Our BOARD

Dream big and get things done.

David Peinsipp

Position: Partner, Cooley

David Peinsipp

Partner, Cooley

Roy Hirshland

Position: Chair, Innovation Savills
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Roy Hirshland

Chair, Innovation Savills

Dora Gougoufkas

Position: Managing Vice President, Capital One

Dora Gougoufkas

Managing Vice President, Capital One

Eldridge Gray

Position: Managing Director, Seven Post Investment Office LP

Eldridge Gray

Managing Director, Seven Post Investment Office LP

Doug Brien

Position: Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Mynd

Doug Brien

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Mynd

Jack Dorsey, Emeritus

Position: Co-founder and Former CEO of Twitter, Co-founder, Principal Executive Officer and Chairperson of Block, Inc.

Jack Dorsey, Emeritus

Co-founder and Former CEO of Twitter, Co-founder, Principal Executive Officer and Chairperson of Block, Inc.

David Li

Position: Managing Partner, Arenova

David Li

Managing Partner, Arenova

Thais Rezende

Position: President and Interim CEO, BUILD
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Thais comes to us from BizWorld, having formerly spent the last eight years as BizWorld’s CEO, where she grew the organization to become the largest teacher-led entrepreneurship education non-profit in the world, serving over 850,000 students worldwide. She launched BizWorld’s innovative YES! Program to support young entrepreneurs to gain access to tools, mentorship, and capital needed to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

Thais holds an unwavering commitment to making economic opportunities and entrepreneurship education accessible to all students, particularly those from traditionally underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. She started her career in the non-profit world, focusing on micro-enterprise development. For eight years, she led the growth of innovative programming and the organizational expansion at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment. As the lead developer of the successful business propulsion program “SuccessLink,” she set a new national standard for entrepreneurship support services that became a national model. Thais worked for the Mexican Consulate as part of The Mexican Communities Abroad Team, where she helped implement and develop health, education, and business trade programs. Her background also includes journalism work in both TV and print, covering the tech industry. She resides with her husband and three daughters in Seattle.

Thais comes to us from BizWorld, having formerly spent the last eight years as BizWorld’s CEO, where she grew the...

Thais Rezende

President and Interim CEO, BUILD

Mike Portegello

Position: Partner, Northeast Region Growth Markets Leader, Ernst & Young LLP
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Mike Portegello is an Assurance Partner at Ernst & Young LLP, where he brings more than 30 years of international and domestic experience in public accounting serving publicly traded companies with operations in both the US and abroad. Currently, he serves as the Northeast Region Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) Leader to provide services that help companies navigate the various aspects of a growth-oriented enterprise. SGM is a global network of EY professionals advising the full spectrum of dynamic, fast-moving and groundbreaking companies around the world, including VC-backed/private equity companies and their investors, large private and family enterprises, IPO-bound companies, and public companies in the Russell 3000 and 2000 indexes.​

Throughout his career, Mike has worked with clients in New York and California, as well as internationally. He has served US registrants and foreign private issuers on SEC matters including initial public offerings (IPOs), public and private debt offerings, quarterly and annual filings, acquisitions, divestitures, and stock registrations. ​

Previously, he provided overall management and led high performing teams to deliver audit services to New York State and Connecticut area clients. He continues to work closely with multinational organizations as well as high growth phase companies in the software/technology, media and entertainment, and leasing industries.​

Prior to this role, Mike served as Strategic Growth Markets Leader for New York, leading a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals in providing perspective to and advising our emerging, IPO-bound, entrepreneurial clients on accelerating their growth. In addition, he has served as a Co-Director of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year New York program. ​

Mike graduated Suma Cum Laude from St. John’s University and received his MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.

Mike Portegello is an Assurance Partner at Ernst & Young LLP, where he brings more than 30 years of international...

Mike Portegello

Partner, Northeast Region Growth Markets Leader, Ernst & Young LLP

Gagan Kanjlia

Position: Chief Product Officer, Alkami Technology Inc.

Gagan Kanjlia

Chief Product Officer, Alkami Technology Inc.

Matt Flanagan

Position: Senior Advisor, Public Relations, Marketbridge

Matt Flanagan

Senior Advisor, Public Relations, Marketbridge

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

WE DREAM BIG & GET THINGS DONE.

Download a Sample of Our Curriculum

Fill out this form to receive a free sample of our curriculum and to receive occasional email updates on how to bring BUILD to your community.

VIDEO PREPARATION GUIDELINES

HOW TO RECORD

1. iPhone, iPad, Zoom and Loom are all choices of recording tools for their video presentation 
2. Record with both students and their presentation in view
3. Record horizontally for the best view of the students and their presentation
4. Follow Presentation Diagram to the Right

PRESENTATION TIPS.

- Make eye contact with the camera
- Notecards may be used as cue cards
•Pro Tip: Notecards should avoid having a full script
- Even when you are not speaking, don’t forget the camera is still recording!
•Be aware of your body language while you and your business partners are speaking
- Everyone has an opportunity to speak
- Professional dress is encouraged
- Practice makes perfect
•Practice how you will transition from each speaker
•Project your voice when you speak​

Follow positioning format Above

Download a Sample of Our Curriculum

Fill out this form to receive a free sample of our curriculum and to receive occasional email updates on how to bring BUILD to your community.