James Martin See MBA 1960.

William (Bill) Harrison, of Napa, Calif., and Joel Butler just returned from a trip to New Zealand with their wives, where they showed their Cal Haas spirit. Joel is a retired U.S. Navy Captain, and Bill is a retired California Superior Court Judge. Shown: Joel
and Bill.

Junichi Yamasaki, of Tokyo, comments, “Fifty-five years have passed since I earned a BS from Haas, then the School of Business Administration. I was the first student who directly went to the MS program in operations research of the School of Engineering. Combination of business and engineering helped and influenced me a lot in my career. I am now trying to combine engineering, finance, a PhD in law, and real-world experience and brushing up my math at the online math MS program of Johns Hopkins from Tokyo. I am 77. But this Berkeley graduate has earned no less than two A-’s among young JHU students. Reading every line of the math text of JHU, I recall what and how I learned, read, and struggled at Berkeley. I tell you, Berkeley education is fantastic. After 55 years, it still works quite well.”

50th Reunion
Dec. 5, 2024

Kent Halkett, of Brentwood, Tenn., shares, “The ABA Journal published my article entitled, ‘A BigLaw suicide survivor’s prescription for the legal profession’s mental health crisis,’ on May 16, 2024.”

Raymond Karno, of Greenwich, Conn., writes, “In 2016, I thought I was going to fully retire. However, an opportunity came up to become a part-time consultant and broker in the same space I had enjoyed for many years: HR outsourcing for SMBs. I formed a company, HRO2GO.com, and it’s been going great for these past eight years. I play the role of a matchmaker for small companies looking to evaluate and choose the best outsourcing company to meet their HR and employee administration needs. Our consultancy celebrates whenever a company grows to such an extent that they can justify their own HR department and no longer need our services. As an example, Yelp did just that when they reached a headcount of 400 employees. Most clients don’t grow to this level, but whenever they do, we consider it a major ‘win,’ even though we wind up losing one of our
superstar accounts!

“After spending my entire life in Northern and Southern California, my wife and I moved last year to Greenwich, Connecticut, to be closer to her family and friends on the East Coast. We love it here—Greenwich is an absolutely gorgeous town, less than an hour to New York City by train, and still blessed with four seasons even though global warming is causing the winters to become measurably
less severe.”

Jeff LaMont, of Burlingame, Calif., shares, “After working in the corporate world for the first seven years of professional life, I followed my passion and became a licensed real estate broker with my practice here on San Mateo Peninsula, with Coldwell Banker Realty in Burlingame. After 37 years of experience and hundreds of real estate transactions completed, I still love what I do: helping my clients achieve the dream of homeownership and building generational wealth. My business degree from Cal has served me well. An instantly recognized name and such a good base of knowledge gained that I utilize to this day.”

John Distaso, of Dallas, Texas, comments, “Retired June 2 after 41 years in the energy sector, living throughout the U.S., Europe, and Africa. Would enjoy teaching a course at Berkeley in international business or leadership, as I’ve led many teams from leadership roles over the years.”

Andrew Shapiro of Mill Valley, Calif., shares “I enjoy speaking on corporate governance, hedge fund, and activist investing topics on behalf of my activist investment management firm, Lawndale Capital Management, now in its 32nd year. As Lawndale’s funds approach their maturity and projects run down in the next year, I have the bandwidth open for board service on a few public or private corporate boards should my Cal classmates know of any good fits. I continue to enjoy serving in corporate board roles, recently with early-stage startups Shareholder Vote Exchange, Miravel, and VideoXRM. Still vice president of the Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and immediate past president of the Mill Valley Library Foundation.

“On the family news front, my wife and I were blessed to become grandparents for the first time in April. We expect to journey to the New York area far more often to see the little guy in the coming years.” Shown: Andrew with grandson, Brady Wolfe Freedman.

Timothy Yee, of Alameda, Calif., writes, “Thirty-two years of marriage, and my wife and business partner, Rose, still surprises me. She is running for Congress (CA-1) and was chosen as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in August in Chicago.”

Dwight Harris, of Easton, Penn., reports, “Globally released FlyBuy app for iPhone and Android. FlyBuy allows consumers to purchase air travel via our proprietary voice recognition technology and uses our DataScalp platform to narrow flight choices to those most likely to occur, on time, and with bags.

“Married 25 years. Oldest son got his MBA. Middle son figuring it out. Youngest son studying in Japan.”

Arvinder Singh, of New Delhi, India, writes, “I have just started a new business magazine from our already 75-year-old book publishing business. The idea is to motivate the youth on developing new startups and innovative ventures by giving them a platform to launch their ideas and ventures. Hope to connect with fellow alumni through my magazine startup soon.”

Andrew Farthing, of Austin, Texas, reports, “After more than a decade on Apple’s in-house litigation team, I have moved into the litigation finance industry with Burford Capital.”

Will Edmonson, of West Hollywood, Calif., updates, “I continue to practice law, primarily handling litigation matters for individuals and small and mid-sized businesses. Before starting my own practice, I was a partner at Doll, Amir & Eley LLP and an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Previously, I served as a law clerk in the federal district court and the federal appeals court. I offer Big Law firm experience and talent at affordable rates. Please feel free to contact me at 424-248-9581 or [email protected] if I can help you with anything.”

Judy Ho, of Los Angeles, says, “I’m working as a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist, tenured professor, and published author. I recently gave a TEDx Talk on the impact of negative self-talk and 10 practical strategies to heal attachment wounds and transform self-talk to boost productivity, joy, and resilience. Please check out the talk at haas.org/Ho and like/comment if inclined—appreciate the support in advance!”

Yunna Cheung, of Las Vegas, was named to Forbes’ Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State Ranking in 2023—and now again in 2024. “Being named among the best in Nevada is an outstanding and humbling honor, especially as it’s my second consecutive year. Among the ranking criteria is client impact. Quite honestly, that is why I do what I do—to make a positive impact in the lives of my clients, colleagues, and community. This ranking feels like validation that my work is indeed making a difference. Of course, I am especially grateful to my incredible branch team—Emmy Zhang and Jennifer Sheffield. Their strength in building relationships, close attention to detail, working collaboratively, and keeping us organized brings remarkable value to the quality of our environment and our work.”

Nancy Chen, of Taipei, Taiwan, announces, “Working in the family business, building the newest TSMC factories and Costco’s in Taiwan. RUTH Engineering Trading Inc. has been around for almost 40 years, providing clients with high performance waterproofing and insulation solutions.

“Started a fan page on FB, sharing ideas on how to raise business-minded kids in the age of AI. Check it out at facebook.com/theceomom.tw (sorry it’s in Chinese!). Also establishing personal coaching service to women who want to elevate their life.”

Cristin Hubbard, of San Francisco, was appointed chief commercial officer at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the important role that medicines and diagnostics play in the prevention, treatment and management of serious diseases,” she said. “BioMarin has made incredible progress in transforming care for patients with serious medical conditions over the past two decades, and I look forward to working with the team to increase that impact with the current portfolio and new product candidates.” Read full story: haas.org/Hubbard.

Andrea Lo, of San Francisco, is founding partner of Main Character Capital, a new $100M GP seeding fund that backs some the most innovative and ambitious emerging managers across VC/PE/crypto. Andrea volunteers as a board member of Junior Achievement Northern California and an advisory board member at Kearney Women@Digital.

Joe Wilson, of Sacramento, Calif., writes, “Last August, my partner and I opened a restaurant and bar in Old Sacramento together! Bear & Crown British Pub is a modern California spin on a traditional British pub concept—complete with fish & chips, Scotch eggs, and imported beers on tap. The space represents my identity as a British-born American and has been an absolute thrill to design and open with my best friend and life partner, who has more than 18 years of hospitality experience.” In addition to running the restaurant, Joe works as an accounting advisory manager at Deloitte, is president of a local affordable housing nonprofit, and serves as vice chair of the Sacramento County Treasury Oversight Committee. Shown: Joe and partner, Jesse Ledin.

Amy Vatcha, of Berkeley, Calif., reports: “I was a delegate and speaker at the United Nations 68th Commission on the Status of Women conference in New York City. My talk, titled ‘Rising Together: A Journey Towards Women’s Representation in Senior Leadership Roles,’ was featured on a multigenerational panel about strengthening women’s independence and economic
empowerment.”

Moncarol Wang, of Palo Alto, Calif., writes, “I graduated from law school from the University of Chicago and passed the California bar on the first try! Currently practicing real estate law in Palo Alto. Also married the love of my life this year! Excited for all of our adventures together.”

Krishna Reddy, of Mountain View, Calif., notes, “I took the entrepreneurship leap and started a company with a fellow Cal alum! With the age of AI, it feels like there hasn’t been a better time to try to create a company with a truly lasting impact. We are building easy-to-implement AI teammates for small businesses that will help them compete more effectively against the resources that larger enterprises have at their disposal.”

Michael Pratt, of San Francisco, informs, “I was promoted to product lead for my team at Apple, where we are creating a one-stop shop for artists and DJs to manage their careers. I am so excited about the stuff we are building and can’t wait for what’s next!

“My girlfriend moved to Paris, where I spent a solid amount of time this year! It has been absolutely incredible to explore Europe with her. In July, we both moved to Berkeley as she enters the Haas MBA/MCS dual degree program!”

Aishwarya Mahesh, of Moorpark, Calif., writes, “As the year since Haas graduation has passed, I have been reflecting on my educational journey, which ultimately led me to my current role at ADM Investor Services. I am spearheading the development of the environmental trading business.”

Shyam Sethi, of New York City, reports, “I signed up for the LA marathon with my brother Ram, and I’m having a blast training with the NYC run clubs!”

Britney Zhang, of Seattle, says, “Started a new role in sales this past year. Toured all of Switzerland and Italy and soared through the sky while paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland.”

James Martin, of Pacific Grove, Calif., writes, “At 93, with a few balance issues, I am fully retired, though I hope to play another round of golf before calling it quits. I spent 27 years with Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. I joined ABB as president of their trading business and a director of CII, which was a major producer of calcined coke for the aluminum industry. I also ran my own international trading company dealing in raw materials for the metal industries worldwide.”

Arnfin Haavik, of Oslo, Norway, says, “Having now passed 80, I am not involved in business anymore. Fortunately, I live well on my pension, and my interest in playing the piano keeps me busy. I play in two small trad jazz bands. That gives me the challenges I need.”

Richard Hill, of Pittsburg, Calif., says, “During my 20s, I absorbed the Cal culture of the ’60s! I explored financial leadership in commercial real estate, international consulting engineering, and technology equity—all while raising a family. Twenty-five years ago, I switched to serving people in need and earned my PhD in clinical psychology. But it all started at Cal. Long before AI became everybody’s focus, I learned versatility in Barrows Hall (pre-Haas).”

William Nelson, of Ross, Calif., shares, “I started working in the food industry in 1970 in product management, market research, and advertising positions. In 1977, I joined Southern Pacific Railroad as the railroad’s marketing and pricing manager for the food, agricultural, and beer/wine industries. After a few years, I transferred to the SPR’s Land Company as manager of the natural resources department of forestry, agriculture, mining/mineral exploration, and coal mining. In the early 1980s, I wanted to take more control of my life and sought to start my own business. After a transfer to Albuquerque, my wife and I saw a successful business concept that had not been developed yet in northern California: Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change. We started this business in the Bay Area in several locations, returning home to Marin County in July 1987. The first store was profitable in its first month. I managed this successful business for 21 years and sold it in 2008. Since then, I have managed my investment portfolio and enjoyed my family life and grandchildren.

“My wife and I have three children and eight grandchildren. A son and a daughter graduated from UC Berkeley. Our daughter, Pam, played on the tennis team for three years and was an All-American in singles and doubles each year. Our older son was an economics professor at SUNY Buffalo before he decided to be an entrepreneur, and he co-founded a money management firm. Our oldest grandson is a D1 pitcher, and his younger sister is committed to playing basketball at Stanford.”

Cox Ferrall is “still retired,” with his wife of 57 years, Merle, “happily hanging out at our longtime home in San Francisco.”

John McBeth, of Truckee, Calif., graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1969 and served five years of active duty before completing a joint degree with Haas and then Hastings College of the Law. “Then 21 more years in the U.S. Army Reserves,” he informs. “To students today, I would say: Don’t compromise on your integrity! In spite of the Donald Trump approach, they have much to gain by maintaining honor and integrity in business. At the end of their careers, they will be very comfortable and have gained much respect if they do this simple character trait, rather than cheating or scamming their respective work environments.

“I was consumed with my  military career as well as a career as a tax professional with Coopers & Lybrand and Franklin Templeton Investments. But I married and had two wonderful boys, who are now grown and on their own. My wife, Nell, a professional therapist, worked with disabled children. Now retired, we live in Truckee in the summer and Palm Desert in the winter.”

45th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Joani (Krieger) Mitchell, of Santa Cruz, Calif., reports, “Loving living life to its fullest. Love playing with my two granddaughters, traveling the world (up to 110 independent countries), living on the beach in Santa Cruz, and occasionally working as a travel consultant/advisor and as a management consultant.”

Toshihiro Mori, of Tokyo, writes, “I retired in 2018. My last job was teaching finance in the Graduate School of Business Administration of Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.”

40th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Mauri Schwartz, of San Francisco, says, “People ask me if I’m still working. My answer is an emphatic yes! I love my job—helping job seekers attain roles in new organizations or make moves within their existing employers. Companies also hire Career Insiders to help employees they need to terminate. I love helping clients to be successful. Most of all, I love learning about them, what they do, why they do it. My curiosity is endless. I’ve had the great fortune to help Haasies move up in their careers, and they have returned to me several times over the many years I’ve been in business.”

Paul DeMuro, of Wilson, Wyo., reports, “Started new positions as senior counsel at the national health law firm of Epstein, Becker & Green and as strategic advisor at EBG Advisors.” Paul is also a certified public accountant in Maryland and earned a Ph.D. in biomedical informatics.

35th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Tim Leach, of Healdsburg, Calif., updates, “I serve as chairman of the board for four companies: MN8 Energy, a utility scale solar power and storage company; and three affiliated investment companies within the asset management business of Goldman Sachs—GS BDC (ticker GSBD), GS Private Credit, and GS Middle Market Lending Corp. II.

“A year ago, MN8 Energy formed a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz to build and operate a national system of EV charging stations, branded Mercedes-Benz. The flagship station at the North American HQ of Mercedes in Atlanta went live last November, and this year, we are actively opening stations in several states.

“In January, our sixth grandchild was born. Six in four years! Quite a busy blessing!” Shown: Tim and wife, Terry.

Kristin Nicholson, of San Francisco, says, “I’m lucky to be part of a sizable group of MBA 93 classmates involved in the nonprofit SHE-CAN (Supporting Her Education Changes a Nation). SHE-CAN’s mission is to help create women leaders in post-conflict countries through access to full-ride scholarships to U.S. universities, including UC Berkeley. I began volunteering with SHE-CAN in 2012, and I’m now a board member. Five Haas classmates—Cynthia Harris, Michelle Buckles, Sandra Stumbaugh, Kim Wirtz, and Erin Constantine—have since joined me in mentoring amazing young women from Rwanda, Cambodia, Liberia, and Guatemala. Hilary Weber provided leadership training for the community, and other classmates are generous donors—thank you! It’s great to remain connected and see everyone at SHE-CAN’S annual gala through such fulfilling work. I won’t be surprised if one of our mentees becomes a head of state—or solves global warming issues for her country! Learn more at www.shecan.global—join us!” Shown: Kristin (right) with her mentee Patrice.

Susan Bernstein, of San Diego, reports, “In January, we officially launched a boutique consulting firm, Shift Beyond Strategies. We guide companies through rapid, challenging changes—including cultivating resilient leaders, fostering collaborative teams, and nurturing sustainable cultures in an ever-evolving world. Visit: ShiftBeyondStrategies.com.”

Fernando Gil de Bernabé, of Singapore, writes, “This marks my 16th year in Asia. First six years in Shanghai in a corporate development role, and the last 10 in Singapore as COO for Cisco Sales in Asia Pacific. I joined the Pacific Rim Club at Haas out of curiosity about a region of the world I knew little about that was clearly growing in relevance. The Pacific Rim trip in Year Two gave me my first direct exposure to many countries in the region, including Singapore, where I live now.

“Mary Ann, BA 90 (economics), and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and 30 years since we first met at Berkeley through a common friend. Our daughter, Olivia, and our son, Mateo, are in California in college, and our youngest, Lucas, is a rising senior in high school in Singapore.” Shown: Fernando (far right); with sons, Mateo and Lucas; daughter, Olivia; and wife, Mary Ann.

Jane Cruz, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., shares, “I published my first book for mainstream publication, ‘The Armchair Buddha: A Roadmap for High Potential Leaders.’ The book is a personal leadership development guide designed to help aspiring leaders interested in a unique self-coaching tool for increasing their personal leadership effectiveness. The book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats.”

30th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Kassim Chaudry, of Metuchen, N.J., says, “After an unfortunate layoff last April, I’ve been able to travel with my daughters to the UAE to visit a cousin and to Pakistan to visit my mom and extended family. I’ve started working on two startups: one selling high-end skin care in the U.K. (hearthonia.com), and the other a marketing consulting company (aiRESULTS). Both are in the beginning phases, with hopes of launching in calendar 2024.

“On the recreational side, I’ve been mountain biking, running, and serving as president of the Toastmasters club (Toast of NY), of which I have been a long-term member. For Cal, I’ve been treasurer for the Haas Alumni Network NYC Chapter and an alumni interviewer for prospective Haas MBA students. I’ve met many bright young minds, some of whom will attend in the fall. I’ve been joined at a number of NYC Haas and Cal events by Laura Flores, Cassie Hallberg, Linda Lee, BS 94, and Arno Hesse, among others. I also mentor undergraduates and offer 30-minute career counseling sessions, which are rewarding, as the feedback I received was very positive. Hoping for another year of close connections with the awesome Haas community in various capacities. Go Bears!”

Kevin Brown, CEO and co-founder of Innit, recently partnered with the White House to end hunger and build healthy communities. Innit is developing a MyPlate virtual assistant based on its FoodLM platform, incorporating healthy recipes and educational information from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, as well as answering questions about food assistance programs and eligibility.

Tomoko Kusamoto, of Hakuba, Japan, reports, “I’m a founder of Hakuba International School, a new international boarding school established in 2022 in the northern Japanese Alps.” Shown: Tomoko (front, holding flowers) with students and staff of the Hakuba International School.

Vickie (Bond) Mrva, of Menlo Park, Calif., writes, “I’ve been serving as interim CEO for Brixton for the past six months. This has given me the opportunity to acquire new skills, including recruiting top CEO candidates, managing full P&L under a PE model, and managing complex legal and HR issues.

“Together with my husband, I’ve been raising two teen athletes and exploring the world with them, including Italy, Switzerland, and, this summer, Croatia.”

Amy (Clifford) Jones, of San Anselmo, Calif., updates, “I (joyfully) retired in April 2022 after 30 years in investment consulting. I loved my career, and I’m so grateful for the friendships made over the years, but I started to get cranky as we headed back into the office after COVID, so I decided to make the leap. It was an adjustment at first, but I am loving it and highly recommend for those considering! I dove headfirst into oil painting last year and do it pretty much full time. Working on a sunset painting featuring the Campanile right now 🙂 (IG @amycjonz).

“Loved seeing everyone at reunion—what a weekend! Such an amazing group, and it was a blast being back on campus. If you are on the fence about attending an upcoming reunion, do it, and go to everything. It is like a giant hug and incredibly soul-filling.”

Carrie Morris, of San Francisco, reports, “After two decades in commercial real estate investment and office and retail property development, I made a major pivot in my career, starting a new role in the public sector at The Port of San Francisco. Last October, I started on the Waterfront Development team, where I’m working on large-scale development projects involving complicated public-private partnerships, including the SF Giants’ Mission Rock project. The learning curve is huge, but it’s exciting and gratifying to be putting my energy into improving my hometown for the long term.

“I’m living in San Francisco with my husband and 15-year-old son—had a blast seeing everyone at the reunion!” Shown: Carrie (center); Amy (Clifford) Jones; Tammy Plotkin-Oren; Julie (Richmond) Gutzwiller; and Carla DeSantis.

Allen Schoonmaker, of Hong Kong, writes, “Busy running my startup focused on HR tech in Hong Kong. We secured  major contracts with the Hong Kong government and Cyberport to deliver a recruitment platform for cross-border fintech roles in Hong Kong and GBA China. We are now actively preparing for our expansion into SEA, which will start this spring!

“With our son at the University of Chicago and our daughter at Phillips Academy at Andover, my wife, Jenn, and I, empty nesters, are enjoying the extra time for new pursuits. Jenn plays competitive tennis in Hong Kong, and I am active, as always, in fitness and running!” Shown: Allen and Jenn.

25th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Pascal Hoffmann, of Oakland, Calif., writes, “Nicole Chabot’s son and Pascal Hoffmann’s son met in a tennis competition. After the game was over, the boys showed respect for one another. The parents, not so much. They were #BeyondThemselves!” Shown: Henry Hoffmann; Andrew Regan; Pascal (lower left); and Nicole.

Coco Kee, of Princeton, N.J., reports, “I took a two-month intensive screenplay writing class online in the evening, from learning the fundamentals to writing a script. I managed to write 50+ pages. I have to say, it is so hard. I’ve started to appreciate films even more. I also launched my podcast ‘Blockchain Asia Podcast,’ built on a blog I have been writing for four years. I enjoy interviewing people from all over the world to learn different perspectives and make new friends.”

Rodrigo Brumana Moreira, of San Jose, Calif., writes, “Had a great time meeting classmates at our 20-year reunion. We missed most of our Latinx classmates, but they were well-represented by Pablo Seminario and Juan Manuel Castro-Zumaeta. We had a great time at Nicolas Bossut’s chateau prior to the reunion, and Dan Mucha and Todor Konstantinov flew all the way from Europe for the gathering. Great job by Tenny Frost and the Alumni Relations Office. Go Bears!” Shown: Rodrigo, Nicolas, Dan, Pablo, and Juan.

Sharon Karlsberg, of San Francisco, reports, “I was delighted to join my classmates from all over the world for our 20th reunion! From as far away as New Zealand (Rachel Fleet), Austria (Todor Konstantinov), London (Dan Mucha), Peru (Pablo Seminario), and most parts of the U.S.—65+ of us descended on Berkeley in late April for intellectual, social, and emotional reconnection. Several of us have been with our present companies for nearly 20 years—Nicolas Bossut, Angel Martin, Jonathan Belk, Rob Jacoby, and me, to name a few. Many more have explored myriad countries, companies, roles, and responsibilities since graduating. Despite many intervening years, however, we joined together with great delight and genuine appreciation to be back at our old b-school stomping grounds. What a blessing to be part of this forever Haas community. PS: Don’t forget to donate in honor of our 20th reunion, classmates!” Shown: Sharon (third from left); Yvonne Roth; Rob Jacoby; Chancellor Rich Lyons, BS 82; Todor Konstantinov; Richard Chan; and Jason Anderson.

Melinda (Steinmetz) LaBonge, of Lafayette, Calif., says, “One of the best things at Haas was meeting this group of amazing and inspiring women!” Shown from top: Sarah Fried Rose; Kim Manca; Mari Mielcarski; Kirstin Schlueter Mitchell; Melinda; and Nicole (Puckhaber) Massey.

Stephen Leeflang, of Sandy, Utah, reports, “Development business is staying strong. Manufacturing business has exploded. My oldest now a senior in high school—it’s going by too fast.”

20th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Jia Lee, of Basking Ridge, N.J., updates, “I started a new position in January as the senior vice president of strategic marketing and head of global strategic growth initiatives for Highlight Tech Corporation (HTC), an integrated solutions provider in semiconductor process equipment and technical services. Established in 1997, HTC is a Taiwanese public company that specializes in ultrahigh vacuum technology for industries including semiconductors, optoelectronics, display, and photovoltaics. Core products and services include vacuum chambers and components, vacuum valves, vacuum pump and valve overhaul services, process exhaust gas abatement solutions, and process equipment (e.g., sputtering and spray solvent). One of HTC’s subsidiaries, Finesse Technology, focuses on developing electronic subsystems, components, and overhaul services specifically targeted at semiconductor process equipment. Finesse’s offerings include RF generators, ozone generators, ozone sensors, ozone control systems, RPS generators, microwave generators, match boxes, as well as electronic component and subsystem overhaul services. Together, HTC and Finesse collaborate to provide highly integrated technology solutions for semiconductor process equipment.”

Michael D. Thomas, of Long Beach, Calif., reports, “I recently moderated a DEI panel at SXSW.” See haas.org/Thomas. Thomas is a principal in the Orange County, Calif., office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and a co-leader of the firm’s corporate diversity counseling practice group.

Tim Ziemann, of Austin, Texas, writes, “I’m providing transaction advisory services to private equity focused on tech and tech-enabled investment opportunities. This involves working closely with the deal teams pre-close as well as the operating partners post-close, often filling an operating partner role for my smaller private equity clients.

“Here in Austin I run into more and more of my Haas colleagues who have recently moved here.”

15th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

An Yan, of Tokyo, says, “It was a great honor in March to welcome to the Google Tokyo office Haas Board Member Seiichiro Yamamoto MBA 92, Michael Rielly, CEO of Berkeley Executive Education, and Howie Avery, assistant dean of Development and Alumni Relations. I’m very excited for Haas and Berkeley’s strategic plan to expand their programs and enhance collaborations with Japan.” Shown: An (far right), Michael, Seichiro, and Howie.

Seung-Ho Ahn, of New York City, writes, “I met Dr. Weijian Shan, PhD 87, chair of PAG Group in Hong Kong, at a Hong Kong Monetary Authority-sponsored event in New York. Dr. Shan shared his views on China and signed his 2020 book, ‘Money Games: The Inside Story of How American Dealmakers Saved Korea’s Most Iconic Bank.’” Seung-Ho has sat at the same desk, investing in emerging market credits, for the past 12 years.

Tapan Kamdar, of San Jose, Calif., writes, “I spent the past three years building messaging products at Meta to bring people and communities together through meaningful conversations. I recently started a paid platform to assist individuals to level up their career through coaching and interview preparation. I am excited to groom talent and help unlock uncommon career outcomes. My weekly newsletter on LinkedIn called Building Blocks helps leaders build their careers and scale outcomes for their teams one brick at a time. SkillSculpt—level up
your career.”

Jessamine Chin, of San Francisco, joined Palo Alto Networks to lead its global environmental sustainability, social impact, and corporate governance (ESG) strategy and efforts.

Aashi Vel, of Seattle, reports, “I started Traveling Spoon along with my co-founder, Steph Lawrence, upon graduating. Traveling Spoon connects travelers with private food experiences with locals and is looking for hosts globally, from Barcelona to Boston. Hosts can offer a cooking class (or mixology or baking class!) from their home kitchen and set their own price and availability. It’s a great way to share what you love with the world while making money doing it.” Apply if interested: haas.org/Vel.

Puneet Agarwal, of San Jose, Calif., updates, “Working with sales on showcasing the value of AI solutions at Salesforce to high-tech customers.

“We welcomed baby boy Aryan to our family this January.”

Brandon Doll, of Las Vegas, writes, “This update is a bit delayed, but, in 2021, after many years in the National Football League, I founded Sports & Entertainment Advisors. SEA helps major sports organizations that want to generate more ticket revenue by optimizing four key contributors to ticket revenue generation—product mix, pricing, promotion, and distribution. Our engagements have generated billions of dollars in contracted revenue for new sports venues and typically generate 30%+ year-over-year increases in ticket revenue for existing client properties. SEA supports an elite roster of clients, including Oak View Group, the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN Events, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you’d like to discuss ticket revenue generation or learn about SEA, please reach out—we welcome the opportunity to connect!”

10th Reunion
April 25-27, 2025

Sandeep Pahuja, of Oakland, Calif., writes, “Last week, Joe Gerber, Joanne Cheung, BA 02 (comparative literature), and I wrapped up the sixth year of teaching ‘Designing Futures’ at Berkeley Haas. The class combines future thinking with design methods and tools, having MBA students bring creativity and rigor together to imagine preferred futures. We’ve been fortunate to do this work professionally (in VC, with for-profits, in social impact, etc.), and we want to help MBA students see the world differently. Grateful to Haas for inviting us back to teach this class the last few years! It is such a joy to learn with these amazing students and always a highlight every year.”

Ace Patterson, of Los Angeles, writes, “I’m still reflecting on how vibrant and incredible the Black Tech Achievement Awards were. What an honor to be recognized as a finalist for the Gaming Award and be surrounded by such excellence. There was a different type of electricity in the room that evening. And as for us at Five Mics Studios (Techstars ‘23), we are JUST getting started. Our team has grown, the roadmap has been set, and we hit the ground running. Cheers to what’s all in store!”

Fabián Poliak, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, reports, “My wife, Svetlana, and I married on March 26 after enjoying a five-year relationship, including long-distance before the pandemic (and short distance during). We first met in 2008 at a college party. Our encounter was brief. Ten years later, while bacpacking in Europe after my Haas graduation, we reunited when I signed up to be a last-minute summer tutor for Svetlana’s company, Project Lever. I followed her to Russia and that decision launched the magical realism that has been our life happily ever after.” Read The New York Times “mini-vows” of their love story: haas.org/Poliak-Wedding.

Jeffrey Webb, of New York, completed a four-year tenure at Stripe, where he spent three years as an enterprise account executive selling to some of Stripe’s largest SaaS platform customers, and one year as the strategy lead for Stripe Connect, Stripe’s multiparty payments product.

He recently started at the Series B Generative AI startup Harvey.ai to lead and scale the company’s mid-market sales effort. Harvey is backed by Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and Open AI’s venture fund and provides a full gen AI platform to help lawyers and other professional services workers draft agreements, conduct legal research, and analyze and synthesize large volumes of technical documents in a fraction of the time it takes today.

“Open to introductions to any lawyers exploring ways to weave gen AI into their daily practice,” Jeffrey writes. And he’s hiring, too! Email:
[email protected].

Robyn (Monroe) Eidelson, of San Diego, says, “Since graduating, I’ve started my own full-time leadership and confidence coaching practice. With my background in coaching and sailing, I empower women leaders to stop doubting themselves so that they can own their ship.

“I moved to San Diego with my partner in 2020 to be closer to family and then had my first daughter, Liora, in January of 2022. Beyond work, I’ve been enjoying sailing in the San Diego harbor, learning how to garden, and reading fabulous books.” Shown: Aaron, Robyn, and Liora.

5th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Michael de Lyon, of Houston, Texas, reports, “Just got engaged to my partner and moved my Savory Protein Bar company (superteamfoods.com) to Houston!”

Harry Goldberg, of San Francisco, writes, “I turned my passion project into a business. HealthTech Hang is a community of founders, executives, clinicians, investors, builders, operators, sellers, administrators, enablers, and students. Folks gather to have fun and connect, recruit and hire, raise and deploy capital, grow and operate businesses, and develop skills. With thousands of members across the U.S., the community hosts intentional events, delivers network-powered services, and curates valuable resources. Anyone welcome. Sign up for free:
HealthTechHang.com.”

Sarah (Boisseree) Watson, of San Mateo, Calif., writes: “I married my partner, Reid Watson, in 2023, and we welcomed our daughter, Lily, in March.”

Fletch Vynne, of Seattle, updates, “After two-plus years at BCG, I’m now the director of strategic initiatives for Risk Mitigation Consulting. My partner and I are expecting our first child in August!”

Shaan Arora, of Los Angeles, notes, “Got married to another Haas grad—Janki Patel!”

Jeff Diamond and Kokei Otosi, of Los Angeles, who met at Haas, married at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on July 20, 2024.

John Adams, of Herndon, Virginia, celebrates, “Had a baby girl! First child.”

Scott Cheeseman, of Sonoma, Calif., writes, “California is currently facing an unprecedented crisis as insurers have withdrawn from underwriting new policies in the state due to the increased risk of wildfires and regulatory challenges. This has left many homeowners and businesses without access to insurance and has put communities at risk of losing their homes and businesses in the event of a wildfire.” Scott founded XyloPlan, “a startup that is applying machine learning and advanced fire modeling to create Fire Adapted Communities through high-value, prioritized mitigations that impede the spread of wildfires into critical areas. The response from insurers, reinsurers, real estate developers, homeowners’ associations, and community leaders has been incredible. If you are located in an area of high wildfire risk and would like to learn more about our approach, I invite you to visit XyloPlan.com.”

Pamela Iluore, of San Francisco, reports, “Started as a senior game product manager at PlayStation. Had second child with husband, fellow alum and double Bear Alex Martelli, MBA 22.” Shown clockwise: Double Bears Pamela, Alex, and their baby Bears Xander and Paxton.

1st Reunion
April 25-27, 2025

KC Loy updates, “Fellow alum Hasan Masud, MBA 23, and I have partnered together to buy and run a SMB! We want to be the successor for a current business owner who is looking to retire. We’re grateful that our Haas journey has led to this journey together, and we welcome any opportunities to give back to the Cal network. Visit: raintree.capital.”

20th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

15th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Larry Sidney, of Zephyr Cove, Nev., reports, “This past October, I gave a TEDx Talk, ‘The Power of Pursuing Audacious Dreams.’ It was such an amazing experience! My talk was about following your passions and largely focused on my young son’s soccer dreams and my skeleton career. Hopefully, it will inspire a few other people to live their lives to the fullest and pursue the things that are most meaningful to them.”

10th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

David Dieterich, of Scottsdale, Ariz., updates, “I’m joining as a partner with Fintrepid Solutions to offer financial consulting to help businesses of all sizes improve liquidity with loans, operational improvement, and exit planning.”

John Gribowich, of San Francisco, reports, “For the past two years, I’ve been  teaching theology at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School and have been involved with the Student Launch Initiative, which encourages students to develop their entrepreneurial skills and culminates with a shark tank where they pitch their concepts. I also work with Sunday to Sunday, a startup that offers a 12-week hybrid courses teaching people to lead and serve through their vulnerabilities.” Shown: John (far left) with Sunday to Sunday curriculum team.

5th Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

1st Reunion
April 25–27, 2025

Nick Sonnenberg, of New York City, reports that his book, “Come Up For Air,” was a WSJ best seller. Visit: comeupforair.com.

William Halal, of Washington, D.C., writes, “My latest book, found at BeyondKnowledge.org, has become an Amazon #1 bestseller and has been translated into Spanish and Farsi, with a Chinese version in the works.” Next up, his eighth: “One World: The Digital Revolution Is Unifying the Globe.” Fortune published his 2022 article, “The Democratic Enterprise Will Redefine Society.”

Justin Spangaro, of Melbourne, Australia, reports, “I am excited to announce I have joined startup Mind Body GPT as founding CEO, backed by leading AI consulting firm InnovateGPT Group and partnered with world-leading clinical research groups. InnovateGPT specializes in helping businesses pivot to GenAI-driven models. Mind Body GPT is combining generative AI innovations with psychology and neurological sensor data to improve outcomes for patients with psychological or neurological disorders.”

Dave Lobo, of Frisco, Texas, completed a doctorate of education at the University of Miami.

Siddharth Arur, of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, writes, “I have been working with WaterEquity, Inc. (sister concern of water.org) since 2020, initially as a consultant, and then as a regional investment manager.” Siddarth manages existing investments and oversees their performance, including financial performance and impact performance, and works with water.org to improve product delivery and by training field staff.

“I had an amazing vacation two years ago in Naldehra and Narkanda, hill stations in the foothills of the Himalayas overlooking the majestic mountains. The view was breathtaking to say the least. Moved temporarily to Goa for a year, will be back in Mumbai in February 2025.”

Gabriel Frederico, of Brazil, updates, “After my time at Haas, I left a big corporation, went to a small business, and then back to a mid-sized corporation. We moved to our new house, and we finally finished the renovation.”

Akram Aburas, of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reports, “I am CEO, and recently, we have had huge gains in our subsidiary of India. We bagged all metro projects in India for the design, implementation, and operation and maintenance for In-Building Solutions network. All long-term investment projects. In Saudi Arabia, our business is moving swiftly, as we are operator-designated for In-Building Solutions by CITC. We will continue our work aggressively and courageously.

Todd Ebersviller, of Seattle, says, “I just started a new SVP of Technology role working with a fellow alum! I believe my Berkeley relationships and experiences helped open numerous opportunities for me. My kids visited Berkeley to celebrate the completion of the CTO program over Covid.

“I had a couple of months off between jobs and had amazing family trips to New Zealand and Tahiti. I have been inspired by ‘Die with Zero’ to live in the present, create ‘memory dividends’ with my kids, and to focus on what matters most in life.”

Kewin Kuriath, of Chittilappilly, India, writes, “Paradigm shift. The Haas executive program gave me the courage to think like an entrepreneur and transition from a career-pursuing executive to a startup founder. The capstone project is now a business. The well-structured, heuristic approach of the program reinvigorated my life, so that I wake up every morning to do what I have always wanted to do—make the world a better place for our future generations.

“My wife, Sujatha, is an HR professional and consults for companies such as DDI and Mercer, specializing in leadership development training programs for corporates. My children Naomi (21) and Noel (18) are both studying to become doctors—at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum, and St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, respectively.”

Balaji Raman, of Sussex, Wis., writes, “Continuing my career at AWS with acquiring skills on how to work as a startup, start a new business, and scale from 0 to 1 with more focus now on health care, education, and research in the public sector.”

Murlitharan Velayuthan, of Buford, Ga., reports, “Expanded my business and became an official supplier for a few Fortune 500 companies. Visited Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona this year! It was a dream for the past few years.”

Joydeep Bhattacharjee, of Allen, Texas, updates, “I’ve started a new job with exciting responsibilities—it’s a whole new ball game transitioning GenAI apps into production responsibly. Moving from leading research and innovation at a Fortune 5, it’s now showtime. I’m thrilled to lead this mission, and it’s gratifying to see how it’s improving users’ day-to-day productivity. Will be an empty nester this fall.”

Sunil Chemmankotil, of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, was appointed India country manager by The Adecco Group on April 2: haas.org/Chemmankotil.

Vishal Gautam, of Bengaluru, Kanrataka, India, was promoted to vice president of engineering at Zscaler. “Grateful to Zscaler and the BEPM program at Haas for preparing for new challenges and placing the trust.”

Sreenivasan Iyer, of San Ramon, Calif., writes, “As CTO at the Antares Vision Group, I’m delivering projects to help U.S. pharmaceutical companies meet the Drug Supply Chain Security Act deadline of November 2024, ensuring that we get trace and track functionality at the level of each medication (eaches) as against just manufacturing lots/batches. Signed into legislation by the Obama administration in 2014, the law will bolster the security of the medical supply chain and ensure brand protection among other use cases.” Iyer expects such practices to expand to the food and beverage supply chain via the Food Safety Manufacturing Act. “Countries such as Bahrain are deploying similar track and trace functionality at the country level,” he adds. “This can help countries prepare for future pandemics, among other things.”

Iyer volunteered to help his friend Douglas Kamaru finish a PhD on the lions of Tsavo, Kenya, and is proud of his research successes: haas.org/Iyer.”

Arif Khan, of Plainfield, Ill., started a new role as director of applications development at Belle Tire. “Going through a company-wide digital transformation and defining new processes and new vendor relationships,” Arif updates. “Founded a real estate investments LLC. Purchased first property under the LLC, a SFH, in October 2023.”

Priya M.S., of Chennai, India, says, “Continuing in the same job, but looking for a change. Active listening is one of the important skills required by anyone interested in becoming a leader from a manager. I am working on negotiation skills, leading innovation change, financial skills, and applying all I’ve learned.”

Goutham Nellutla, of Los Angeles, writes, “Multiple new initiatives at work, ranging from strategic technology management to organizational alignment, with changing customer demand/needs.”

Ram Naresh Babu Sake, of Pleasanton, Calif., CEO of ToivoTek, Inc. , welcomed a third child, a son named Moksh.

Saurabh K. Srivastava, of Phoenix, Ariz., writes, “Working on creating world-class infrastructure and team in a challenging data and global world. Got married.”

Nithya Subramanian, of Bengaluru India, updates, “Berkeley Executive Program in Management was a key enabler for me in my career. With the exposure and knowledge I gained during the course, my career and personality has literally transformed. As a global leader in digitally transforming enterprises, I feel more than ever ready to leapfrog into executive leadership roles.

“I have begun volunteering with nonprofits like nasscom, iTNT, and KDEM. I have also been diligently working toward helping women in tech realize their career aspirations alongside nonprofit organizations like BAGGGEL (bagggel.in).”