. Osborne is currently on the board of the Independent Directors Council.

Professor Osborne's research interests include venture capital and private equity, and the role of the board of directors in private and public corporations. He remains active in the entrepreneurial and venture development community, has served on the editorial boards of several journals, and consults with growing companies and non-profit organizations on business and economic matters. Dr. Osborne received his B.A. degree in electrical engineering, M.A. in economics, MBA in finance and his Ph.D. in business economics from Stanford University.

David Posnick

David Posnick has been with GSO since 2007 and is a Joint Portfolio Manager of the Blackstone / GSO Capital Solutions Fund and a member of its Investment Committee. Prior to joining GSO, Mr. Posnick was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the Corporate and Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse. Mr. Posnick spent 15 years in Credit Suisse and DLJ's Los Angeles office, where he helped to build Credit Suisse's leveraged finance and sponsor coverage businesses, and also served as Head of the Financial Sponsors Coverage Group and of Credit Suisse's Los Angeles office. Mr. Posnick began his career in the investment banking division at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Mr. Posnick received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from UCLA. He is currently a Director or Board Observer of American Seafoods, City Ventures and Motorcycle Aftermarket Group.

Sanjay Reddy (FEMBA ’97)

Sanjay Reddy is CEO of OVGuide, a cross-platform online video guidance company, which he joined following its acquisition of Live Matrix, a guide to live and scheduled events on the Web, and where he was the CEO and co-founder with serial Web entrepreneur, Nova Spivack. Prior to that, he served as the head of strategy, M&A and business development for Gemstar-TV Guide International, where he led the execution of the public auction process that resulted in Gemstar’s sale to Macrovision in 2008 for $2.8 billion. He joined Gemstar-TV Guide in 2004 with broad media, finance and technology experience, having previously served as a vice president in the M&A group at Salomon Smith Barney on Wall Street; vice president of corporate development for Covad Communications, a publicly traded broadband company based in Silicon Valley; and as a principal in startups in the animation and music industries in Hollywood.

Sanjay is a digital media expert, especially in the video space, who has advised a range of companies, including BuddyTV (acquired by Vizio), My Damn Channel and TVersity, and is a co-author of four filed patents while at Gemstar-TV Guide and Live Matrix. He is also an early-stage investor in technology companies such as Klout (acquired by Lithium Technologies), NetCracker Technologies (acquired by NEC) and JW Player (the world’s largest open source video player). His diverse background includes having served as a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences National Primetime Emmy Awards Committee and on its interactive media peer group’s executive committee, as well as having produced a Top 20 Billboard Rap Single. Sanjay earned a B.A. in economics magna cum laude from Cornell University and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School.

John W. Rende

John W. Rende is the Founder of Copernicus Capital Management, LLC a long/short healthcare fund located in San Francisco. The firm is focused on fundamental and technical research across the spectrum of healthcare life sciences and services companies, with an overlay of tactical option trading. Copernicus formed in early 2013 and has an initial team including a Senior Analyst and COO/CFO.

Mr. Rende was the Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for the long-short healthcare portfolio at Weintraub Capital Management, where he produced positive returns in 12 out of 13 years, including the more challenging years of 2008 and 2002. Previously, Mr. Rende worked for Wells Fargo as a credit and fixed income analyst, and as a portfolio manager in their Asset Management Group. Mr. Rende began his career at American Bionetics, a biotechnology firm specializing in the research and design of HIV confirmatory tests.

Mr. Rende served six years as a board member of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation and currently serves on the boards of the Price Center at UCLA and the First Tee of San Francisco, where he chairs the investment committee. Mr. Rende received an MBA in finance from the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA and a joint degree, magna cum laude, in Biology and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. While at Claremont, Mr. Rende was a three time All-American and Scholar Athlete in tennis.

Vicky Schiff

Ms. Schiff is a highly experienced entrepreneurial thinker and recognized C-Suite operations and investment executive.  She has consistently identified emerging trends and created businesses, investing before an oversupply of capital drives down investment returns. She has successfully founded 5 firms since 1996 in sectors of the real estate and private equity business. Ms. Schiff has been honored with various awards across the real estate industry by multiple organizations and publications including the Los Angeles Business Journal, Commercial Observer, Connect Media, Globe Street, Commercial Property News and Bisnow and was named the Women’s Council Executive of the Year by The San Fernando Business Journal in 2021. 

She’s appeared on Bloomberg TV and has spoken at various industry events as a keynote and a panelist and is an advocate for encouraging more women leaders and participants in the real estate investment industry. She most recently served as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mosaic Real Estate Investors along with its co-mingled fund vehicles, Mosaic Real Estate Credit, LLC (and its parallel funds). The funds were sold to a mortgage REIT in March 2022. 

Ms. Schiff currently serves as Board Chair, Dream Residential REIT; Director, Dream Industrial REIT;  Advisor, Spartan Investment Group; Advisor, Saul Urban; Global Vice Chair, YPO Real Estate Network.  Past boards service includes Director, Dream Unlimited; Trustee, Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System (LACERS); Advisory Board, Lusk Center of Real Estate at USC; Advisor to family-owned companies; and as an Advisor to a start-up which sold to the NYSE.  

She earned a BS from USC, an MBA from UCLA, and a Master of Studies in Law from USC.  She enjoys endurance and outdoor sports. 

Luis Serrano

Luis Serrano is the President of Sunshine Retirement Living, a management and development company for senior living communities across the U.S. He is also the President of Park Engine, a tech company focused on innovative parking solutions and principal at Westbrook Management, a real estate investment company specialized in distressed assets. Prior to his current role, Luis worked for 8 years at Boingo Wireless as senior vice president of business and corporate development where he led Boingo's efforts to develop wholesale relationships with telecom operators, expanded Boingo's network worldwide and shaped the company's M&A strategy. Prior to Boingo, Luis held a range of management consulting positions specializing in the telecommunications industry at international firms such as McKinsey & Company and J.P. Morgan Chase. He began his career as an analyst consultant for the Spanish Telecom Regulatory Commission. He spent one year as a second lieutenant in the Spanish Army in a telecommunications unit. Luis holds an M.S. in telecommunications engineering from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, and received an MBA from UCLA Anderson in 2002. A native of Madrid, Spain, he is fluent in several languages.

Richard A. Spitz, Esp.

Richard A. Spitz, Esq. is the former chairman, technology markets and member, CEO and board services at Korn/Ferry International. He handled high-profile searches for senior executives on behalf of public corporations, leading pre-IPO, emerging technology, software, hardware, electronic systems, information technology, communications and convergence media companies. He is also experienced in executing professional and financial services and senior attorney/counsel searches. Mr. Spitz has personally conducted more than 500 search assignments, 100 of which were president, chief executive officer, and board member engagements. Prior to joining Korn/Ferry in 1996, Mr. Spitz worked for a prestigious international law firm, where he advised businesses and investor groups on business planning issues, and negotiated M&A transactions, venture capital investments, licensing and alliance arrangements. His law practice extended across the technology and entertainment markets globally. Mr. Spitz is currently on the board of directors of Mandalay Media, Inc. (OTC: MNDL). He received a BS in business administration with a concentration in finance from California State University, Northridge, a master's in law from New York University Law School, and a juris doctor from Tulane University Law School.

Bonnie Vitti

Bonnie Vitti is President of the Board of Trustees of the Louis and Harold Price Foundation. The foundation was established in 1951, and supports programs in the following areas:

• Arts & Culture: The foundation supports excellence in the arts with an emphasis on education.
• Children & Youth: The foundation realizes the importance and need for programs and services that positively impact today's youth.
• Education: The Foundation is committed to excellence in education with an emphasis on innovative approaches to engaging students of all ages. In line with its other interest areas, the Foundation encourages economic and ethnic diversity of students and faculty.
• Entrepreneurship: Grants for entrepreneurship education and training programs in this area are focused primarily on higher education, but the foundation will also consider programs that engage a wider audience, such as high school students, women's groups and the urban poor.
• Environment: A clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all living things - for this and for future generations - is a goal of the Foundation.
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• Health: The Foundation's focus on health care supports excellence in research, training, health care services, and outreach to the poor and medically underserved. The Foundation recognizes the importance of mental health treatment and family planning services as integral components of health care delivery.
• Human Social Services: The Foundation focuses on programs that provide food, shelter and supportive services to the most vulnerable members of society - homeless people, abused and neglected children, families in crisis, the elderly, and people with physical and developmental disabilities. Of particular interest are programs that encourage and support independence and self-sufficiency.
• Medical Research: Grants in the area of medical research are generally initiated by the Board of Trustees.
• Civic & Community and Jewish Related Causes: The Price Family maintains its historic commitment to Jewish causes, as well as civic organizations in the trustees' local communities.

Eric Wedbush

Eric Wedbush has been investing in and advising private and public middle market companies for over twenty years. Currently, Mr. Wedbush directs WEDBUSH's investment activities, oversees its strategic initiatives, and serves on the Board of Directors. Additionally, he serves as a Managing Director of both Wedbush Capital Partners and Wedbush Opportunity Partners.

Mr. Wedbush's investment experience includes leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, growth equity, negotiated investments into public companies, and venture capital. His specific industry experience and focus includes consumer products and services, basic manufacturing, financial services, environmental and specialty retailing.

Prior to joining WEDBUSH in 2000, Mr. Wedbush spent ten years as an executive with Wedbush Securities in the Equity Capital Markets Group, most recently as the Director of Equity Research. Prior to his role as Director of Research, Mr. Wedbush was a Managing Director of Investment Banking where he advised middle market companies and institutional investors on equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts.

Mr. Wedbush began his private equity career with Wedbush Capital Partners, an institutional investment partnership where he completed several management buyouts and growth financings for lower middle market companies.

Eric holds an M.B.A. from The Anderson School at University of California, Los Angeles. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from San Diego State University.

Eric currently serves on the Boards of WEDBUSH, Inc., Wedbush Securities, Wedbush Bank, Wedbush Europe, Lime Brokerage, The UCLA Anderson School of Management Price Center Board of Advisors, and is a board observer of BATS Trading.

Gary D. Weinhouse, JD/MBA

Gary D. Weinhouse, JD/MBA is a strategic, results-oriented and hands on C-Level Executive with domestic and international experience building value in high growth companies.  For almost 25 years Gary has been a senior executive, change leader and execution expert for companies undergoing rapid growth and significant change.

Gary’s background includes over 20 years of experience with service businesses and health care organizations.  Gary serves as President & COO of Intercare Therapy, Inc, a rapidly growing autism services company (for profit entity, with 900 employees, 13 offices operating out of five states).  Gary served as President of Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST), with over 700 employees, 9 offices and multi-state operations, and successfully sold the company to a PE backed strategic partner in February 2014.  Gary is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of W Capital Partners, LLC, a boutique consulting company focusing on interim senior management, operations improvement, turnarounds and restructurings.  Prior to that, Gary served as CEO of California Cryobank, Inc., one of the largest and most prominent reproductive tissue banks in the world, and Family Cord, an umbilical cord blood processing and storage company.

Gary graduated with High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from UCLA (College Honors Graduate) with a BA degree in political science. He holds an MBA from Anderson School UCLA, a JD degree from Loyola Law School, and a Financial Consulting (PFP) professional designation from UCLA. Gary is a member of the California State Bar (1993), is licensed to practice in federal and California state courts, and was elected to Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Malibu Chapter, and to YPO Angeleno Gold.

Richard Wiley

Richard S. Wiley is president and CEO of Jackson Square Aviation, LLC, and previously was president and chairman of Pegasus Aviation, a privately-held, international aircraft leasing, management, and aviation Services Company headquartered in San Francisco. Mr. Wiley built Pegasus into the world's largest commercial aviation leasing company. Previously, Mr. Wiley founded and managed Pegasus affiliates, Pegasus Capital Corporation and Aviation Assets Holding Company. Prior to that, he was a vice president with CIS Corporation, originating transactions and marketing aircraft to third-party investors. He holds a BS degree from the Indiana University School of Business and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

David S. Williams III

David S. Williams III, David is a social entrepreneur and innovator in consumer digital health. He is currently Founder & CEO of Care3, a premier mobile Care Messaging platform helping family and professionals coordinate care activities. Prior to Care3, David was Co-Founder and CEO of InvolveCare, a mobile task crowdsourcing application for family caregivers inspired by his 10-year caregiving role with his mother, a multiple cancer survivor. Launched within Healthagen, Aetna's digital health incubator, InvolveCare was acquired after only fourteen months in operation by a leading health information exchange, the fastest exit of any Heathagen startup. Prior to InvolveCare, David was a Founding Executive at PatientsLikeMe, the world's first and leading consumer health data-sharing platform. Responsible for marketing and business development, David invented the first non-advertising revenue model for a social health company and was heralded by numerous media outlets including Fast Company, ranking PatientsLikeMe the #2 Most Innovative Healthcare Company in 2010 (behind GE Healthcare). His previous corporate experience includes neuroscience global strategy with Lilly and healthcare management consulting with Deloitte. David advises several startups and nonprofit organizations. He is also a member of the 2013 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. David earned a BS in Economics and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Digital Strategy with a certificate in Corporate Governance from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Jane Wurwand

Jane Wurwand. As the founder and owner of Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute post graduate training centers, Jane Wurwand is one of the most recognized and respected authorities in professional skin therapy. Under her leadership, Dermalogica has grown to be the leading professional skin care brand, used by more than 100,000 skin therapists in over 80 countries around the world. Wurwand's leadership has been documented in the company's profile in the Harvard Business Review and her business acumen recognized through appointment to the board of the Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA Anderson.

Wurwand's commitment to women's education and economic independence is present in many areas of thought leadership, philanthropy and mentoring. Since 2010, she has been a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and is a member of their Women and Girls Action Committee. Her expertise was highlighted in Entrepreneur magazine's "Trep Talk", and in May, 2012, she was named CEO/Business Owner of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, as part of the publication's annual recognition program, Women Who Make a Difference.

In January, 2011, Wurwand launched FITE, a global women's entrepreneurial initiative inspired by her three decades of work within the skin care industry. Surpassing its original two-year mission in less than 18 months, FITE has assisted more than 41,000 women in gaining financial independence.

In 2014, Dermalogica's FITE officially partners with the United Nations Foundation's (UNF) work on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Additionally, Wurwand serves as a special advisor to the UNF's Global Entrepreneurs Council, supporting their work with the United Nations to advance women and girls.

Saujin Yi (’07)

Saujin Yi is a founding partner of 79 Studios, an agency providing operational support and capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs. A strategic, results-oriented, hands-on early-stage company executive, Saujin has advised numerous startups in the tech, media and retail industries. She has more than 13 years of experience and expertise in e-commerce (subscription, digital distribution), strategic planning, corporate development, finance, business intelligence, product management (Web, mobile, PC client) and marketing.

Previously, Saujin was SVP of strategy and product and GM of digital at GameFly Inc., the leading online video game rental subscription service in the U.S., where she ran strategy, business development, analytics, product, digital and media teams. GameFly received institutional venture funding from Sequoia Capital and Tanaya Capital (formerly Lehman Brothers Venture Partners and now an independent company). Prior to GameFly, she worked at Chanin Capital Partners and Credit Suisse First Boston.

Saujin holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from UCLA Anderson, where she was a Venture Fellow, working at ZelnickMedia and Redpoint Ventures.