Advisory Council
The Jake Jabs Center’s advisory council includes some of Denver’s — and Colorado’s — most recognized entrepreneurs, innovators, business leaders, attorneys, and other industry experts. Click on the names of our Advisory Council Members below to read their bios.
Doug has more than 38 years of experience in global financial and business management. He recently retired as the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and Chief Operating Officer of Crestone Capital LLC (“Crestone”), a Boulder-based independent wealth management firm with over $2.2 billion in client capital under management. Doug was a founding partner of Crestone in 2001 and continues to serve on the Advisory Board for Crestone.
Prior to joining Crestone, Doug was Vice President of Finance at Rental Service Corporation, an $800 million annual revenue NYSE-listed equipment rental and sales company. He led merger and acquisition valuation and accounting for over 35 transactions valued individually at up to $100 million and was also responsible for various investor relations activities, secondary stock offerings, and debt financing transactions.
Prior to his tenure at Rental Service Corporation, Doug was CFO for Center Rental and Sales, a $48 million annual revenue privately held construction equipment rental and sales company headquartered in Denver, and CFO at Guerdon Industries, a $120 million annual revenue privately held manufacturing company. He started his professional career at Ernst & Ernst in Denver in 1979.
Doug is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Colorado Society of CPAs. He is also a member of the board of directors of Colorado UpLift, and serves as a student mentor through the Greenhouse Scholars program. Doug is also a member of the Advisory Board for Banner Signs and Decals, a small Denver-based privately held company.
Doug received his BS degree in Accounting from Miami University. He held a FINRA Series 27 license as the Financial Operations Principal for Crestone. Doug is a CPA licensed (inactive) in the State of Colorado.
Philippe D. Brunet is a seasoned global CEO with CFO, Entrepreneur and Board Director backgrounds. He has multi-sector international experience acquired at leading Forbes Global 300 organizations (The Linde Group, Saint-Gobain Group). His latest two positions for the Linde Group were Chairman & CEO of Linde South America ($1B, 2500 employees), and CFO of Linde Americas ($3B).
Philippe is a business development, innovation and organizational design specialist, passionate about leading teams driving innovation and hyper growth opportunities. He has all-around CEO/CFO experience at large international organizations, with focus on boosting profitability, M&A execution, and liquidity events. He has deep strategic and operational experience in the sectors of Energy, Specialty Chemicals, Chemical Engineering and Packaging.Philippe is an entrepreneur in Colorado. He is President of Standard Alcohol, a Clean Tech enterprise commercializing unique Hyper Low Carbon Technology® for advanced fuel additives and specialty chemicals in the global energy markets. He leads Standard Alcohol’s growth platform in the U.S., with emphasis on project commercialization and execution, debt and equity private placements, and strategic partnerships with international technology stakeholders. He is actively involved with Colorado leading entrepreneurs and angel investing organizations. He launched and chaired the TiE Rockies accelerator program (28 startups) and chaired the Rockies Venture Club Investor Relations board. He has founded Aspen Growth Ventures, and he serves as its CEO.
Philippe is a global executive. He has a dual citizenship (French and American), and worked in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. He is a graduate from ESSEC Business School (Grande Ecole diploma, MSc Management, France), and from Harvard Business School (PGL).
As a Senior Client Advisor, Jeff is an integral part of Crestone, working with both existing and prospective clients.
As a trusted advisor, Jeff provides clients with personalized and integrated wealth management solutions, including holistic balance sheet advisement, investment strategy and implementation, concentrated position management, and wealth preservation and transfer planning.
Jeff brings a great deal of relevant wealth management experience from his ten years with JPMorgan in its Private Bank. Prior to his Executive Director position with JPMorgan in the Denver / Rocky Mountain region, Jeff resided in New York City where he worked directly with the Private Bank’s Chief Investment Officer to develop the firm’s investment strategy and oversee portfolio construction for $600 billion in client assets globally.
Jeff received his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and business economics from Ohio University in 2006 and is a FINRA Registered Representative holding Series 7, 63, and 66 licenses.
Jeff is happily married to his wife Sarah and a proud father to his son, Hunter Donald. Jeff’s community involvement includes: volunteering at Lutheran Medical Center with his Bernese Mountain Dog (Leffe) in the Pet Therapy program, serving on the Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America’s Denver Area Council, and serving on the Professional Advisor’s Council of The Denver Foundation. He is also a member of Lakewood Country Club.
Toti Cadavid is a seasoned multicultural marketing and communications strategist with great expertise in both domestic and international markets. After a near death experience, Toti was moved to reconsider her career in terms of her inner alignment and the impact she was having on the world. She became a bestselling author, speaker, trainer, certified coach, and launched U-Fulfilled, a consulting and leadership development company that helps executives and business leaders align themselves and their organizations with their purpose and true brand.
As a result, individuals develop the clarity and balance needed to be more effective leaders, and organizations reach higher levels of effectiveness and success. Toti is a co-author of Pebbles in the Pond: Wave Four which, days after its release, reached bestseller status in nine countries.
Prior to U-Fulfilled, Toti spent the first 10 years of her career in the corporate sector, designing and implementing fully integrated local and global marketing, branding, and communications efforts for companies such as AT&T and The Hallmark Channel. During the second decade of her career, Toti was president and CEO of Xcelente, a cross-cultural marketing and communications agency which under her leadership help over 152 clients launch or re-build their brands in the Hispanic marketplace. Xcelente provided its clients with marketing solutions that incorporated social, ethnic, and cultural nuances into all marketing, branding, public relations, community outreach, public information, and advertising initiatives. In 2014, Toti launched U-Fulfilled, which transformed into Essencialize in 2017 after merging with Xcelente to empower purpose-driven personal and organizational brands. Toti has been deeply committed to giving back to the community, and thus has held leadership positions in a number of local and national business and civic organizations including the Junior League of Denver, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Hispanics in Technology and Telecommunications Association, Mi Casa Resource Center, the Denver Better Business Bureau, Visit Denver’s Multicultural Tourism Task Force, the Minority Advisory Council of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Leadership Council of Escuela de Guadalupe, the Community College of Denver Foundation, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Denver International Airport’s Management Advisory Council, and the Colorado Forum. In addition, former Mayor Hickenlooper appointed her to his Denver Early Childhood Council and to his Latino Commission.
Toti currently sits on the boards of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Health Foundation, Junior Achievement, El Pomar Foundation’s Denver Council, and the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship. Toti was recognized in 2005 as one of the nation’s Top Latina Business Entrepreneurs by Hispanic Magazine, as a finalist by the Colorado Rockies for the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, and by The Denver Business Journal as one of the “Top Forty Under 40” business leaders in Colorado. In 2006, Toti received the Businesswoman of the Year award by the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Minority Small Business Champion Award by the SBA, and was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts in 2007. Toti was recognized in 2016 with the HIP-Giver award by the national Hispanics in Philanthropy Foundation.
Toti holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business, a masters’ degree in Marketing, another master’s degree in Management & Organizational Development, and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, all from the University of Colorado. Toti is also a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Executive Management Program, the 2004 Leadership Program of the Rockies, the 2005 Leadership Denver program, the 2005 National Hispana Leadership Institute, and the 2005 Dartmouth University Tuck Minority Business Executive Program. She holds a QSCA coaching certification and is a licensed master-level graduate of the Avatar Self-Empowerment Training Program.
Toti, a native of Colombia, lives in Lone Tree, Colorado with her husband Luis Colón and their children.
Robert brings 29 years of medical device-related strategic and tactical marketing experience from Abbott Laboratories, Kodak®/Amersham® Diagnostics, 3M®/Terumo® Healthcare, and nine years in a senior marketing leadership role at Medtronic® Cardiovascular. Having been involved with two medical device startups, he is well versed in product development, regulatory and reimbursement, as well as strategies for initial product commercialization and sales success. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Healthcare Finance Managers Association (HFMA) and the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management (AHRMM).
Robin is an accomplished therapist with over 18 years experience in working with at-risk teens. Robin’s history includes roles as a School-Based Therapy Specialist for at-risk teens, private practice therapist for adolescents and their families, Treatment Coordinator for intensive in/outpatient teen programs, and Research Specialist in clinical trials for adolescents with addictions.
While serving in her various roles, Robin served on panels and boards for various teen organizations. She has and continues to train law enforcement, school administrators and faculty, medical professionals, and members of the community through various speaking engagements and seminars on issues pertaining to at-risk youth. Robin earned her MA in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado, Denver. She is a licensed professional counselor, certified school counselor, and a master addiction counselor.
In her free time, Robin spends time with her littles hiking, skiing, and doing anything outdoors. Her coping skill is humor and friends.
Matt Jonsen is a partner in Dorsey & Whitney LLP’s chem/bio practice. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Utah School of Medicine, and a B.A. in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His graduate work was directed toward understanding protein regulation through biophysical studies of DNA:protein interaction. Matt has extensive post-doctoral experience in human genetics and mammalian transcription factor regulation, most recently in the Department of Endocrinology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He received his J.D. from The University of Denver College of Law.
Matt’s practice focuses on emerging biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, especially in the West. His practice includes strategic patent counseling and preparation of United States as well as international patent applications.
James is an accomplished U.S. and international healthcare business executive with over 25 years of experience. He has held leadership positions in several medical device and technology startups as well as global companies, such as Johnson & Johnson®, Cordis®, Guidant Corporation®, Edwards Lifesciences® and Sorin Group®. With a strong background in executive roles such as sales, global training, corporate accounts and healthcare economics, he created his first consulting company in 2008 and has built several others since. In addition to his consulting engagements, James also sits on several boards of medical and digital health companies as an advisor.
Jung currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at the Cherry Creek School District, as an adjunct professor at CU Denver, and as an advisory council member for the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship. He has over 25 years of consulting experience in design, branding, marketing, user experience, organization development, strategy, and business development. He has over 15 years of experience as a startup entrepreneur. Jung also delivers keynotes, seminars, and workshops on the subjects of corporate/personal branding, professional/personal development, equity, inclusion, diversity, leadership, Life ROI, value, culture, and Asian-American empowerment.
Alli Phillips is currently Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for PAIRIN, a social enterprise software company whose mission is to make education relevant and hiring equitable. Alli is an experienced startup executive and business consultant with deep expertise in and passion for organization and culture design, leadership development, change management, and customer experience. Alli served as COO and CFO of Learning Objects, a Washington, D.C.-based education technology startup, where she led it to a successful exit in 2015. In 2017, she helped launch Sema, a Baltimore-based startup that uses machine learning technology to optimize software. Alli’s work experience also includes over four years with McKinsey & Company’s Washington, D.C. office, where she specialized in organization/culture design, leadership development, change leadership, performance management, and technology and operations management. She has been a successful serial startup executive, serving as General Manager of the Washington D.C. market and the Restaurants division of LivingSocial, a D.C.-based social commerce company, and of Shift, a San Francisco-based automotive startup.
Alli holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Denver native Joanne Posner-Mayer graduated from the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado in 1973. Her first job took her to Switzerland, where she was exposed to exercises using the Swiss Ball and learned from pioneering therapists Mary Quinton, Susanne Klein-Vogelbach, and Maria Kucera in hospital settings. In 1978 in Copenhagen, Denmark, she began lecturing other therapists on using the ball for rehabilitative therapy. She brought her newly developed expertise back to Colorado clinics in 1980 and in 1988 began teaching her expanded exercise techniques in the surrounding mountain states.
Posner-Mayer founded Ball Dynamic International, Inc. in 1991 and Fitball, Inc—intended to transform ball exercises for worldwide fitness use in health clubs, gyms and sports training programs—in 1993. As a result, she soon became an internationally recognized author on the therapeutic use of the Swiss Ball, with speaking engagements on three continents. She has produced three instructional videos and authored two books on exercises using the balls, one of which has been modified by Physiotools, a Finnish company, into a computer program and translated into 20 languages. Posner-Mayer continues to lecture and spread awareness of the importance of good posture and core control in spine health, as well as the benefits of integrating the ball into exercise programs for strengthening, stretching, cardiac wellness and relaxation.A former ballerina with the Colorado Ballet, Posner-Mayer serves on the boards of the Colorado Ballet, the University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program, and the Jimmie Heuga Endowment for Multiple Sclerosis, and is an honorary Board member of World Denver. She helped fund the Posner Center for International Development, which houses 50 Denver-based, international nonprofits. Her parents were foreign immigrants to America, and her mother was a Holocaust survivor. Her entire career has focused on helping and serving people, and she continues that mission today through her charitable work.
Mike Pritchard is a Chief Financial Officer for the University of Colorado Foundation. In this role, Mike is responsible for all financial aspects of the Foundation’s operations. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, where he majored in accounting and received a degree in business administration. Mike is a certified public accountant and began his career as an auditor at Deloitte & Touche, LLP.Mike has a distinguished career in Colorado’s nonprofit sector, serving in various finance and development positions within Goodwill Industries of Denver, Mile High United Way, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center and Family Tree.
He has also volunteered for a number of charitable organizations, building houses worldwide for Habitat for Humanity and recruiting and coordinating volunteers for World Vision.Mike was named the Denver Business Journal’s CFO of the Year in 2015. He is also a 2014 graduate of Goodwill Industries International’s Executive Development program and a 2012 graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Denver program. Mike and his wife, Marcia, have adopted two daughters from Ethiopia. They are speakers and counselors for adoption groups, and they lead support groups for families that have adopted from Ethiopia.
Manuel G. Serapio is faculty director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the University of Colorado Denver’s Institute for International Business, and Associate Professor of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Business School, University of Colorado Denver.
Professor Serapio specializes in the design and development of global business education programs. He has designed programs and consulted for more than four dozen multinational companies, entrepreneurial ventures, and government agencies in the US and Asia.
These companies include Starbucks Coffee International, Western Union/First Data Corporation, Molson Coors International, Cisco Systems, IBM, Global Healthcare Exchange, Arrow Electronics, RE/MAX International, TVI (Singapore), ePLDT Ventus (Philippines), Jinling Petrochemical (PRC), Korea Banking Institute, Nokero International, and others.
In academia, Dr. Serapio led the development of the Faculty Development in International Entrepreneurship (FDIE) program for CU Denver’s CIBER. Working jointly with Drs. Patricia McDougall and Walter Kuemmerle, Dr. Serapio has offered the FDIE program to more than 200 faculty members since 2005 in Denver, Atlanta, Seoul, Istanbul, and Bangalore.Dr. Serapio has published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Management International Review, Organizational Dynamics, Research Technology Management, Academy of Management Executive, IEEE Spectrum, and other publications. His research has been cited by Entrepreneurship.com, Investor’s Business Daily, Financial Times, Rocky Mountain News, and the Los Angeles Times. Together with Drs. Patricia McDougall and Marian Jones, Dr. Serapio co-edited a special issue on International Entrepreneurship for Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. He is co-author (with Drs. Antonella Zuchella and Birgit Hagen) of a forthcoming book in international entrepreneurship to be published by Edward Elgar Publishing and an international entrepreneurship courseware for VentureHighway.com.
Professor Serapio received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and MBA from the University of Hawaii. He is the recipient of multiple teaching awards and has generated more than $4 million in sponsored grants and research from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Naval Research, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Japan-US Friendship Commission, and other organizations.
Chester Winter is a general partner at NewWest Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Denver, Colorado that focuses on small market buyouts, growth financings, and recapitalizations. Prior to co-founding NewWest in 1998, Mr. Winter was a general partner of Colorado Incubator Fund, L.P., a venture capital fund which invests in early stage high technology enterprises, including software, materials, medical and biotechnology. Winter has more than 30 years experience as a senior executive with small to medium-sized companies and has diverse financial, operating, and venture investing experience in a wide range of industries, including his tenure as vice president and later director of the consulting firm Paradigm Partners, LLC.
He also served as chairman of Highland Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of Eastern Utility Associates. Mr. Winter currently holds an appointed position on the board of the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority. Chet holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.S. in Industrial Relations and Economics from the University of Colorado, and has completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business.