The Berkeley Executive Education Team
Our team of experts bring to bear their diverse professional backgrounds in education, consulting, customer service and other industries to design and develop exceptional learning experiences for our clients. Meet our team:
Ann Harrison, Board Chair
Dean, Haas School of Business
Ann E. Harrison became the 15th dean of the Haas School of Business on Jan. 1, 2019. A renowned economist, she has dedicated her career to creating inclusive and sustainable policies in development economics, international trade, and global labor markets.
Harrison came to Haas from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where she was a professor of multinational management and business economics and public policy. Before joining Wharton in 2012, she was the director of development policy at the World Bank, where she co-managed a team of 300 researchers and staff.
Harrison has deep Berkeley roots. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley with a double major in economics and history. She also served as a professor of Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics from 2001 to 2011.
Harrison is one of the most highly-cited scholars globally on foreign investment and multinational firms. She is the author of dozens of journal articles and the editor of three books, including Globalization and Poverty and The Factory-Free Economy: Outsourcing, Servitization, and the Future of Industry. In 2017, Harrison and her co-authors were awarded the prestigious Sun Yefang Prize by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The prize, given every two years, is considered one of China’s most prestigious honors in economics.
As director of development policy at the World Bank, Harrison reformed its process for allocating research funds and oversaw the institution’s flagship publications. She convinced the World Bank’s president to release all historical records on project loans, a milestone in increasing transparency.
Harrison has been interviewed about global trade policies and manufacturing by top publications including Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.
In addition to Berkeley and Wharton, Harrison has held positions at Columbia Business School, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the University of Paris. She has lectured at most major U.S. universities and in India, China, Latin America, Europe, the Philippines, and North Africa.
Harrison earned her PhD in economics from Princeton University. She also holds a DEUG (diplôme d’études universitaires générales) from the University of Paris. Born in France, she is a dual citizen of the U.S. and France.
Emily Nishi
Former Chief People Officer, Lyft
Emily was formerly the Chief People Officer at Lyft, a company driven by its mission to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. Just as Lyft strives to connect people to their communities and their cities, Emily saw her role as bringing Lyft team members together toward a shared mission and creating the best place for people to do their best work.
Prior to joining Lyft in 2017, Emily was YouTube’s global head of People Operations where she led the organization development, talent strategy, and human resource operations for the team that delivers YouTube to over 1.5 billion users around the world.
Emily moved to YouTube after 9 years at Google, where she partnered with various leadership teams on building and scaling their organizations. She led the People Operations function for several Google sales and operations teams. When she first joined Google in 2005 she established Google’s global diversity and inclusion programs and created K-12 and community initiatives, scholarships, staffing, benefits and workplace programs.
Prior to Google, Emily was a management consultant at Accenture’s Manila office, and held various human resource roles at Agilent Technologies in Palo Alto, California. Emily has an MBA from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate Psychology degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.
When not thinking about how to make Lyft an even more amazing place to work, she spends her time with her two young kids in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Josh Bersin
Founder and CEO, Josh Bersin Academy
Josh Bersin is the Founder and CEO of the Josh Bersin Academy, which provides research and advisory services focused on corporate learning, leadership, talent management, and HR technology. He is responsible for the direction of Bersin’s strategy, research, and market eminence.
Josh is a popular speaker at industry events and has been featured discussing talent management topics in media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, BBC Radio, CBS Radio and National Public Radio. He is the author of two books on corporate learning, a popular blogger for Forbes.com, a leading LinkedIn influencer, and has been a columnist for Chief Learning Officer magazine since 2007.
Prior to Bersin, Josh spent 25 years in product development, product management, marketing and sales of e-learning and other enterprise technologies at companies including DigitalThink (now Convergys), Arista Knowledge Systems, Sybase, and IBM.
Josh holds a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Marina Gracias
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Varo Money Inc. / Varo Bank
Marina Gracias is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Varo Money Inc. / Varo Bank. Varo's mission is to help people improve their financial lives by providing them with a suite of mobile app based financial tools. Prior to joining Varo, Marina was a Managing Director in Financial Services at Accenture and prior to that the Head of Global Sourcing at Visa. Marina also practised corporate law both in house and at a prominent San Francisco law firm. Marina also serves as an Advisory Board member for Bizworld which is educating our future entrepreneurs.
Michael Katz
Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business & Department of Economics
Michael Katz is the Sarin Chair in Strategy and Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Katz is also a professor in the Economics Department at UC Berkeley. He has previously served as chair of Economic Analysis Group, Strategic Planning Committee, and Policy & Planning Committee at UC Berkeley. In addition, he has served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UC Berkeley.
Katz earned his A.B. Summa Cum Laude, from Harvard University and Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University.
Richard Wilson
Vice President of Program Management, Audentes Therapeutics
Richard Wilson is currently Vice President of Program Management, Audentes Therapeutics. Richard was previously Senior Director in the Portfolio Product Development group at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc, a publicly traded rare disease biotech company in San Rafael. Richard has spent the last 25 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in a broad range of roles ranging from research project ideation to commercialization and investment strategy. He currently leads a cross-functional team charged with defining the global strategic plan for Palynziq, a new therapy for phenylketonuria, which was just recently approved by FDA. Prior to BioMarin, Richard has held positions of increasing responsibility in organizations including Glaxo Group Research (London, UK), Biochem Therapeutic (Montreal, Canada) and Theravance/Innoviva (South San Francisco, CA). He’s been involved in the commercialization of four new medicines during his career and has also lead R&D programs in cardiovascular disease, anti-infective therapy, respiratory disease, rheumatology, and urology.
Richard has also served in a variety of volunteer roles within his industry, serving as a start-up mentor for the California Life Science Institutes FAST program, and also participated in the Haas Startup Marketplace program, a joint initiative with the College of Chemistry.
Richard holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Manchester in the UK, and an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Richard is a passionate advocate for the mission of the Haas School of Business.
Richard first became involved with Haas as a student in the MBA for Executive program in 2014, where he was elected class president and has been an active alumnus ever since, serving as an ambassador and fundraiser for his class, and a mentor for those looking to explore careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He’s delighted to be nominated for the Board of Directors of the Executive Education Program and looks forward to giving back to the school and playing a part in the governance of this exciting program. Go Bears!
Rosemarie Rae
Vice Chancellor - CFO, UC Berkeley
Rosemarie Rae is the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer (VC-CFO) at UC Berkeley. She brings over 30 years of experience in finance and administration to her role. She has worked in both the public and nonprofit sectors, which includes serving as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of The National Trust for Historic Preservation; Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chief Financial Officer at Volunteers of America; held senior leadership positions at Experience Works and LORAL Space and Communications; and was a principal and founder of Balrae Associates, an Information Technology services firm.
Rosemarie holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Radford University, a masters degree in public administration from American University, and is a doctoral candidate in organizational design at The George Washington University.
Mike Rielly
Chief Executive Officer
Mike Rielly is CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education, serving leaders and organizations who aspire to redefine the future of business.
A 20-year veteran of the sports industry, as Senior Vice President at IMG, Mike managed world-class athletes, organized major sports and entertainment events, and developed international markets for the agency.
Mike joined the Haas School of Business in 2009, first as a highly regarded lecturer in sports marketing, then as Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Berkeley MBA for Executives Program. Mike has been CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education since 2016.
A graduate of Stanford University and Ohio University, Mike is an avid sports and architecture enthusiast and spends most weekends in Anderson Valley.
Andrea Salvemini
Vice President, Client Solutions
Andrea brings to UC Berkeley Executive Education her passion for partnering with companies to inspire their leaders to grow, develop and exceed expectations. With over 15 years of working with global organizations to develop their leaders, Andrea is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that will make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, research and thought leadership at Berkeley. Andrea’s personal passions and curious nature align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and she’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources within Berkeley to bear for her clients. Prior to joining CEE, Andrea was the VP of Business Development for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her customers.
Andrea also founded Alliances Corporate Training, successfully partnering with companies as a training resource consultant. In addition to delivering program on Emotional Intelligence and Time Management, Andrea scoured the Bay Area to bring in the best resources for organizations in terms of coaching, assessment and leadership development. Over the last 10 years, Andrea has worked with clients in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, including HP, Cisco, Wells Fargo and Medtronic.
Andrea holds an BA from UC San Diego in Physiology, with additional postgraduate work in exercise physiology. She is certified in the MHS EQi Assessment. In her free time, Andrea loves to exercise, explore the outdoors, create culinary delights for friends, and spend time with her family.
Connect with Andrea at andrea_salvemini@berkeley.edu
Jon Greco
Chief Financial Officer, Finance
Jon holds more than 20 years in financial and accounting leadership along with deep experience in organizational design in finance.
Prior to Berkeley Executive Education, Jon was the Director of Finance for the Boston Consulting Group’s San Francisco office. At UC Berkeley Executive Education, Jon leads the finance and operations team which handles all aspects of financial operations and reporting as well as oversee the legal, technology and human resource functions. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and an MBA from Boston University.
A Boston area native who relocated to the bay area in 2004, Jon enjoys mixing his passions for travel and music and is an avid collector of artwork relating to rock concerts.
Judy Walklet
Vice President, Growth & Partnerships
Judy’s passion is connecting business leaders with new sources of insight, inspiration, and expertise that enable enhanced innovation, products, customer experiences and growth. Drawn to Berkeley by its distinctive values and culture, breadth and relevance of faculty expertise in helping our partners solve crucial business challenges, and her own life-changing experience with executive education, Judy is excited to be back in the heart of business transformation. In 2019, Judy returned to Berkeley from Harvard Business Publishing, where she worked in product management in the fast-evolving world of virtual learning experiences. Before Berkeley, Judy was Director of Strategic Accounts at C Space, an Omnicom-held global agency that embeds customers as collaborative partners in innovation and marketing strategy development for leading global brands. Previously, Judy was VP of Strategic Accounts for Iconoculture (now part of Gartner), a global consumer insight and strategy firm. She also served as VP of Business Development for ThirdAge Media and the Ancestry.com Network in San Francisco, early pioneers in online media. Throughout her career, she has led the development of strategic partnerships with clients across a range of sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, consumer goods, retail and media/entertainment. Judy holds a BA from Middlebury College and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Julie Shackleton
Vice President, Digital Initiatives
Julie Shackleton brings to Berkeley Exec Ed nearly 10 years of experience in online education. A recovering lawyer, she taught law at several universities in Paris before moving back home to design, produce, and deliver in-person and online diploma programs at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2014, Julie moved to Boston where she managed legal and policy issues for Harvard Business School’s HBX (now HBS Online).
Julie holds an LL.B and an LL.M in International Business Law from Trinity College Dublin. She is licensed as a Solicitor in Ireland and an Attorney in the state of New York. She specialized, academically and professionally, in data privacy law and stays current by supervising graduate students working towards an LL.M Advanced Legal Practice.
Lisa Ryan
Vice President, Marketing
Lisa is a senior brand and marketing strategist dedicated to enabling organizations to realize their growth potential in market. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, she is tenacious in applying insights driven strategies to heighten engagement, build business and create the ultimate end to end branded experience. Lisa is passionate about purpose and thrilled to be part of an organization that is committed to redefining the future of business.
Lisa leads open enrollment programs in Executive Education with responsibility for development, marketing, and eCommerce. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School Of Management. Beyond work, Lisa is an avid runner, hiker, traveler and mom.
Nate Castro
Vice President, Client Solutions
Nate is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of business development and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, Nate lived in London and New York, and held senior leadership roles at General Assembly, Apple, and several early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups.
Nate graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Applied Economics. As an avid believer in continuous learning, he is also a graduate of several advanced training and certificate programs. When not building teams to scale high growth, disruptive businesses, Nate can likely be found on Southern California hiking trails or beaches with his wife and dog.
Richard Freishtat
Vice President, Curriculum
Richard comes to Executive Education building on an impressive career in education, most recently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley, where he designed and delivered a full range of enrichment initiatives and consultation services to the 2000+ faculty across campus. Richard also serves as Co-Faculty for Exec Ed's Communications Excellence program where, along with his co-faculty, he "helps executives shine in public forums and achieve breakthroughs."
Richard works closely with the entire Executive Education team, where his responsibilities include Faculty Engagement and Support, Curriculum Strategy, Business Development support, and Thought Leadership.
Andrea Salvemini
Vice President, Client Solutions
Andrea brings to UC Berkeley Executive Education her passion for partnering with companies to inspire their leaders to grow, develop and exceed expectations. With over 15 years of working with global organizations to develop their leaders, Andrea is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that will make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, research and thought leadership at Berkeley. Andrea’s personal passions and curious nature align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and she’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources within Berkeley to bear for her clients. Prior to joining CEE, Andrea was the VP of Business Development for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her customers.
Andrea also founded Alliances Corporate Training, successfully partnering with companies as a training resource consultant. In addition to delivering program on Emotional Intelligence and Time Management, Andrea scoured the Bay Area to bring in the best resources for organizations in terms of coaching, assessment and leadership development. Over the last 10 years, Andrea has worked with clients in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, including HP, Cisco, Wells Fargo and Medtronic.
Andrea holds an BA from UC San Diego in Physiology, with additional postgraduate work in exercise physiology. She is certified in the MHS EQi Assessment. In her free time, Andrea loves to exercise, explore the outdoors, create culinary delights for friends, and spend time with her family.
Connect with Andrea at andrea_salvemini@berkeley.edu
Nate Castro
Vice President, Client Solutions
Nate is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of business development and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, Nate lived in London and New York, and held senior leadership roles at General Assembly, Apple, and several early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups.
Nate graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Applied Economics. As an avid believer in continuous learning, he is also a graduate of several advanced training and certificate programs. When not building teams to scale high growth, disruptive businesses, Nate can likely be found on Southern California hiking trails or beaches with his wife and dog.
Carolyn Robertson
Director, Client Solutions
Carolyn brings 20 years of partnering with global organizations in the human capital arena focused on driving thoughtful relationships and innovative client-focused solutions. Carolyn is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, world-renown research and thought leadership Berkeley has to offer. She has a clear understanding of the expectations and pressures on executives to immediately contribute to the greater organization. Carolyn’s natural curiosity and passions align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and passion for lifelong learning. She’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources and tools within Berkeley to her clients.
Prior to joining BEE, Carolyn was the Strategic Account Director for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her enterprise clients. Carolyn’s experience spans industries, with a focus on high-tech, biotech and financial industries in Fortune 500 organizations, a few examples are; eBay, PayPal, Genentech, Facebook and Lam Research.
Carolyn received a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from University of California, Davis. In her free time, Carolyn can be found spending time with her husband and two small children, exploring tidepools, cooking, or taking a yoga class.
Elizabeth Cheney-Brown
Business Development Manager, Client Solutions
Liz is new to Berkeley Executive Education as of 2022, joining the team as a Business Development Manager. She has a background in clinical research and higher education, having focused on the business development, recruitment, and community outreach side of those industries. She feels called to make a positive impact in her role at the University and within the community through her work building relationships and helping people achieve their goals. She holds a Masters in Community Development from Kansas State University. Outside of work, Liz enjoys being outdoors, traveling, ice skating, community involvement, and animal advocacy.
Liz Lowry
Director, Client Solutions
Elizabeth Lowry joined the Haas School of Business in 2018 as Director, Business Development. In her role, she partners with organizations to diagnose business challenges and talent competency gaps that can be bridged through executive learning and development. Liz is passionate about preparing leaders for the future of work by marrying game-changing technologies and their business applications with critical leadership competencies needed in a tech-driven economy.
Prior to joining Haas, Liz' executive experience included 13 years in recorded music where she developed commercial partnerships to launch Apple Music, Amazon Music and SoundCloud Music. Liz also was part of the go-to-market team at Universal Music to launch VEVO in 2009, a joint-venture between Universal and Sony Music.
Liz embodies Haas' leadership principles and goes beyond herself by giving back to Berkeley Haas where she obtained her Executive MBA. While at Haas, Liz organized a student-led fundraising campaign to give back to the university. Under her leadership, the Class of 2016 set up the Beyond Yourself Fellowship to fund needs based fellowships for future EMBA students.
A graduate of the University of Miami (BM) and Berkeley-Haas School of Business (EMBA), Liz is an active vocal performer, active traveler, and novice cook. She spends her weekends with her husband exploring The Bay Area’s beauty and nightlife.
Connect with Liz at liz_lowry@berkeley.edu
Michael Dunn
Partnerships & Special Projects Manager, Growth & Partnerships
Michael joined Executive Education in December 2017 as a Business Development Associate. He brings to Executive Education a strong professional background in client management and development, sales and event planning in the entertainment and fashion industries. He is excited to be part of the Business Development team as this allows him to continue to pursue his interest in working with clients and building strong relationships.
Executive Education is a natural fit for Michael. A 2017 graduate of Berkeley Haas, Executive Education allows Michael the opportunity to help clients reach their organizational objectives as well as give back to a university that has enriched his life both educationally and personally.
In his free time, Michael enjoys his lifelong passion for playing hockey and is engaged in several mentoring programs within his community.
Richard Freishtat
Vice President, Curriculum
Richard comes to Executive Education building on an impressive career in education, most recently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley, where he designed and delivered a full range of enrichment initiatives and consultation services to the 2000+ faculty across campus. Richard also serves as Co-Faculty for Exec Ed's Communications Excellence program where, along with his co-faculty, he "helps executives shine in public forums and achieve breakthroughs."
Richard works closely with the entire Executive Education team, where his responsibilities include Faculty Engagement and Support, Curriculum Strategy, Business Development support, and Thought Leadership.
Emily Odenberg
Director, Curriculum
Before joining Berkeley Executive Education, she was the Senior Event Manager for Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a global effort supported by over 60 of the top Fortune 100 companies. She oversaw the largest LGBTQ professional conference in the world, convening over 3,500 participants annually.
Jennifer Weaver
Director, Curriculum
Jenn comes to Executive Education with over a decade of experience in teaching and administration in higher education, most recently as the Associate Director for the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she designed and taught pedagogy courses for faculty and graduate students, and offered extensive consultations on curriculum design and overcoming pedagogical challenges.
Jenn completed her PhD in developing statistical models of invasive species with climate and land use change. During her doctoral work, she was the instructor for numerous undergraduate courses in science. Jenn then did her post-doctoral work at UC Berkeley, where she worked at Berkeley’s Center for Teaching and Learning as their active learning and STEM specialist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, DIY and working on her family farm in Ontario, Canada.
Jon Greco
Chief Financial Officer, Finance
Jon holds more than 20 years in financial and accounting leadership along with deep experience in organizational design in finance.
Prior to Berkeley Executive Education, Jon was the Director of Finance for the Boston Consulting Group’s San Francisco office. At UC Berkeley Executive Education, Jon leads the finance and operations team which handles all aspects of financial operations and reporting as well as oversee the legal, technology and human resource functions. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and an MBA from Boston University.
A Boston area native who relocated to the bay area in 2004, Jon enjoys mixing his passions for travel and music and is an avid collector of artwork relating to rock concerts.
Sue Helinar
Director, Accounting, Finance
As a Senior Accountant/Financial Analyst, Sue has brought a breadth of industry experience ranging from Healthcare, Architecture, Consulting and Startup (Pre-IPO).
She graduated from the University of Arizona with Cum Laude honor and majored in Accounting and Operation Management, obtaining her BA in two-and-a-half years. Sue has also passed all 4 parts of CPA exam with self study.
Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she spent much of her adolescent years in Singapore and Taiwan before coming to United States for college. When she’s not working, she loves to travel, experience new cultures and create lasting memories with her family.
Yolanda Williams
Manager, Registration & Accounts Payable, Finance
Yolanda Williams serves as a Manager of Registration & Accounts Payable within Berkeley Executive Education's finance team. She has more than 20 years of progressive experience in accounting and financial services. Her role includes a vast array of duties within accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections, all while managing open enrollment registration process and providing a variety of financial support to the CFO.
Yolanda is a lifetime resident of California and loves the opportunity she has had to work with different people throughout the UC System. She is passionate about accounting and her high standard of excellence is what clients and coworkers can expect when working with her.
In Yolanda’s spare time she loves roller skating, church, shopping and enjoying family time.
Lisa Ryan
Vice President, Marketing
Lisa is a senior brand and marketing strategist dedicated to enabling organizations to realize their growth potential in market. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, she is tenacious in applying insights driven strategies to heighten engagement, build business and create the ultimate end to end branded experience. Lisa is passionate about purpose and thrilled to be part of an organization that is committed to redefining the future of business.
Lisa leads open enrollment programs in Executive Education with responsibility for development, marketing, and eCommerce. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School Of Management. Beyond work, Lisa is an avid runner, hiker, traveler and mom.
Allie Hesse
Associate Director of Communications, Marketing
Allie acts as a culture champion and enthusiast leader at Berkeley Executive Education. She is passionate about putting people first and delivering an exceptional, engaging, and sustainable people-oriented culture where customers, participants, faculty, and staff feel supported, valued, and recognized.
Before joining BEE, Allie spent five years teaching and studying in three of China’s major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. She is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and is always looking for opportunities where she can apply her passion for Chinese language and culture.
Allie received a BS in Mandarin and Psychology from Hamilton College (2011), a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education (2013), and a Master’s in Business Management at Peking University HSBC Business School 北京大学汇丰商学院 (2017).
In her free time, Allie enjoys running, writing handwritten letters, exploring the great outdoors, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and spending time with her friends and family.
Anj Gonyea
Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketing
Anj brings her deep interest in marketing and global business to the Marketing team.
Anj graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BS in Business Administration and a focus on Marketing. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, she lived in London where she worked for Thomson Reuters as a marketing coordinator in the Financial & Risk sector while obtaining her Master's in Global Business.
Jaclyn Goudie
Vice President, Program Services
Jaclyn Goudie brings to Berkeley Exec Ed over 20 years of event and program management experience in all types of delivery formats. While her career started in the arts as a professional stage manager and General Manager for a mid-sized Chicago theater, she was able to combine her love of lifelong learning and designing engaging experiences at Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education.
Jaclyn is passionate about building strong teams that successfully collaborate to continuously improve and innovate unique experiences. She holds a Master of Organizational Leadership from North Park University. Outside of work she enjoys exploring nature or visiting roadside attractions with her husband and two children.
Ariane Khalfa
Manager, Program Services
As Program Services Manager at Berkeley Executive Education, Ariane oversees a global portfolio of open enrollment and custom executive education programs. She brings 8 years of experience developing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling impactful programs in the US, Africa, and South Asia. Ariane began her career managing international development projects in francophone West Africa and working in bilingual foreign affairs at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco. Prior to joining Exec Ed, she coordinated global operations for Stanford Seed, a business and leadership training program for entrepreneurs in emerging economies. Ariane received her Social Impact MBA in Strategy & Operations from Boston University, delivering growth strategies to startups and nonprofits as a consultant.
Ariane specializes in process improvement and cross-cultural communication to optimize the learning experience for business leaders. She is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion, and expanding access to professional development opportunities for social entrepreneurs to maximize their impact on the world. Born in England into a French-American family, Ariane grew up overseas, and frequently visits family and friends in Europe. She enjoys living in San Francisco, salsa dancing, hiking, and spending time with her baby nephew.
Bryanna Cacioppo
Manager, Program Services
Bryanna is a Bay Area native with a passion for customer service. She began her career in hospitality, working from front desk to sales coordinating. From there she moved on to become a Sales Manager for a hospitality company located in the East Bay, and oversaw all sales activities for 6 hotel properties.
Bryanna is a highly motivated and driven individual who thrives under pressure. Since joining BEE in October 2019, she has found a new love for higher education and continues to bring enthusiasm and a positive attitude to every program she assists with.
Gloria Pharn Bradley
Manager, Program Services
Gloria has over 7 years of experience in higher education administration, program management, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining BEE, Gloria worked with various institutions to improve systems, develop/streamline processes, and bridge departments and people. She truly believes that the power of relationships drives institutional excellence and climate. She also firmly believes in data-informed decisions and program development and values both quantitative and qualitative data. Her experience spans across the education continuum i.e. community college, international education, doctorate programs, and K-8th grades.
Gloria is a UC Berkeley alumna and has her BS in Conservation & Resource studies. She also possesses an MA in Organization & Leadership from the University of San Francisco, and a graduate certificate in Student Affairs Higher Education Administration from UC Berkeley Extension.
She is a Bay Area native and was born and raised in Richmond, CA. During her free time, she loves spending quality time with her family, and enjoys being in nature, hiking, and traveling.
Heidi Wandell
Data Analytics Manager, Program Services
Heidi has over 9 years of survey and data administration experience. She is motivated by outstanding customer service and collaborating with Faculty via Berkeley Executive Education to deliver insightful reports to students highlighting their leadership, team, and organizational skills and styles.
Heidi worked as a Project Manager and System Administrator at Cisco Systems Inc. and the Monterey Institute of International Studies prior to Berkeley Executive Education. She holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
In her free time, she enjoys laughing and having adventures with her children, being outdoors, walking, and spending time with extended family and friends.
Manpreet Chahal
Associate Director, Program Services
Manpreet comes to Berkeley Executive Education with 10 years of international experience in event and project management. Born in the United Kingdom she completed her undergraduate degree in International Business and Globalization from De Montfort University. She moved to the US in 2017 where she later entered the field of Executive Education at Berkeley. Currently as a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs for clients, participants and faculty with exceptional customer service and attention to detail.
In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Marielle Viray
Associate, Program Services
Marielle began her career at Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Associate in October 2021. She brings over six years of experience in developing, managing, and facilitating educational programs for youth. She has implemented programs that touched the lives of many students across California’s State Capitol. Marielle holds a BS in Child Development from California State University, Sacramento.
Marielle brings a passion for event management, and in her spare time, she enjoys planning for special occasions. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews. Marielle is excited to bring her joy of event management to the Program Services team.
Patty Hinanay
Associate, Program Services
Originally from sunny Southern California, Patty brings with her experience in both program and project management and excels in providing outstanding service across a diverse group of stakeholders. While completing her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Irvine, she first set foot with ExecEd by supporting UCI’s Office of Executive Education as a student assistant. She previously worked in the healthcare industry where she partnered with insurance companies to resolve high dollar patient accounts before joining Berkeley ExecEd.
Continuous improvement is in the forefront of what Patty values both in and outside of work. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, photography, learning about other cultures by traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Rachel Wyatt
Manager, Program Services
Rachel joined UC Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Manager in 2021. With a Bachelor’s degree in Television and Film from San Jose State University, Rachel brings her unique background in production to create memorable and meaningful events and programs. She is an expert at overseeing logistics, implementing meaningful content, developing initiatives to grow programs, and cultivating fun and memorable experiences.
Early in her career, Rachel worked in local television programming, earning her first Emmy award for Interactivity in 2011. Rachel transitioned to a career in education and program development soon after and has launched programs for all levels of learners with a focus on career development anchored in diversity, equity, and Inclusion. Rachel has led programs and initiatives for the international awards and conference organization, Promax, as well as custom programs for UCLA Extension.
An avid traveler, Rachel has spent short stints living in both Denmark and India. In her free time now back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel enjoys painting, reading, cooking, and exploring local food spots.
Tabassum Shaikh
Manager, Program Services
Tabassum joined the Program Management team at Berkeley Executive Education in October 2019. She is a San Francisco native and has been managing programs within non-profits for the past six years. Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally. Since joining, Tabassum has successfully assisted with delivering 16 programs, providing high-touch & hands-on customer service. Prior to joining ExecEd, Tabassum was working at the YMCA of San Francisco as an Assistant Site Director. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and photography.
Julie Shackleton
Vice President, Digital Initiatives
Julie Shackleton brings to Berkeley Exec Ed nearly 10 years of experience in online education. A recovering lawyer, she taught law at several universities in Paris before moving back home to design, produce, and deliver in-person and online diploma programs at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2014, Julie moved to Boston where she managed legal and policy issues for Harvard Business School’s HBX (now HBS Online).
Julie holds an LL.B and an LL.M in International Business Law from Trinity College Dublin. She is licensed as a Solicitor in Ireland and an Attorney in the state of New York. She specialized, academically and professionally, in data privacy law and stays current by supervising graduate students working towards an LL.M Advanced Legal Practice.
Ashim Shanker
Director, Digital Design and Strategy, Digital Initiatives
Bringing over 15 years of experience in classroom teaching, curriculum development, qualitative research, and instructional design, Ashim began his foray into education in 2003 when he moved to Tokyo, Japan. While there, he taught in a variety of settings ranging from international high school classrooms to executive board rooms.
After completing his Master's degree in International Education Policy at Harvard University, Ashim contributed to educational research publications in collaboration with UNICEF and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also contributed to a collection of educational case studies profiled in a book published by Harvard’s Global Education Innovation Initiative.
In his free time, Ashim is an active writer. He has authored 3 absurdist fiction novels and 2 books of short stories.
Jennifer Bui
Digital Operations Manager, Digital Initiatives
Jenn began her career at ExecEd as a Program Management Assistant in May 2016 before transitioning to her role as a coordinator on the program management and marketing teams.
Originally from San Jose, CA, she started her undergrad as a student in San Diego and transferred to UC Berkeley where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy.
In her free time, Jenn enjoys cooking, doing pilates, and going to local festivals.
LeAnne Do
Virtual Classroom Programming Manager, Digital Initiatives
LeAnne strives to make the world a more sustainable and inclusive place through the means of leveraging creative thinking and data to drive scalable learning innovations and experiences. LeAnne earned two degrees in Economics and Education Sciences with the aspiration to develop and implement educational technology to improve learner’s experiences and outcome.
LeAnne spent over five years working in the world of certifications both in an educational and corporate environment. She began her journey as a Program Assistant at UC Irvine Executive Education and later entered into the world of technical certifications at Google Cloud and executive leadership certifications at Blizzard Entertainment. She made her journey back to Executive Education with excitement managing the Virtual Classrooms.
During her free time, she enjoys keeping herself active through boxing and powerlifting.
Marose Eddy
Associate Director, Digital Operations, Digital Initiatives
Marose Eddy brings over 15 years of experience in events management and customer engagement with background in talent recruitment. As a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs and provides hands-on support to clients, participants and faculty.
Previously she worked in INSEAD, Singapore, as a Program Advisor where she advised top global executives in identifying suitable programs to complement their professional needs.
Originally from the Philippines, she spent 8 years in Singapore before permanently relocating to the United States. She enjoys being a mom to her 4-year old daughter and a 9-month old son.
Board of Directors
Ann Harrison, Board Chair
Dean, Haas School of Business
Ann E. Harrison became the 15th dean of the Haas School of Business on Jan. 1, 2019. A renowned economist, she has dedicated her career to creating inclusive and sustainable policies in development economics, international trade, and global labor markets.
Harrison came to Haas from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where she was a professor of multinational management and business economics and public policy. Before joining Wharton in 2012, she was the director of development policy at the World Bank, where she co-managed a team of 300 researchers and staff.
Harrison has deep Berkeley roots. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley with a double major in economics and history. She also served as a professor of Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics from 2001 to 2011.
Harrison is one of the most highly-cited scholars globally on foreign investment and multinational firms. She is the author of dozens of journal articles and the editor of three books, including Globalization and Poverty and The Factory-Free Economy: Outsourcing, Servitization, and the Future of Industry. In 2017, Harrison and her co-authors were awarded the prestigious Sun Yefang Prize by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The prize, given every two years, is considered one of China’s most prestigious honors in economics.
As director of development policy at the World Bank, Harrison reformed its process for allocating research funds and oversaw the institution’s flagship publications. She convinced the World Bank’s president to release all historical records on project loans, a milestone in increasing transparency.
Harrison has been interviewed about global trade policies and manufacturing by top publications including Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.
In addition to Berkeley and Wharton, Harrison has held positions at Columbia Business School, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the University of Paris. She has lectured at most major U.S. universities and in India, China, Latin America, Europe, the Philippines, and North Africa.
Harrison earned her PhD in economics from Princeton University. She also holds a DEUG (diplôme d’études universitaires générales) from the University of Paris. Born in France, she is a dual citizen of the U.S. and France.
Emily Nishi
Former Chief People Officer, Lyft
Emily was formerly the Chief People Officer at Lyft, a company driven by its mission to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. Just as Lyft strives to connect people to their communities and their cities, Emily saw her role as bringing Lyft team members together toward a shared mission and creating the best place for people to do their best work.
Prior to joining Lyft in 2017, Emily was YouTube’s global head of People Operations where she led the organization development, talent strategy, and human resource operations for the team that delivers YouTube to over 1.5 billion users around the world.
Emily moved to YouTube after 9 years at Google, where she partnered with various leadership teams on building and scaling their organizations. She led the People Operations function for several Google sales and operations teams. When she first joined Google in 2005 she established Google’s global diversity and inclusion programs and created K-12 and community initiatives, scholarships, staffing, benefits and workplace programs.
Prior to Google, Emily was a management consultant at Accenture’s Manila office, and held various human resource roles at Agilent Technologies in Palo Alto, California. Emily has an MBA from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate Psychology degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.
When not thinking about how to make Lyft an even more amazing place to work, she spends her time with her two young kids in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Josh Bersin
Founder and CEO, Josh Bersin Academy
Josh Bersin is the Founder and CEO of the Josh Bersin Academy, which provides research and advisory services focused on corporate learning, leadership, talent management, and HR technology. He is responsible for the direction of Bersin’s strategy, research, and market eminence.
Josh is a popular speaker at industry events and has been featured discussing talent management topics in media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, BBC Radio, CBS Radio and National Public Radio. He is the author of two books on corporate learning, a popular blogger for Forbes.com, a leading LinkedIn influencer, and has been a columnist for Chief Learning Officer magazine since 2007.
Prior to Bersin, Josh spent 25 years in product development, product management, marketing and sales of e-learning and other enterprise technologies at companies including DigitalThink (now Convergys), Arista Knowledge Systems, Sybase, and IBM.
Josh holds a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Marina Gracias
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Varo Money Inc. / Varo Bank
Marina Gracias is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Varo Money Inc. / Varo Bank. Varo's mission is to help people improve their financial lives by providing them with a suite of mobile app based financial tools. Prior to joining Varo, Marina was a Managing Director in Financial Services at Accenture and prior to that the Head of Global Sourcing at Visa. Marina also practised corporate law both in house and at a prominent San Francisco law firm. Marina also serves as an Advisory Board member for Bizworld which is educating our future entrepreneurs.
Michael Katz
Professor Emeritus, Haas School of Business & Department of Economics
Michael Katz is the Sarin Chair in Strategy and Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Katz is also a professor in the Economics Department at UC Berkeley. He has previously served as chair of Economic Analysis Group, Strategic Planning Committee, and Policy & Planning Committee at UC Berkeley. In addition, he has served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UC Berkeley.
Katz earned his A.B. Summa Cum Laude, from Harvard University and Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University.
Richard Wilson
Vice President of Program Management, Audentes Therapeutics
Richard Wilson is currently Vice President of Program Management, Audentes Therapeutics. Richard was previously Senior Director in the Portfolio Product Development group at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc, a publicly traded rare disease biotech company in San Rafael. Richard has spent the last 25 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in a broad range of roles ranging from research project ideation to commercialization and investment strategy. He currently leads a cross-functional team charged with defining the global strategic plan for Palynziq, a new therapy for phenylketonuria, which was just recently approved by FDA. Prior to BioMarin, Richard has held positions of increasing responsibility in organizations including Glaxo Group Research (London, UK), Biochem Therapeutic (Montreal, Canada) and Theravance/Innoviva (South San Francisco, CA). He’s been involved in the commercialization of four new medicines during his career and has also lead R&D programs in cardiovascular disease, anti-infective therapy, respiratory disease, rheumatology, and urology.
Richard has also served in a variety of volunteer roles within his industry, serving as a start-up mentor for the California Life Science Institutes FAST program, and also participated in the Haas Startup Marketplace program, a joint initiative with the College of Chemistry.
Richard holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Manchester in the UK, and an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Richard is a passionate advocate for the mission of the Haas School of Business.
Richard first became involved with Haas as a student in the MBA for Executive program in 2014, where he was elected class president and has been an active alumnus ever since, serving as an ambassador and fundraiser for his class, and a mentor for those looking to explore careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He’s delighted to be nominated for the Board of Directors of the Executive Education Program and looks forward to giving back to the school and playing a part in the governance of this exciting program. Go Bears!
Rosemarie Rae
Vice Chancellor - CFO, UC Berkeley
Rosemarie Rae is the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer (VC-CFO) at UC Berkeley. She brings over 30 years of experience in finance and administration to her role. She has worked in both the public and nonprofit sectors, which includes serving as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of The National Trust for Historic Preservation; Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chief Financial Officer at Volunteers of America; held senior leadership positions at Experience Works and LORAL Space and Communications; and was a principal and founder of Balrae Associates, an Information Technology services firm.
Rosemarie holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Radford University, a masters degree in public administration from American University, and is a doctoral candidate in organizational design at The George Washington University.
Executive Education Team
Mike Rielly
Chief Executive Officer
Mike Rielly is CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education, serving leaders and organizations who aspire to redefine the future of business.
A 20-year veteran of the sports industry, as Senior Vice President at IMG, Mike managed world-class athletes, organized major sports and entertainment events, and developed international markets for the agency.
Mike joined the Haas School of Business in 2009, first as a highly regarded lecturer in sports marketing, then as Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Berkeley MBA for Executives Program. Mike has been CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education since 2016.
A graduate of Stanford University and Ohio University, Mike is an avid sports and architecture enthusiast and spends most weekends in Anderson Valley.
Andrea Salvemini
Vice President, Client Solutions
Andrea brings to UC Berkeley Executive Education her passion for partnering with companies to inspire their leaders to grow, develop and exceed expectations. With over 15 years of working with global organizations to develop their leaders, Andrea is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that will make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, research and thought leadership at Berkeley. Andrea’s personal passions and curious nature align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and she’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources within Berkeley to bear for her clients. Prior to joining CEE, Andrea was the VP of Business Development for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her customers.
Andrea also founded Alliances Corporate Training, successfully partnering with companies as a training resource consultant. In addition to delivering program on Emotional Intelligence and Time Management, Andrea scoured the Bay Area to bring in the best resources for organizations in terms of coaching, assessment and leadership development. Over the last 10 years, Andrea has worked with clients in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, including HP, Cisco, Wells Fargo and Medtronic.
Andrea holds an BA from UC San Diego in Physiology, with additional postgraduate work in exercise physiology. She is certified in the MHS EQi Assessment. In her free time, Andrea loves to exercise, explore the outdoors, create culinary delights for friends, and spend time with her family.
Connect with Andrea at andrea_salvemini@berkeley.edu
Jaclyn Goudie
Vice President, Program Services
Jaclyn Goudie brings to Berkeley Exec Ed over 20 years of event and program management experience in all types of delivery formats. While her career started in the arts as a professional stage manager and General Manager for a mid-sized Chicago theater, she was able to combine her love of lifelong learning and designing engaging experiences at Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education.
Jaclyn is passionate about building strong teams that successfully collaborate to continuously improve and innovate unique experiences. She holds a Master of Organizational Leadership from North Park University. Outside of work she enjoys exploring nature or visiting roadside attractions with her husband and two children.
Jon Greco
Chief Financial Officer, Finance
Jon holds more than 20 years in financial and accounting leadership along with deep experience in organizational design in finance.
Prior to Berkeley Executive Education, Jon was the Director of Finance for the Boston Consulting Group’s San Francisco office. At UC Berkeley Executive Education, Jon leads the finance and operations team which handles all aspects of financial operations and reporting as well as oversee the legal, technology and human resource functions. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and an MBA from Boston University.
A Boston area native who relocated to the bay area in 2004, Jon enjoys mixing his passions for travel and music and is an avid collector of artwork relating to rock concerts.
Judy Walklet
Vice President, Growth & Partnerships
Judy’s passion is connecting business leaders with new sources of insight, inspiration, and expertise that enable enhanced innovation, products, customer experiences and growth. Drawn to Berkeley by its distinctive values and culture, breadth and relevance of faculty expertise in helping our partners solve crucial business challenges, and her own life-changing experience with executive education, Judy is excited to be back in the heart of business transformation. In 2019, Judy returned to Berkeley from Harvard Business Publishing, where she worked in product management in the fast-evolving world of virtual learning experiences. Before Berkeley, Judy was Director of Strategic Accounts at C Space, an Omnicom-held global agency that embeds customers as collaborative partners in innovation and marketing strategy development for leading global brands. Previously, Judy was VP of Strategic Accounts for Iconoculture (now part of Gartner), a global consumer insight and strategy firm. She also served as VP of Business Development for ThirdAge Media and the Ancestry.com Network in San Francisco, early pioneers in online media. Throughout her career, she has led the development of strategic partnerships with clients across a range of sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, consumer goods, retail and media/entertainment. Judy holds a BA from Middlebury College and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Julie Shackleton
Vice President, Digital Initiatives
Julie Shackleton brings to Berkeley Exec Ed nearly 10 years of experience in online education. A recovering lawyer, she taught law at several universities in Paris before moving back home to design, produce, and deliver in-person and online diploma programs at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2014, Julie moved to Boston where she managed legal and policy issues for Harvard Business School’s HBX (now HBS Online).
Julie holds an LL.B and an LL.M in International Business Law from Trinity College Dublin. She is licensed as a Solicitor in Ireland and an Attorney in the state of New York. She specialized, academically and professionally, in data privacy law and stays current by supervising graduate students working towards an LL.M Advanced Legal Practice.
Lisa Ryan
Vice President, Marketing
Lisa is a senior brand and marketing strategist dedicated to enabling organizations to realize their growth potential in market. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, she is tenacious in applying insights driven strategies to heighten engagement, build business and create the ultimate end to end branded experience. Lisa is passionate about purpose and thrilled to be part of an organization that is committed to redefining the future of business.
Lisa leads open enrollment programs in Executive Education with responsibility for development, marketing, and eCommerce. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School Of Management. Beyond work, Lisa is an avid runner, hiker, traveler and mom.
Nate Castro
Vice President, Client Solutions
Nate is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of business development and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, Nate lived in London and New York, and held senior leadership roles at General Assembly, Apple, and several early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups.
Nate graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Applied Economics. As an avid believer in continuous learning, he is also a graduate of several advanced training and certificate programs. When not building teams to scale high growth, disruptive businesses, Nate can likely be found on Southern California hiking trails or beaches with his wife and dog.
Richard Freishtat
Vice President, Curriculum
Richard comes to Executive Education building on an impressive career in education, most recently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley, where he designed and delivered a full range of enrichment initiatives and consultation services to the 2000+ faculty across campus. Richard also serves as Co-Faculty for Exec Ed's Communications Excellence program where, along with his co-faculty, he "helps executives shine in public forums and achieve breakthroughs."
Richard works closely with the entire Executive Education team, where his responsibilities include Faculty Engagement and Support, Curriculum Strategy, Business Development support, and Thought Leadership.
Allie Hesse
Associate Director of Communications, Marketing
Allie acts as a culture champion and enthusiast leader at Berkeley Executive Education. She is passionate about putting people first and delivering an exceptional, engaging, and sustainable people-oriented culture where customers, participants, faculty, and staff feel supported, valued, and recognized.
Before joining BEE, Allie spent five years teaching and studying in three of China’s major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. She is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and is always looking for opportunities where she can apply her passion for Chinese language and culture.
Allie received a BS in Mandarin and Psychology from Hamilton College (2011), a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education (2013), and a Master’s in Business Management at Peking University HSBC Business School 北京大学汇丰商学院 (2017).
In her free time, Allie enjoys running, writing handwritten letters, exploring the great outdoors, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and spending time with her friends and family.
Anj Gonyea
Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketing
Anj brings her deep interest in marketing and global business to the Marketing team.
Anj graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BS in Business Administration and a focus on Marketing. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, she lived in London where she worked for Thomson Reuters as a marketing coordinator in the Financial & Risk sector while obtaining her Master's in Global Business.
Ariane Khalfa
Manager, Program Services
As Program Services Manager at Berkeley Executive Education, Ariane oversees a global portfolio of open enrollment and custom executive education programs. She brings 8 years of experience developing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling impactful programs in the US, Africa, and South Asia. Ariane began her career managing international development projects in francophone West Africa and working in bilingual foreign affairs at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco. Prior to joining Exec Ed, she coordinated global operations for Stanford Seed, a business and leadership training program for entrepreneurs in emerging economies. Ariane received her Social Impact MBA in Strategy & Operations from Boston University, delivering growth strategies to startups and nonprofits as a consultant.
Ariane specializes in process improvement and cross-cultural communication to optimize the learning experience for business leaders. She is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion, and expanding access to professional development opportunities for social entrepreneurs to maximize their impact on the world. Born in England into a French-American family, Ariane grew up overseas, and frequently visits family and friends in Europe. She enjoys living in San Francisco, salsa dancing, hiking, and spending time with her baby nephew.
Ashim Shanker
Director, Digital Design and Strategy, Digital Initiatives
Bringing over 15 years of experience in classroom teaching, curriculum development, qualitative research, and instructional design, Ashim began his foray into education in 2003 when he moved to Tokyo, Japan. While there, he taught in a variety of settings ranging from international high school classrooms to executive board rooms.
After completing his Master's degree in International Education Policy at Harvard University, Ashim contributed to educational research publications in collaboration with UNICEF and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also contributed to a collection of educational case studies profiled in a book published by Harvard’s Global Education Innovation Initiative.
In his free time, Ashim is an active writer. He has authored 3 absurdist fiction novels and 2 books of short stories.
Bryanna Cacioppo
Manager, Program Services
Bryanna is a Bay Area native with a passion for customer service. She began her career in hospitality, working from front desk to sales coordinating. From there she moved on to become a Sales Manager for a hospitality company located in the East Bay, and oversaw all sales activities for 6 hotel properties.
Bryanna is a highly motivated and driven individual who thrives under pressure. Since joining BEE in October 2019, she has found a new love for higher education and continues to bring enthusiasm and a positive attitude to every program she assists with.
Carolyn Robertson
Director, Client Solutions
Carolyn brings 20 years of partnering with global organizations in the human capital arena focused on driving thoughtful relationships and innovative client-focused solutions. Carolyn is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, world-renown research and thought leadership Berkeley has to offer. She has a clear understanding of the expectations and pressures on executives to immediately contribute to the greater organization. Carolyn’s natural curiosity and passions align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and passion for lifelong learning. She’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources and tools within Berkeley to her clients.
Prior to joining BEE, Carolyn was the Strategic Account Director for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her enterprise clients. Carolyn’s experience spans industries, with a focus on high-tech, biotech and financial industries in Fortune 500 organizations, a few examples are; eBay, PayPal, Genentech, Facebook and Lam Research.
Carolyn received a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from University of California, Davis. In her free time, Carolyn can be found spending time with her husband and two small children, exploring tidepools, cooking, or taking a yoga class.
Elizabeth Cheney-Brown
Business Development Manager, Client Solutions
Liz is new to Berkeley Executive Education as of 2022, joining the team as a Business Development Manager. She has a background in clinical research and higher education, having focused on the business development, recruitment, and community outreach side of those industries. She feels called to make a positive impact in her role at the University and within the community through her work building relationships and helping people achieve their goals. She holds a Masters in Community Development from Kansas State University. Outside of work, Liz enjoys being outdoors, traveling, ice skating, community involvement, and animal advocacy.
Emily Odenberg
Director, Curriculum
Before joining Berkeley Executive Education, she was the Senior Event Manager for Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a global effort supported by over 60 of the top Fortune 100 companies. She oversaw the largest LGBTQ professional conference in the world, convening over 3,500 participants annually.
Gloria Pharn Bradley
Manager, Program Services
Gloria has over 7 years of experience in higher education administration, program management, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining BEE, Gloria worked with various institutions to improve systems, develop/streamline processes, and bridge departments and people. She truly believes that the power of relationships drives institutional excellence and climate. She also firmly believes in data-informed decisions and program development and values both quantitative and qualitative data. Her experience spans across the education continuum i.e. community college, international education, doctorate programs, and K-8th grades.
Gloria is a UC Berkeley alumna and has her BS in Conservation & Resource studies. She also possesses an MA in Organization & Leadership from the University of San Francisco, and a graduate certificate in Student Affairs Higher Education Administration from UC Berkeley Extension.
She is a Bay Area native and was born and raised in Richmond, CA. During her free time, she loves spending quality time with her family, and enjoys being in nature, hiking, and traveling.
Heidi Wandell
Data Analytics Manager, Program Services
Heidi has over 9 years of survey and data administration experience. She is motivated by outstanding customer service and collaborating with Faculty via Berkeley Executive Education to deliver insightful reports to students highlighting their leadership, team, and organizational skills and styles.
Heidi worked as a Project Manager and System Administrator at Cisco Systems Inc. and the Monterey Institute of International Studies prior to Berkeley Executive Education. She holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
In her free time, she enjoys laughing and having adventures with her children, being outdoors, walking, and spending time with extended family and friends.
Jennifer Bui
Digital Operations Manager, Digital Initiatives
Jenn began her career at ExecEd as a Program Management Assistant in May 2016 before transitioning to her role as a coordinator on the program management and marketing teams.
Originally from San Jose, CA, she started her undergrad as a student in San Diego and transferred to UC Berkeley where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy.
In her free time, Jenn enjoys cooking, doing pilates, and going to local festivals.
Jennifer Weaver
Director, Curriculum
Jenn comes to Executive Education with over a decade of experience in teaching and administration in higher education, most recently as the Associate Director for the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she designed and taught pedagogy courses for faculty and graduate students, and offered extensive consultations on curriculum design and overcoming pedagogical challenges.
Jenn completed her PhD in developing statistical models of invasive species with climate and land use change. During her doctoral work, she was the instructor for numerous undergraduate courses in science. Jenn then did her post-doctoral work at UC Berkeley, where she worked at Berkeley’s Center for Teaching and Learning as their active learning and STEM specialist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, DIY and working on her family farm in Ontario, Canada.
LeAnne Do
Virtual Classroom Programming Manager, Digital Initiatives
LeAnne strives to make the world a more sustainable and inclusive place through the means of leveraging creative thinking and data to drive scalable learning innovations and experiences. LeAnne earned two degrees in Economics and Education Sciences with the aspiration to develop and implement educational technology to improve learner’s experiences and outcome.
LeAnne spent over five years working in the world of certifications both in an educational and corporate environment. She began her journey as a Program Assistant at UC Irvine Executive Education and later entered into the world of technical certifications at Google Cloud and executive leadership certifications at Blizzard Entertainment. She made her journey back to Executive Education with excitement managing the Virtual Classrooms.
During her free time, she enjoys keeping herself active through boxing and powerlifting.
Liz Lowry
Director, Client Solutions
Elizabeth Lowry joined the Haas School of Business in 2018 as Director, Business Development. In her role, she partners with organizations to diagnose business challenges and talent competency gaps that can be bridged through executive learning and development. Liz is passionate about preparing leaders for the future of work by marrying game-changing technologies and their business applications with critical leadership competencies needed in a tech-driven economy.
Prior to joining Haas, Liz' executive experience included 13 years in recorded music where she developed commercial partnerships to launch Apple Music, Amazon Music and SoundCloud Music. Liz also was part of the go-to-market team at Universal Music to launch VEVO in 2009, a joint-venture between Universal and Sony Music.
Liz embodies Haas' leadership principles and goes beyond herself by giving back to Berkeley Haas where she obtained her Executive MBA. While at Haas, Liz organized a student-led fundraising campaign to give back to the university. Under her leadership, the Class of 2016 set up the Beyond Yourself Fellowship to fund needs based fellowships for future EMBA students.
A graduate of the University of Miami (BM) and Berkeley-Haas School of Business (EMBA), Liz is an active vocal performer, active traveler, and novice cook. She spends her weekends with her husband exploring The Bay Area’s beauty and nightlife.
Connect with Liz at liz_lowry@berkeley.edu
Manpreet Chahal
Associate Director, Program Services
Manpreet comes to Berkeley Executive Education with 10 years of international experience in event and project management. Born in the United Kingdom she completed her undergraduate degree in International Business and Globalization from De Montfort University. She moved to the US in 2017 where she later entered the field of Executive Education at Berkeley. Currently as a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs for clients, participants and faculty with exceptional customer service and attention to detail.
In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Marielle Viray
Associate, Program Services
Marielle began her career at Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Associate in October 2021. She brings over six years of experience in developing, managing, and facilitating educational programs for youth. She has implemented programs that touched the lives of many students across California’s State Capitol. Marielle holds a BS in Child Development from California State University, Sacramento.
Marielle brings a passion for event management, and in her spare time, she enjoys planning for special occasions. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews. Marielle is excited to bring her joy of event management to the Program Services team.
Marose Eddy
Associate Director, Digital Operations, Digital Initiatives
Marose Eddy brings over 15 years of experience in events management and customer engagement with background in talent recruitment. As a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs and provides hands-on support to clients, participants and faculty.
Previously she worked in INSEAD, Singapore, as a Program Advisor where she advised top global executives in identifying suitable programs to complement their professional needs.
Originally from the Philippines, she spent 8 years in Singapore before permanently relocating to the United States. She enjoys being a mom to her 4-year old daughter and a 9-month old son.
Michael Dunn
Partnerships & Special Projects Manager, Growth & Partnerships
Michael joined Executive Education in December 2017 as a Business Development Associate. He brings to Executive Education a strong professional background in client management and development, sales and event planning in the entertainment and fashion industries. He is excited to be part of the Business Development team as this allows him to continue to pursue his interest in working with clients and building strong relationships.
Executive Education is a natural fit for Michael. A 2017 graduate of Berkeley Haas, Executive Education allows Michael the opportunity to help clients reach their organizational objectives as well as give back to a university that has enriched his life both educationally and personally.
In his free time, Michael enjoys his lifelong passion for playing hockey and is engaged in several mentoring programs within his community.
Patty Hinanay
Associate, Program Services
Originally from sunny Southern California, Patty brings with her experience in both program and project management and excels in providing outstanding service across a diverse group of stakeholders. While completing her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Irvine, she first set foot with ExecEd by supporting UCI’s Office of Executive Education as a student assistant. She previously worked in the healthcare industry where she partnered with insurance companies to resolve high dollar patient accounts before joining Berkeley ExecEd.
Continuous improvement is in the forefront of what Patty values both in and outside of work. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, photography, learning about other cultures by traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Rachel Wyatt
Manager, Program Services
Rachel joined UC Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Manager in 2021. With a Bachelor’s degree in Television and Film from San Jose State University, Rachel brings her unique background in production to create memorable and meaningful events and programs. She is an expert at overseeing logistics, implementing meaningful content, developing initiatives to grow programs, and cultivating fun and memorable experiences.
Early in her career, Rachel worked in local television programming, earning her first Emmy award for Interactivity in 2011. Rachel transitioned to a career in education and program development soon after and has launched programs for all levels of learners with a focus on career development anchored in diversity, equity, and Inclusion. Rachel has led programs and initiatives for the international awards and conference organization, Promax, as well as custom programs for UCLA Extension.
An avid traveler, Rachel has spent short stints living in both Denmark and India. In her free time now back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel enjoys painting, reading, cooking, and exploring local food spots.
Sue Helinar
Director, Accounting, Finance
As a Senior Accountant/Financial Analyst, Sue has brought a breadth of industry experience ranging from Healthcare, Architecture, Consulting and Startup (Pre-IPO).
She graduated from the University of Arizona with Cum Laude honor and majored in Accounting and Operation Management, obtaining her BA in two-and-a-half years. Sue has also passed all 4 parts of CPA exam with self study.
Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she spent much of her adolescent years in Singapore and Taiwan before coming to United States for college. When she’s not working, she loves to travel, experience new cultures and create lasting memories with her family.
Tabassum Shaikh
Manager, Program Services
Tabassum joined the Program Management team at Berkeley Executive Education in October 2019. She is a San Francisco native and has been managing programs within non-profits for the past six years. Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally. Since joining, Tabassum has successfully assisted with delivering 16 programs, providing high-touch & hands-on customer service. Prior to joining ExecEd, Tabassum was working at the YMCA of San Francisco as an Assistant Site Director. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and photography.
Yolanda Williams
Manager, Registration & Accounts Payable, Finance
Yolanda Williams serves as a Manager of Registration & Accounts Payable within Berkeley Executive Education's finance team. She has more than 20 years of progressive experience in accounting and financial services. Her role includes a vast array of duties within accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections, all while managing open enrollment registration process and providing a variety of financial support to the CFO.
Yolanda is a lifetime resident of California and loves the opportunity she has had to work with different people throughout the UC System. She is passionate about accounting and her high standard of excellence is what clients and coworkers can expect when working with her.
In Yolanda’s spare time she loves roller skating, church, shopping and enjoying family time.
Executive Leadership
Mike Rielly
Chief Executive Officer
Mike Rielly is CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education, serving leaders and organizations who aspire to redefine the future of business.
A 20-year veteran of the sports industry, as Senior Vice President at IMG, Mike managed world-class athletes, organized major sports and entertainment events, and developed international markets for the agency.
Mike joined the Haas School of Business in 2009, first as a highly regarded lecturer in sports marketing, then as Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Berkeley MBA for Executives Program. Mike has been CEO of UC Berkeley Executive Education since 2016.
A graduate of Stanford University and Ohio University, Mike is an avid sports and architecture enthusiast and spends most weekends in Anderson Valley.
Andrea Salvemini
Vice President, Client Solutions
Andrea brings to UC Berkeley Executive Education her passion for partnering with companies to inspire their leaders to grow, develop and exceed expectations. With over 15 years of working with global organizations to develop their leaders, Andrea is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that will make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, research and thought leadership at Berkeley. Andrea’s personal passions and curious nature align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and she’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources within Berkeley to bear for her clients. Prior to joining CEE, Andrea was the VP of Business Development for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her customers.
Andrea also founded Alliances Corporate Training, successfully partnering with companies as a training resource consultant. In addition to delivering program on Emotional Intelligence and Time Management, Andrea scoured the Bay Area to bring in the best resources for organizations in terms of coaching, assessment and leadership development. Over the last 10 years, Andrea has worked with clients in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, including HP, Cisco, Wells Fargo and Medtronic.
Andrea holds an BA from UC San Diego in Physiology, with additional postgraduate work in exercise physiology. She is certified in the MHS EQi Assessment. In her free time, Andrea loves to exercise, explore the outdoors, create culinary delights for friends, and spend time with her family.
Connect with Andrea at andrea_salvemini@berkeley.edu
Jon Greco
Chief Financial Officer, Finance
Jon holds more than 20 years in financial and accounting leadership along with deep experience in organizational design in finance.
Prior to Berkeley Executive Education, Jon was the Director of Finance for the Boston Consulting Group’s San Francisco office. At UC Berkeley Executive Education, Jon leads the finance and operations team which handles all aspects of financial operations and reporting as well as oversee the legal, technology and human resource functions. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and an MBA from Boston University.
A Boston area native who relocated to the bay area in 2004, Jon enjoys mixing his passions for travel and music and is an avid collector of artwork relating to rock concerts.
Judy Walklet
Vice President, Growth & Partnerships
Judy’s passion is connecting business leaders with new sources of insight, inspiration, and expertise that enable enhanced innovation, products, customer experiences and growth. Drawn to Berkeley by its distinctive values and culture, breadth and relevance of faculty expertise in helping our partners solve crucial business challenges, and her own life-changing experience with executive education, Judy is excited to be back in the heart of business transformation. In 2019, Judy returned to Berkeley from Harvard Business Publishing, where she worked in product management in the fast-evolving world of virtual learning experiences. Before Berkeley, Judy was Director of Strategic Accounts at C Space, an Omnicom-held global agency that embeds customers as collaborative partners in innovation and marketing strategy development for leading global brands. Previously, Judy was VP of Strategic Accounts for Iconoculture (now part of Gartner), a global consumer insight and strategy firm. She also served as VP of Business Development for ThirdAge Media and the Ancestry.com Network in San Francisco, early pioneers in online media. Throughout her career, she has led the development of strategic partnerships with clients across a range of sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, consumer goods, retail and media/entertainment. Judy holds a BA from Middlebury College and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Julie Shackleton
Vice President, Digital Initiatives
Julie Shackleton brings to Berkeley Exec Ed nearly 10 years of experience in online education. A recovering lawyer, she taught law at several universities in Paris before moving back home to design, produce, and deliver in-person and online diploma programs at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2014, Julie moved to Boston where she managed legal and policy issues for Harvard Business School’s HBX (now HBS Online).
Julie holds an LL.B and an LL.M in International Business Law from Trinity College Dublin. She is licensed as a Solicitor in Ireland and an Attorney in the state of New York. She specialized, academically and professionally, in data privacy law and stays current by supervising graduate students working towards an LL.M Advanced Legal Practice.
Lisa Ryan
Vice President, Marketing
Lisa is a senior brand and marketing strategist dedicated to enabling organizations to realize their growth potential in market. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, she is tenacious in applying insights driven strategies to heighten engagement, build business and create the ultimate end to end branded experience. Lisa is passionate about purpose and thrilled to be part of an organization that is committed to redefining the future of business.
Lisa leads open enrollment programs in Executive Education with responsibility for development, marketing, and eCommerce. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School Of Management. Beyond work, Lisa is an avid runner, hiker, traveler and mom.
Nate Castro
Vice President, Client Solutions
Nate is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of business development and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, Nate lived in London and New York, and held senior leadership roles at General Assembly, Apple, and several early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups.
Nate graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Applied Economics. As an avid believer in continuous learning, he is also a graduate of several advanced training and certificate programs. When not building teams to scale high growth, disruptive businesses, Nate can likely be found on Southern California hiking trails or beaches with his wife and dog.
Richard Freishtat
Vice President, Curriculum
Richard comes to Executive Education building on an impressive career in education, most recently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley, where he designed and delivered a full range of enrichment initiatives and consultation services to the 2000+ faculty across campus. Richard also serves as Co-Faculty for Exec Ed's Communications Excellence program where, along with his co-faculty, he "helps executives shine in public forums and achieve breakthroughs."
Richard works closely with the entire Executive Education team, where his responsibilities include Faculty Engagement and Support, Curriculum Strategy, Business Development support, and Thought Leadership.
Business Development
Andrea Salvemini
Vice President, Client Solutions
Andrea brings to UC Berkeley Executive Education her passion for partnering with companies to inspire their leaders to grow, develop and exceed expectations. With over 15 years of working with global organizations to develop their leaders, Andrea is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that will make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, research and thought leadership at Berkeley. Andrea’s personal passions and curious nature align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and she’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources within Berkeley to bear for her clients. Prior to joining CEE, Andrea was the VP of Business Development for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her customers.
Andrea also founded Alliances Corporate Training, successfully partnering with companies as a training resource consultant. In addition to delivering program on Emotional Intelligence and Time Management, Andrea scoured the Bay Area to bring in the best resources for organizations in terms of coaching, assessment and leadership development. Over the last 10 years, Andrea has worked with clients in the technology, financial and healthcare industries, including HP, Cisco, Wells Fargo and Medtronic.
Andrea holds an BA from UC San Diego in Physiology, with additional postgraduate work in exercise physiology. She is certified in the MHS EQi Assessment. In her free time, Andrea loves to exercise, explore the outdoors, create culinary delights for friends, and spend time with her family.
Connect with Andrea at andrea_salvemini@berkeley.edu
Carolyn Robertson
Director, Client Solutions
Carolyn brings 20 years of partnering with global organizations in the human capital arena focused on driving thoughtful relationships and innovative client-focused solutions. Carolyn is passionate about designing business-driven executive programs for organizations that make an impact, leveraging the best teaching, world-renown research and thought leadership Berkeley has to offer. She has a clear understanding of the expectations and pressures on executives to immediately contribute to the greater organization. Carolyn’s natural curiosity and passions align closely with the Berkeley Haas principles — she’s inspired by the mission of questioning the status quo and passion for lifelong learning. She’s committed to bringing the tremendous wealth of resources and tools within Berkeley to her clients.
Prior to joining BEE, Carolyn was the Strategic Account Director for Right Management, delivering innovative business solutions to her enterprise clients. Carolyn’s experience spans industries, with a focus on high-tech, biotech and financial industries in Fortune 500 organizations, a few examples are; eBay, PayPal, Genentech, Facebook and Lam Research.
Carolyn received a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from University of California, Davis. In her free time, Carolyn can be found spending time with her husband and two small children, exploring tidepools, cooking, or taking a yoga class.
Elizabeth Cheney-Brown
Business Development Manager, Client Solutions
Liz is new to Berkeley Executive Education as of 2022, joining the team as a Business Development Manager. She has a background in clinical research and higher education, having focused on the business development, recruitment, and community outreach side of those industries. She feels called to make a positive impact in her role at the University and within the community through her work building relationships and helping people achieve their goals. She holds a Masters in Community Development from Kansas State University. Outside of work, Liz enjoys being outdoors, traveling, ice skating, community involvement, and animal advocacy.
Liz Lowry
Director, Client Solutions
Elizabeth Lowry joined the Haas School of Business in 2018 as Director, Business Development. In her role, she partners with organizations to diagnose business challenges and talent competency gaps that can be bridged through executive learning and development. Liz is passionate about preparing leaders for the future of work by marrying game-changing technologies and their business applications with critical leadership competencies needed in a tech-driven economy.
Prior to joining Haas, Liz' executive experience included 13 years in recorded music where she developed commercial partnerships to launch Apple Music, Amazon Music and SoundCloud Music. Liz also was part of the go-to-market team at Universal Music to launch VEVO in 2009, a joint-venture between Universal and Sony Music.
Liz embodies Haas' leadership principles and goes beyond herself by giving back to Berkeley Haas where she obtained her Executive MBA. While at Haas, Liz organized a student-led fundraising campaign to give back to the university. Under her leadership, the Class of 2016 set up the Beyond Yourself Fellowship to fund needs based fellowships for future EMBA students.
A graduate of the University of Miami (BM) and Berkeley-Haas School of Business (EMBA), Liz is an active vocal performer, active traveler, and novice cook. She spends her weekends with her husband exploring The Bay Area’s beauty and nightlife.
Connect with Liz at liz_lowry@berkeley.edu
Michael Dunn
Partnerships & Special Projects Manager, Growth & Partnerships
Michael joined Executive Education in December 2017 as a Business Development Associate. He brings to Executive Education a strong professional background in client management and development, sales and event planning in the entertainment and fashion industries. He is excited to be part of the Business Development team as this allows him to continue to pursue his interest in working with clients and building strong relationships.
Executive Education is a natural fit for Michael. A 2017 graduate of Berkeley Haas, Executive Education allows Michael the opportunity to help clients reach their organizational objectives as well as give back to a university that has enriched his life both educationally and personally.
In his free time, Michael enjoys his lifelong passion for playing hockey and is engaged in several mentoring programs within his community.
Nate Castro
Vice President, Client Solutions
Nate is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of business development and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, Nate lived in London and New York, and held senior leadership roles at General Assembly, Apple, and several early-stage Silicon Valley start-ups.
Nate graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Applied Economics. As an avid believer in continuous learning, he is also a graduate of several advanced training and certificate programs. When not building teams to scale high growth, disruptive businesses, Nate can likely be found on Southern California hiking trails or beaches with his wife and dog.
Curriculum
Emily Odenberg
Director, Curriculum
Before joining Berkeley Executive Education, she was the Senior Event Manager for Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a global effort supported by over 60 of the top Fortune 100 companies. She oversaw the largest LGBTQ professional conference in the world, convening over 3,500 participants annually.
Jennifer Weaver
Director, Curriculum
Jenn comes to Executive Education with over a decade of experience in teaching and administration in higher education, most recently as the Associate Director for the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There, she designed and taught pedagogy courses for faculty and graduate students, and offered extensive consultations on curriculum design and overcoming pedagogical challenges.
Jenn completed her PhD in developing statistical models of invasive species with climate and land use change. During her doctoral work, she was the instructor for numerous undergraduate courses in science. Jenn then did her post-doctoral work at UC Berkeley, where she worked at Berkeley’s Center for Teaching and Learning as their active learning and STEM specialist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, DIY and working on her family farm in Ontario, Canada.
Richard Freishtat
Vice President, Curriculum
Richard comes to Executive Education building on an impressive career in education, most recently serving as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley, where he designed and delivered a full range of enrichment initiatives and consultation services to the 2000+ faculty across campus. Richard also serves as Co-Faculty for Exec Ed's Communications Excellence program where, along with his co-faculty, he "helps executives shine in public forums and achieve breakthroughs."
Richard works closely with the entire Executive Education team, where his responsibilities include Faculty Engagement and Support, Curriculum Strategy, Business Development support, and Thought Leadership.
Finance
Jon Greco
Chief Financial Officer, Finance
Jon holds more than 20 years in financial and accounting leadership along with deep experience in organizational design in finance.
Prior to Berkeley Executive Education, Jon was the Director of Finance for the Boston Consulting Group’s San Francisco office. At UC Berkeley Executive Education, Jon leads the finance and operations team which handles all aspects of financial operations and reporting as well as oversee the legal, technology and human resource functions. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and an MBA from Boston University.
A Boston area native who relocated to the bay area in 2004, Jon enjoys mixing his passions for travel and music and is an avid collector of artwork relating to rock concerts.
Sue Helinar
Director, Accounting, Finance
As a Senior Accountant/Financial Analyst, Sue has brought a breadth of industry experience ranging from Healthcare, Architecture, Consulting and Startup (Pre-IPO).
She graduated from the University of Arizona with Cum Laude honor and majored in Accounting and Operation Management, obtaining her BA in two-and-a-half years. Sue has also passed all 4 parts of CPA exam with self study.
Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she spent much of her adolescent years in Singapore and Taiwan before coming to United States for college. When she’s not working, she loves to travel, experience new cultures and create lasting memories with her family.
Yolanda Williams
Manager, Registration & Accounts Payable, Finance
Yolanda Williams serves as a Manager of Registration & Accounts Payable within Berkeley Executive Education's finance team. She has more than 20 years of progressive experience in accounting and financial services. Her role includes a vast array of duties within accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections, all while managing open enrollment registration process and providing a variety of financial support to the CFO.
Yolanda is a lifetime resident of California and loves the opportunity she has had to work with different people throughout the UC System. She is passionate about accounting and her high standard of excellence is what clients and coworkers can expect when working with her.
In Yolanda’s spare time she loves roller skating, church, shopping and enjoying family time.
Marketing
Allie Hesse
Associate Director of Communications, Marketing
Allie acts as a culture champion and enthusiast leader at Berkeley Executive Education. She is passionate about putting people first and delivering an exceptional, engaging, and sustainable people-oriented culture where customers, participants, faculty, and staff feel supported, valued, and recognized.
Before joining BEE, Allie spent five years teaching and studying in three of China’s major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. She is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and is always looking for opportunities where she can apply her passion for Chinese language and culture.
Allie received a BS in Mandarin and Psychology from Hamilton College (2011), a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education (2013), and a Master’s in Business Management at Peking University HSBC Business School 北京大学汇丰商学院 (2017).
In her free time, Allie enjoys running, writing handwritten letters, exploring the great outdoors, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and spending time with her friends and family.
Anj Gonyea
Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketing
Anj brings her deep interest in marketing and global business to the Marketing team.
Anj graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BS in Business Administration and a focus on Marketing. Prior to joining Berkeley Executive Education, she lived in London where she worked for Thomson Reuters as a marketing coordinator in the Financial & Risk sector while obtaining her Master's in Global Business.
Lisa Ryan
Vice President, Marketing
Lisa is a senior brand and marketing strategist dedicated to enabling organizations to realize their growth potential in market. With more than 20 years in sales and marketing, she is tenacious in applying insights driven strategies to heighten engagement, build business and create the ultimate end to end branded experience. Lisa is passionate about purpose and thrilled to be part of an organization that is committed to redefining the future of business.
Lisa leads open enrollment programs in Executive Education with responsibility for development, marketing, and eCommerce. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School Of Management. Beyond work, Lisa is an avid runner, hiker, traveler and mom.
Program Services
Ariane Khalfa
Manager, Program Services
As Program Services Manager at Berkeley Executive Education, Ariane oversees a global portfolio of open enrollment and custom executive education programs. She brings 8 years of experience developing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling impactful programs in the US, Africa, and South Asia. Ariane began her career managing international development projects in francophone West Africa and working in bilingual foreign affairs at the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco. Prior to joining Exec Ed, she coordinated global operations for Stanford Seed, a business and leadership training program for entrepreneurs in emerging economies. Ariane received her Social Impact MBA in Strategy & Operations from Boston University, delivering growth strategies to startups and nonprofits as a consultant.
Ariane specializes in process improvement and cross-cultural communication to optimize the learning experience for business leaders. She is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion, and expanding access to professional development opportunities for social entrepreneurs to maximize their impact on the world. Born in England into a French-American family, Ariane grew up overseas, and frequently visits family and friends in Europe. She enjoys living in San Francisco, salsa dancing, hiking, and spending time with her baby nephew.
Bryanna Cacioppo
Manager, Program Services
Bryanna is a Bay Area native with a passion for customer service. She began her career in hospitality, working from front desk to sales coordinating. From there she moved on to become a Sales Manager for a hospitality company located in the East Bay, and oversaw all sales activities for 6 hotel properties.
Bryanna is a highly motivated and driven individual who thrives under pressure. Since joining BEE in October 2019, she has found a new love for higher education and continues to bring enthusiasm and a positive attitude to every program she assists with.
Gloria Pharn Bradley
Manager, Program Services
Gloria has over 7 years of experience in higher education administration, program management, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining BEE, Gloria worked with various institutions to improve systems, develop/streamline processes, and bridge departments and people. She truly believes that the power of relationships drives institutional excellence and climate. She also firmly believes in data-informed decisions and program development and values both quantitative and qualitative data. Her experience spans across the education continuum i.e. community college, international education, doctorate programs, and K-8th grades.
Gloria is a UC Berkeley alumna and has her BS in Conservation & Resource studies. She also possesses an MA in Organization & Leadership from the University of San Francisco, and a graduate certificate in Student Affairs Higher Education Administration from UC Berkeley Extension.
She is a Bay Area native and was born and raised in Richmond, CA. During her free time, she loves spending quality time with her family, and enjoys being in nature, hiking, and traveling.
Heidi Wandell
Data Analytics Manager, Program Services
Heidi has over 9 years of survey and data administration experience. She is motivated by outstanding customer service and collaborating with Faculty via Berkeley Executive Education to deliver insightful reports to students highlighting their leadership, team, and organizational skills and styles.
Heidi worked as a Project Manager and System Administrator at Cisco Systems Inc. and the Monterey Institute of International Studies prior to Berkeley Executive Education. She holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
In her free time, she enjoys laughing and having adventures with her children, being outdoors, walking, and spending time with extended family and friends.
Jaclyn Goudie
Vice President, Program Services
Jaclyn Goudie brings to Berkeley Exec Ed over 20 years of event and program management experience in all types of delivery formats. While her career started in the arts as a professional stage manager and General Manager for a mid-sized Chicago theater, she was able to combine her love of lifelong learning and designing engaging experiences at Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education.
Jaclyn is passionate about building strong teams that successfully collaborate to continuously improve and innovate unique experiences. She holds a Master of Organizational Leadership from North Park University. Outside of work she enjoys exploring nature or visiting roadside attractions with her husband and two children.
Manpreet Chahal
Associate Director, Program Services
Manpreet comes to Berkeley Executive Education with 10 years of international experience in event and project management. Born in the United Kingdom she completed her undergraduate degree in International Business and Globalization from De Montfort University. She moved to the US in 2017 where she later entered the field of Executive Education at Berkeley. Currently as a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs for clients, participants and faculty with exceptional customer service and attention to detail.
In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Marielle Viray
Associate, Program Services
Marielle began her career at Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Associate in October 2021. She brings over six years of experience in developing, managing, and facilitating educational programs for youth. She has implemented programs that touched the lives of many students across California’s State Capitol. Marielle holds a BS in Child Development from California State University, Sacramento.
Marielle brings a passion for event management, and in her spare time, she enjoys planning for special occasions. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews. Marielle is excited to bring her joy of event management to the Program Services team.
Patty Hinanay
Associate, Program Services
Originally from sunny Southern California, Patty brings with her experience in both program and project management and excels in providing outstanding service across a diverse group of stakeholders. While completing her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Irvine, she first set foot with ExecEd by supporting UCI’s Office of Executive Education as a student assistant. She previously worked in the healthcare industry where she partnered with insurance companies to resolve high dollar patient accounts before joining Berkeley ExecEd.
Continuous improvement is in the forefront of what Patty values both in and outside of work. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, photography, learning about other cultures by traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Rachel Wyatt
Manager, Program Services
Rachel joined UC Berkeley Executive Education as a Program Services Manager in 2021. With a Bachelor’s degree in Television and Film from San Jose State University, Rachel brings her unique background in production to create memorable and meaningful events and programs. She is an expert at overseeing logistics, implementing meaningful content, developing initiatives to grow programs, and cultivating fun and memorable experiences.
Early in her career, Rachel worked in local television programming, earning her first Emmy award for Interactivity in 2011. Rachel transitioned to a career in education and program development soon after and has launched programs for all levels of learners with a focus on career development anchored in diversity, equity, and Inclusion. Rachel has led programs and initiatives for the international awards and conference organization, Promax, as well as custom programs for UCLA Extension.
An avid traveler, Rachel has spent short stints living in both Denmark and India. In her free time now back in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel enjoys painting, reading, cooking, and exploring local food spots.
Tabassum Shaikh
Manager, Program Services
Tabassum joined the Program Management team at Berkeley Executive Education in October 2019. She is a San Francisco native and has been managing programs within non-profits for the past six years. Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally. Since joining, Tabassum has successfully assisted with delivering 16 programs, providing high-touch & hands-on customer service. Prior to joining ExecEd, Tabassum was working at the YMCA of San Francisco as an Assistant Site Director. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and photography.
Digital Initiatives
Ashim Shanker
Director, Digital Design and Strategy, Digital Initiatives
Bringing over 15 years of experience in classroom teaching, curriculum development, qualitative research, and instructional design, Ashim began his foray into education in 2003 when he moved to Tokyo, Japan. While there, he taught in a variety of settings ranging from international high school classrooms to executive board rooms.
After completing his Master's degree in International Education Policy at Harvard University, Ashim contributed to educational research publications in collaboration with UNICEF and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also contributed to a collection of educational case studies profiled in a book published by Harvard’s Global Education Innovation Initiative.
In his free time, Ashim is an active writer. He has authored 3 absurdist fiction novels and 2 books of short stories.
Jennifer Bui
Digital Operations Manager, Digital Initiatives
Jenn began her career at ExecEd as a Program Management Assistant in May 2016 before transitioning to her role as a coordinator on the program management and marketing teams.
Originally from San Jose, CA, she started her undergrad as a student in San Diego and transferred to UC Berkeley where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy.
In her free time, Jenn enjoys cooking, doing pilates, and going to local festivals.
Julie Shackleton
Vice President, Digital Initiatives
Julie Shackleton brings to Berkeley Exec Ed nearly 10 years of experience in online education. A recovering lawyer, she taught law at several universities in Paris before moving back home to design, produce, and deliver in-person and online diploma programs at the Law Society of Ireland. In 2014, Julie moved to Boston where she managed legal and policy issues for Harvard Business School’s HBX (now HBS Online).
Julie holds an LL.B and an LL.M in International Business Law from Trinity College Dublin. She is licensed as a Solicitor in Ireland and an Attorney in the state of New York. She specialized, academically and professionally, in data privacy law and stays current by supervising graduate students working towards an LL.M Advanced Legal Practice.
LeAnne Do
Virtual Classroom Programming Manager, Digital Initiatives
LeAnne strives to make the world a more sustainable and inclusive place through the means of leveraging creative thinking and data to drive scalable learning innovations and experiences. LeAnne earned two degrees in Economics and Education Sciences with the aspiration to develop and implement educational technology to improve learner’s experiences and outcome.
LeAnne spent over five years working in the world of certifications both in an educational and corporate environment. She began her journey as a Program Assistant at UC Irvine Executive Education and later entered into the world of technical certifications at Google Cloud and executive leadership certifications at Blizzard Entertainment. She made her journey back to Executive Education with excitement managing the Virtual Classrooms.
During her free time, she enjoys keeping herself active through boxing and powerlifting.
Marose Eddy
Associate Director, Digital Operations, Digital Initiatives
Marose Eddy brings over 15 years of experience in events management and customer engagement with background in talent recruitment. As a Program Manager, she manages the smooth execution and delivery of executive programs and provides hands-on support to clients, participants and faculty.
Previously she worked in INSEAD, Singapore, as a Program Advisor where she advised top global executives in identifying suitable programs to complement their professional needs.
Originally from the Philippines, she spent 8 years in Singapore before permanently relocating to the United States. She enjoys being a mom to her 4-year old daughter and a 9-month old son.