Jill Galvez

Business Executive
Jill Galvez has been a business manager in the high tech/data and telecommunications fields for most of her career. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Arts/Telecommunications/Computer Science from Michigan State University in 1989. Her career at IBM, AT&T, InterVU (purchased by Akamai Technologies) and FastBlue Communications has included positions in marketing, regional channel sales management, sales and operations management, and human resource management. Upon moving to California in 1992, Ms. Galvez worked a brief period for Johnson & Johnson/McNeil Pharmaceuticals as a pharmaceutical sales representative in San Diego South Bay, detailing products and pharmacokinetics to physicians and pharmacists.

Ms. Galvez was a congressional appointee to the California Democratic Party Delegation 2007-09. In 2010, she ran for Chula Vista City Council, losing by 53 votes. Jill has served on the Old Globe Education Committee, as a San Diego Junior Theatre trustee, as a board member of Crossroads II, Chula Vista Committee of 100, Chula Vista Heritage Museum Board, Chula Vista Historic Home Tour committee, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and is very active in the community. She has been the head coach of her children's schools Science Olympiad teams since 2008.

Jill and Victor Galvez have two teenage children and live roughly halfway between downtown San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

Tom Gerrard

Tom Gerrard is well known in Montana's Big Sky Country and has an extensive and successful 35-year business history, which included the formation, start-up and eventual sale of eight successful entrepreneurial businesses in telecommunications, real estate and construction.

These companies include, in telecom: Mobile ComNet; Coverage Plus Antenna Systems, Inc.; Advanced Radio Communications Services, Inc.; and Air Space Radio Systems, a top ten Motorola dealer in the U.S. In construction, his companies included: C.M.H. Corp.; Consolidated Wire Rope and Rigging, Inc.; and Gerrard and LaRoche, Inc. His real estate experience includes ownership of Gerrard Properties, a developer of real estate and rental properties in Florida, Washington D.C. and Montana.

Though semi-retired today, Gerrard is constantly on the go for pursuits of both business and pleasure. For the past seven years, he has been chairman of the board of Interlaken, Inc., an environmental construction firm doing restoration work in the Florida everglades. He also is a Trustee on the John Hopkins Medical Board and serves on both its finance and real estate development committees. And he's held the highest positions at several telecom-related associations and served as a communications consultant to several of America's major corporations. Among his present-day pursuits, Gerrard is passionate about classic car restoration, with collections in both the Big Sky area of Montana, and in his second home in Manalapan, Florida (where he was formerly mayor).

Larry Jordan

Famous for his involvement with horses and rodeos all over North America for more than 30 years, Larry Jordan is an inductee in both the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (saddle bronco riding) and Montana State University-Billings Hall of Fame (football and rodeo). He makes things happen. He founded the American Canadian Quarter Horse Futurity, the World of Rodeo newspaper, the North American Rodeo Commission, and the Department of Public Relations for the National High School Rodeo Association, raising $1,000,000 in funds from major sponsors for this last cause. He also established the Billings Night Rodeo, managing everything from concept and land acquisition to facilities construction and marketing.

Jordan has a degree in Education from Montana State University-Billings and still substitute teaches today. He has been active in ranch management for over a decade in the Livingston area, and both stands quarter horse stallions and has more than a dozen mares (quarter horse and paint). Many of his colts are active in racing all over the United States and Canada. Never one to rest on his laurels, Jordan has also developed his artistic side, capturing his love of the rodeo and the outdoors in dramatic western and wildlife pieces for commission and sale.

Jordan has served on the board of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and is presently Director of Special Events for the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame. He is also a trustee for the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center.

Karen Earl Reis

Management Consultant
Founder of Karen Reis Consulting LLC, Ms. Reis has over 20 years of experience as a management consultant delivering exceptional value to her clients through strategy, business model development, program management, operations improvement, and change leadership services. She is highly skilled at leading cross-functional teams across strategy, technology, product development, sales, marketing, and operations areas to achieve successful outcomes. Ms. Reis has served clients across a multitude of industries including retail, manufacturing, healthcare, high technology, and financial services, primarily for highly strategic online product launch and large-scale organizational change efforts. More information is available at www.karenreis.net.

Ms. Reis has an undergraduate degree from Skidmore College and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In addition to owning her own business, Karen has held leadership and management positions with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in New York City, Deloitte Consulting in Minneapolis, and CBS Marketwatch.com in Minneapolis.

Karen is most proud of being a parent of two children and an advocate for her son Jack who has autism. Ms. Reis started Breakthrough Consulting in 2005 to offer workshops to families impacted by autism on selected topics. She has been part of a number of insurance and legislative advocacy efforts to ensure appropriate services are available to people with autism. In her own search for answers for her son, Ms. Reis was featured on the documentary Beautiful Son which aired nationwide on public television stations. In 2009, she initiated and sponsored a summer nature camp for kids with autism in partnership with the Dodge Nature Center in Mendota Heights Minnesota. The camp has become quite successful and will have its third session next summer for 16 children. And most recently, Ms. Reis has volunteered her time, energy, passion, and skills to help Erik's Ranch & Retreats become a reality. And most recently, Ms. Reis has volunteered her time, energy, passion, and skills to help Erik's Ranch & Retreats become a reality. She is currently helping roll-out Erik's Minnesota Adventures, our working and recreational program for young adults with autism, and is serving in a business development and fundraising capacity for the organization. Karen and her family are most excited for Jack to live and flourish at Erik's Ranch in Montana for his adult life and be part of this life-changing opportunity for the autism population.

Ms. Reis lives with her husband and two children in Highland Park Minnesota and enjoys parenting, travel, tennis, and her husband's cooking! In her spare time, she teaches yoga and Real Ryder biking classes at CorePower Yoga.

Beihua Sheng

Beihua Sheng is a senior IT consultant and a small business owner. Ms. Sheng has more than fifteen years IT and management consulting experiences in banking, medical insurance,retail, education, manufacturing and defense industry. Ms. Sheng has successfully implemented software projects at 3M, Honeywell, Wells Fargo, United Health Group, Best Buy, ATK, Land O Lakes, Lawson, University of Minnesota, Imation, United Postal Service, and etc. Ms. Sheng holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and a master's degree in Business Administration.

Brian C. Stage

President of WEDGE Hotels Corporation, a privately held owner and operator of upscale hotels in the Northeastern U.S. and in Texas.

Throughout his hospitality career, Mr. Stage has held a variety of general management, sales and marketing positions. With Carlson Hotels Worldwide, he served as President, Radisson Hotels Worldwide and Executive Vice President, Sales and Distribution, for Carlson's five hotel brands. Prior to joining Carlson, Stage held the position of Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Inn America Corporation and began his career with Sheraton Corporation, serving in various general management and sales leadership posts.

He also spent four years as an executive consultant for Radisson Edwardian Hotels, owner and operator of 13 upscale properties in greater London and Manchester, U.K.

Stage holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia and has completed the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Minnesota Executive Program. He has been a regular guest lecturer for the Carlson School Executive Development Center's Strategic Marketing Seminar as well as Hamline University's Executive MBA Program and the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.

Mr. Stage has been married for 33 years and he and his wife Debbie have one son.

Charles Wilson

Charles Wilson has a passion for business innovation and growth in both traditional and digital markets. Currently an advisor to a leading boutique investment bank, he was most recently Senior Vice President of Business Development and Monetization for Mobile Content Networks, where he led the company's monetization and advertising strategy globally, as well as spearheading business development in the Americas.

Prior to MCN, Charles led New Business Development and M&A for Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY), where he spearheaded the corporation's efforts in new and emerging businesses and markets. He led Avery's entry into the online direct-to-consumer services from launch to 50% month over month growth. Charles also conceived of and developed the company's mobile and personalization platform, structuring and launching the company's first joint venture with Motorola, introducing the product/services offering globally through both retail and online channels and achieving distribution in 45 countries in its launch year. His efforts at Avery were featured on the cover of the company's 2006 Annual Report.

Earlier in his career, Charles was a senior executive at several successful Silicon Valley startups in the online services and media space, leading marketing and raising venture funding, including Pivia, sold to F5, and Classroom Connect, now a part of Reed Elsevier. He helped create Allaire (IPO '99) and named and positioned its successful flagship product, Cold Fusion. He also conceived of and co-founded Edview, an Internet company which was acquired by Apple.

Charles currently sits on the advisory boards of several prominent startups in Silicon Valley. He holds a B.A. in Classical Languages from Carleton College, attended graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill, and has completed studies at the University of Chicago.

Charles lives in Surfside, California with his wife and daughter, and dog Jed. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, bicycling, and photography.