The establishment of the Lepage Center Advisory Board is conceived to be global in its reach and would comprise high-level advocates for entrepreneurs. Members would include senior-level international executives, seasoned entrepreneurs, and alumni to provide insight into organizational competencies from business, finance, and the not-for-profit sector. The Board provides real-world expertise and counsel on entrepreneurial best practices across various industrial markets. The Board's focus is to ensure the program's goals and strategies align with emerging market conditions.
Board Members
Multicultural and multilingual, Marcia Barahona, founder of ExecBloom.com and OrangeRio.com, is a visionary business leader and executive coach known for her marketing prowess and success in mainstream market reach and product localization projects across the US and Latin America. She has positively impacted companies in various industries, including HealthTech, MobileTech, EdTech, Consumer Electronics, and Solar Power.
In addition to her business acumen, Marcia boasts a decade-long career in bilingual community media, where she was a radio and TV host and a print journalist.
As an executive coach, she mentors professionals in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She is also an executive education lecturer and a guest presenter on communications, marketing, and cross-cultural topics.
She holds an MBA from the Andrew P. Barowsky School of Business at the Dominican University of California, where she also earned her bachelor's degree. Marcia's passion for sustainability drove her to business school in Poitiers, France, completing a certificate in Sustainable Business Management and Development from École Supérieure de Commerce et de Management (ESCEM), now known as Excelia.
Namho Chung is the President of Keiretsu forum (K4) Korea chapter headquartered in San Francisco and is the Venture Partner of Hatcher+ based in Singapore. He has helped over 14 companies raise over $3.5 million dollars both in South Korea and the United States since he opened the 47th Keiretsu Forum Chapter in Seoul, South Korea on 2017. His wide range of international network allows him to generate unique relationships between investors and startup companies. Previously, he led seed, series A and B funding and managed US entity as SVP of Finance at Lutronic Inc., and he played a major role to lead publically listed in KOSDAQ. He has an abundant experiences in financial and commercial real estate investment industries over 30 years after a MBA degree in International Business Management from the Business School in Sung-Kyun-Kwan University.
Retired multilingual executive and entrepreneur with expertise in SaaS, Software, Real Estate and Automotive.
Thomas has founded two SaaS companies, was on the founding executive teams of two companies and has served as Divisional President and VP of public software companies over his 25 year career in technology.
AdvantageTec (a texting SaaS company) was acquired by LivePerson (NYSE: LPSN) in October 2018. vAuto (an inventory management and pricing SaaS company) was acquired by Cox Enterprises (Autotrader) in September 2010. Marketdrive Interactive (a service CRM SaaS company) was acquired by Classified Ventures / Cars.com (Nasdaq: CARS) in May 2000. Thomas started his career as an automotive technician working for Dr. Ing h.c. F. Porsche AG in Stuttgart Germany.
Zachary’s professional experience spans from Wall Street to Washington, DC to Silicon Valley to putting down firm roots in the North Bay.
In April 2020, he launched Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures (MSIV), a movement reshaping the North Bay startup ecosystem to help local entrepreneurs build the next great North Bay company and seed the next generation of prosperity for the Marin and Sonoma community.
Previously, Zach served on the executive team as Head of People & Corporate Operations at SmithRx. Prior to SmithRx, Zach was Head of Business Development at Mill Valley’s Glassdoor, and served tech-icon Cisco in San Jose building partnerships with the global public sector and advising the company’s senior executives on public policy matters.
Zach also worked in fixed income sales at Citi’s New York City trading floor, co-founded video opinion startup company eyeponti, and has a wide range of political experience that includes the U.S. Senate, The White House, and the late Senator John McCain’s 2008 campaign for U.S. President.
Before joining the Barowsky School of Business as Dean, served as Interim Dean, St. Mary’s College School of Economics and Business Administration and faculty member since 1998, where he taught and worked with faculty/staff to develop more than a half dozen degree and certificate programs, and was responsible for its five graduate business programs in the university’s initial AACSB accreditation in 2013 and re-accreditation process in 2018.
Dean Lee has taught at several universities and has consulted with global companies including Walt Disney, McKesson, Roche, Abbott Medical Optics, Varian, OASIS International, Transcept, and Lucky Stores.
Françoise Lepage is a political scientist with a global perspective and interest in how public policy either supports or erects barriers to business. Her teaching career began at Marymount University in 1967; she worked at BBDO, Madison Avenue as the marketing research supervisor for the Campbell Soup account, 1974–1975, and joined Dominican in 1976. Dr. Lepage has served as Chair of Political Science, Director of Humanities, Director of International Studies, Director of the MA-MBA Program and Dean of the Business School. She served as Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives from 1998–2011 and returned to faculty in 2011.
Some of her former roles include Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Liberal and Professional Studies, Associate Dean of Dominican College, and Associate Dean and Director of Marketing and Corporate Development at the University of San Francisco’s College of Professional Studies. She is actively involved in the Marin community serving in leadership roles on various non-profit boards. Among the honors she has received are the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame and Magnificent Women of Marin Award, USF’s Griffin Award, Outstanding Business Professor Award and Dominican’s Presidential Medallion and Sr. Aquinas Nimitz Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Lucy directs Dominican’s leadership development center: The Institute for Leadership Studies. She teaches and consults in leadership and team development, organizational change, negotiation and conflict management, business communications, business and society, corporate social responsibility, and civic engagement.
Cynthia Murray is President/CEO of North Bay Leadership Council (NBLC). She serves on the boards of many organizations including the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Policy Advisory Council, Sonoma County Health Action Council, Sonoma County Business & Ag Consortium, Sonoma County Employers Housing Council, Marin School to Careers Partnership and the California Business Preschool Advisory Council. Murray chairs the Marin County Housing Crisis Action Group and is a strong advocate for new housing.
She received the 2010 Women in Business award from the North Bay Business Journal for her achievements in economic development. North Bay Children’s Center made her their Champion for Children in 2017. And in 2019, she was the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce’s Woman of Industry. Prior to becoming CEO at NBLC, she served eight years on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and seven years on the Novato City Council, including one term as Mayor.
Ms. Murray is a graduate of Rutgers University, spent 20 years in sales and marketing, and is an adjunct professor at Sonoma State University.
Leonard has been a Business Advisor of the Small Business Development Center; a consultant to the College of Marin; Business Advisor, Small Business Development Center, Santa Rosa Junior College; Enterprise for High School Students as Director of Business Partnerships; and earlier in his career, marketing and PR for two Summer Olympic Games, a Rose Bowl Parade and Game; and projects with the Oakland Raiders, and the entertainment production for a Mass by Pope John Paul II.
He also designed a sports marketing/event management course at UC Berkeley, which he taught for five years to an international audience. He serves on a College of Marin advisory committee. Leonard worked as the former Director of Business Development for the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce.