Board Member, Sprouts Farmers Market, Believer Meats, Yerba Madre; Former Chief Financial & Strategy Officer, Clif Bar & Company

Hari Avula

Hari Avula served as chief financial and strategic officer of Clif Bar & Company from May 2021 through February 2023, where he led the financial management and enterprise strategy functions for the nutritious and organic food company prior to its acquisition by Mondelēz International, Inc. Hari joined Clif Bar from Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., (NASDAQ: WBA) where he served as chief financial officer of global business transformation and digital/IT from 2020 to 2021 and chief financial officer of retail pharmacy USA from 2017 to 2020. Prior to joining Walgreens, Hari spent over 22 years at PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) in a variety of financial and strategic roles, culminating as chief financial officer for Frito Lay North America from 2015 to 2017.

Hari earned a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honors from Delhi University.

Senior Advisor, KPMG Board Leadership Center

Annalisa Barrett

Annalisa Barrett is a Senior Advisor with the KPMG Board Leadership Center, where she advises directors on emerging corporate governance issues and conducts research to develop thought leadership on board composition and governance practices. She frequently speaks at conferences around the country addressing issues important to corporate directors, governance professionals, and investors. Annalisa has been quoted on corporate governance and board practices in the New York Times, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times, and her research has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

Prior to joining KPMG, Annalisa was CEO of Board Governance Research LLC. She was also a Senior Advisor for ValueEdge Advisors and Vice President and Senior Research Associate at The Corporate Library (now MSCI ESG Research). She previously was a Research Consultant in the Executive Compensation practice at Towers Perrin and a Tax Consultant in the Family Wealth Planning practice of Arthur Andersen.

Annalisa currently serves on the Women on Boards Advisory Council of the California Partners Project and the California Insurance Diversity Task Force. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Business, where she teaches graduate courses in corporate governance.

For over a decade, Annalisa has served on the board of the Corporate Directors Forum (CDF), which provides governance education and peer networking for corporate directors. In 2019, she was selected by her fellow directors to receive the C. Hugh Friedman CDF Board Member of the Year award. In 2008, she was named a Millstein Rising Star in Corporate Governance by the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School. She is a Scott M. Johnson Fellow of the US-Japan Leadership Program, a member of the International Corporate Governance Network, the Society for Corporate Governance, and the 30% Coalition. She holds an MBA with distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She resides in San Diego, California with her husband and two children.

Senior Vice President & Head of US Listings, Nasdaq

Jack Cassel

Jack Cassel is a Senior Vice President and the Head of Listings for the Western US at Nasdaq. In this role, he oversees the company’s New Listings, as well as client management and Investor Relations services for companies located in the western United States. During his time at Nasdaq, Jack has been pivotal in advising and attracting some of the highest-profile IPOs to Nasdaq.

Prior to joining Nasdaq in 2018, Jack worked as a Vice President at GrowthPoint Partners in the Technology M&A group and at Morgan Stanley’s Private Bank.

Preceding his entry into the business world, Jack played Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros. While playing baseball, Jack also co-founded Players for the Planet – a non-profit organization that utilizes professional athletes to promote environmental awareness. He currently serves as a board member.

Jack holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and studied Communications at Loyola Marymount University.

Managing Director, Pearl Meyer

Will Cockle

Will Cockle is a managing director at Pearl Meyer, specializing in executive compensation. He has extensive experience in the technology and life sciences sectors, advising clients from startups to mature public companies, including significant expertise in IPO preparation.

As a lead advisor to compensation committees and senior management teams, Will provides independent guidance on pay philosophy, executive compensation strategy, incentive plan design, and related governance matters. He frequently advises boards on executive pay decisions and guides companies through critical equity strategy transitions, including introducing performance-based equity plans and navigating turnarounds or extended IPO timelines. Will’s governance expertise includes advising on SEC and proxy advisor compliance and conducting CD&A reviews. He is also regularly featured at industry conferences and panels on compensation and governance trends.

Will brings more than 15 years of experience in advisory and professional services, having consulted for Compensia and Mercer prior to joining Pearl Meyer. He earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BSBA in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis.

President, San Diego State University

Adela de la Torre

Dr. Adela de la Torre became the ninth president of San Diego State University in 2018, following a distinguished career of more than three decades as an accomplished economist, public-health researcher and higher-education leader in California and Arizona.

Under her leadership, SDSU has consistently ranked among the top institutions in the nation for applications received and has set new school records in enrollment, student success and national rankings. It now serves over 40,000 students each year and has reached new heights and broken records with its athletic success, regional expansion, and economic and community impact.

Global Perspective, Greater Impact
President de la Torre brought to SDSU a global perspective, and a mission of building on the university’s unique leadership role in bridging the San Diego region’s and world’s communities. In late 2020, under President de la Torre’s charge, SDSU launched a five-year strategic plan called “We Rise We Defy.” Her student-centric strategy focuses on driving opportunity, access, support and success for all students, which has led to unprecedented measures of achievement. Along with soaring graduation rates, SDSU has been recognized nationally for the career-readiness and social mobility of its graduates. With more than 500,000 living alumni, SDSU has received more than $1 billion in philanthropic support since de la Torre’s arrival.

Rise in Academic Excellence
Under President de la Torre’s leadership, the breadth, depth and diversity of curriculum and academic programs at SDSU have greatly expanded at its locations in San Diego; Imperial Valley; Mission Valley; the Republic of Georgia; Oaxaca, Mexico; and its dozens of other onsite and online global programs. She has driven the development of new curriculum and degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and was a champion of 2024 legislation in California that updated the state’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education by expanding the ability to offer independent doctoral degrees and post-doctoral research opportunities at SDSU and other California State University campuses.

A strong advocate for the campus-wide positive impact of academic research, de la Torre has overseen growth of more than 60% and the receipt of more than $1.3 billion in research grants and contracts since her 2018 arrival at the school. In 2025, SDSU furthered its ascendance, reaching de la Torre’s strategic goal of earning “R1” status in the Carnegie Classifications, reserved for less than 5% of American universities with the highest levels of research activity and doctoral education. That activity reaches across SDSU’s colleges and disciplines, spanning the arts and sciences and driving innovation in areas including community health and disease prevention, electric vehicle technology and environmental stewardship, cybersecurity and national security, homelessness and more.

University Expansion and Impact
One of President de la Torre’s mission-critical strategic priorities is the ongoing development of SDSU Mission Valley. Along with the new Snapdragon Stadium, which opened in September 2022, SDSU kept another promise it made to the San Diego community when it opened a 34-acre river park on the site in early 2024. In Aug. 2025, ground was broken on the mixed-use site’s first residential and retail development. The next phase of development at SDSU Mission Valley includes the Innovation District, a modern incubator with up to 1.6 million square feet of campus, technology and commercial space. Once completed, SDSU Mission Valley will add approximately $3 billion to the university’s annual impact on the local economy. It will support more than 17,000 jobs and, importantly, will allow SDSU to increase enrollment by up to 15,000 new students.

Meanwhile, also in early 2024, the university held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $80 million STEM education and research facility at SDSU Imperial Valley. Funded by the California Legislature, the facility in California’s “Lithium Valley” will prepare students to benefit from the major economic development and professional opportunities created by sustainable extraction of the element, which is vital to renewable-energy technology. SDSU Imperial Valley also recently launched a four-year liberal studies degree, a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics degree, and a Master of Science degree in Homeland Security.

In 2025, addressing a regional housing crisis, SDSU launched construction of multiple student-housing projects for an additional 4,500 people across both San Diego and Imperial Counties.

Before SDSU
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, President de la Torre is the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and daughter of a single mother who taught in public schools for 40 years. She holds a deep appreciation for cultural traditions, the importance of family and hard work, and for the transformative power of education.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in the political economy of natural resources from the University of California, Berkeley, where she also earned master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Before her arrival at SDSU, President de la Torre was vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity at University of California, Davis. Prior to that she served for 14 years as director for the UC Davis Center for Transnational Health, chair of the UC Davis Chicana/Chicano Studies Department, and director of the Hispanic Center of Excellence in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, where she was also director of the Mexican American Studies and Research Center. Earlier in her career she taught as a professor at California State University, Long Beach; the University of Arizona; and UC Davis, where she earned the title of Distinguished Professor.

Board Member, Jack in the Box, Blue Shield of California

Guillermo Diaz

Guillermo Diaz, Jr., is a transformative global business leader and champion of diversity, equity and inclusion. He most recently served as the Chairman of the Hispanic Technology Council (HITEC), the premier global executive leadership organization of senior business and technology executives who have and are building
outstanding careers in technology.

Diaz is the Founder and CEO of Conectado Inc., an innovative Web 3 / AI digital platform with the mission to accelerate access to opportunities for increased representation in STEAM. He serves on the Board of Directors for Blue Shield of California, Jack in the Box (JACK) and Unicoin Inc. Also, social impact boards for the Cristo Rey High School Work Study, Npower- supporting veterans and young adults and the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Initiative. Previously, he was a transformational innovator across Cisco Systems and the technology industry where he developed a strong track record for accelerating results through people, process, and technology. Guillermo served as Cisco’s Global Chief Information Officer and was responsible for the IT organization, strategy, and services. Guillermo began his career in technology with the U.S. Navy, where he received a military scholarship that led to his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Colorado. He went on to hold technology leadership positions with some of Silicon Valley’s most respected companies, including Silicon Graphics, Ingram Micro, and Alza Corporation.

Board Member, Sprouts Farmers Market; Board of Trustee, Fowler College of Business, SDSU

Terri Funk Graham

Terri Funk Graham ranks among the select few female Chief Marketing Officers to serve as an Independent Board Director within multiple Fortune 1,000 companies for the past eleven years. Ms. Graham’s leadership positions have afforded her valuable experiences and expertise in dealing with issues facing many boards today, such as strategy formulation, branding and brand reinvention, digital acceleration and transformation, CEO and C-Suite succession planning, financial turnarounds, growth strategies, crisis management and driving cultural change in companies. As an independent director, Ms. Graham has served as Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance and Compensation Committees and she brings experience leading Search Committee’s for two public company CEO transitions, as well as operating as the Chairperson leading several Board Director transitions. Additionally, she has been involved in two “go private” sales to private equity firms.

She is currently an Independent Board Director for Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) a $6.8 Billion specialty retailer of natural and organic food focusing on health and wellness at a great value. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation and Risk Committee’s.

She is also an Independent Board Director for LL Flooring Inc. (NYSE: LL), a $1Billion specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance and a member of the Compensation Committee.

Ms. Graham served as an Independent Board Director for CV Sciences, Inc. a $60 Million cannabidiol-based pharmaceuticals and consumer products company focused on enhancing health and well-being. She served as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.

Ms. Graham also served on the Hot Topic Inc. and 1 800-Contacts Inc. boards before selling these companies to private equity firms.

She is a successful Senior Marketing Executive change agent who directly influenced the success, image and significant growth of the $3B Jack in the Box brand for more than 20 years. As the former SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for 10 years, she was a pioneer in innovative branding, product development, advertising and digital media. Acknowledged for her strategic thinking, financial acumen, courage and proven financial results. Her strategic vision and business expertise enabled her to effectively reinvent the Jack Brand multiple times with Franchise Partners and Executive Management. Ms. Graham delivered one of the most successful national advertising campaigns achieving 10 Effie Awards and several Belding’s and Clio Awards.

Ms. Graham was also the CMO of RedEnvelope, an e-commerce gifting retailer. As the chief steward of the brand, she was responsible for re-branding the website, social media and digital omni-channel strategy & experience.

Ms. Graham is a member of National Association of Corporate Directors and certified as a Board Governance Fellow. She is also a founding member of the Women Corporate Directors. Ms. Graham was recently named 2019 Women’s Inc.’s Most Influential Corporate Board Directors.

Ms. Graham’s is proud of her Spanish heritage and her personal interests include photography, golf and travel.

Chief Executive Officer

Jessica N. Grounds

Jessica N. Grounds is an internationally recognized leadership expert and a visionary executive who has spurred movements of change across business and politics by developing the next generation of leaders.

Over her two-decade career, she has advised Fortune 500 executives, trained political candidates and governments worldwide, and conducted original research on leadership, all through the lens of gender diversity as a proven strategy for innovation and impact.

Jessica is the CEO of Corporate Directors Forum, which equips board directors, executives, and company decision-makers with training and tools designed to enhance their leadership effectiveness and corporate performance. She also serves on Nasdaq’s Center for Board Excellence Insights Council and recently served on UN Women’s We Empower G7 Programme.

Most recently, Jessica co-founded Mine The Gap, which partners with Fortune 500 companies, organizations, and government agencies to create more effective and inclusive workplaces. She also co-authored reports about the impact of SB 826, the first-in-the-nation legislation to require women board directors on publicly held companies headquartered in California, and served as an expert witness on related court cases.

Previously, she was the Executive Director of Running Start, an organization she co-founded that has trained thousands of young women to run for elected office. Jessica speaks regularly about the importance of advancing women and historically overlooked populations and the barriers to gender equity in leadership. She has trained women leaders from every region of the globe, including extensive work with women in Sub-saharan Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, and across Europe.

Jessica and her work have been profiled in Bloomberg, Fast Company, Roll Call, The Hill, NPR, ELLE, National Journal, Washington Post, San Diego Union Tribune, Politico, Marie Claire, and Forbes. She’s received awards including The New Guard: America’s 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire magazine, “40 Under 40” recipient by the American Association of Political Consultants, Outstanding Alumni Pepperdine University, and the 2022 Magis Award from Georgetown Business School.

Independent Board Director, Lloyd's of London; Independent Board Director, Hays Independent; Board Director, Trustpilot

Joe Hurd

Joe Hurd is a public company board director and early-stage investor. Currently, he is a Non-Executive Director of Trustpilot, Hays, and Lloyd’s of London. He is also the Operating Partner at SOSV, a $1.6B early-stage venture fund, where he leads strategy and business development efforts for the fund’s climate tech and deep tech portfolio companies.

Joe built his business career leading global business development and sales teams for Facebook, Gannett, and AOL/TimeWarner. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a senior political appointee in the U.S. Commerce Department during President Obama’s first term. Active in his community, he is on the Board of Trustees for Menlo College and the Computer History Museum, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the National Association of Corporate Directors, and the Private Directors Association.

Joe graduated from Harvard Law School, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and Harvard College. He lives in Los Altos, California, and is married with one daughter, two sons and one Cavachon. In his spare time, Joe enjoys running, traveling, and reading historical biographies.

Board Member, e.l.f Beauty; Portfolio Manager, Parnassus Investments

Lori Keith

Lori Keith serves on the Board of Directors of e.l.f. Beauty, where she is a member of the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees. In her primary role, she is a portfolio manager for the Parnassus Mid Cap strategy. Prior to joining Parnassus, Lori was a vice president in investment banking at Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance LLC and a senior associate in the investment banking division of Robertson Stephens & Company. Earlier in her career, she worked in the management consulting practice at Ernst & Young. Lori holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Trustee, The Asia Foundation; Former Board Director, Bunge Global Former; Chief Sustainability Officer, Starbucks; Former Vice President of Sustainability & Director of Global Code of Conduct, Levi Strauss & Co.

Michael Kobori

Michael Kobori has spent his career working to build a more just and sustainable world. He has served as a board director of Bunge Global SA, Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks, Vice-President of Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co., Vice-President at BSR, and in various roles at The Asia FoundaMon. Currently, he is a strategic advisor to NaMonSwell, a community of leaders from the corporate, public, and non-profit sectors and an advisor to Gaeastar, a circular economy start-up.

Michael is a Trustee of The Asia Foundation and a member of the U.S.-Japan Council. He has served on the USDA’s Cotton Board, UN Better Work Program, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Better CoTon Initiave, and the Levi Strauss Foundation board.

An esteemed speaker at UN forums, the Aspen InsMtute, and industry conferences, Michael is dedicated to nurturing the next generaMon. He taught sustainability at the Haas Business School, University of California at Berkeley and has served as a mentor for 50/50 Women on Boards.

Michael received his Masters’ Degree in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley, where he also received his undergraduate education in Asian Studies and Psychology. He spent a year at International Christian University in Tokyo and studied sustainable finance at Oxford University.

Michael is married to Sachiko Nagai. They live in Berkeley, California and have two adult daughters, Anne and Ellen. Michael is an enthusiastic chef and enjoys cycling, swimming, fishing, and gardening. He recently completed his PADI open water scuba diving certification.

Independent Board Director, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Company; Independent Board Director, 50/50 Women on Boards

Sita Lowman

Sita Lowman serves as an independent Board of Director at Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC), a 6B+ market cap publicly traded Investment and Insurance Private Mortgage Insurance company. Sita chairs the Business Transformation & Technology committee and is a member of the audit committee of MGIC. Sita served as an independent Director at One Stop Systems, a publicly traded provider of high-performance edge computing used for defense, artificial intelligence (AI), and finance applications. Sita was the Chair of the Compensation committee and a member of the Audit & Risk committee at OSS. At OSS she was involved in the selection of a new CEO and a part of a complex change in the financial and reward metrics for the company. Functional expertise she brings to a board include complex business transformation, general management, operations, sales management, market expansion and M&A.

Sita is a known as digital leader driving digital business transformation. Her expertise for identifying market trends, for overseeing multi-national diverse teams to react to these trends, and for leveraging partnerships to operate globally make her frequently called upon. She is a go to leader to turn around failing businesses. Her over 20 years as a complex P&L leader in Fortune 100 companies serving large enterprises across multiple industries and her expertise in cyber, cloud/SaaS, e commerce, data analytics, risk management, CRM/ERP, and business continuity uniquely qualifies her to oversee digital business transformation. She brings valuable technology, product strategy, M&A and B2B sales insights to the boards she serves. She is known as a leader capable of driving consensus on complex problems, helping to simplify them into actionable concepts, and for being decisive when required.

Sita was most recently a global Vice President and General Manager at DXC Technology, a 14B+ Revenue publicly traded IT services company. Sita managed a global complex P&L which she grew 30%+ YoY for the last several years. Her customers and partners were some of the largest enterprises in the world. Her P&L responsibility covered all aspects of the business from strategic planning, sales, engineering, product management, marketing, delivery implementation, and on-going support. She led a global team of over 2000 individuals across 10+ countries. Prior to DXC, Sita held General Manager roles at HP Enterprise (HPE), Nortel Networks and Texas Instruments (TI) Defense Group (acquired by Raytheon) where she also managed a global P&L. She began her career at TI as an Electrical Engineer building electronic subsystems for various military systems. She transitioned from engineering to procurement to business development and ultimately to product marketing and general management.

Sita earned a BSS of Electrical Engineering at Auburn University. Sita was proudly appointed to various Leadership programs at TI, Nortel, HP and DXC. Previously she served as the President of the Naval Academy North Texas Advisory Board and as a member of the Auburn University Wireless Engineering Advisory Board. She currently serves as an advisor with San Diego based Launch Factory, an incubator that launches and supports the growth of new businesses. Sita is a director of 50/50 Women On Boards. Sita is the also the membership chair of the San Diego chapter of WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD), a member of Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) and serves as a mentor for foster care children in need. Lastly, Sita is an avid pickleball player and loves outdoor bike riding.

Partner, Cooley

Scott McCall

Scott is a partner in Cooley’s compensation and benefits practice group. He represents private and public clients in connection with executive compensation and employee benefits matters. Scott’s practice focuses on all matters relating to compensation – including the design and implementation of equity compensation and bonus plans, executive employment and severance agreements, and the corresponding tax, employment law, financial accounting and securities law issues that arise with compensation arrangements. He counsels his clients on initial public offering (IPO) and transactional matters, working with companies to manage their recruitment, retention and transition of employees and their benefits during and after
significant corporate life events.

Scott brings more than 25 years of experience advising public and private companies in the technology and life sciences sectors on a broad range of compensation matters – including equity compensation, bonus arrangements, and employment and severance agreements. He also has extensive corporate transactions experience. His practice focuses on providing companies with practical advice while ensuring they navigate the complexities of tax, securities, employment and related laws.

Recognized by Chambers USA as a leading practitioner focusing on executive compensation matters, clients remark that Scott is “excellent – he’s a technical lawyer who’s impressive.”

Board Member, Earth Lab Holdings, Braille Institute of America, Linker Finance

Roberto Medrano

Current Boards: Linker Finance, Earth Labs Holdings, Braille Institute

Roberto Medrano has been an independent board director for more than 30 private companies and non-profit organizations. Previously global General Manager of HP Software, CEO of Polivec, President of Finjan, VP of Avnet, and Executive of Sun Microsystems. Silicon Valley global executive with more than 20 years of experience with small and large companies. Operating experience with P&L and board experience helping businesses grow to more than $1 Billion in revenue. He has been an executive with five public companies and in board positions of 14 companies that have been acquired. He also has worked for 3 Silicon Valley companies from private to public IPO. Recently in 2023, 4 fast growing companies he has guided made the Inc 5000 list.

Roberto is a cybersecurity pioneer and led companies in the early phases of the firewall, API security, content security, and security policy markets. He has been advising AI companies and has deep operational, PR, marketing and sales experience. Ranked the #12 Top CMO Worldwide in 2014, Hall of Fame in the IT world, Top Influential and Notable Hispanic Professionals in the Information Technology Industry, and top 100 most influential Hispanics in the USA.

Technologies and industries that he specializes in include cybersecurity, AI, healthcare, Fintech, retail, SaaS, cloud, mobile applications, global e-commerce, risk management, and business continuity. My functional expertise includes operational management, PR, marketing, sales, Portfolio Management, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Channel Management, Alliance Management, Employee Communications, and M&A.

I have served in more than 14 company boards that have been acquired, including Lief Organics (acquired Private Equity), QOS Networks (acquired Private Equity),  Arcot (acquired by CA), Aventail (acquired by SonicWall/Dell), Encentuate (acquired by IBM), Netscaler (acquired by Citrix), Bigfix (Acquired IBM), AirZip (acquired Willow Tech), Confluent (acquired by Oblix/Oracle), PivX (IPO 2004), Sand Hill IT Security (went public in a reverse IPO with EdgeWave), JackBe (acquired SoftwareAG). Roberto has participated in two SPACs and one proxy contest.

Roberto has an MBA UCLA, MSEE MIT and BSEE USC.

Independent Board Director, GRC Advisory Services, LLC; Independent Board Director, Civeo Corporation; Independent Board Director, Monarca Authentic Snacks; Independent Board Director, NACD

Michael Montelongo

The Honorable Michael Montelongo is a seasoned international board director and audit committee financial expert with an extensive record of leadership across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. A frequent speaker on board governance, risk oversight, talent, and strategy and former presidential appointee and Senate-confirmed senior official, he serves on the boards of Civeo Corporation (NYSE: CVEO), Monarca Authentic Snacks, and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), where he is also a Board Leadership Fellow and faculty member.

Montelongo is President and CEO of GRC Advisory Services, LLC, advising boards and senior executives on governance, risk, and compliance. He is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he was previously on the faculty teaching service operations, and earlier held senior executive roles at Sodexo, Inc. A public policy and geostrategic expert, Montelongo is a Council on Foreign Relations lifetime member.

Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer and 19th Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, managing a $120 billion budget during two wartime operations and later serving as Acting Secretary of the Air Force. His contributions to national security and space strategy extend to service on the NASA Advisory Council and the board of The Aerospace Corporation.

Montelongo began his career as a U.S. Army officer, completing a Congressional Fellowship and teaching at West Point, and later in global management consulting and telecommunications. Born and raised in New York City’s Lower East Side, he earned a B.S. from West Point and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. His civic engagement spans youth, veterans, and national service, and his recognitions include top civilian honors from the Air Force and NASA and the Latino Leaders Magazine Maestro Award for Lifetime Leadership.

Board Member, Alpha AI Board; Member, NETSCOUT Systems; Board Member, SoFi Bank; Board Member, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Shannon Nash

Shannon Nash is a global C-suite leader, Qualified Financial Expert, attorney, and CPA with over 30 years of experience navigating the intersection of technology, finance, and governance. She currently serves as a Partner at Alpha AI, the premier AI Governance Company. At Alpha AI, she bridges the gap between the boardroom and the front lines of technology, helping leaders and organizations oversee AI governance through a differentiated ecosystem of research, strategic advisory, and peer-to-peer insights.

Shannon was formerly the CFO of Wing, an Alphabet company, where she led global finance, operations, and partnerships for the autonomous drone delivery pioneer, scaling the organization through a period of significant global expansion and regulatory milestones. Her executive track record also includes CFO roles at Reputation.com and Inside Source, and senior finance leadership at Amgen and Cumulus Media. She began her career at KPMG and Cooley LLP.

An experienced independent board director, Shannon is a 2025 NACD Directorship 100 honoree and one of Silicon Valley’s 100 Most Influential Women. She serves on the boards of NetScout Systems (NASDAQ: NTCT), SoFi Bank (subsidiary of NASDAQ: SOFI and Chair, Compensation Committee), and Lazy Dog Restaurants (Chair, Audit Committee). She also serves as the Audit Chair for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, overseeing more than $16B in assets. Her approach to oversight is grounded in technical rigor, including cybersecurity certifications from MIT, the AICPA, and NYU Law–Nasdaq.

Shannon is also the creator and host of No Boxes: Just Verses, a globally acclaimed leadership podcast that ranks in the Top 5% of all podcasts worldwide and has charted in the Top 100 in the United States. Each episode features an inspiring leader sharing five key lessons from their journey, paired with five songs that reflect that chapter, creating a “leadership playlist” of their life. She brings a distinct vantage point to the microphone: that of a fellow operator and C-Suite peer.

In addition to her podcast, she is an award-winning film producer with premieres at numerous festivals, including Tribeca (the film, OnBoard) and a win at the American Pavilion in Cannes (the film, Colored My Mind). She holds both a BS in Accounting and JD from the University of Virginia.

Managing Director, Evercore

Zach Oleksiuk

Zach Oleksiuk, CFA, managing director, leads Evercore’s shareholder engagement practice within the Strategic, Defense & Shareholder Advisory team. He advises clients on investor relations, corporate governance, ESG, activism defense and M&A.

Mr. Oleksiuk’s transaction experience at Evercore includes Aerojet Rocketdyne in its defense against Steel Partners; BorgWarner in its separation of PHINIA; Bristol-Myers Squibb in its contested acquisition of Celgene; Cimarex in its combination with Cabot; CoreLogic in its defense and its sale to Stone Point and Insight Partners; Delek in its proxy fight against CVR and Carl Icahn; Ritchie Bros. in its acquisition of IAA; and Qualcomm in its defense against Broadcom.

Prior to Evercore, Mr. Oleksiuk served as head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship (Americas). He previously held senior roles at Institutional Shareholder Services.

Mr. Oleksiuk is an active thought leader and has chaired the CII Corporate Governance Advisory Council and served on the PCAOB Standing Advisory Group. He earned an MBA from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from Penn State

CEO, Alpha; Board Director, Save the Children; Board Director, Whalar; Member, Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence; Director Member, Latino Corporate Directors Association

Steven Wolfe Pereira

Steven Wolfe Pereira is the Chief Executive Officer of Alpha, the leading independent AI governance intelligence company.

Alpha’s work is powered by the Alpha Institute, which produces independent research, frameworks, and standards for board oversight of artificial intelligence. Alpha serves board directors and C-suite executives through: the Alpha Council, an exclusive global leadership network of hundreds of members from public and private companies; Alpha Advisory, providing board workshops, committee education, and executive AI coaching; Alpha Board Brief, a media platform including a podcast, newsletter, and website; and Alpha events, including the annual Alpha Summit which convenes directors and executives with leaders across the technology ecosystem.

Mr. Wolfe Pereira serves on the boards of the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence, Save the Children and Whalar Group.

His operating career spans over 25 years working in technology beginning at Akamai Technologies in 1999. He served as Chief Marketing Officer for leading AI-driven companies including Neustar (acquired by Golden Gate Capital for $3 billion), Datalogix (acquired by Oracle Corporation for $1.2 billion), and Quantcast. He held senior roles at Publicis Groupe and TelevisaUnivision, and co-founded the award-winning edtech company Encantos. He began his career in private equity at the Blackstone Group and Salomon Smith Barney.

Mr. Wolfe Pereira completed the Stanford Directors’ Consortium and holds an Executive MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA from Tufts University. He is a Fulbright Scholar and is a contributor to Forbes on AI governance. His insights have been featured in Bloomberg, Fast Company, Fortune, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Associate Professor of Law at USD and Director, Center for Corporate and Securities Law

Caley Petrucci

Caley Petrucci is an associate professor of law and a co-director of the Center for Corporate and Securities Law at the University of San Diego School of Law. Professor Petrucci’s research focuses on dealmaking, corporate governance, and the role of the corporation in society. Her scholarship has been published in the Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and Yale Journal on Regulation, among others. Prior to joining the USD Law faculty, Professor Petrucci practiced corporate law at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York and served as a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Professor Petrucci earned a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was an articles editor on the Harvard Law Review, and a B.A. with honors and distinction from Stanford University.

Former Activist Investor, Founder, Voce Capital Management LLC

Daniel Plants

Mr. Plants founded Voce Capital Management LLC, a value-oriented, employee-owned investment adviser, in 2011. His two decades of experience prior to Voce featured executive positions in the mergers and acquisitions groups at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan Chase.  His prior career spans dozens of successful M&A transactions and more than $20 billion in public and private capital raising across a broad range of industries and market capitalizations.

Mr. Plants is an expert on corporate governance, having begun his career as a securities attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell and later having led the corporate defense advisory business at JPMorgan.  Mr. Plants was previously the Executive Chairman of Cutera, Inc. (Nasdaq: CUTR), formerly the Chairman of the Strategic Committee of Argo Group (NYSE: ARGO) and earlier the Chairman of the Strategic Committee of Calix (NYSE: CALX).

Mr. Plants began his career serving a one-year appointment as a law clerk to the Hon. Alex Kozinski, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Mr. Plants received a JD from the University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude, where he won the Campbell Moot Court competition and was a publishing editor of the Michigan Law Review.  He received a BA in economics from Baylor University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa; he was the National College Debate Champion in 1989.

Board Member, Audit Chair, Pantheon

Victoria Sassine

Victoria Sassine, CPA, MBA, is a public board director, with over 25 years of expertise in scaling business growth and operations in a myriad of sectors. Throughout her executive career with Fortune 500 Companies ( Biogen, Philip Morris Companies, Kraft Foods, Shell Oil) her focus was on business transition, with an emphasis on developing leadership teams, and identifying market opportunities for growth. For the past fifteen years, Victoria has continued to propel shareholder value, by honing strategy and re imaging processes for both private and public firms.

Currently, Victoria serves as the Audit Committee Chair for Pantheon Private Equity Fund, a liquid alternative fund. Over a 36 month period, the fund experienced rapid growth, acquiring > $5 Billion AUM, with investments in primary, and secondary markets in a variety of industries. Additionally, she serves as a Director for Affiliated Management Group Funds( NYSE: AMG), an asset management complex. Victoria is also an independent Board Director for the PRG Group, a privately held general contractor and construction material provider. The firm specializes in luxury properties in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Victoria has a BSBA in Accounting, and is a CPA. She earned her MBA from the Booth School at the University of Chicago.

CEO, Stand Out International, Inc.

Simon Vetter

Simon Vetter, known as The Vision Architect, is an international executive coach, professional speaker and author of “Leading with Vision”.
He helps leaders create crystal-clear vision and practical execution, aligning teams and accelerating performance.

His work is trusted by organizations including AbbVie, Cisco, Lennar, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Siemens.

Born in Switzerland and shaped by 27+ years in San Diego, Simon blends Swiss precision with Californian innovation: pragmatic, energizing and actionable for real-world leadership pressure.

Partner and Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense Practice, Sidley Austin, LLP

Derek Zaba

Derek co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice. He spends 100% of his time on shareholder activism, contested and complex M&A, and corporate governance matters. With more than two decades of experience, Derek has been involved in hundreds of activist campaigns and contested M&A situations. Prior to Sidley, Derek was the head of the activism and corporate defense practice at a leading shareholder engagement and corporate governance advisory firm. He also served as an investment professional at activist and event-driven hedge funds.

Since 2023, Derek has been named one of the leading lawyers for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500, calling him and his partner Kai Liekefett “two of the best lawyers in America.” In 2022, The American Lawyer named Derek as a Trailblazer in the Western Region of the United States for his work in shareholder activism and contested M&A.  Derek was also recognized in the 2021–2024 editions of Chambers USA as one of the leading lawyers in New York Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense with clients noting that “he is deeply knowledgeable, very easy to work with and is able to bring defense expertise with multiple perspectives,” and, “his client advice is consistently excellent and nuanced, and he delivers it with a calmness that is often important in tense activist situations.” Derek was selected as one of the Lawdragon 500 “Leading Dealmakers in America” in 2025.

Derek has defended against the vast majority of top tier activist hedge funds, as well as many others including one time and occasional activists. He has counseled management teams and directors on hundreds of engagements with proxy advisory firms and institutional investors relating to shareholder activism, contested M&A, corporate governance and other matters.

He is a highly sought after speaker for panels on the topics of shareholder activism and related matters, is frequently quoted and regularly speaks on the topic. He teaches a class on shareholder activism, contested M&A, and corporate governance at Stanford University Law School.

Derek holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif; an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, concentrating in Finance; and a bachelor’s degree in Systems Science and Mathematics, cum laude, from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis.