• Jerry is dedicated to developing leadership and organization solutions that link individual executive effectiveness to team and organizational performance. He brings that expertise and experience to his applied work at The Catalyst Effect, LLC and to Butler University’s MBA program.For over 30 years as a Human Resources Executive, Change Agent, Educator, and Psychologist, Jerry has effectively worked with a wide range of individuals and teams to achieve their professional and personal goals in both mid-sized and larger organizations.

    He worked in the business sector with Dow Chemical and Dow AgroSciences, where he held numerous leadership positions in Human Resources, both in the US and Asia (Hong Kong). As a trusted advisor and coach to executive leadership, Jerry demonstrated an accomplished understanding of key business, human capital, and shareholder value drivers.

    Jerry’s academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Iowa. He was also named a “Diplomate in Counseling Psychology,” the highest professional certification, by the American Board of Professional Psychology. His highly regarded leadership book, The Catalyst Effect, was published in early 2018 by Emerald Publishing.

    Jerry enjoys all things related to music, basketball and on occasion, golf, depending on the day and his putting success. And, most importantly, he delights in being a grandparent.

  • Nina Kanikar Meng You was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1970. She and her family were resettled as part of the refugees program to the US in 1975. Two decades later, Ms. You returned to Cambodia as an international consultant of the World Bank to the Cambodian government based in a project which developed informational resources for private sector development in Cambodia under the new investment laws. Ms. You continued to work and live in Cambodia for more than a decade, specializing in poverty-alleviation projects in sectors of women and children, gender education, community assessment, planning and building, and enterprise and trade development. She worked for several different organization includes UNDCP/CARERE, US/AID, Asia Development Bank, IMF/Mekong Planning Development funds to name a few.

    Her contributions also include major important role as board member Board Member of the Samdech Reaksmey Sobbhana Women’s Foundation of Cambodia and the Somaly Mam Foundation of America. Ms You’s works also extend into the arts and culture of Cambodia: helped found the Cambodian Silk Forum and the Angkor Silk Fair and is a patron for Cambodian cinema from protecting the artform to supporting independent films, in particular nurturing new talents among emerging female directors and producers in Cambodia.

    Currently, Ms You is engaged as the owner and de facto Director of the EG Conference of her late spouse, Michael Jerome Hawley who passed in 2020. She is also a devoted full-time mother of a preschooler.


  • Tripti Das has spent over 20 years in the Banking industry helping clients with their businesses. She specializes in building relationships based on trust and provides consultative expertise to government banking clients. As Head of Operations, she manages treasury solutions like lockbox, positive pay, payroll, and vendor payments for the bank’s municipal and business clients. She is passionate about continuously researching and creating innovative products and solutions to best service her clients' needs.

    Prior to joining Leader Bank, Tripti worked as a branch manager and business relationship manager for Citi Bank. She serves on the board and is a founding member of HUM, a not-for-profit organization working for specially-abled children in India.


  • Over the course of his multifaceted career Roland Valliere has transformed and revitalized symphony orchestras across the United States and co-founded a pioneering educational venture with the esteemed Juilliard School. Valliere's CEO appointments include orchestras and performing arts organizations in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, New York and New Hampshire. 

    Valliere has developed products at the forefront of music and technology. He created the Concert Companion, an innovative venture that enhanced the concert experience through delivering explanatory text, program notes and video images to hand-held devices in real time with the music (featured on All Things Considered). Valliere also created SyncNotes - explanatory notes & graphics synchronized to recorded music, prior to co-founding Cornucopia Arts, LLC in partnership with the Juilliard School.

    He is married to the accomplished abstract expressionist painter, Milisa Valliere. They collaborate on the innovative multimedia exhibition Inspired by Music (featured on the NEA’s ArtWorks), where he chooses the music to which Milisa paints. Before becoming a sought-after performing arts executive, Valliere was a musicologist, teacher and performer. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Master of Fine Arts in Musicology from Brandeis University, with additional studies at the School of Education and Littauer Center for Public Policy at Harvard University.


Board of Directors

Click the “+” icon to the right of each board member to read their biography.

Board of Advisors

Click the “+” icon to the right of each board member to read their biography.

  • Niren Chaudhary is the Chairman of the Board of Panera Brands, one of the world’s largest fast casual restaurant companies with nearly 4,000 locations in 10 countries. Panera Brands is comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros Bagels. 

    Prior to becoming Chairman in 2023, Niren served as CEO of Panera Brands and Panera Bread. During his four-year tenure, Panera Brands strengthened its leadership in the fast casual segment by expanding its leading digital capabilities, which as of 2023 account for 51% of total sales at Panera Bread, while increasing its loyalty base to more than 53 million members and launching an innovative loyalty subscription model that resulted in 25% of all Panera transactions coming from Unlimited Sip Club members. Panera also increased its pace of innovation, strengthened franchisee partnerships and led the creation of a strong, people-first culture, resulting in industry-leading retention rates for GMs and associates, earning Black Box Intelligence’s Employer of Choice Award in 2022.  

    Previously, Niren served as Chief Operating Officer and President of Krispy Kreme where he implemented a new operating model to elevate consistency across the global brand and created a path for enterprise value growth of 3x over 5 years. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Yum! Brands serving in global leadership positions including Global President of KFC and President of Yum! India.  

    Niren is guided by his deep passion for serving others and building future leaders. He spends his personal time sharing his personal and professional journey with students and professionals, often wielding a guitar to sing about his life or even a new Panera menu item. In addition, he dedicates his personal time serving on the Tufts Medical Center Board and as an advocate for DKMS, a leading non-profit with the world’s largest stem cell donor registry.   

    As a lifelong learner, Niren focuses on both formal and informal education. Formally, Niren holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, an MBA in marketing from the University of Delhi, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Informally, Niren speaks four languages – Hindi, English, Dutch and German. He holds a black belt in Shotokan karate and is an avid golfer, tennis player and musician with his own rock band. 

  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Visionary Solutions, Inc.

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    Innovative technology leader with over four decades of experience driving product development, engineering excellence, and strategic growth in the professional AV and networked media industries. As Co-Founder and CTO of Visionary Solutions, Inc., Jordan has overseen the design and deployment of cutting-edge AV-over-IP solutions used globally in enterprise, education, government, and entertainment environments. Recognized for bridging deep technical expertise with business vision to create sustainable, scalable, and market-leading technologies.

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    Experience

    Visionary Solutions, Inc. – Santa Barbara, CA

    Chief Technology Officer, Co-Founder (1995 – Present)

    • Co-founded Visionary Solutions and grew it into a leading provider of AV-over-IP encoders, decoders, and software platforms.

    • Architect of Visionary’s pioneering IPTV and AV-over-IP product lines, enabling secure, low-latency distribution of 4K/8K video and Dante/AES67 audio across IP networks.

    • Spearheaded the development of Visionary’s Duet Series and 5-Series platforms, integrating broadcast-quality performance with IT-friendly deployment.

    • Championed sustainability and energy efficiency in product design, leading to solutions that consume significantly less power than competing AV transport technologies.

    Envision Medical Inc. - Santa Barbara, CA

    • Chief Technology Officer, Co-Founder (1990 – 1995)

    • Co-founded Envision Medical and was instrumental in providing innovations that led to the company being acquired in 1996 by a division of Bristol Meyers.

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    Board & Community Leadership

    Camerata Pacifica – Santa Barbara, CA

    President of the Board of Directors 2012-2018

    • Provided strategic oversight and governance for one of the nation’s premier chamber music ensembles.

    • Partnered with artistic leadership to expand Camerata Pacifica’s regional and international presence.

    • Directed fundraising and development initiatives to strengthen the organization’s financial sustainability.

    • Championed community engagement, audience growth, and educational outreach programs connecting world-class musicians with diverse communities.

    • Supported Camerata Pacifica’s mission of innovation in chamber music performance and artist collaboration.

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    I love excellence in myriad forms, and enjoy supporting it wherever possible, specially in Fine Art Music.

  • Emil J. Kang is a cultural strategist, educator, and advisor working at the intersection of arts, philanthropy, and public policy. Most recently, Kang served as Program Director for Arts and Culture at The Mellon Foundation—the nation's largest arts funder—where he led a $125 million annual portfolio and conceived Creatives Rebuild New York, the largest guaranteed income program for artists in U.S. history. Previously, he founded and led Carolina Performing Arts at UNC-Chapel Hill, leading it into one of the country's premier university-based performing arts programs while commissioning over 60 new works from internationally renowned artists. He also served as Professor of the Practice in the Department of Music and Special Assistant to the Chancellor for the Arts.

    Kang currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Yale Ventures Cultural Innovation Lab at Yale University and as the Agnes Gund Visiting Professor of the Practice of Arts at Brown University. He continues to serve on the National Council on the Arts, having been appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012. He also has an active consulting practice working with arts leaders and organizations driving change. 

    Earlier in his career, Kang served as President and Executive Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, becoming the youngest and first Asian-American CEO of a major American symphony.

    Kang currently serves on boards including Silkroad, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians, and National Sawdust, and on committees for Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Council of Korean Americans. A sought-after speaker on cultural leadership and institutional transformation, he writes provocatively about the future of arts institutions and philanthropic practice. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rochester.

  • Pratap Malik is a serial Life Sciences entrepreneur with a track record of building and scaling innovative companies. He has founded ventures including, Waban Software, Sycamore Informatics, Ephicacy, and Biosift, each achieving successful exits. He continues to serve on the Boards of Sycamore and Ephicacy.

    Before his entrepreneurial journey, Pratap enjoyed a distinguished academic career at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge, where he was a Wellcome Trust Fellow. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents.

    Pratap earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University, blending scientific rigor with entrepreneurial vision to advance solutions at the intersection of research, technology, and impact.

  • Parul Bhargava, who spent her childhood in India and immigrated to the United States over three decades ago, is an ardent supporter of the arts. Residing in the San Francisco Bay area, she is not only a practicing physician but also a Professor of Pathology and Vice-chair of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Throughout her life, Parul has been deeply committed to nurturing the arts. From a young age, she embraced the Indian classical dance form, Kathak, under the guidance of numerous maestros. Her passion for dance has led her to perform on stages in both India and the USA, inspiring others with her artistry and dedication to cultural expression.