Strategic Advisory Council

Managing Principal, Mach Ventures 

An Arizona native, Rob currently is the Managing Principal of Mach Ventures which focuses on early-stage venture capital investments and real estate investments.  Prior to that Rob was the President of the CAID group which is one of the largest specialty engineering and manufacturing companies in the western region of the United States with locations in Tucson, Saint Louis, and Hermosillo Mexico with a team of 400 employees. Additionally, before his career at CAID, Rob spent 4 years working in banking for JP Morgan Chase bank in Phoenix, Arizona.

Director of BIO5 Institute
Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Jennifer Kehlet Barton received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She previously worked for McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) on the International Space Station program. She is currently the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and has additional appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Medical Imaging, Optical Sciences, and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Arizona.

Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of Arizona Arts
Director of the School of Art

Colin Blakely currently serves as Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of Arizona Arts and Director of the School of Art at the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in July 2015, he was Department head and Full Professor of Photography at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI, where he was on the faculty for 14 years.

 

Developer and Investment Manager at Nexus Executives

Raised in Nogales, Mexico, Marcel Dabdoub attended high school in Tucson and thereafter earned his bachelor's degree from Boston University with a double concentration in finance and international management. Marcel also holds a JD and MBA from the University of Arizona and worked as an attorney for several years in Tucson and Mexico City until he transitioned to business full-time in 2005. Since then Marcel has been a real estate developer, entrepreneur, and business consultant.

Dean Emeritus of the College of Engineering

Dr. Jeff Goldberg was the Dean of the College of Engineering from February 2010 to February 2018. He was recently named Dean Emeritus, College of Engineering, and is an Emeritus Professor in Systems and Industrial Engineering. Jeff served the UA as Special Advisor to the President after serving as the Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for 18 months.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Student Success, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Amy C. Kimme Hea is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Student Success in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona. She is a graduate faculty member in the Rhetoric, Composition, and Teaching of English Program in the Department of English, and she is the former Director of the University of Arizona Writing Program. Her research interests include writing program administration, spatial rhetoric, hypertext theory, computers and composition, and professional and technical writing theory and practice.

Chairman, CEO, and President of Mister Car Wash

John Lai is Chairman, CEO, and President of Mister Car Wash. Before being named CEO in 2013, John was the COO. Prior to that he was VP of Market Development and played a key role in crafting the company’s employee-first culture and relentless focus on continuously improving the customer’s experience.

CEO of Desert Angels

Joann MacMaster serves as the CEO of the Desert Angels, a nationally top-ranked organization of accredited investors who seek opportunities to invest in Southwest regional startup and early-stage companies. Prior to this Joann served as the Sr. Director of Venture Development for the University of Arizona focused on the commercialization of university research through the development of startup companies. Joann is a startup founder, mentor, investor, and educator, and she is a passionate ecosystem builder.

President/CEO Southern Arizona Leadership Council

Ted Maxwell joined the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC) in April 2013. The nearly 140 CEOs, business, and community leaders of SALC are actively involved in creating a vibrant future for Tucson and the state of Arizona by engaging the critical issues of education, infrastructure, healthcare, governance as well as economic growth and innovation.

Ted’s extensive leadership and command experience from nearly 34 years of military service have served him well in his role at SALC. Ted retired as a Major General in 2018.

CEO of UAVenture Capital
Former CEO of Providence Service Corporation

UAVenture Capital was founded by Fletcher J.

Executive Director of the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic, James E. Rogers College of Law

Gavin Milczarek-Desai is the Executive Director of the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic (IP Clinic) at the James E.

Director of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Professor and Fitch Nesbitt Endowed Chair, Family Studies and Human Development Family and Consumer Sciences

Dr. Laura Scaramella is the Director of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences and a proud alum of the Family Studies and Human Development department. The Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences houses 4 academic departments, 3 centers and institutes, and serves just under 1000 students. These academic departments include Family Studies and Human Development, Retailing and Consumer Sciences, Personal and Family Financial Planning, and, most recently, Fashion Industry, Science and Technology.  Prior to returning to the University of Arizona, Dr.

Vice Provost Online & Distance Education

Craig Wilson, J.D., Ph.D., serves as Vice Provost for Online, Distance and Continuing Education and is a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona. Wilson strives to broaden access to quality education programs to learners from around the world. Throughout his career, Wilson has led educational enterprises that spanned multiple campuses, outreach centers, and online. His background in online education started in the 1990s, and he has been actively involved in each phase of its growth since then.