The CU-Boulder Deming Center for Entrepreneurship appointed four new members to its advisory board. The accomplished business leaders are Arthur Dawson, Gretchen Jahn, Larry Jones and David P. Torres Jr.
Dawson recently helped Sporian Microsystems, a startup technology company in north Boulder, prepare for its second round of equity financing. He will join the firm as its CEO later this year. His career began when he joined DuPont's management development program after earning his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from CU-Boulder in 1982. He finished his career at DuPont as the sales and marketing leader for a division of the Nylon business.
Dawson has long been actively involved with CU-Boulder. He joined the Engineering Advisory Council in fall 1994 and the Resource Development Committee in the spring of 1995. He just stepped down from a two-year term as chair of the EAC. He also serves on the advisory board for chemical engineering.Ìý
Jahn, co-founder and chair of the board of Aegis Analytical Corp., brings more than 20 years of experience in information technology. She most recently led the turnaround of a venture-backed software development startup, successfully positioning it for sale.
Jahn received her bachelor's degree in 1973 from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., and her master's degree in 1975 from CU-Boulder. She also obtained her Certificate in Integrated Resource Management in 1995 through the American Production and Inventory Control Society. She raised $14.5 million in venture capital in 2001.
Jones, the principal of Aegis Management LLC, a private company that provides high-level management consulting services, has more than 20 years of experience in running and managing change in software, service, technology and direct marketing companies. He is also serving as chair of Exabyte, a public manufacturer of tape storage products and as a director at CCI/Triad, a privately held automotive computer services company.
Jones is a director of Fulcrum Analytics, a private customer relationship management services company, and Realm, a leader in real estate software and services. He received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1975 and an MBA from Boston University in 1980.
Torres is president and CEO of Fulfillment Corp. of America. He previously was president of three companies including Portland Mailing Services Inc., Direct Mail Marketing Service Inc. and Mailing Management.Ìý
The 35-member advisory board consists of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists or service providers active in startup and fast-growth companies, or consultants and researchers who are involved with entrepreneurship organizations. The board serves as a communication forum between the entrepreneurial business community, the Leeds School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science; generates ideas for growth and direction of the Deming Center; provides expertise in entrepreneurship, venture capital financing, business operations and entrepreneurship research; and provides a source of professional contacts and job opportunities for entrepreneurship students.
The Deming Center is a joint program of the Leeds School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science. CU-Boulder's entrepreneurship program is ranked 18th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.Ìý