Our Advisors

Board of Directors

William Post II, Director

Bill is president of Russian Hill Partners, a wealth management company that actively manages stock and bond portfolios, investments in private equity, real estate and hedge funds for its clients. He also serves as an advisor to several Silicon Valley venture capital firms. Early in his career, Bill practiced law, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, and served on the staff of the United States Senate Finance Committee. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia. Bill received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his law degree from the University of San Francisco.

Alan Larson and Ken Tam also serve on the Board of Directors.

Advisory Board

Robert D. Rodriguez, Chief Security Counsel & Chairman of the Advisory Committee

Robert spent more than 22 years as a special agent with the United States Secret Service, including 11 years at the White House serving Presidents Ronald W. Reagan, George H. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. During this time, he held numerous leadership roles in executive protection, protective intelligence, the Presidential Protective Detail Counter Assault Team and criminal investigations. Robert, a father of three children, serves on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries and the Boys and Girls Club. He operates a consulting firm specializing in risk management for operating systems.

Allyson N. Campa

Allyson was the Founder & CEO of Bravanta, Inc. where she drove the growth from inception to a sustainable business. Allyson has held a variety of management roles at companies such Intuit, Yahoo!, Papilia, Software Publishing Corporation, Goldman Sachs, and IBM. Allyson has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Deanna Clarkson

Deanna is the publisher and co-owner of ITEM Magazine; a luxury lifestyle magazine published in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Scottsdale. Deanna has been a lifelong philanthropist and is involved in many organizations benefiting women and children. Presently, Deanna is active on numerous charity boards and committees including Childhelp USA, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Florence Crittenton, Arizona Foundation for Women (AFW) and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Jean Fuller

Jean’s experience includes 20 years of leadership roles with Fortune 100 and other major companies. She has served as an executive in a national staffing firm managing a $20M business, a V.P. of an executive retained search firm and C.E.O. of an executive services company. Jean has held management roles in sales and marketing, consulting, product management, software engineering, and computer center operations. She is a frequent speaker on topics such as launching new business initiatives, individual executive and team effectiveness, personal branding, networking and how to get the most from executive coaching.

Julie Gagnon

Julie Gagnon has over twelve years experience in brand management and product development for some of the world's largest consumer products companies. During her seven years at Kraft Foods, Julie served on the product management team for Jell-O brand and as Product Manager for the $200 million Kool-Aid brand. Julie has written more than 350 new product concepts for foods, beverages, retail outlets, and Internet games. A mother of three children, Julie holds a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Claire Gerus

Claire is the owner of the Claire Gerus Agency, which specializes in projects that will change readers’ lives for the better. Claire has been a communications professional for more than 25 years, been an editor-in-chief of two publishing houses and acquired and edited books for eight major publishers, including Rodale, Random House, Doubleday, Wiley, Kensington, and Adams Media. Claire received a B.A. in English at Southern Connecticut State University. She is active in many civic and community organizations.

Melissa Havard

Melissa recently formed her own public relations agency, Casablanca Consulting. Prior to that, she served as a Director at Edelman Entertainment, specializing in public relations. She has 20 years experience in health and entertainment cause-related marketing, public speaking, and non profit management. Melissa holds B. A. in French and International Business from Florida State University, and a Master of Arts in Human Behavior and Adolescent Sexuality from National University, Sacramento.

Deborah J. Ludewig

Deborah is a partner with the Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham law firm in Palo Alto, specializing in providing legal counsel to Silicon Valley startup companies. Prior to that, Deborah was a partner for the Pillsbury law firm, where her corporate practice focused on emerging high technology companies. She serves on the Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives and on the Board of Girls for a Change, a national nonprofit corporation that empowers girls to create social change. Deb holds a B.S. from the College of Notre Dame, Belmont, California and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Yuwei Shi

Yuwei is an expert in the application of emerging business technologies in global strategic management and strategic planning. Currently a faculty member at the Fisher Graduate School of International Business at the Monterey Institute, he has taught M.B.A. and doctoral courses at major universities in the U.S., China, and Singapore. Consulting clients range from hi-tech startups to global Fortune 500 companies and governments in North America, Europe and Asia. Professor Shi holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a Master of Comparative Law from Southern Methodist University School of Law, and a Ph.D., Strategic Management, Organizational Theory and International Management, from the University of Texas.