This spring Neal Dempsey (BA 1964), the venture capitalist with the Midas touch (and namesake of Foster’s Dempsey Hall), joined Neil McReynolds in co-teaching the popular and powerful CEO and Board Leadership course to Foster MBAs.
Dempsey and McReynolds, the founder of a board consulting firm, are two of an elite corps of veteran executives bringing their deep reservoirs of experience and expertise into Foster classrooms. Among them:
- Bill Ayer (MBA 1978), retired CEO of Alaska Air Group, leads the CEO and the Board course for Executive MBAs.
- Susannah Malarkey, the longtime executive director of the Technology Alliance, teaches angel investing.
- John Zagula, managing director at Ignition Capital, leads a business plan practicum.
- Michael Thomas, managing director at Russell Investments, teaches asset management. • Jacob Colker, managing director of the startup incubator at the Allen Institute for AI, teaches foundations of entrepreneurship.
- Ken Meyer, prolific tech entrepreneur and former CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association, is teaching leadership to MS Entrepreneurship students.
- John Gabbert (BA 1996), founder and CEO of Pitchbook, is the Fritzky Visiting Chair in Leadership.
These experts, and many others, bring an executive perspective that complements Foster’s crack faculty in teaching subjects that skew particularly practical.
Case in point: the CEO and Board Leadership course, which provides an insider’s view of corporate governance and prepares students to be effective executives and board members. This transformation occurs over sessions with 18 prominent CEOs and board members—each secured through the vast and invaluable networks of Neil and Neal.
Source: Foster Business Magazine