Jim Burns (BUSN 70 Section 7) is an accomplished Silicon Valley executive with a track record of excellence over 30 years in both operational and financial roles. He is currently an independent consultant, helping executives to profitably scale their businesses and supporting investors to optimize their portfolios. Burns also serves as Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University in the Management Department.
Tim Harris (BUSN 70 Sections 1-3) brings over 30 years of executive experience in building operations and teams that develop, ramp, and build great high technology products in extremely cost-sensitive environments. He has been a CEO and COO at several companies, and is very pleased to teach Contemporary Business Issues (BUSN 70) and the Business Capstone- Strategy (MGMT 162). He also teaches the Global Supply Chain Management OMIS course for the Graduate Business students at Santa Clara University.
Mike Holubar (BUSN 70 Sections 9 & 10) is a globally experienced IT Services Marketing & Product Management executive applying 30+ years of broad & successful business experience. He is focused on inspiring, motivating and supporting young people by tutoring, mentoring & instructing them to help shape their careers, navigate new educational & business environments & experiences. Other than lecturing, he is tutoring students from local under-served communities to improve their success in academic, & business environments thereby helping them bridge their “opportunity gap."
Vlad Ionescu (BUSN 70 Section 15) is a futurist with a passion for innovation and technology. He focuses on product development, go-to-market strategies, roadmaps, and successful global product launches. Vlad has acted in various global leadership roles, such as Vice President of Product Development at Ultrasense Systems and Senior General Manager – Head of Research & Development at Toyota Boshoku in the US and Europe. In these roles, Vlad led efforts in developing future products and technology, while focusing on profitable business growth opportunities through new mobility and automotive applications towards our 2030-2050 society.
Mike Maciag (BUSN 70 Section 16) is a technology executive with leadership roles ranging from growth-stage CEO to senior executive general management and go-to-market positions at multi-billion dollar companies. Along the way, he has been involved in three IPOs, three company sales, and a few notable failures. He brings deep expertise in strategy, marketing, and general management, and is passionate about sharing his experience to help students grow at his alma matter, Santa Clara University. He holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Craig Martin (BUSN 70 Section 11) is a seasoned Operations and Supply Chain leader with over 30 years experience in the technology sector as the senior executive (VP/SVP) driving global initiatives through all stages of corporate growth. He’s currently a Senior Consultant for On Tap Consulting, Adjunct Faculty Member at the Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business and Advisor for Sway Ventures. He is also the co-author of the Wiley textbook Smart Manufacturing – the Lean Six Sigma Way.
Steve Mckay (BUSN 70 Section 18) is a three-time CEO who’s enjoyed the thrill ride of leading companies through all stages of development, whether generating new ideas, getting products to market, landing the first customers, driving market growth, the occasional existential crisis, or an exciting "exit" in the form of IPO or M&A. With a focus on SaaS, digital media, IoT, and management consulting, he offers a diverse industry perspective.
Shawn M. Lange (BUSN 70 Section 14) is a successful leader with more than 25 years of global experience. In his role as co-founder and CEO, Lange led L2F Inc. to #2 in Engineering and #237 overall on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies. In October 2017, he successfully led the sale of the organization to The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD). Now, as Brand President of Lab2Fab, Shawn looks to help Middleby increase its lead as the driver of innovation in the food service industry.
Chris Norris (BUSN 70 Section 12) is a CEO and entrepreneur with a proven track record of building companies and leading organizations. His expertise is built around years of direct, hands-on experience innovating, delivering products to the market, and building diverse, high performing teams. Before becoming a startup CEO, he served as the Vice President and General Manager of the consumer, computation, data-com and programmable products divisions at Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. He has 7 issued patents, a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Computer Engineering.
Suzy Papazian (BUSN 70 Section 5) served as a C-Suite executive officer and general counsel of a publicly traded water utility, expanding operations into multiple states. She was selected as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 100 Women of Influence for 2020. She also completed the CEO Program at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business regarding leading growth strategies, building and inspiring high-impact teams, and developing the vision and drive required to lead global organizations.
Michael Polacek (BUSN 70 Section 17) brings a unique blend of technology operating experience and professional investing across public and private markets. He has led high-growth businesses, overseen strategic planning and M&A, and held senior roles at National Semiconductor and Knowles. He has also advised leading investment firms and co-founded Eachwin Capital, while serving on boards of both public and private companies.
Ahmed Rubaie (BUSN 70 Section 8) brings extensive executive management, board, and investment experience, leading successful transformations in both public and private companies. He has also served on the boards of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, United Way, and Junior Achievement, supporting community growth and leadership development. Rubaie is passionate about innovation, leadership, and shaping the future of AI, security, and IT operations.
Abha Singhvi (BUSN 70 Section 4) is a visionary leader and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in non-profit organizations. She has a strong operational background in setting up and implementing business processes, and recruiting and training organizations. She is also a dedicated supporter of community organizations and is actively involved in promoting women’s leadership, eradicating domestic violence & gendercide.
Michael Smith (BUSN 70 Section 6) is a Silicon Valley High-Tech executive with 25+ years of experience in an exemplary Fortune 10 company as well as fast-moving software and cloud services start-ups. This was fueled by a diverse and rewarding career at various business units of Hewlett Packard where he reached the position of Vice President and General Manager within the server business group where he managed large world-wide teams and budgets. He looks forward to share his knowledge and amplify learning, developing critical business thinkers and leaders.
Elisa Steele (BUSN 70 Section 20) is a seasoned board director with careers in both public and private companies. She currently serves across several companies such as Amplitude (AMPL), Bumble (BMBL), JFrog (FROG), Nextdoor (KIND), Procore (PCOR), and people.ai. Steele bring years of leadership experience in technology and marketing to shape rising business leaders.
Nik Tehrani (BUSN 70 Section 13) is an accomplished SME/Mentor and plays a key role in high-tech incubation facilities. His global experience includes leading programs at Sanmina-SCI and building a successful consultancy with over $20 million in sales. Beyond academia, he's authored two textbooks utilized in MBA classes, created six accredited online university courses, and contributed articles to over forty peer-reviewed journals.
Brian Thomas (BUSN 70 Section 19) has been drawn to the vocation of teaching and mentoring throughout his life. Over the course of fourteen years at Equinix as an executive he had the unique privilege of working directly for the CFO, COO, CEO and Executive Chairman on matters relating to Finance, Strategy, Culture and Sustainability. He was also an investment banker with Citi globally. During his nine years, he advised clients in the Technology, Health Care and Consumer Products sectors on a range of M&A and capital markets transactions.
