Ralph M. Frid (Emerging & Advanced Technologies)

Ralph Frid holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering and a Masters in Management from the University of Redlands. He has completed advanced studies and research at the University of Washington School of Business in Executive Management, and is in the final stages of earning his PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from The Fielding Graduate Institute located in Santa Barbara. He currently serves on the corporate advisory board for the University of Redlands School of Business, and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Trinity College of Graduate Studies.

Mr. Frid distinguished himself at Hughes Aircraft Company by earning the Hughes' Inventor Award and was recognized by the US Navy in their Evaluation of Best Manufacturing Practices. He pioneered new concepts for advanced product development and was the instructor for the "blue-ribbon" course on accelerated product development taught to every new executive and senior program manager.

Mr. Frid was recruited by Hewlett-Packard in 1995 to expand its aerospace and manufacturing consulting organization. In 1997, he became the first HP Principal Consultant in the US and managed the relationship between HP and Boeing, worldwide, for four years. Mr. Frid currently works for Cox Communications and leads studies in the areas of emerging technologies.

Armando Azarzola (Multi-Cultural Development)

Armando brings Weber Shandwick over 16 years of experience in public relations, marketing and advertising. As president of the Axis Agency, Weber Shandwick's multicultural marketing partner, Armando is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the agency as well as leading our teams in providing clients with the best insights into the U.S. multicultural markets.

An expert in integrated marketing, his campaigns are defined by innovation and creative thinking. Whether launching a new product, managing a company's reputation or brand building among Hispanics and African Americans his efforts produce compelling experiences that are consistent with lifestyle, tell a story and drive unique relevant influences.

Armando has developed award-winning campaigns for a broad range of clients in diverse product categories. He has handled assignments for Azteca America, Univision, Televisa, Nintendo, U.S. Army, U.S. Treasury, Absolut Vodka, Kohl's, Islands of the Bahamas, Los Angeles Police Department and Jafra Cosmetics.

Before joining the firm, Armando was press secretary to the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. While in Washington D.C. he worked on the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act. Armando started his career as an advanceman for First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Armando is also active in the community serving on the board of directors of Padres Contra el Cancer, a non-profit healthcare organization affiliated with Children's Hospital Los Angeles, serving the needs of Hispanic children and families with cancer.

Fully bilingual and bicultural, Armando has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Walter Fawcett (Community & Technology Integration)

Walt is a senior manager with Baseline Systems, where he specializes in helping small and emerging businesses manage information technology. With over 20 years of experience, Walt's technology background includes network infrastructure, application development, technology management and strategic planning. Additionally, Walt has a strong background in business process consulting, membership management systems, sales, business development and marketing.

In earlier positions, Walt has demonstrated a strong passion for innovation and management. Among his accomplishment are helping to launch the premier membership system for youth sports organizations, developing a cutting-edge geographic market analysis business intelligence application and building one of the first Internet development practices for IBM Consulting Group.

Walt is an active member of the Orange County Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and the Newport Business Forum. He volunteers for several youth sports organizations including AYSO and International Soccer Academy.

Walt has a Business degree from the University of California Berkeley. He lives in south Orange County with his 3 children (all girls!) and wife - Joy, who is a former member of the US Women's National Soccer team.

Cathy Connolly (Community Affairs)

With a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from California State University, Long Beach and Master's Degree in Management form the University of Redlands, Cathy has spearheaded numerous new product innovation initiatives for top-flight brands that include Snickers Bar, M&M's Plain and Peanut Chocolate Candies, Three Musketeers Bar, Mars Bar, Milkyway Bar, Munch Bar, Kudos Bar, Carefree Sugarless Gum, Bubble Yum, Lifesaver's Roll Candy, Sunkist, Pam Cooking Spray, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Butterball, Marie Callender's Hebrew National, Hunts, Wesson, Peter Pan, Knott's, Ranch Style Beans, Van Camps, Rosarita, Blue Bonnet, Egg Beaters, ACT II, Orville Redenbacher's , Slim Jim, Pemmican, and DAVID Seeds. Additionally, Cathy is a licensed California Real Estate Broker and member of the National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Orange County Association of Realtors. Like her success in the consumer packaged goods industry, Cathy has been recognized as a top-flight real estate entrepreneur as she has actively participated in numerous investments that have included both commercial and residential properties.

Married, with two children, Cathy resides in Carlsbad, California

Mark DeBellis (Financial Strategist)

Mark has spent half of his life in the Marketing profession and in the promotion and management of consumer brands and services. Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing from California State Polytechnic University (1980), and completed his MBA at the University of Southern California (1982).

He honed his marketing experience with major consumer product companies including The Pillsbury Company, Pepsi-Cola, and Sunkist where he held positions in Sales, Sales Management, Product Development and Marketing.

Later in his career, he joined Imperial Savings, a $10B institution with an eighty-branch network. As Director of Field Marketing, he built a staff of Regional Marketing Managers with accountability for field promotion and branch sales productivity. Later, as Vice President of Retail Marketing, he worked on broader strategic initiatives before leaving the institution in 1990.

During his career, Mark has held teaching posts at the university level lecturing to both undergraduate and graduate classes in Consumer Behavior and Marketing Management. He has also been a guest lecturer at industry conferences and training seminars.

In 1996, Mark joined PSB - The Marketing Supersource, an end-to-end marketing services provider with 125 employees, and now serves as President. He has led the national expansion of PSB throughout the US and continues to seek new ways to provide value-added services and product marketing strategies for PSB’s clients.

Mark makes his home in Portola Hills, CA with Kayla, his wife of 22 years. He has two children, Lauren and Danielle and Tiger the cat. When he’s not spending time with his family, he’s playing the guitar, running, or sport fishing. His current goal is to write a hit song.