Description
Leading A Successful Company
Leading A Successful Company
Sponsored by Drexel University Center for Graduate Studies
Course Description:
What does it take to lead a successful company? This seminar features an interactive panel discussion with c-
level executives of regional technology companies as they share their leadership experiences and advice. We’ll
explore the evolving nature and demands of leadership from start up to maturity; the evolution process from an
entrepreneurial technical expert to an effective company leader; effective leadership characteristics and styles;
and more! Join us as Keisha Liggett-Nichols, management professor at Le Bow College of Business, Drexel
University, moderates this panel of accomplished Sacramento company leaders.
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Time: 8:45 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Drexel University, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento, CA 95814
Bios:
Vikram Janardhan, CEO, Insera Thereputics
Mr. Janardhan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Insera Therapeutics, Inc. a Sacramento based Biotech
company focused on solutions for the treatment of Stroke.
In less than three years since inception, Insera Therapeutics has won an innovation grant from the National Sci-
ence Foundation; a federal R&D grant from the department of Health and Human Services; and recently beat out
thousands of medical device companies around the nation to win Frost and Sullivan's 2010 National Award for
Product Innovation.
Prior to this role, Mr. Janardhan was the President of Global Energy Software, a provider of mission-critical enter-
prise software solutions for over 400 electric utilities and energy companies around the world. Between 2002 and
2007, he lead the acquisition and later integration of five smaller enterprise software companies leading to a very
successful exit in Fall of 2007 with the sale of the company to a private equity firm. During this time, he was also
the recipient of Energy Risk Magazine's 2006 Software of the Year Award.
Mr. Janardhan started his career in the generation planning group at Con Edison of New York and spent close to a
decade between General Electric Company and Asea Brown Boveri Inc. in various leadership capacities as part of
a rotational program before joining Global Energy Software.
He has extensive speaking and presentation experience at numerous energy and healthcare related conferences
and was most recently Drexel University's 2011 convocation speaker where he addressed their fifth cohort of
graduate students. He is also a regular guest speaker at the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship and was re-
cently recognized by Sacramento Business Journal as one of 2011's 40 under 40 leaders of the region.
Mr. Janardhan's twin passions are energy and health care. Today, he maintains his interest in energy by teaching
as well as writing about it. He is a member of the board of advisors at Drexel University; has authored over 40 jour-
nal publications and is the co-author of the book Energy Explained, a comprehensive survey of the global energy
landscape published by Rowman and Littlefield publishers, Inc. His is now working on his second book titled Elec-
tric Power Generation to be published by PennWell Corporation in early 2012.
He trained at the Wharton Business School’s Executive Education program and has an M.S in Electrical Engineer-
ing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY.
Cecelia Lakatos Sullivan, President & CEO, Pinnacle Telecommunications, Inc. (PTI)
Cecelia Lakatos Sullivan is the President and CEO of PTI. Prior to her position at Pinnacle, Cecelia founded CLS
Consultants which specializes in interim CEO and turnaround management services. Throughout her career,
Cecelia has held key leadership positions in finance, business development, supply chain and manufacturing. As an
executive in the semi-conductor industry, she also led IT architecture and integrated systems development, and
global supply chain operations. Cecelia is a graduate with an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth and a BA
from University of California, Davis.
In 2007, Ms. Lakatos Sullivan was selected for the Outstanding Woman Leader Award (OWL), Woman Innovator,
by the Sacramento Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She is a member of
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), United States Telecom Association (USTA), and Vistage
CEO Forum. Cecelia is a guest lecturer for the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Cecelia serves as vice
chair on the national board for CEOs Against Cancer for the American Cancer Society. In addition, she and her fam-
ily are long time sponsors of the Special Olympics of Northern California. Cecelia and her husband have three
children.
PTI (Pinnacle Telecommunications, Inc.), a certified 100% woman-owned company, is a full service Tier 1, EF&I
Vendor providing quality services to the telecommunications industry and beyond. PTI is a recognized leading-edge
company dedicated to providing high quality design, engineering and installation of integrated cabling, electrical ,
wireless and wire-line IT solutions in the central office and data center environments. For over 25 years, PTI has
delivered outstanding solutions that mirror the changing technology and needs in installation services. Our mission
is to build infrastructure that keeps telecommunications companies, government agencies, and businesses
connected. PTI serves some of the largest and most successful public and private companies in the industry
including AT&T, Verizon, Bechtel, T-Mobile, General Dynamics and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies.
Brandie Leathers, VP of Sales, JLM Energy, Inc.
Brandie Leathers is a leading Sacramento professional in the electronics and renewable energy markets. Currently
she leads business development and sales as vice president for a renewable energy company, JLM Energy, Inc. in
Rocklin, California.
Brandie is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of growing business nationally and internationally.
While at Philips Electronics, Brandie’s extensive technical sales success helped her win a Fast Track Pioneer award
and was recognized as a top 100 employee for over ten years. She was instrumental in developing the LCD Cells
and Modules division into a record breaking 250 million dollar business with customers like Ford Motor Company,
General Motors, JCI, and Visteon. She has successfully negotiated key grant awards from the federal government
in 2009 together with Vice President Joe Biden and former Governor Jennifer Granholm, for renewable technologies
for the State of Michigan.
Brandie is passionate about supporting the community and renewable energy technology. She launched a success-
ful non-profit company, The Next Michigan, to assist with filling vacant automotive factories with over 5,000 new
renewable energy jobs. She has been featured on TV and radio promoting the new PALS shelter which is a non-
profit that rescues abandoned animals. Recently she has been promoting the Power House Science Center in Sac-
ramento where she sits on the Steering and development committees. She is excited to be back in her home state
of California working in the Sacramento area.
Keisha Liggett - Nichols, Associate Clinical Professor of Management, LeBow College of Business for Drexel Uni-
versity Sacramento
Keisha Liggett – Nichols is an Associate Clinical Professor of Management for Graduate Studies at Drexel Univer-
sity’s LeBow College of Business. Professor Nichols is an Executive Doctorate of Business Candidate at Georgia
State University. She has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in Operations Management in the Deci-
sion Sciences. She teaches graduate courses in Managing the Total Enterprise, Managing Innovation and Technol-
ogy, Entrepreneurship and a capstone course in Strategy. Professor Nichols’ research interests include strategy,
firm performance, corporate entrepreneurship and evidence based management.
Prior to transitioning to academia, Professor Nichols spent 19 years in industry working in mortgage and finance.
The last 6 years were spent in Sr. Leadership for a fortune 500 international financial firm.
Todd Wille, President & CEO, Daegis
Todd Wille is the president and chief executive officer of Daegis, formerly known as Unify Corporation. Mr. Wille has
been the company’s CEO since November 2000. He is a seasoned business leader with more than 25 years of ex-
ecutive management, financial, operational, and sales and marketing experience. Mr. Wille joined Unify originally in
August 1995 and served until 1997 as the corporate controller, vice president, finance, and chief financial officer.
From 1997 to 2000, he was with FRx Software serving as the vice president of finance and chief financial officer,
and senior vice president of operations. In 2008, Mr. Wille was named Best Turnaround Executive in America by the
American Business Awards (ABA), also known as the Stevie Awards. Mr. Wille received a B.A. degree in business
administration with concentrations in accounting and finance and management information systems from Wartburg
College.
doc_893710494.pdf
Leading A Successful Company
Leading A Successful Company
Sponsored by Drexel University Center for Graduate Studies
Course Description:
What does it take to lead a successful company? This seminar features an interactive panel discussion with c-
level executives of regional technology companies as they share their leadership experiences and advice. We’ll
explore the evolving nature and demands of leadership from start up to maturity; the evolution process from an
entrepreneurial technical expert to an effective company leader; effective leadership characteristics and styles;
and more! Join us as Keisha Liggett-Nichols, management professor at Le Bow College of Business, Drexel
University, moderates this panel of accomplished Sacramento company leaders.
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Time: 8:45 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Drexel University, One Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento, CA 95814
Bios:
Vikram Janardhan, CEO, Insera Thereputics
Mr. Janardhan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Insera Therapeutics, Inc. a Sacramento based Biotech
company focused on solutions for the treatment of Stroke.
In less than three years since inception, Insera Therapeutics has won an innovation grant from the National Sci-
ence Foundation; a federal R&D grant from the department of Health and Human Services; and recently beat out
thousands of medical device companies around the nation to win Frost and Sullivan's 2010 National Award for
Product Innovation.
Prior to this role, Mr. Janardhan was the President of Global Energy Software, a provider of mission-critical enter-
prise software solutions for over 400 electric utilities and energy companies around the world. Between 2002 and
2007, he lead the acquisition and later integration of five smaller enterprise software companies leading to a very
successful exit in Fall of 2007 with the sale of the company to a private equity firm. During this time, he was also
the recipient of Energy Risk Magazine's 2006 Software of the Year Award.
Mr. Janardhan started his career in the generation planning group at Con Edison of New York and spent close to a
decade between General Electric Company and Asea Brown Boveri Inc. in various leadership capacities as part of
a rotational program before joining Global Energy Software.
He has extensive speaking and presentation experience at numerous energy and healthcare related conferences
and was most recently Drexel University's 2011 convocation speaker where he addressed their fifth cohort of
graduate students. He is also a regular guest speaker at the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship and was re-
cently recognized by Sacramento Business Journal as one of 2011's 40 under 40 leaders of the region.
Mr. Janardhan's twin passions are energy and health care. Today, he maintains his interest in energy by teaching
as well as writing about it. He is a member of the board of advisors at Drexel University; has authored over 40 jour-
nal publications and is the co-author of the book Energy Explained, a comprehensive survey of the global energy
landscape published by Rowman and Littlefield publishers, Inc. His is now working on his second book titled Elec-
tric Power Generation to be published by PennWell Corporation in early 2012.
He trained at the Wharton Business School’s Executive Education program and has an M.S in Electrical Engineer-
ing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY.
Cecelia Lakatos Sullivan, President & CEO, Pinnacle Telecommunications, Inc. (PTI)
Cecelia Lakatos Sullivan is the President and CEO of PTI. Prior to her position at Pinnacle, Cecelia founded CLS
Consultants which specializes in interim CEO and turnaround management services. Throughout her career,
Cecelia has held key leadership positions in finance, business development, supply chain and manufacturing. As an
executive in the semi-conductor industry, she also led IT architecture and integrated systems development, and
global supply chain operations. Cecelia is a graduate with an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth and a BA
from University of California, Davis.
In 2007, Ms. Lakatos Sullivan was selected for the Outstanding Woman Leader Award (OWL), Woman Innovator,
by the Sacramento Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She is a member of
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), United States Telecom Association (USTA), and Vistage
CEO Forum. Cecelia is a guest lecturer for the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Cecelia serves as vice
chair on the national board for CEOs Against Cancer for the American Cancer Society. In addition, she and her fam-
ily are long time sponsors of the Special Olympics of Northern California. Cecelia and her husband have three
children.
PTI (Pinnacle Telecommunications, Inc.), a certified 100% woman-owned company, is a full service Tier 1, EF&I
Vendor providing quality services to the telecommunications industry and beyond. PTI is a recognized leading-edge
company dedicated to providing high quality design, engineering and installation of integrated cabling, electrical ,
wireless and wire-line IT solutions in the central office and data center environments. For over 25 years, PTI has
delivered outstanding solutions that mirror the changing technology and needs in installation services. Our mission
is to build infrastructure that keeps telecommunications companies, government agencies, and businesses
connected. PTI serves some of the largest and most successful public and private companies in the industry
including AT&T, Verizon, Bechtel, T-Mobile, General Dynamics and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies.
Brandie Leathers, VP of Sales, JLM Energy, Inc.
Brandie Leathers is a leading Sacramento professional in the electronics and renewable energy markets. Currently
she leads business development and sales as vice president for a renewable energy company, JLM Energy, Inc. in
Rocklin, California.
Brandie is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of growing business nationally and internationally.
While at Philips Electronics, Brandie’s extensive technical sales success helped her win a Fast Track Pioneer award
and was recognized as a top 100 employee for over ten years. She was instrumental in developing the LCD Cells
and Modules division into a record breaking 250 million dollar business with customers like Ford Motor Company,
General Motors, JCI, and Visteon. She has successfully negotiated key grant awards from the federal government
in 2009 together with Vice President Joe Biden and former Governor Jennifer Granholm, for renewable technologies
for the State of Michigan.
Brandie is passionate about supporting the community and renewable energy technology. She launched a success-
ful non-profit company, The Next Michigan, to assist with filling vacant automotive factories with over 5,000 new
renewable energy jobs. She has been featured on TV and radio promoting the new PALS shelter which is a non-
profit that rescues abandoned animals. Recently she has been promoting the Power House Science Center in Sac-
ramento where she sits on the Steering and development committees. She is excited to be back in her home state
of California working in the Sacramento area.
Keisha Liggett - Nichols, Associate Clinical Professor of Management, LeBow College of Business for Drexel Uni-
versity Sacramento
Keisha Liggett – Nichols is an Associate Clinical Professor of Management for Graduate Studies at Drexel Univer-
sity’s LeBow College of Business. Professor Nichols is an Executive Doctorate of Business Candidate at Georgia
State University. She has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in Operations Management in the Deci-
sion Sciences. She teaches graduate courses in Managing the Total Enterprise, Managing Innovation and Technol-
ogy, Entrepreneurship and a capstone course in Strategy. Professor Nichols’ research interests include strategy,
firm performance, corporate entrepreneurship and evidence based management.
Prior to transitioning to academia, Professor Nichols spent 19 years in industry working in mortgage and finance.
The last 6 years were spent in Sr. Leadership for a fortune 500 international financial firm.
Todd Wille, President & CEO, Daegis
Todd Wille is the president and chief executive officer of Daegis, formerly known as Unify Corporation. Mr. Wille has
been the company’s CEO since November 2000. He is a seasoned business leader with more than 25 years of ex-
ecutive management, financial, operational, and sales and marketing experience. Mr. Wille joined Unify originally in
August 1995 and served until 1997 as the corporate controller, vice president, finance, and chief financial officer.
From 1997 to 2000, he was with FRx Software serving as the vice president of finance and chief financial officer,
and senior vice president of operations. In 2008, Mr. Wille was named Best Turnaround Executive in America by the
American Business Awards (ABA), also known as the Stevie Awards. Mr. Wille received a B.A. degree in business
administration with concentrations in accounting and finance and management information systems from Wartburg
College.
doc_893710494.pdf