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 of Northern California.

Board Chair:

Jean Kovacs, President and CEO, Comergent Technologies, Inc.


Board Members:

John R. Berthold, CEO, The Altos Group, Inc.

R. James Ellis, Entrepreneur, Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Emiko Higashi, Managing Director, Tomon Partners, LLC

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, CEO and President, BUILD

Francisca Miranda, Deputy Superintendent, Sequoia Union High
School District

Oakland Advisory Board

Affi Ansari, Former Senior Vice President, Comerica Bank

Jesse Brandl, Associate, Pacific Community Ventures

Doug Brien, Entrepreneur/Former NFL Placekicker

Stephen Grant, Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch 

Gerald Harris, Founder, Harris Planning and Strategy

Eric Rudney, Principal, Rudney Associates

Rick Smith, Retired, Vicor Inc.

Elena Spight, Controller, Tyris Corporation

Eric Weissman, Financial Advisor, AIG Retirement Services

Tony Wicks, Co-Founder, Premier Source

Peninsula Advisory Board

Michael Bellissimo, Vice President, CollabNet

Daphne Carmeli, Executive Chairman, Yoomba

Paul Jordan, Board Chair, CFO and Co-Founder, Blackbag Technologies

Bob Katz, President, Robert L. Katz and Associates

Pamela Kline Smith, Former Vice President, LiveOps

Dorothy Lazier

Maeve Richard, CFO and CAO, Stupski Foundation

Lawrence Shubert, CEO and Founder, ZIP Innovations