Learn More: IOE Advisory Board

Jake Brace

President and CEO of Laser Spine Institute

Mike O’Connell

Mike O’Connell is the founder and President of The Woodmar Group, a California based winery. The Woodmar
Group was started in 2004 in Napa, California with the focus of using Napa Valley winemaking skills to produce wines that retail in the $10 – $15 price point. The brands include Grayson Cellars, Block Nine, Freelander, Ghostrunner and Hanging Vine and are sold in 50 states and 25 countries. Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate has given Grayson wines Best Buy ratings for eleven consecutive releases. The company is run by Mike and his wife, Kathleen and is one of the larger family-owned wineries in the United States.

Prior to founding The Woodmar Group, Mike ran legendary Indy car driver Mario Andretti’s winery, Andretti Winery, in Napa California where he grew sales 300% in three years. The turn-around plan included renegotiating contracts, reducing the product line, improving product quality, redesigning packaging and building a national sales force.

Mike’s previous jobs include a role in the Bank of America private equity group, a $750 million fund. He was also one of the youngest to be promoted to the role of Manager in the strategy consulting group at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago. During business school, Mike worked for Guardian Industries in Kiev, Ukraine after the separation of Ukraine from the Soviet Union. Following his undergraduate education, he spent two years at Cummins Inc. in Columbus, IN, where he was named a Young Emerging Leader.

Mike is a husband and father of two terrific boys. At the age of 42, he completed a one-week training course with future and former Navy SEALs outside San Diego, CA that was based on the “hell week” portion of BUD/s. He is now a Certified Trainer at this facility. He has also driven an Indy Car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at awesome speeds.

He has served on non-profit boards including Culver Academies Legion Board, Galatic Unite, and was Chairman of Culver Clubs International. He serves as a Board Member of Left Bank Wine Company. He has taught classes at University of California Berkeley, University of California Merced, University of Michigan College of Engineering and Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.

Dann Engels

Chairman, Orchid Industries

J. Dann Engels’s companies operate in India, China, and the Americas and provide products and services to the automotive aftermarket, horticulture, material handling, and battery industries.

Along with his wife, Que-Lan, Engels founded the Engels Family Foundation in 1995 with a focus on supporting education in under represented communities. Engels was actively involved in the early stages of MShadow, which matches University of Michigan student-athletes with mentors, internships, and post graduation employment.

In 1996, Dann was honored with IOE’s Outstanding Alumni award. Dann and his family live in Holland, Michigan.

Kevin Gilligan

Chief Executive Officer, Governance Committee, Appvion, Inc

Kevin M. Gilligan was named chief executive officer of Appvion, Inc. and PDC on August 4, 2015. Mr. Gilligan served as president of Appvion’s paper division since joining Appvion, Inc. in June 2014. He began serving as a director on the boards of Appvion and PDC in January 2016.

Prior to joining Appvion, Mr. Gilligan served as vice president, global operations for H.B. Fuller Company since 2012. H.B. Fuller is a global specialty chemical company focused on adhesives.During his 20-year career with H.B. Fuller, Mr. Gilligan also served as region vice president for Asia Pacific businesses; general manager of H.B. Fuller Window; North American operations director; e-business director; product line manager; and plant manager. He began his career as a manufacturing engineer for Texas Instruments.

Mr. Gilligan earned a master’s degree in business administration (marketing and operations management) from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

Razat Gaurav

Chief Executive Officer, LLamasoft

Razat Gaurav brings more than two decades of experience in the supply chain planning and execution space to his role as the CEO of LLamasoft, Inc. Throughout his career, Razat has advised leading retailers, manufacturers and logistics service providers across the globe on supply chain strategies and digital transformations.

With proven leadership in scaling and growing enterprise software businesses on a global basis, Razat most recently served as JDA Software’s Executive Vice President, General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer. His experience also includes leadership roles at i2 Technologies and Ernst & Young (EY). He has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Somya Gupta

Management Consulting Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Somya current serves as a Program Manager at Facebook in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to Facebook she served as Management Consulting Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), within the Supply Chain Management practice. She has experience in project management, warehousing, logistics, and inventory optimization, with interests in network design and last-mile optimization. Before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, Somya worked for Procter & Gamble as a Manufacturing Engineer, L Brands (Victoria’s Secret PINK) as a Brand Manager, Walt Disney World as an Internal Consultant, and JPMorgan as an Asset Management Analyst.

Somya was an executive board member of the University’s Institute of Industrial Engineers chapter for three years, serving as President during her senior year. She is currently a Core Member of the PwC Women’s Network and a mentor for Step Up in the Chicago market. Step Up is a non-profit organization that empowers girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential and join the next generation of college-bound, career-focused, professional women.

Somya is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. She holds a B.S.E. degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering. Somya currently resides in Chicago.

Richard C. Jelinek

Retired, Personal and Family Investments

Richard co-founded Medicus Systems Corporation in 1969 and founded Mediflex Systems Corporation in 1983. As CEO of both companies, he took Mediflex and Medicus public in 1983 and 1986 respectively. Richard was also Chairman of the Board of Knowledge Data Systems, Salt Lake City, Utah and Lifemark Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona, both of which were spin-offs from Medicus. Richard served as Director of Evanston Bank, Evanston, Illinois; McNearney Heintz, Inc., Barrington Illinois; Spectra Medical Systems, Inc., Kankakee, Illinois, NeuColl, Palo Alto, California; Chicago Indoor Racing, Chicago, Illinois; and Collins & Aikman Corporation, Dearborn, Michigan. Richard sold his last company in 2001, and he now works primarily in overseeing personal and family investments.

In 1992, Computers in Healthcare Magazine recognized Richard as a Healthcare Pioneer. He was the 1993 winner of the KPMG Peat Marwick, Illinois High Tech Entrepreneur Award. Richard has been a consultant to numerous organizations including: Veterans Administration, Department of Health Education and Welfare, Westinghouse and General Electric. In addition he has worked on President Reagan’s Task Force (Grace Commission) on Automated Data Processing.

From 1964 to 1970, Richard was Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and Director, Systems Engineering Group, Bureau of Hospital Administration at the University of Michigan. He published in excess of 30 refereed publications and monographs. He holds a BSE in Industrial Engineering, an MBA and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan. He has been a member of American Institute of Industrial Engineering, Operations Research Society of America, American Hospital Association, American Public Health Association, Young Presidents’ Organization and World Presidents’ Organization. In 1975, Richard lead the establishment of the Department of Health Systems Management at Rush University, where he served as Professor until 1990.

Richard has been involved with a number of philanthropic organizations. At the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Richard endowed the “Richard Carl Jelinek Professor of Health Management and Policy” Chair. He also served for 14 years on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the School of Public Health. In Aspen, he served on the Board and on the Executive Committee of the Aspen Valley Medical Foundation as well as the Aspen Valley Community Foundation.

Kari Mellina

CEO, Super Radiator Coils

Jim Molloy

Managing Director, Citi

Mr. Molloy serves as the Head of Municipal Banking at Citi, where he has spent approximately 15 years as a senior member of the team. Areas of responsibility include everything related to municipal issuers including State and Local Governments, Public Private Partnerships (P3), Surface Transportation, Airports, Healthcare, Higher Education, Housing, Water and Public Power. Prior to his current position Jim spent a good portion of his career focused on the healthcare industry, including banking positions at both Citi and Lehman Brothers covering about 20 years. Before entering the investment banking arena, prior healthcare experience included senior positions in the consulting division of a “Big 6” accounting Firm and a rating agency.

He has worked with some of the largest health systems in the country, executing billions of dollars of both capital markets and M&A transactions on their behalf. He has specific expertise in strategic advisory, capital structure and strategic planning. Industry activities have included leadership in promoting transparency and communication between not-for-profit health issuers and the investor community.

Mr. Molloy serves on the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Parent-Child Home Program, an early childhood literacy and school readiness program. He received a BSE in industrial engineering from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Mr. Molloy resides with his wife Lauren and three children in New York.

Allan F. Pfitzenmaier

CEO Bryllan, LLC

Allan Pfitzenmaier is Chief Executive Officer of Bryllan, LLC, a contract manufacturer of potent compounds and cytotoxic drugs. In addition, he has owned and managed Vectech Pharmaceutical Consultants, Inc. a successful consulting firm serving the regulated medical products industries for the past 30 years. During the course of those 30 years, he has guided the growth of the company to adapt to current industry needs and regulatory trends. Also during that time, he has started and managed a number of other associated businesses, including a successful staffing firm and a software development organization.

Mr. Pfitzenmaier serves as the Co-Chair of the North American Education Committee for ISPE, is an active participant in the GAMP Manufacturing Execution Systems Special Interest Group, and is a regular course lecturer for the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries. Recent courses include a webinar on US Food and Drug Administration Good Importer Practice Guidance and a lecture on Cold Chain Management at the Asia Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Cold Chain Management Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr. Pfitzenmaier has published a chapter entitled “Validation of Laboratory Information Management Systems” in Laboratory Validation, A Practitioner’s Guide as well as a chapter on “Unidirectional Airflow Devices” in Environmental Monitoring, A Comprehensive Handbook, Vol.1 and is a participating author of GAMP Good Practice Guide: Manufacturing Execution Systems – A Strategic and Program Management Approach.

Mr. Pfitzenmaier is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a BS in Industrial Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).

Carlos A. Quintanilla

Vice President, QH Y Asociados Family Office

Craig Russell

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs & Co.

Craig Russell is a partner and the Global Co-Head of the Goldman Sachs Asset Management Client Business (GSAM), a position he has held since 2011 based in New York. At Goldman Sachs, Craig serves on the Firmwide Business Standards Committee as well as the Partnership Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2007 and was named partner in 2010. Prior to joining the firm, Craig was a managing director at Reservoir Capital Group, a private investment firm based in New York. Craig began his career as a foreign currency trader for J.P. Morgan in New York and Frankfurt, Germany.

Craig currently co-chairs the IOE Advisory Board Fundraising Subcommittee while serving on the IOE Advisory Board since 2010. Craig is a noted internal and external speaker, serving as master of ceremonies for the College of Engineering’s annual Scholarship and Fellowship Luncheon in 2016.

In addition, Craig and his wife Pamela, a clinical psychologist, focus their philanthropic activity toward increasing opportunities for under-resourced populations through early mental and physical health programs as well as college scholarships.

Craig earned a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1988.

Brooke Silverstein

Vice President Demand & Inventory Planning, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation

After completing her undergraduate degree, Brooke began her career at L’Oreal in their Management Development Program within the Luxury Products Division. Brooke held several positions at L’Oreal including Global Supply and Demand Planner along with several project responsibilities including an upgrade to the Logility forecasting tool. She gained experience working with various consumer products and with all areas of supply chain and manufacturing.

In 2015, Brooke joined Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, PVH Corp, as Senior Manager of Demand Planning for their Dress Furnishings Group, 2017 named Director of Demand and in 2018, named Vice President of Demand & Inventory Planning. In this position Brooke oversees the Demand Planning function, managing the team developing the forecast and leading monthly collaboration meetings with all cross-functional partners. Brooke also oversees the Inventory Planning function for the Neckwear category, managing the team responsible for inventory health and availability to the retailers. Brooke is very involved in the JDA and Tableu implementation for PVH Corp helping to develop, test and implement the tools.

Brooke graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering in 2010. While attending Michigan Brooke was the president of the student chapter of The Institute of Industrial Engineering, IIE. Brooke and her family currently reside in New York.

Elizabeth VerSchure

Vice President, Consumer Comfort, Parts and Service Support, GE Appliances

After receiving her engineering degree in 1982, Liz began her career as a quality engineer with IPM Corporation, a subsidiary of Allegheny International, a key supplier of powdered metal components to the auto industry. In 1984 she joined GE, and has 30+ years’ experience in the aircraft, marine and energy industries. She has held roles in supply chain, services, long-term partner management, product management and quality/Six Sigma. In 2003, Liz assumed leadership for small commercial services operations in GE Aviation, servicing 90+ long-term maintenance contracts and developing customer service and fulfillment strategies for the regional aircraft market. In 2006, Liz transitioned to GE Energy as the GM, LM2500/LM1600 Products, a diverse aeroderivative product, which serves the oil and gas, powergen and industrial plants segments. Subsequently, she was GM for aeroderivative services, an $1.2B MRO business unit encompassing field support and service, overhaul maintenance activities, remote diagnostics and long-term service agreements. Liz previoulsy served as Vice President, Consumer Comfort, Parts and Service Support, GE Appliances a Haier company, for consumer comfort products and strategy development for parts and service support including GE Appliances’ connected and ownership initiatives.

Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from Xavier University. She is a Metro United Way Tocqueville Society member and on the University of Michigan Industrial Engineering Advisory Board.

Bethany L. Weeby

Bethany Weeby is Senior Vice President, Provider Services for Care Credit at Synchrony Financial, serving more than 200,000 healthcare partners in dental, veterinary, cosmetic, vision and audiology. Synchrony Financial, formerly GE Capital Retail Finance, is the largest provider of private label credit cards in the US, serving more than 200,000 healthcare partners in dental, veterinary, cosmetic, vision and audiology.

Until recently, Bethany was Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Chevron and Texaco consumer credit program. Prior to that, she led the GE Capital Retail Finance call center transformation to Service & Sales as well as key Quality initiatives focused on growth. Before joining GE Capital in 2003, Bethany spent several years with GE Lighting where she held Product Management roles across multiple product lines, led Market Development for the Lighting Systems business, and earned her Six Sigma Quality Black Belt certification. Early in her career, she worked for GE Corporate in Sales Development to support enterprise selling with customers in the Midwest. Bethany joined GE on the Manufacturing Management Program after graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering.

Bethany is active in the Women’s Network at Synchrony Financial following leadership roles with GE’s Women’s Network for many years. In addition, she sits on the Advisory Board for the Department of Industrial & Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Bethany, an avid sports fan, is in the process of relocating to Orange County with her husband and daughter.

Kirk Wolfe

Partner, MK Capital