Director Profiles

Select a Board Member's name to jump to their profile below:

Community Members

John W. Baird, Ph.D.

One of Silicon Valley’s premier executive leadership coaches, John W. Baird has over 20 years of experience coaching executives from companies including Apple, Nike and Twitter, and new venture founders such as Zesty, BloomThat, and Townsquared. He started ExecutivEdge of Silicon Valley almost 20 years ago, and it is one of the most respected executive coaching firms in the Bay Area. Baird started his new company, Edgeman Coaching, in 2016 to continue his work with established companies. He considers his 25 years of coaching work at Apple, from their fast growth period to the present, to be among his most significant achievements. Baird holds a PhD in Organizational Communication and Leadership from Purdue University. He spent 17 years on the faculty at San Jose State University; he was named the university’s Outstanding Professor in 1989.

William E. "Bill" Barton, Sr., '67 Business

Bill Barton retired from Granite Construction Inc. after 28 years as SVP CFO. He earned a bachelor of science from SJSU in business with a major in accounting and finance, and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He serves on a variety of private, public and non-profit Boards of Directors. Barton also serves as a member of the Lucas College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board and in 2015, he received the Lucas College Distinguished Alumni Award. He lives in Aptos with his wife, Pat.

Phillip R. “Phil” Boyce, '66 Business Administration

Phil Boyce is president of Boyce & Associates. He is on the Board of Directors of EDC Biosystems and the advisory board of Sandhill Capital. Boyce is a member of the SJSU College of Business Advisory Board. He lives in Saratoga and has a daughter, Sharon. Boyce is involved with a number of charitable entities, including the Valley Foundation, Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and the Hakone Foundation. Boyce received the Tower Award in 1997 and chaired the Heritage Gateway Campaign. In 2017, the university presented him with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Stephen “Steve” Caplan, '65 Industrial Management

Steve Caplan retired and sold KBM ​Workspace, a​n interior design and commercial furnishings ​company in 2007. The company grew from a small, local dealership to a large company ​with offices in San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento. He ​has been involved ​with hospital boards, The Health Trust, YMCA of Silicon​ Valley, KTEH ​/KQED​, and ​San Jose ​Rotary. Currently, Caplan spends his time working with San Jose State University and Tahoe Maritime Center Museum and Gardens. Caplan is the recipient of the SJSU College of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the YMCA John D. Crummy Award, and other honors. Caplan and his wife, Cheryl, '67, live in San Jose and ​South ​Lake Tahoe.​

Wanda Hendrix, '77 Sociology, '94 M.P.A.

Wanda Hendrix is the former President of the SJSU Alumni Association and a long time supporter of the Spartan Foundation. She retired as Treasury Manager from East Bay Municipal Utility District in 2013. Hendrix resides in San Jose and is involved with many organizations in the San Jose community.

Eric Kelly, '80 Business Management

Eric L. Kelly is Chairman and CEO of Overland-Tandberg.  Kelly is a strategic, global technology executive with over thirty-five years of experience in developing accelerated growth strategies, improving profitability of complex global businesses, technology and business innovation, mergers and acquisitions and cybersecurity. C-level experience with Fortune 500 companies. In addition, he has over fifteen years of board experience which includes public companies trading on the U.S. and Canada stock exchanges, private companies, universities and foundations. He earned a B.S. in Business Management from San Jose State University and an MBA from San Francisco State University.

Mark Lazzarini, '84 Social Sciences

Mark Lazzarini earned a B.S. focused on Environmental Planning and Management from University of California at Davis, a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from SJSU, and is the Co-founder of the Certificate in Real Estate Program at San Jose State University.

Mark Lazzarini is co-founder and managing principal of DAL Properties, LLC, a company specializing in complex property entitlements that require multi agency approvals while navigating the bureaucracy, community, and political
process. Over the years, Mr. Lazzarini and his partners, the late Charles W. Davidson and Tony V. Arreola, developed single family detached home subdivisions, market rate and affordable high density residential communities in the Silicon Valley area. In 2017, Mr. Lazzarini founded Terrascape Ventures, LLC with partner Tony Arreola. Terrascape Ventures is a company focused on the entitlement and development of mixed use, residential and office high rise developments in the Downtown and greater San Jose/Silicon Valley area. In 2021, Mark helped establish the Urban Vibrancy Institute along with Tony Arreola, Jeff Arrillaga and Gary Dillabough. All four sit on the Board of Directors. The Urban Vibrancy Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity that conducts rigorous research and provides timely and actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making while collaborating with local businesses, communities, and government authorities to explore and reinvigorate the cultural, economic, and social vibrancy of San Jose.  

Scott Lefaver, DPA, AICP '68 Social Science, '72 Urban Planning

Scott Lefaver, DPA, AICP, is an owner of Cabouchon Properties, LLC, a developer and buyer of affordable tax credit housing. Cabouchon Properties owns over 2,100 tax credit and Section 8 housing units located in California, Ohio, Virginia and Alaska. 

He is a former faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University where he taught land use planning and private development and urban planning.  He also taught organizational behavior in the College of Business and has been an adjunct faculty member at Stanford University.  He continues as a Research Associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State. He assisted in creating the Certificate in Real Estate Development at SJSU and is the current Co-chair of the Certificate’s Advisory Board. 

Scott Lefaver is a charter member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has served on the Board of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA California). He served 12 years as a member of the County of Santa Clara Planning Commission four of which as Chair. Until 2021 he served on the Board of Directors of HomeFirst, the largest provider of homeless services in Santa Clara County, serving as its Chair in 2020.

He is a former Colonel in the California State Military Reserve (California Guard), a combat veteran, and a retired officer in the United States Army Reserve.

Dr. Lefaver received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Master in Urban Planning from San Jose State University and holds both a Master and Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Lefaver has a long history of publishing articles and studies, including an article in Planning Magazine, “Will Success Spoil Silicon Valley” and his latest article in Urban Land, “California Developer Scott Lefaver Reviews Affordable Housing Development Policy”. He has also published studies with the Mineta Transportation Institute including “Private Land with Public Partnerships for Transit Based Development” and “Construction of Transit-Based Development: New Policy Initiatives for Government”.

Constance B. Moore, '77 Business

With over 40 years of experience in the real estate industry, Connie Moore served as president and CEO of BRE Properties, Inc. for 10 years before the company was acquired by Essex Property Trust. In addition to a bachelor's degree from SJSU, Moore holds an M.B.A. from U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She is a member the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics Policy Advisory Board Executive Committee, the Haas School of Business Advisory Board, and Urban Land Institute. Moore and her husband, Roger Greer, live in Highlands, NC.

Linda Morasch, '83 Business

Linda Morasch transferred from San Jose City College to SJSU in Fall 1977. She has worked with Ponderosa Homes, Inc., a residential real estate developer, since 1976, and was appointed CFO of the company in 1978 while attending SJSU. Linda served as the president of Home Builders Association’s Eastern Division. Linda is an SJSU football fan and a longtime season ticket holder. She is a member of Exceptional Women Executives, Top Executives and Distinguished Women Alumni; previously she was a board member of the Business Alumni Association.

Edward A. Oates, '68 Math

Edward Oates founded Oracle Corporation with Larry Ellison and Bob Miner. He served as Oracle’s vice president until he retired in 1994. Oates has been a strong supporter of and guest speaker in the College of Science. He is on the board of the San Francisco Zoological Society and plays guitar in a band with four friends, three of whom are SJSU alumni. Oates came out of retirement to start a new business venture in 2018, Rock Your Business LLC. Oates' mother is also a graduate of SJSU. He and his wife, Jennifer Hammer, live in Portola Valley and have three children.

Gary D. Radine, '69 Public Relations

Gary Radine worked at Delta Dental in CEO roles for 37 years, retiring at the end of 2015. He still oversees the Mexico affiliate Dentegra Seguros Dentales and is on SJSU’s faculty teaching strategic planning since 2016. He earned a bachelor's degree in public relations in 1969. He also has a master's degree in Applied Behavioral Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills and did postgraduate study at the University of Georgia and Stanford University. He has served on the board of the Bay Area Council and in 2015 was named CEO of the Year by the American Cancer Society. He currently serves on SJSU’s Tower Foundation Board of Directors and on the university’s strategic planning committee.

Jeff Ricci, '86 Business Administration

Jeff Ricci is Senior Vice President and Controller at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Previously, Ricci served in various roles for BEA Systems, Alta Vista (which was purchased by Compaq), Tandem Computers and Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. Ricci holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University and an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Kevin Swanson, '87 Finance

After working for Merrill Lynch and Edward Jones, Kevin founded his own wealth management firm in 2008, which rebranded to Potentia. The Potentia Group now provides Financial Planning, Wealth Management, Tax, Trust and Fiduciary Services.  Serving as President of Delta Upsilon Fraternity while in school, 11 years as Alumni Advisor and six years as an advisor to the fraternity corporation board, Kevin represents the interest of extracurricular educational opportunities provided through the university, including Greek Life, and Athletics to provide a well-rounded education.  Kevin and his wife Sandy have been appointed by SJSU Athletics to serve on the Tower Foundation. 

Sandy Swanson

Sandy worked in Silicon Valley for over 20 years in high-tech sales at companies ranging from Oracle to  several successful startups.  In 2014, Sandy left the high-tech world and joined her husband Kevin ‘s financial firm, Potentia Wealth, obtaining her license as a financial advisor shortly thereafter.  Sandy is now a licensed private pilot and proud grandmother of three beautiful girls.  Two of Sandy’s children also attended San Jose State.  Sandy and her husband, Kevin, live in the Willow Glen area. 

Marko Trapani, Jr., '87 Business Marketing

Marko Trapani has been the Managing Partner at Asero Insurance Services for the past 20 years. His clients include many of the largest construction and commercial real estate firms in Silicon Valley. Trapani was a Spartan baseball student-athlete, playing two years for legendary coach Gene Menges. Trapani and his wife, Tammy, have five children and reside in the Willow Glen area.

Colleen B. Wilcox, Ph.D.

Colleen Wilcox is a special education administrator who had leadership roles in Santa Clara County, Los Angeles, Tucson and Highland Park, Ill. She holds degrees in speech and hearing sciences from University of Iowa, University of Arizona and received her Ph.D. from University of Southern California in educational administration. She retired from professional life in 2011 and turned her attention and energy to sculpting in bronze. Wilcox has served on the boards of such organizations as the American Cancer Society, Commonwealth Club of California, Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley, Horace Mann League, American Musical Theater, American Speech, Language and Hearing Foundation, Bellarmine College Preparatory, Children’s Discovery Museum and YMCA of Silicon Valley.

San José State University Members

Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Ph.D.

As SJSU’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, Vincent Del Casino serves as a key member of the university president’s leadership team with primary responsibility for ensuring academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate studies as well as a continual commitment to research, scholarship, and creative activities that benefit all students and society at large.

At the University of Arizona, he provided leadership and administrative oversight as the campus redeveloped central spaces for student support activities; re-organized its central administrative areas; and enhanced student success and retention. During his tenure, the university greatly increased its online undergraduate enrollment and program offerings. He was also integral in implementing the University of Arizona’s 100% Engagement Initiative that allows students to participate in “extra-classroom” activities through credit-bearing and non-credit engaged learning experiences. With more than 18 years of academic and administrative experience in higher education, he also served as professor and chair of the Department of Geography at California State University, Long Beach.

Del Casino is a prolific writer and researcher who has authored the book Social Geography: A Critical Introduction and co-edited with CSU, Long Beach faculty member, Dr. Mary Caputi, Derrida and the Future of the Liberal Arts.  He also has edited and co-authored multiple other books and published dozens of articles and book chapters on topics ranging from health, robots and robotic technologies, cartographic theory, and tourism, in the context of geography. His numerous commentaries on higher education have been published in The Evolllution and Inside Higher Education, including “Machine Learning, Big Data, and the Future of Higher Education.”

Prior to earning his doctorate in geography from the University of Kentucky, Vincent received his master’s in geography from the University of Wisconsin and bachelor’s in international relations and East Asian studies from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

Folarin Erogbogbo, Ph.D.

Folarin Erogbogbo is an American chemical engineer, scientist, and Associate Professor at San Jose State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from University at Buffalo (SUNY) in 2009. His dissertation was titled, “Silicon Quantum Dots and Biophotonic Applications Thereof". His teaching contributions have been to three distinct programs: chemical engineering, materials engineering, and biomedical engineering. Erogbogbo is a recognized and well-cited researcher in nanotechnology1–3, especially in the fields of nanoparticles and cancer applications. Erogbogbos' publications have been cited 3000 times His work is considered pioneering in nanotechnology for biomedical and energy applications because of his demonstrations with quantum dots on the nanoscale. Erogbogbo was funded by the National Science Foundation to work with Swihart to demonstrate the first targeted imaging of pancreatic cancer with silicon quantum dots4. While funded by the Ford Foundation, Erogbogbo developed a non-toxic form of quantum dots and demonstrated their potential utility in multiple biomedical applications1–4 including, but not limited to, cancer imaging, drug delivery, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Erogbogbo developed the first herringbone-patterned 3D-printed reactor for nanoparticle synthesis6,7. This reactor enables the creation of nanoparticles in a repeatable and reproducible manner. He has also worked in the social sciences areas to establish a cross-college collaboration between the biomedical engineering department and the Departments of Public Health and Sociology to provide technical social interventions that address health challenges in minority men. He has served as the chair and organizer of multiple nanotechnology symposia in the bay area. These include Symposia titled: Nanoscience at the Molecular Foundry; Nanotechnology in Biosystems, Medicine and Health ; Nanotechnology for Energy, Healthcare and the Environment. As part of his international work, he organized a Diaspora Day Medical Panel in Nigeria.  As a Technical Advisor, he supervises or has supervised projects at many different locations in Silicon Valley. The Silicon Valley locations include companies at Jabil Blue Sky, Covance, IRIS vision, Bioventrix, and Nutek Bravo. He has served as a technical advisor for over 50 Projects. He has also supervised projects that were executed at the Stanford School of Medicine and UCSF Department of Anatomy.

Erogbogbo has received multiple awards for his mentoring work with students from underrepresented minority groups. He served as the Faculty-in-Residence for the black scholars' floor at SJSU where he developed multiple initiatives to improve academic performance and social impact. He is also the advisor for the SJSU Black Alliance of Scientist and Engineers and the Nigerian Students Association Organization. He has served on committees in the Biomedical Engineering department, the Charles Davidson College of Engineering, the university, and professional organizations. Erogbogbo is a member or has been a member of the following professional organizations: Material Research Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, American Chemical Society, National Society of Black Engineers, American Association of Cancer Research, Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Erogbogbo founded Black Engineer Week (www.blackengineerweek.com) in Silicon Valley in 2021. He also Founded BEST at the TECH (www.bestatthetech.com), a partnership with San Jose State University and The Tech Interactive Museum.

Charlie Faas

"Charlie Faas is a strong leader with professional integrity", stated former SJSU President Mary Papazian.  "His business and sports acument will help us maintain forward progression during this transition.  We are grateful for his teamwork."  A seasoned financial executive with over three decades of progressive, diverse, private and public sector experience, Faas most recently served as CEO of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano, a non-profit organization selected by the State Department to ensure a strong U.S. presence at the 2015 World's Fair in Milan, Italy.

As San Jose State's CFO, Faas leads the financial, administrative and business functions.  This includes Administration and Finance, Facilities Development and Operations, the University Police Department, Audit, Clery, Sustainability, Gold Operations and Spartan Shops.  Faas is the chair of the Board of Directors of the San Jose Sports Authority.  He served as executive vice president and CFO for Sharks Sports & Entertainment and CEO of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano.  In addition, he has held senior roles with numerous entities in Silicon Valley and New York, including IBM. 

Janikke Klem

Janikke Klem is the SVP Nonprofit Relationship Manager and Community Relations Officer at Heritage Bank.  An accomplished philanthropic and community relations executive, Janikke has spent her career increasing social impact through community awareness, philanthropic involvement, collaboration, and engagement opportunities. Janikke previously served as SJSU's Director of Alumni Engagement and Director of Development. Her community involvement includes serving on the board of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation (2016 to current), Silicon Valley Organization Foundation (2016 to current), SJSU Alumni Association, Leadership San Jose Advisory Board, and Chair of the SVLG Education Committee (2018-2022). She is a Senior Fellow with American Leadership Forum, a member of SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Renewal Association), Bay Area Council, Full Circle Fund, and a former Salzburg Fellow.  Janikke graduated San José State with a degree in Health Science and holds a Master's in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. Janikke has developed an extensive network through her work at San José State and other Bay Area organizations.  

Sarab Multani

A Junior studying Public Health with a minor in Business, Sarab Multani is honored to serve as the Associated Student President & CEO. Through his role, Sarab worked closely with President Teniente-Matson, which led to his appointment into the Tower Foundation Board. Outside of the Tower Board, Sarab also holds a seat on the Academic Senate, Student Union Board, Athletics Board, Sikh Student Association Board, and the Spartan Shops Board. In this past year, President Multani has become a Certified Nurse Assistant, and also served as the Mental Health Chairmen for Delta Sigma Phi. Sarab finds great pleasure in cultivating his surrounding community to become more inclusive, growth-oriented, and memorable. It is of utmost importance to him as an advocate, especially after the pandemic, that all SJSU students are able to foster a strong sense of belonging. He wants every individual on this campus to be connected to SJSU's transformative culture; and for that to happen, he is committed to serve as a liaison and the official representative for the student body. He has vowed to invest his greatest efforts into further developing our diverse, transformative, and innovative university. The SJSU community has inspired him to not only make changes in his life, but to continue and build upon the deep tradition of developing students to become their best selves. He is a firm believer that every graduate from San Jose State will reminisce on their time here and remember a joyful and revolutionary experience. 

Judy Nagai, Ph.D.

Judy Nagai joined SJSU as Vice President of University Advancement and Chief Executive Officer of the Tower Foundation in September 2023.

Nagai previously served as the University Hawai'i Foundation’s Sr. Executive Director of Campaign Planning, with responsibility to prepare for the University of Hawai'i’s $1 billion comprehensive campaign launch, which will benefit the university system’s 10 campuses. Additionally, Nagai previously worked at University of the Pacific as the Associate Vice President for Development, responsible for the school and college fundraising program. She has also worked in a variety of advancement roles at California State University, Sacramento, University of California, Davis, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the Stanford Alumni Association.   

Nagai is a CASE District VII Cabinet member and is also a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum, Mountain Valley Chapter. She was born and raised in Watsonville, Calif., and holds a BS degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, an M.Ed. degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  

Throughout her career, she has worked to advance the student-centered mission of each university through advancement, fundraising, and alumni relations activities. She is a co-author of research focused on the motivations of volunteer advisory board members, which are published in The International Journal of Volunteer Administration (2013) and Innovative Higher Education (2013). In her free time, she enjoys travel, yoga, paddle boarding and hiking. 

Karthika Sasikumar, Ph.D.

Dr. Karthika Sasikumar earned her Ph.D. from the Government Department at Cornell University in 2006. Her dissertation explores the interaction between India and the international nuclear nonproliferation order. Since then, her research has focused on the emerging global counter-terrorism regime.

Before coming to SJSU, Dr. Sasikumar was a Program Associate at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Associate in the International Security Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has also been a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia's Liu Institute for Global Issues in Vancouver, and a Predoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. She received M.A. and M.Phil. degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Her theoretical interests are in International Relations theory, international regimes, global security, and media and discourse, while her regional interests are in South Asia (India and Pakistan) and Southeastern Europe (former Yugoslavia). Her current research projects deal with the adoption and adaptation of deterrence theory in South Asia, the implications of a 'renaissance' in nuclear power, and civil-military relations in nuclearizing countries. She strives to bring examples from contemporary politics into the classroom and enjoys engaging in dialogue and debate with students.

Karthika is serving as Chair of the Academic Senate for San José State University, 2023-25.  

Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ed.D.

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson serves as the 31st president of San José State University. An internationally-recognized Latina leader, President Teniente-Matson is a champion of student success initiatives; diversity, equity and inclusion; civic engagement; and experiential learning. 

Throughout her career that spans more than 30 years in higher education, President Teniente-Matson has always put students first, engaging in strategic partnerships and serving on numerous national educational-governing and civic boards geared toward enhancing the student experience. This is a return to the California State University system for President Teniente-Matson, who served as Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer at California State University, Fresno from 2004 to 2015.

Prior to her appointment at SJSU in January 2023, President Teniente-Matson led Texas A&M University-San Antonio from 2015 to 2023. As the second president in the university’s history, President Teniente-Matson spearheaded the growth of the campus into a comprehensive master’s university while earning the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation and the Seal of Excelencia, awarded to 24 universities nationwide. She established several key initiatives for the university, including the Mays Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement, Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders, Institute of Water Resource Science and Technology, Cyber Engineering Technology & Cyber Security Research Center, the NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and the sole Texas Facebook CyberSecurity University Program. 

President Teniente-Matson is a renowned public speaker and has delivered keynotes at national conferences regarding contemporary issues in higher education, risk management, women’s leadership, and Latina/Latino leadership. In 2022, the White House Office of Presidential Personnel appointed her as Commissioner to the Japan U.S. Friendship Commission and a panelist to CULCON, a State Department Japan-U.S. Binational Governance Commission. Currently, she serves as past chair of the Board of Directors for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), a university presidents and chancellors membership association; is a board member of the American Council on Education and the Girl Scouts USA National Board; and is a member of the HSI-Educational Testing Service (ETS) Steering Committee and LiftFund. 

President Teniente-Matson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, her Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno. She and her husband Mike have two sons: Phillip and Wyatt. She enjoys writing, traveling, and outdoor activities such as biking and boating.