OEN Volunteer Bios

Vicki assists her start-up company clients with formation, financing, licensing and general contracting issues.  She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of Intellectual Property Law.

 

Vicki enthusiastically supports Banks High School basketball.  Her husband, Norm, a teacher at Banks, coaches the boys' varsity basketball team.  Vicki enjoys hiking, flyfishing, and reading.

 

 

 

Linda Brackett is the founder and president of Connor Bates, a hands-on business consulting firm that collaborates with management to assess market opportunities, set a clear strategic direction, and bridge strategy with execution.  Linda has more than 20 years of experience in planning, managing, and carrying out the full range of market research, strategy, business development, and communications functions required to go to market, expand market presence, and enter new markets with a high rate of success.  Prior to establishing her consulting firm in 1987, Linda headed the marketing function at a technology startup with global aspirations.  She was responsible for all corporate and product marketing, positioning, sales support, and public relations during a period of 400% growth. Since then, Linda has provided research, consulting, and facilitation services to clients who cite her ability to bring clarity and confidence to chaotic environments along with her blend of strategic and tactical expertise as instrumental to their success. 

 

Linda graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and continued her graduate studies at l’Institut de Sciences Politiques, Paris, France. She has served in various roles on the Boards of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN), Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the Software Association of Oregon (SAO).

 

 

 

Spencer served as Chief Executive Officer of Euro RSCG where he led Euro RSCG MCM to become the nation's largest Direct Response Television Advertising agency, with 2005 billings of more than $320 million and 2006 annualized billings in excess of $400 million at the time of his retirement.

 

Spencer’s prior management experience includes his roles as Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at both private and public companies that include Euro RSCG Portland, 800.com, Now Software, Sundance Electronics, TriQuint Semiconductor, GigaBit Logic, CR Technology, and Compact Video. Spencer combines his operational and management expertise with his substantial finance experience, and has managed several mergers and acquisitions aggregating over $250 million.

 

 

Dr. Desh Deshpande

 

Dr. Brian Druker

Dr. Brian Druker is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Director of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Cancer Institute, and JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research at OHSU. Dr. Druker is also a Scientific Founder of the successful molecular diagnostics start-up company, MolecularMD, in Portland, Oregon.

 

Upon graduating from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 1981, Dr. Druker completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He then trained in oncology at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

 

Dr. Druker then returned to the lab to begin his research career studying the regulation of the growth of cancer cells and the practical application to cancer therapies. His work was instrumental in the development of Gleevec (imatinib), a drug that targets the molecular defect in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

 

After completing a series of preclinical studies, Dr. Druker spearheaded the highly successful clinical trials of imatinib for CML. Imatinib is currently FDA approved for CML and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). His role in the development of imatinib and its application in the clinic have resulted in numerous awards for Dr. Druker, including the John J. Kenney Award from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the AACR-Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, the Warren Alpert Prize from Harvard Medical School, the American Society of Hematology’s Dameshek Prize, the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s Pioneer of Survivorship Carpe Diem Award, the American Cancer Society’s Medal of Honor, the Kettering Prize from General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, the David A. Karnofsky Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Robert-Koch Award, and the Keio Medical Science Prize from the Keio University Medical Science Fund. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2003, the American Association of Physicians in 2006, and the National Academy of Sciences in 2007.

 

 

 

Rosemary focuses her practice on intellectual property law, with an emphasis on copyright and entertainment issues, including music, television, film and publishing.  Her experience includes copyright, music royalties and contract litigation as well as negotiating various licensing, recording and other intellectual property agreements. She has represented entertainment, publishing and technology companies as well as individual artists, and has appeared on television as a legal commentator on issues of DVD copyright infringement and piracy. 

 

Rosemary's experience also includes work on green building development, construction and renewable energy projects.  This includes litigation, negotiating defect remediation agreements, and advising project developers on construction licensing, warranty, and insurance issues.

 

She began her career with a Beverly Hills, boutique entertainment firm and most recently was an associate in one of Portland’s major law firms. During law school, Rosemary worked as an intern in the Network Television Legal Department at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles.  She also served as a Consumer Representative in the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s office.

 

 

Brian Connolly

 

A 20-year veteran of the premium pet industry, Brian began his career as a Hong Kong distributor for Iams Company, expanding first to Taiwan and South Korea.  In 1991, he began consulting to Iams to drive distribution in New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

 

In 1993, Brian and his wife and business partner Shelley Gunton acquired T&K Pet Products in Portland, building the business from $4 million in revenues to $26 million in 1999. 

 

In 2000, he and Shelley launched Pet Appeal, Inc. d/b/a Castor & Pollux Pet Works.  C&P produces Organix, the leading brand of dog and cat organic food and treats, the Natural Ultramix brand of natural food, and Cesar Milan’s Dog Whisperer food line.

 

Brian lives in Portland with his wife and three children.  He holds an MBA degree in international marketing from the

University of Western Ontario.

 

 

 

Kanth Gopalpur is the CEO of Monsoon, Inc., a software company that provides pricing, inventory, and sales management software to retailers who sell in online marketplaces such as Amazon.com and Ebay.com. Monsoon was founded in 2002 and after bootstrapping its operations for three years raised a small amount of capital from angel investors in 2005. It is currently one of the fastest growing technology companies in Portland and processes several hundred million dollars worth of online marketplace sales annually through its suite of software products.

 

An e-commerce pioneer, Kanth saw the Internet as a new market for Powell's Books in 1994 and led Powells.com from its inception in 1994 until 2000 through a period of steady, profitable growth. Following that success he joined Django's as VP of e-commerce and marketing where he oversaw all aspects of the company's online business.  Kanth was also a founder member of the Global Internet Initiative, a consortium of major online retailers established to set up common standards for ecommerce.

 

 

 

Pete Grillo has been active in Portland-area high-technology firms for over 20 years. In January of 2007, Pete formed Iterasi, Inc., which was launched at Demo 2008 in January 2008.  In 1997, Pete founded WeSync.com, a venture-backed web and wireless data synchronization company.  WeSync.com became widely recognized for its’ innovation and advanced technologies, which lead to its acquisition by Palm, Inc. in February 2001.  In 1988, Mr. Grillo co-founded ProTools, Inc., a venture-backed developer of network management applications acquired by Network General in 1994.  Previously he co-founded DWB Associates, a software consulting firm.

Mr. Grillo currently serves as an advisor to the board of directors of KryptIq Corporation, a provider of Business Process Management (BPM) solutions to the healthcare industry, and Concero, a provider of web-based solutions for employee benefits brokers.

 

 

 

Paul E. Gulick has been an active and successful entrepreneur in the Portland, Oregon area throughout his career.  Most recently, Paul served as Chief Technology Officer of Planar Systems, Inc., a global leader in specialty display systems.  He joined Planar following the acquisition of Clarity Visual Systems, a company the Mr. Gulick founded in 1995, and grew to be recognized as one of the world’s leading providers of networked visual information. Prior to founding Clarity, Mr. Gulick was a co-founder of InFocus Corporation.  More recently he was CEO and Chief Technical Officer for Motif, Inc., a joint venture between In Focus Systems, Inc. and Motorola, Inc.  Currently, Mr. Gulick is President of the Board for the Children’s Cancer Association. He is a board member of the Entrepreneur Foundation of the Northwest, is a member of the Business Advisory Council for Portland State University School of Business Administration, and is on the Executive Counsel of the Oregon Chapter of AeA. Mr. Gulick holds 17 US patents in the field of electronic displays and related technologies. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. 

 

 

Irving Levine

 

Gerry Langeler joined OVP Venture Partners in 1992 and focuses on investments in the semiconductor, software, imaging and digital biology sectors. His investments include 800.com, Captivate Network, djangos.com, Elekom, Foundstone, Max-Viz, Now Software, Portland Software, Preview Systems, Surplus Software, TView, Unify, Vascular Solutions, Viral Logic Systems Technology (VLST), and Webridge. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ambric, Collaborative Software Initiative, Max-Viz, and Viral Logic Systems Technology (VLST) and is a Board Observer to BioPassword, Octavian, and Tzero Technologies.

 

Prior to joining OVP, Gerry was co-founder of Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) in Portland, OR in 1981. There he served as President, and over eleven years helped lead Mentor through its IPO to over $400M in worldwide sales and over $1B in market capitalization. He began his technology career at Tektronix.

 

Gerry received his AB in Chemistry from Cornell University and his MBA from Harvard University. He is the author of The Vision Trap (Harvard Business Review, 3/92). He also authored a chapter in Venture Capital Best Practices (Aspatore Books, 2005). Gerry serves on the Advisory Board of Highway 12 Ventures in Boise, Idaho.

 

He is the father of two boys, and enjoys skiing (when his knees can stand it) and golf.

 

 

 

David received a BA in chemistry from Wesleyan University in 1973 and an MBA from Harvard in 1977. In 1981, he co-founded Mentor Graphics in Oregon where he worked until 1993 in roles including CFO and Vice President of Worldwide Sales. In 1994, David joined MedicaLogic as COO, then a six-person start up, and helped grow the company to be the leading provider of electronic medical records in the US.  In 2000, he became the Chief Executive Officer and subsequently executed the sale of MedicaLogic to GE Medical in 2002.

 

David is currently a Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Absorbent Technologies, Inc., a privately held start-up based in Beaverton, Oregon.  ATI has developed and patented a starch-based superabsorbent polymer called Zeba which absorbs 400+ times its weight in water and releases this water back to plants “on demand.”  Zeba can increase agricultural crop yields 10% with 10% less water. Zeba is also sold to commercial nurseries, landscapers, golf courses and the home & garden market.

 

 

 

Steve Morris is the Executive Director of OTBC and the Managing Director of OregonStartups.com. He has more than 25 years of management experience in the software, service, and semiconductor test industries at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Integrated Measurement Systems, Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, and Credence Corporation.

Prior to joining OTBC, he founded OregonStartups.com, providing consulting and web-based advice and information or startup companies.

 

He founded Teseda Corporation and served as CEO from 2001 to 2005, and prior to that founded two internal startups in larger companies. He has extensive experience in strategic marketing, business plan development, strategic partnerships, and venture capital fund raising. 

 

He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Reed College and a Masters of Science degree from Carnegie-Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration(now The Tepper School of Business).

 

 

 

Mark Paul has 30 years of executive level leadership-from bootstrapping start-ups as an entrepreneur, building a $50 million business unit in two years at a Global 500 company as an “intrapreneur”, to CEO of a publicly traded company. He has 18 years of interim executive and business leadership consulting experience. Mark has helped over a hundred clients attract more customers: increase their revenue, profitability and company value. Mark is about to publish his 2nd book: “How to Attract Significantly More Customers” and recently published a new version of The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide. Visit his website at: www.synergy-usa.com.

 

 

Dennis is currently the Managing Partner of Cornerstone Management Resources (CMR), a successful consulting firm focusing on all aspects of business development and revenue acceleration for emerging and mid-market companies. He has successfully completed numerous projects involving strategic planning, business plan creation, sales channel development, marketing communication programs, assistance with early stage funding, and numerous merger/acquisitions.

Before founding Cornerstone Management Resources, Mr. Powers was the vice president of marketing and sales at Merix Corporation, a leading supplier of electronic interconnect systems. During his tenure the company completed a successful public offering and grew the company over 200%. He actively participated in the corporate team responsible for several successful M&A transactions.

 

Prior to Merix, Dennis held senior management positions with Flir Systems and TriQuint Semiconductor. His early career involved roles in engineering, product marketing, and sales at Westinghouse and Thorson Company.

Dennis holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University and a master's of science in the management of science and technology from the Oregon Graduate Institute.

 

With more than 35 years experience in sales, marketing, general management and business development, Mr. Powers is well equipped to provide to provide a wide range of assistance to early stage and mid-market companies.

 

 

Steven counsels clients in complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, media communications and technology, energy, corporate governance, real estate and finance issues. He represents clients in their local, regional and national disputes and matters.  An AV-rated litigator, Steven is a member of the firm’s Corporate Finance, Technology, and Intellectual Property Practice Groups. He handles both complex transactions and litigation in trial and appellate courts and in arbitration.

 

In commercial and financial matters, he represents shareholders in closely-held corporations and counsels both buyers and sellers in merger and acquisition transactions.

In shareholder derivative and class action lawsuits, his experience includes representing directors and officers.

Steven’s extensive experience in intellectual property matters includes representing former employers, departing employees, and new employers in trade secret litigation. He also advocates for both plaintiffs and defendants in trademark, copyright and other intellectual property litigation.   As an advisor to media, publishing and communications clients, such as KOIN-TV, Steven addresses issues such as applicability of media shield laws, reporters' privileges, prior restraints on publication, defamation, invasion of privacy, newsgathering methods, licensing, and copyright.  He is 2008 chair of the Oregon State Bar's Bar-Press-Broadcasters Council.

 

After completing law school, Steven was a law clerk for The Honorable Stephen V. Wilson, United States District Court, Central District of California, and The Honorable Edwin J. Peterson, Chief Justice/Associate Justice, Oregon Supreme Court.
An active member of the Lawyers Committee for the ACLU of Oregon, Steven is co-chair of the firm's Information Technology Committee and served on the firm's managing board from 2003-2006. 

 

 

Michael Wright