Vikram Jadhav is the Chief Digital Officer for LACERS, one of the largest retirement systems and pension funds in the U.S., where he leads its digital transformation across a variety of operational verticals, including customer experience, information architecture, and workflow. Over the course of his career, Vikram has developed a diverse professional portfolio in building out product development, sales enablement, strategic marketing, and business intelligence practices in the civic, technology, finance, and real estate sectors. Prior to his current role, he helped launch a venture backed mobile POS solution in play in over 32 sports and entertainment properties throughout the U.S. (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) and led the design-build of a mixed-medium digital selling platform for a Fortune 100 wealth management company. In his spare time, he advises pre-revenue founders on growth strategies through the Startup Launch SBDC program and is a guest lecturer on innovation methods and tactics at University of Southern California.

Noel Heredia has more than 25 years of global experience and an outcome-driven, entrepreneurial mindset that underpins his successes in establishing, supervising and motivating multinational teams of specialists. His visionary thought leadership is based on a solid, routinely updated, engineering background. He is a practicing software engineering process architect and enterprise management executive with a servant leader mindset and business acumen, accomplished at inspiring and driving successful tactical teams on a mission, as well as managing complex international operations. He designs and implements digital-centric operating models for enterprises and governments looking to compete and grow in the evolving digital economy.

Greg Hayward has been the owner and operator of an online marketing and web presence company since 1997 and has served a variety of clients in vary diverse industries. Greg also plays a role in an IoT company that he cofounded and has served on the board of directors for many local nonprofits. Greg has had success in business development, planning, strategy, online marketing and startup origination.

Shalene Hayman, B.S., has worked in the accounting industry for more than 20 years. She has experience with local public accounting firms and as a partner and principal in her own firms specializing on managerial finance/accounting functions. She is the CFO/Controller for many large nonprofit organizations and small businesses in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

John Haughey, B.S., is the CEO/managing partner of a domestic and international company. John lives in Beijing, China, and has spent more than 28 years working in Asia, Europe and the U.S. He formed his company as a Foreign Invested Commercial Enterprise that focuses on reselling enterprise solutions used in data centers. John has created long-term business plans, advised marketing and sales departments, and managed the government relationship team in China.

An international market-entry leader, Joshua Halpern consults on cross-border e-commerce optimization in product categories including beauty, retail & apparel, medical devices, agriculture, baby products, health food & supplements and other goods. From 2011 through 2015, Mr. Halpern led the e-commerce, retail, franchise, licensing, cosmetics and logistics portfolios for the U.S. Embassy in China, where he provided market-entry consulting for U.S. companies. He founded and launched the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National E-Commerce Innovation Lab. His work has led to his creation of the Getting to Global Initiative and its free online Export Accelerator. Halpern has led start-up teams for multiple companies, including his own, throughout the world. He holds a B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, an MBA from INSEAD and an EMBA from Tsinghua University. He speaks Chinese and Spanish.

Elizabeth Haffner has over 14 years’ experience managing all aspects of a full-service restaurant and bar, including a private dining room, takeout and delivery services, from systems and software integration, to physical execution and staff management. She is a self-motivated and progress-driven owner/operator with an extensive and varied background and a drive to optimize. Elizabeth has a long-standing record of initiative, innovation, and growth, and has developed and executed strategies to help restaurants make money, while providing top-notch service.

Rigo Gonzalez-Nossa, GPHR, is U.S. Army Gulf War veteran with 20 years of international human resources experience in the oil & gas industry, living and working both in the U.S. and abroad. Fluent in Spanish, he earned his B.A. in International Relations from San Francisco State University, and his Master’s in Public Administration from Georgia Southern University. His experience includes disaster relief with the SBA-ODA, as well as in the private sector. He is the founder and CEO of Ubiquity Digital, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations to connect with their human component while evolving in the strategic, tactical, and technological challenges of HR. Other areas of expertise include: organizational culture, global mobility, HRIS, industrial relations, corporate policy, performance management, HR integration.

Erin Fredregill, B.A., is the Founder/CEO of a full-service social media agency providing strategy, content marketing, and implementation services to small and medium-sized brands in a variety of industries. Her experience spans over 6 years of in-house and agency experience managing integrated marketing campaigns for accounts in numerous industries as diverse as software, retail, entertainment and construction.

Melissa Forziat is a Hermosa Beach-based marketer, speaker, consultant, and author. She helps small businesses market on a budget with specialties including marketing strategy, email marketing, social media marketing, sponsorship marketing, and partnership marketing. Before starting Melissa Forziat Events and Marketing, Melissa’s career involved roles with the Olympic Winter Games, Rugby World Cup, and the US Olympic Committee. Now she adapts this knowledge for microbusinesses and those operating with more limited resources. Melissa is the author of the free eBook Small Business Marketing on a Budget and is the former Board President of Ventures nonprofit in Seattle.