Arturo Riera
Chairman of the Board
Digital Advertising Sales Manager, CBS TV Station Group- San Francisco

Arturo Riera has worked in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area broadcasting since 1981 specializing in Broadcast Sales Management of TV, Radio and Cable operations. In 1999, he joined Star Media Networks as Vice-President of Broadband Product Development. Riera is currently the Digital Advertising Sales Manager with the CBS Television Stations Group in San Francisco overseeing sales for CBS5.com and CWBayArea.com.

E. Christopher Wilder
Vice-Chairman of the Board
Executive Director, The VMC Foundation

E. Chris Wilder is the executive director of the Valley Medical Center Foundation, the fund raising arm of Silicon Valley's largest and only public hospital and hospital system. His 19 year career in the "public benefit sector" has included time as executive director of City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley (the nation's premier AmeriCorps program) and the Vanished Children's Alliance.

Chris is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area who makes his home in Los Gatos with his wife Kate and their zoo full of animals. Chris is Chairman of the American Diabetes Association's "Father of the Year" council, and serves on the board of the Santa Clara Family HealthFoundation. His jazz/reggae trio, "I've Never Been to Brisbane", plays public and private events around Silicon Valley. As a guitar and bass player in every genre under the sun, Chris has performed in over two dozen nations.

David Kennedy, Secretary of the Board
Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

David Kennedy is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, an international law firm based in Los Angeles with which Mr. Kennedy has been affiliated since 1982. Mr. Kennedy specializes in technology transactions, including license, acquisition, development and other transactions involving semiconductor chips, software, video games, biomedical and other types of technologies. His practice also includes transactions involving music and other entertainment-related rights and transactions involving Internet-based businesses. He heads the Technology Transactions Group within the Firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Mr. Kennedy received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1975, earned an M.B.A. degree, with a major in finance, from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Business in 1981 and graduated in 1982 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Mr. Kennedy was a member of the Order of the Coif and was a Note and Comment Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review.

Henry Wang, Treasurer of the Board
Managing Partner, CFO Today (www.cfoinc.us)

Henry C. Wang, Managing Partner of CFO Inc., brings many years of entrepreneurial experience into the consultation services he provides. A long time residence of Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay area (Since 1963), he is familiar with the dynamics of a growth culture.Henry started his own Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm with two other college friends. Through two separate mergers, in four years, the practice has grown to five offices (San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C.) with six partners and eighty professional staff. As director of governmental contracts nationwide, he is responsible for procuring over $6 million of fees annually. The practice was later sold to Delloitte Touche and Henry stayed as partner-in-charge of government contract operations-western region for two years. Henry later joined Euro-America Financial, a merchant banking operation in Beverly Hills. One of the acquisitions is a regional business publisher: “The California Executive”. Henry returned to the San Francisco Bay area in 1988 and began his investment advisory and pension administration practice, Integrated Financial Services, Ltd. (IFS). IFS joint CFOToday in 2002, a national accounting franchise with 160 local offices in the U. S.

Henry is the Treasurer and the most senior board member of the San Jose Jazz (since 1992). During his tenure, the SJJ ’s annual budget has grown from $160,000 to currently $2 million through corporate and private donations and serving over 100,000 students.

Ellie Ahi
President and Chief Web Architect/CTO
FriBay Corporation (www.fribay.com)

Ellie Ahi founded FriBay after becoming frustrated with the inability to quickly find relevant local services and vendors using traditional search engines. As chief web architect and visionary, Ms. Ahi has driven the development of FriBay as a whole new personal local search technology for users and vendors. Before founding FriBay, she held a variety of increasingly responsible positions at SkyStream Networks (Tandberg Television), including director of software and systems architect for digital media products. Prior to SkyStream, Ellie spent more than ten years as a senior software manager at a variety of innovative Silicon Valley companies, including Sigma Designs.

Ms. Ahi holds patents in the areas of web search technology and web engineering and has authored a number of highly regarded technical papers on search engine performance, networking and other topics. She is a technical member of the Keiretsu Forum and heads FriAway, the philanthropic arm of FriBay. She has served as an assistant professor and workshop instructor at Santa Clara University.

Ellie has an MS in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University, a BS in Computer Science Engineering from San Jose State University, and completed the Advanced Computer Security Program in Protocols, Design and Securing Web Applications from Stanford University – all with high honors.

Jan De Carli
Broker, Coldwell Banker

Jan De Carli Graduated from St Marys grade school , Campell high school and San jose State University.She is a Broker with Coldwell Banker with 35 years of experience. She was a founder and Director of Cupertino national Bank for 20 years. She founded and was a director of Innovest mortgage company. She serves on the Board of Fellow of Santa Clara Univerity for 20 years.

On the Board of San Jose jazz for 6 years…Jan loves the organization and Jan is dedicated to the music, the musicians and the students. San Jose Jazz brings a great many world class jazz musicans for Santa Clara Valley citizens to enjoy and we have a lot of fun doing it.

Lois Eckmann
CFP ®, CRPC
Wealth Management Advisor
Merrill Lynch

Lois Eckmann CFP ®, CRPC is a Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch in San Jose , California . Previously, Lois held various senior financial positions in public and private high technology companies in Silicon Valley . She has also been an advisor to local non-profit organizations including Stanford Jazz Workshop, Museum of American History (MOAH), and Acterra, and a participant in the Pet Therapy Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Lois has an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BS Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania . Besides jazz music, Lois’s passions include her four Tibetan dogs, hiking, gourmet cooking, and wine collecting.

Dr. Robert E. Griffin
VP, Student Services and Institutional ResearchDe Anza College

Dr. Griffin has 35 years of experience in higher education. He has worked at San Jose State University, Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California and currently serves as the Vice President of Student Services and Institutional Research at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.
He has served on a number of statewide community college boards and commissions including serving as past President of the Association of California Community College Administrators. His professional experience includes presentations at a number of conferences on the regional, state and national level.

Dr. Griffin has served on a number of community non-profit boards, which include serving as the chairperson of the Planning Commission for the City of Seaside, California and as the President of United Way of the Monterey Peninsula. Dr. Griffin's public service also includes holding a publicly elected office for eleven years, as a member of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (a tax funded environmental protection and land acquisition board) in Monterey, California.

Currently, Dr. Griffin serves as a retreat facilitator, related to strategic planning for several local nonprofit boards. Dr. Griffin also teaches graduate courses at Santa Clara University in the School of Education.

Andrew C. Johnson
Regional Vice President of Communications
Comcast

Andrew Johnson currently serves as Regional Vice President of Communications for Comcast in California, joining the company in the fall of 1996. Previously, Andrew held several senior management positions in the cable industry including National Spokesperson for AT&T Broadband in Denver before the acquisition by Comcast.
Prior to joining Comcast, Andrew served for five years as the Director of Government, Media and Community Relations for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) $2.6 billion extension program, which doubled the size of the original BART system and added 13 new stations throughout the Bay Area.

Before his stint at BART, Andrew served as the Assistant to the General Manager at the Contra Costa Water District, and was the Executive Director of the Homebuilders Association of Northern California.

His extensive public affairs, media relations, and new product experience was built on a solid foundation, as he served for ten years as the Director of Public Relations for the Gannett Corporation, publishers of USA Today. In fact, Andrew was responsible for the launch of USA Today in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Upon his graduation from Santa Clara University with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science, Andrew worked as a Staff Assistant to former Congressman Norman Mineta of San Jose and former Cabinet Secretary in both the Clinton and Bush Administrations.

In addition to his role at Comcast, Andrew currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Channel.

Andrew resides in Contra Costa County with his wife Cindy, and is the proud grandfather of Brandon, Courtney and Jase.

Paul Monaco
Director, Executive Services, First American Title

Paul is a Bay Area native. He was originally born in Los Altos and now resides in San Jose with his wife Kate. This is his second year as a board member of the San Jose Jazz , where he actively sits as the Secretary. When he is not contributing to the board or listening to great music, he works in real estate for First American Title.

Anthony J. Nespole M.D.

Dr. Nespole graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut with an A.B. degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska with his M.D. He had a two year Internal Medicine residency before spending two years in the USAF during the Vietnam era. He completed a Pediatric residency in Philadelphia and came to California to work for Kaiser Permanente. He became the Assistant Chief to Staff of a 220 bed hospital and Assistant Physician-in-Chief of a 175 physician medical group, positions he held over 15 years During that time, he was responsible for all quality review and quality improvement programs for the hospital and medical group, as well as serving as Chief of Medical-Legal Affairs with the responsibility for investigating all patient complaints regarding quality of medical care and responding to the involved patients.

He was President of the Santa Clara Medical Association and was elected to the Board of Directors of CMRI (now known as Lumetra), eventually becoming Secretary/Treasurer. Upon his retirement from patient care, he took a position as Chief Medical Officer for CMRI and was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Health Qualtiy Association, serving as Vice Speaker of its House of Delegates and as Vice Presidentof the organization. Following his retirement from CMRI, he became a California State Certified Long Term Care Ombudsman and assists residents at a specific nursing home with their personal, facility, family and financial problems. In addition, he assists The Clean Slate Program in San Jose, doing laser removal of tattoos from former gang members who have been through several months of counseling, community service work and who have renounced their former gang culture.

Tony Pollace

Tony has over thirty years experience in finance and general management assisting emerging and fortune 100 companies in positions as CEO, CFO and COO.

As a seed money investor Tony advises numerous high technology Silicon Valley companies and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of four emerging ventures. 

Tony helped lead the formation of the ManyOne Foundation and the Digital Universe Foundation.  During the past 24 months, under the tax exempt status of a 501c3, Tony assisted in the successful finding of over $18 Million from angel investors and philanthropic organizations including the Humane Society of the United States, the Hemmingway Foundation and the National Community for Science and the Environment in Washington DC.

As CFO, at Computer Motion Tony helped structure a $30 Million IPO, working with a National Investment Banking Firm. Through venture capital and private placements he helped position LinuxCare for a $35 Million funding and IPO.

Through investment bankers, venture capitalists and private investors Tony generated in excess of $50 million through private placements and bridge loans domestically and in Taiwan, Singapore and Tokyo for companies in the Semi Conductor, Medical, Software and eCommerce industries. 

During eight-year tenure with Heraeus Surgical as CFO/Treasurer, Tony assisted in a $28 million secondary public offering to finance a corporate acquisition and establish worldwide foreign exchange banking to hedge over $10 million annually.

As CFO/Treasurer at Litton Industries, he directed all finance and administration for six operating divisions in the U.S. and the Pacific Rim with revenues in excess of $150 million. 

As a specialist in business combinations, Tony implemented countless strategic alliances, channel distribution agreements and mergers and acquisitions domestically and in Canada, Italy and Australia representing high technology Silicon Valley companies.
He has extensive experience with SEC reporting and compliance issues, reorganizations and workouts, and human resource and investor relations’ management.  He has an extensive patent and copy write background and has worked closely with the USPTO and has provided management support in work with the FDA.

Tony served as the Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee and is currently Member of the Board of Trustees at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  He has a B.S. in Finance and Accounting, with a minor in Law and Economics from Golden Gate University and completed graduate studies toward an MBA, Santa Clara University.

John Radewagen
VP Corporate Communications, The Hoffman Agency

John Radewagen has been vice presidenrt of Corporate Communications for The Hoffman Agency since 1998. He leads a team that focuses on creative messaging, strategic positioning and top-tier media relations. Radewagen specializes in creating and securing high-level print, broadcast, radio and Internet media opportunities designed to give clients a competitive and strategic advantage in their markets. He interacts directly with C-level executives to find their passions from which interesting speaking platforms are created. With a unique storytelling style, he packages and presents these platforms to the media to increase awareness and position executives as experts in their industries. Radewagen also does media training and creative messaging sessions designed to teach executives how to effectively communicate and deliver messages to their various stakeholders.

Originally from Chicago, Radewagen’s Silicon Valley experience dates back to the late 1970s when he helped create and run the Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, an non-profit association that helped aspiring entrepreneurs get their businesses started. John has been promotional director for a variety of professional sports teams and leagues and has been a volunteer for numerous youth sports and education groups. He has served on the San Jose Jazz board since 2003 and has served as Secretary. He currently sits on the Society's Development Committee and provides senior public relations counsel to the organization. He has a degree in radio and television communications from the University of Illinois.

Mike Warner
Civic Volunteer

Mike is a retired Engineering Executive who has had a life long love of Jazz. He was born in Spokane Washington, grew up in Astoria Oregon and has lived in San Jose since graduating from San Jose State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Mike and his wife, Laurie, married for 47 years, have three married daughters all who also love music.

After a 19 year technical and management career at IBM, Mike became engineering Vice President, in succession, at Micropolis, Maxtor, Toshiba America and Tessera Technologies Inc. During his career he obtained 20 patents in hard disk drives and semiconductor packaging.

In addition to his role at San Jose Jazz, Mike is a volunteer at the Computer History Museum, a supporter of Opera San Jose, the Institute for Contemporary Art, the San Jose Art Museum and the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Mike is also an avid sailor, car buff, world traveler and handy man.

Chris Worrall
Vice President, OEM Business Unit, Hitachi Data Systems

Chris Worrall is currently responsible for managing the Hitachi Storage OEM business. Today this is focused on managing all aspects of the OEM relationship between Hitachi and HP for the high-end storage products and software solutions.

Chris joined Hitachi Data Systems (ITEL) in August 1977, spending his first 10 years in Germany and London (European HQ).In January 1987, he transferred to the corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and has held many senior management and Executive positions since then. Prior to HDS, Chris worked at IBM (UK) for eight years in a variety of roles.
Chris and his wife Kim are blessed with five daughters.

Chris is involved in many charitable activities. In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Finance Committee for San Jose Jazz, he is also a member of the Board of Directors and Funding Chair for the Hospice of the Valley. Chris is also a member of the Board of Trustees, Board to City of San Jose liaison and past President of the San Jose Repertory Theatre. In addition he previously founded and served as the initial President of the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley.

In March 2007 Chris was honored to be invested as Knight of Honour, Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. The oldest order of chivalry in the world, today the Sovereign Order is a Christian charitable organization committed to serving the sick and poor in Christ.