BUILDing Entrepreneurs

Through our Youth Business Incubator, we allow students to shape their ideas and creative spirit into their own small businesses. They keep the profits. Better yet, they retain the can-do attitude during college and beyond.

Board of Directors and Local Advisory Boards

Our Board of Directors

BUILD’s growth is guided by a dedicated group of community leaders, representing the academic, technological, legal, and financial strengths necessary for social innovation.

Board Chair:

Ajay Agarwal, Managing Director, Bain Capital

Board Members:

Eldridge Gray, Managing Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Emiko Higashi, Managing Director, Tomon Partners, LLC

Brian Joseph, CEO & Founder, Five Birds, LLC.

Jean Kovacs, Former CEO, Comergent Technologies, Inc.

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, CEO and President, BUILD

Dr. Deborah Rieman, Partner, Private Investment Fund

Shruti Sehra, Partner, New Profit Inc.

Gideon Yu, General Partner, Khosla Ventures

Brenda Zawatski, Former Executive, Selectica

Oakland Advisory Board

Denise Yamamoto, Board Chair, Nonprofit Consultant

Alex Anderson, Partner, Andercorp Venture Partners

Doug Brien, Entrepreneur/Former NFL Placekicker

Stephen Grant, Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch 

Kent Lucas, Entrepreneur/Former Vice President, Capital Research & Management

Suzanne Passalacqua, Partner, Tamalpais Ventures

 

Tony Wicks, Co-Founder, Premier Source

 

Peninsula Advisory Board

Ralph Schmitt, Board Chair, President and CEO, PLX Technology

Brady Berg, Member, Mintz Levin

Peter Bourne, Former President and CEO, Entrisphere, Inc.

Paul Jordan, CFO and Co-Founder, BlackBag Technologies

Pamela Kline Smith, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Teleperformance, Inc.

Sunil Kurkure, Venture Partner, Mirador Capital

Lawrence Shubert, Principal and Founder, ZIP Innovations

Metro DC Advisory Board

Peter Mellen, Board Chair, Co-founder and CEO, Edison-Wright

Dr. Ramona Edelin, Executive Director, DC Charter School Association

Timothy Garnett, Partner, The Avascent Group

Margie Johnson, Director of Corporate Care, Acumen Solutions

Nancy Poon Lue, Associate Principal, The Advisory Board Company

Scott Plumridge, Principal, The Halifax Group

Amy Wright, President and CEO, Macro Solutions, Inc.