Faculty

Instructor & Co-founder at Launch Pad LLC and Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery

Joel has been an entrepreneur and business manager most of his life. After attending Claremont McKenna College and Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Joel worked at the Quaker Oats Company for 8 years. He then founded Orange Glo International, marketers of Orange Glo, OxiClean, and Kaboom, with his parents. Joel helped created the famous television ads feature the late Billy Mays. In 2006 Joel and his family sold Orange Glo to Church & Dwight/Arm & Hammer.

A year later Joel co-founded Launch Pad LLC, a marketing company that backs and supports several consumer products companies such as Tortle, Base Education, Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, and several other ventures. In addition to the Jake Jabs Center’s Advisory Council, Joel sits on the boards of First Descents and the Hoffman Institute. Joel has two grown kids, a 4.5-year-old, and they all love the outdoors. Joel has tremendous passion for personal and spiritual growth. Joel is married to Tiffany Appel.

Associate Professor

Dr. Anoud Bani Hani is a passionate educator, researcher, and entrepreneur. She holds a Doctorate of Engineering degree in Computer Science from Loughborough University, UK, an industrial-based PhD (with full scholarship from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)). She also earned an MSc in Multimedia and Internet Computing from the same institution. She has experience as an ERP developer in a UK-based private company and as a lecturer at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and at Zayed University in Dubai, UAE. During my tenure at Zayed University, she progressed from an assistant professor to an associate professor, taking on additional responsibilities as Chair of the Research Ethics Committee and Director of the NextGen Center.

Her impactful contributions at Zayed University span research, teaching, and services, leading various research projects with a total project value of 1.9 million AED. She has authored 30+ research papers in international journals and conferences and has contributed as an international speaker and organizing committee member for multiple international conferences. Her focus on course and curriculum development ensures that students remain updated with technology and are well-prepared for entrepreneurial endeavors. Moreover, she is dedicated to the development of research ethics within higher education institutions.

She has won Zayed University President’s Award for Employee Excellence in 2021, the UAE Prime Minister’s Award Nominee for Future Jobs 2022, alongside other accolades, acknowledging teaching, services, and partnerships with industry leaders like Microsoft, IBM, NXN, and SAP.

When not working, she enjoys time with her family, reads ethics and research, cooks, skydives or deepdives, and travels the world!

Professor of Entrepreneurship & Finance and Founder & CEO at Bonaparte Investment Group (BIG)

Yosef Bonaparte defines himself as a very creative and innovative person who cares about the country, the world, and the future. He is an expert in AI related to finance, crypto, and blockchain; digital assets,;behavioral finance; and analytical thinking. Although he has published many articles in top finance and economics journals, he feels he is more interested in real-world business than academics. He has also been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and others.

Instructor, Principal at Gemmone Resources, and Co-Founder & Partner at Lyceum Partners, LLC

Chris Braken is a senior executive with 25+ years of experience leading strategy and transformation execution for companies ranging from $4 million to $5 billion and leading teams of 5 to over 1,000. He is uniquely skilled to identify, evaluate, and execute transformation opportunities, from concept to profitable, sustained operations. He is also an expert in financial analysis, negotiation, and deal structure; a collaborative business partner committed to win/win relationships; and a strategic thought leader and practical problem solver. Insightful. Curious. Driven.

Instructor and founder & CEO at Schoolrunner

Charlie Coglianese is the founder & CEO of Schoolrunner (acquired by SchoolMint in 2021), a Denver-based K-12 EdTech startup that helps teachers help kids using data. He formerly created similar solutions for hedge funds and other financial institutions in New York City. As SchoolMint’s Chief Data Innovation Officer, Charlie is focused on enabling professionals to make better decisions by presenting them the right information at the right time.

Instructor of Entrepreneurship, Information Systems, and Teaching Assistant Professor in Information & Analytics

Leonard Dixon serves as an entrepreneurship and information systems instructor at the CU Denver Business School and as a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Business Information and Analytics at the University of Denver. He is also a student in the Daniels Executive PhD program. His research and teaching expertise encompasses executive education; entrepreneurship; and applied areas including AI, computer programming, databases and analytics. With over 23 years of experience, Leonard has held technical and managerial roles in various sectors such as media/entertainment, health care, finance and logistics.

Instructor and Owner of the Law Office of R. Garth Ferrell, P.C.

Garth is the owner of The Law Office of R. Garth Ferrell, P.C. They provide a wide range of legal services to small and medium-sized businesses, including business litigation, trade mark registration and litigation, and business transaction services. Garth has been teaching as an adjunct instructor in business law at CU Denver since 2004. 

Instructor and CEO at the Venardos Circus

Chris recently returned to the U.S. after several decades abroad working as a business manager, financial markets practitioner, researcher, and occasional teacher with more than 20 years experience in Asian financial markets. Having started in quantitative finance, he has expanded that skill set into behavioral finance and decision making. Along the way, he has run businesses of $30+ million in revenue and teams of 100+ colleagues. When time permits, Chris enjoys teaching at some of the world’s top business schools on topics ranging from risk and decision making to entrepreneurship.

Instructor and President at CohereUs Consulting

Jim LoPresti has worked in both corporate and academic worlds, utilizing practice and theory for over thirty-five years. He brings proven expertise to his clients in executive coaching, negotiation skills/conflict resolution, leadership through storytelling, team building, senior management alignment, introducing and leveraging change, and cultural transformation. With a strong foundation in emotional and social intelligence and the neuroscience of leadership, Jim incorporates methodologies business environments to help inspire a “big picture” perspective.

Jim has worked at all levels in corporations, from C-suite executives to senior and middle managers to front line workers. Jim has also worked with executive MBA, doctoral, and undergraduate students. Jim coaches in the United States, Europe, and Asia, working with executive clients in France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Singapore. Jim consults and facilitates programs in large multinational and medium size corporations, working in a wide range of industries including private equity firms, higher education, information technology, construction, pharmaceuticals, and government.In 2013, Jim began developing a leadership institute for the American University of Rome in collaboration with a recently retired admiral from the United States Navy. In the corporate arena, Jim has held various management and leadership roles. As the Senior Services Manager for Sun Microsystem he managed a global team. At Lucent Technologies, Jim was a Distance Learning Manager and Senior Performance Analyst in education and training. Prior to Lucent, Jim served as the Aviation Administrator for The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, and the Newark City Manager for People Express Airlines.Jim completed his coaching development through the Teleos Leadership Institute and is a certified professional coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation. Currently, he is also an adjunct senior instructor of management at the School of Business at the University of Colorado, Denver, and adjunct senior instructor at the Colorado State University School of Business. Jim holds a doctorate in literature from the University of Denver.

Instructor and President & CEO at Kaspo, Inc.

Matt is the president and CEO at Kaspo, Inc., a full-scale marketing agency that started in Denver in 2003. Building brand loyalty for amazing companies that are making a difference in the world is why Kaspo exists. Matt’s team creatively connects people to the why behind a brand using event, social media, and cause marketing to build loyal customers for clients.

Matt’s goal in life is to empower as many people as possible. If he is not working on Kaspo, he can be found volunteering or hanging out with friends and family. Youth empowerment, education, entrepreneurship, and the environment are some of his passions.

Professor and Executive Director of the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Madhavan Parthasarathy is a Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and the Academic and Executive Director of the Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship. He co-teaches the entrepreneurship capstone classes (Business Plan and Model Development, as well as Digital Strategy for Entrepreneurs) with Joel Appel, one of Colorado’s great entrepreneurs. Professor Parthasarathy’s primary research area is the diffusion (and discontinuance) of disruptive innovations, and he has published extensively in journals such as Information Systems Research, Small Business Economics, and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, among others.

Professor Parthasarathy fosters close friendships with some of Colorado’s greatest entrepreneurs and business leaders, and he was instrumental in securing a large private gift to the Center from Mr. Jake Jabs. He is an advocate of combining both academic and experiential elements to provide a balanced education to students of the Center, thereby empowering them to succeed in Colorado’s dynamic entrepreneurial eco-system. As a result of his leadership, the Jabs Center offers novel mentorship programs, hosts several cutting-edge events, and maintains close relationships with the Business community.

Instructor and Managing Director at YPO

Alli Phillips 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.

Instructor of Entrepreneurship & Management

David Ruderman has been an instructor in the Business School since 2009, and teaches a variety of courses, including Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, Leading Individuals and Teams, and Leveraging Cultural Diversity and Inclusion in Business. His focus is on creating practical and engaging courses which students can apply in their professional lives. In the entrepreneurial context, this involves imparting the practical skills necessary to aid aspiring entrepreneurs in the venture creation and business startup process. When not teaching, Mr. Ruderman serves as the faculty advisor for the Business Student Ambassador Committee (BSAC), a club supporting the Business School.

Mr. Ruderman holds an MBA with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship Studies from the University of Colorado Denver, and a BA in Broadcasting and Cable from the Pennsylvania State University. He is also a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Training for Managers Program, and is a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner.In 2012, Mr. Ruderman was awarded the Outstanding Instructor Award at the Business School, and in 2013, was awarded the University of Colorado Denver Faculty Assembly Award for Outstanding Service.

Mr. Ruderman has 18 years of business experience in the fields of broadcast sales management, academic fundraising and entrepreneurship. He has worked for the United States Small Business Administration and consulted with a number of entrepreneurial upstarts in the Denver area. From 2010-2011, Mr. Ruderman served on the board of directors for PHAMALY – The Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artists League – where he headed their Strategic Development Committee.

Instructor and Owner & Managing Director at Bodies by Perserverance 

Jennifer’s hard work comes from the strength and perseverance from her immigrant parents. Because of them, she has been able to excel in academics, business ownership, and have been awarded at many companies and leadership organizations, such as the Leadership Denver 2020 of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, a prestigious executive and leadership program.

Jennifer has 16 years experience in entrepreneurship and integrated marketing — especially digital marketing — as well as eight years in progressive roles in strategic planning, relationship building, project management and operations. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. Through her consulting business, Jennifer provides workshops, digital marketing plans, and consulting for startups.

She has worked in various industries: hospitality, retail, IT, automotive, telecommunications, and fitness/health/beauty. Including working with clients: Nordstrom, McDonald’s, Capital Grille, 9News, 9News Health Fair, Avaya, Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Dior, Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

She enjoys working with Asian, Black, and Filipino communities, mentoring youth programs, along with directing cultural and contemporary dance. Jennifer describes herself as a professional, thought leader, and creative individual.

Associate Professor & Director of MS in International Business

Dr. Manuel Serapio, Jr., is an associate professor of management and international business and the program director of the MS in International Business. He also serves as the faculty director of the Center for International Business Education and Research at UCD.

Professor Serapio’s research and teaching interests focus on international business, cross-border research and development, the globalization of services, and international entrepreneurship. He recently designed and developed the first faculty development program in international entrepreneurship (to be offered by the CIBERs at CU Denver and Indiana University). In 2001, Professor Serapio first developed and offered the international entrepreneurship course, with the objective of teaching international business from an entrepreneurial and deal-making perspective.Dr. Serapio is the author/editor of three books, four technical reports for the US Department of Commerce and over a dozen articles. His publications have appeared in leading journals, such as Management International Review, Organizational Dynamics, Research Policy, Academy of Management Executive, Asian Business Management, IEEE Spectrum, and Research Technology Management. His work has been cited or published in The Financial Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Investors Business Daily, The Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Business Journal, Nikkei Weekly (Japan), and The Los Angeles Times.

In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Serapio has lectured for or consulted for international organizations and multinational companies in the US and Asia. These include IBM Corporation, Lockheed Martin, First Data, StorageTek, Molson Coors Brewing Company and others. He has also coauthored several grant applications that have received over $4 million in funding for UCD.

Dr. Serapio received a PhD in International Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from the University of Hawaii and an undergraduate degree from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. He received

Instructor and Founder of Shoot Indoors Franchising

Bryan “B.A.” Stear is the founder of Shoot Indoors Franchising, a popular indoor shooting range franchise headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Each of its five locations provides the opportunity for anyone to learn firearms safety, become comfortable with firearms, and practice target shooting in a safe, friendly, and clean indoor environment.

B.A. graduated from Lehigh University with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Astrophysics. While working as a design engineer for Ball Aerospace, he obtained a Master’s in Engineering Management from CU Boulder. He has previously served as a startup mentor at Lehigh University’s Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, CU Boulder’s New Venture Challenge, and Boomtown Accelerators.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Zook’s research is focused on domestic and international perspectives of nonprofit governance, civil society development, and linkages between nonprofit financial management and organizational strategy. She earned her MPA from the University of Kansas and PhD from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Professionally, she has worked in state and local government, as well as the nonprofit sector. Her teaching focuses on public and nonprofit management, including courses such as social entrepreneurship, organizational management and behavior, strategic management, and nonprofit governance and executive leadership. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and outdoor activities, and she is a passionate sports fan, particularly soccer, football, basketball, and baseball.