Aaron Butler, VP Marketing

Aaron Butler joined the Venture Fellows program in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate concentrating in entrepreneurship and energy finance. He began his career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as a guidance, navigation and control specialist for the International Space Station (ISS). At NASA Aaron was certified as an Attitude Determination and Control Officer (ADCO) and was the lead ADCO specialist for Space Shuttle mission STS-113/11A. He accumulated over 2000 hours of ISS operations in Mission Control before leaving NASA in December, 2003.

Aaron continued his career in human spaceflight at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) mission control center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. There he acted as Mission Operations Director for Astrolab, Europe’s first long-duration to the ISS. Aaron also certified as an ISS life-support system specialist and led his team in the planning and execution of Space Shuttle mission STS-122/1E which launched ESA’s primary contribution to the ISS, the 1B € Columbus science laboratory.

Aaron holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency

Andrew Ice, VP Placement & Partnerships

Andrew joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Andrew was a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management consulting firm. As part of the Aerospace Market Group, Andrew worked on a variety of projects centered around Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) technology, acquisition methodology, and change management for numerous clients in the aerospace community. Before his consulting career, Andrew was a US Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya.

Originally from Spokane, WA, Andrew graduated from Wake Forest University with a BS in Information Systems where he was also a distance runner on the Track and Field and Cross Country teams. At McCombs he is a member of the Entrepreneurship Society, CleanTech Group, and Net Impact. In his free time Andrew enjoys cycling, reading, and writing music.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Booze Allen Hamilton
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: ARCH Venture Partners
3. Summer 2009 internship: ARCH Venture Partners/ Los Alamos National Laboratory
4. Venture Fellows fall 2009 internship: ARCH Venture Partners

Bradfield Wright, VP Community Outreach

Brad is an MBA 2010 candidate at McCombs and is concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

He is currently enrolled in the joint JD/MBA program. Prior to coming to McCombs, Brad worked in the Global Energy and Power Group at Merrill Lynch as an investment banking analyst. He graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in Plan II and Business Honors.

At McCombs, Brad is leading a Plus Project for the IC2 Institute focused on the World Bank’s Clean Technology Fund and is a member of the Entrepreneur Society, CleanTech Group and the MBA Christian Fellowship.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Merrill Lynch

Christopher Ochsner, VP Special Events

Chris joined the Venture Fellows program in the Fall of 2008 and is a second-year MBA student at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in finance.

Prior to attending McCombs, Chris worked as an Associate for LECG, which was previously known as the Law and Economic Consulting Group, where he worked in both the Nashville and Cambridge offices. In his role, Chris provided supporting expert analysis in numerous litigation and anti-trust matters across a broad range of industries, with a focus in the Transportation sector. In his primary engagement, he was responsible for constructing models to analyze the economic and competitive impact of potential major Legacy Airline mergers. Previous to LECG, Chris was a Senior Financial Analyst for the start-up equity research firm New Constructs.

Chris is originally from Omaha, NE and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Anthropology, with a minor in Finance from Vanderbilt University.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: LECG, LLC
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: Daylight Partners
3. Summer 2009 internship: Continental Airlines

David Kociuruba, VP Recruiting

David joined Venture Fellows in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in Finance. Prior to attending McCombs, he spent four years at Merrill Lynch in New York working in Investment Banking and Private Equity. David also spent two years in Strategic Planning for Citigroup Asset Management and two years with The Cambridge Group a management consulting firm. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a minor in History from the University of Richmond in 2000.

At McCombs, David is also a member of the Graduate Finance Association, Energy Finance Association, and the CleanTech Group at McCombs.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Merrill Lynch

David Wedemeyer, VP Recruiting

David is an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008.

Prior to attending McCombs, David worked in the Forensic and Litigation group of FTI Consulting, Inc. in both Dallas and Nashville. At FTI, David provided litigation consulting services to attorneys and their clients on many major civil litigation matters. These matters involve patent infringement, business interruption, securities litigation, business valuation, internal investigations, and compliance reviews. He has also assisted with aspects of various engagements that have involved analyzing market conditions and other economic factors. David graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Vanderbilt University in 2004.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: FTI Consulting

Jenna Goldman, VP Community Outreach

Jenna Goldman joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 student concentrating in marketing and entrepreneurship. Prior to attending McCombs, Jenna was with two start-ups. In 2003 she joined Relegence, a financial software company, where she served as their Director of Content and Editorial for three years until the company was purchased by AOL in 2006. Shortly after the merger, Jenna moved to San Francisco and began working for Glam Media, a women's online advertising network where she specialized in project management for new product development.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Glam Media

Kathleen Voboril, VP Marketing

Kathleen Voboril joined the Venture Fellows program in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate concentrating in fund marketing. Currently, Kathleen is a fund marketing and investor relations intern at Techquity Capital Management, an Austin-based PE firm which acquires, develops and commercializes intellectual property assets. Kathleen began her career in marketing and corporate communications at Warburg Pincus, a NY-based global private equity firm. Here, Kathleen coordinated the marketing efforts surrounding 15 global acquisitions and a $1.2 Billion real estate fund launch. Before entering the McCombs program, Kathleen was the marketing and sales manager for My Sister's Soup Company, a start-up food retailer based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Kathleen is also a classically trained musical theatre actress and voice over artist. As an undergraduate, she attended Northwestern University, where she was a vocal performance major and member of the musical theatre certificate program. She has performed leading roles in national tours, off-Broadway and regional productions and national commercials. She was also a member of the USO World Troupe, the “Liberty Belles,” and performed for active duty military and veterans worldwide.

Currently, Kathleen is an MBA Journal Writer for BusinessWeek.com.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: My Sister's Soup Company
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: Techquity Capital Management
3. Summer 2009 internship: Techquity Capital Management
4. Venture Fellows fall 2009 internship: Techquity Capital Management

Kelly Scoggins, VP Community Outreach

Kelly is an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in Entrepreneurship and Global Business. She joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008.

Prior to business school, Kelly worked for EG LNG, the largest onshore energy investment in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa. In her joint legal and commercial position, she led the establishment of a law department for the $1.5B liquefied natural gas facility by developing standard operating procedures and training staff in paralegal and contract administration work. Kelly also liaised with four multinational shareholders to organize quarterly board of directors and shareholder meetings and managed ten meetings in six countries. In Equatorial Guinea, she worked to develop programs to generate growth among local vendors and contractors, including novel financial products such as loan guarantees and small business capacity building. Before joining EG LNG, Kelly did process improvement then business development work at Arent Fox LLP, a large law firm headquartered in Washington, DC.

Kelly graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in Spanish and European Studies, and a Minor in Music Performance.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: EG LNG
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: G-51 Capital Management
3. Summer 2009 internship: G-51 Capital Management / PUSA Technology Systems, LLC
4. Venture Fellows fall 2009 internship: G-51 Capital Management

Lewis Leavitt, VP Special Events

Lewis Leavitt joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Lewis worked for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System for three years where he served as a project manager in business development. He was responsible for developing and syndicating numerous physician joint ventures, including ambulatory surgery centers and cardiac service partnerships. Prior to his experience at Memorial Hermann, Lewis spent two years in Nashville, TN, at The Securities Group, a boutique investment firm specializing in the syndication of physician partnerships. Lewis is originally from Houston, TX. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in Spanish and Political Science. At McCombs, Lewis is a member of the Entrepreneurship Society, the Graduate Real Estate Society and the Clean Tech Group.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Memorial Hermann Healthcare System

Mark Westerburg, VP Special Events

Mark Westerburg joined Venture Fellows in the Fall of 2008 as an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business. Previously, Mark spent 4 years at JMP Securities LLC in San Francisco, most recently as an Associate in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group. Prior to JMP, Mark worked for 4 years at Key Bank in the San Francisco and Dallas offices focused on real estate lending to its middle market and institutional clients. Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: JMP Securities
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: Sentient Ventures
3. Summer 2009 internship: G51 Capital Management

Matthew Prickett, Treasurer

Matthew Prickett joined Venture Fellows in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate concentrating in entrepreneurship and finance. Prior to pursing his MBA, Matthew worked for PHI Holdings, a utility company that covered five jurisdictions along the Mid-Atlantic coast including Washington, DC and Atlantic City, NJ. While at PHI Holdings, he was responsible for forecasting company electricity sales for budgeting and regulatory purposes.

Matthew is originally from Albuquerque, NM and graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a BA in Economics and from Colorado State University with a Masters in Economics. At McCombs, he is involved with a PLUS Project for AT Kearney researching the evolution of transportation systems in the United States. He is a member of the CleanTech Group, Graduate Consulting Group, and MBA Soccer.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: PHI Holdings

Patrick Callahan, VP Placement & Partnerships

Patrick is an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship. He joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008.

Prior to attending McCombs, Patrick worked in PricewaterhouseCooper's Assurance practice in Austin, TX. At PwC, Patrick worked on a variety of audit engagements for public and private entities ranging from Fortune 15 corporations to local venture capital funds. These engagements included performing a variety of audit procedures and tests of controls in conjunction with SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. Patrick is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas as of 2007.

Patrick is originally from Houston, TX and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 and with his Masters in Public Accounting from the University of Texas in 2006.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Q Beck, VP Public Relations

Q Beck joined Venture Fellows in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate at the McCombs School of Business concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Prior to pursing his MBA, Q spent six years working for various divisions of Viacom, including Paramount, Nickelodeon and DreamWorks, as a film development and production executive. Q is originally from Houston, TX and graduated from Columbia University in the City of New York where he studied film and English.

Q is member of the McCombs Admissions Committee, the Entrepreneurship Society and the Sports, Entertainment & Media Association.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Viacom

Randall Crowder, President

Randall Crowder joined the Venture Fellows program in Fall 2008 and is interning at Limestone Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm located in Austin, TX with a focus on emerging technologies within information technology and life sciences. Randall is also Executive Director of the Central Texas Angels Network (CTAN), an organization dedicated to providing quality early-stage investment opportunities for accredited angel investors. He is a second-year MBA student at the McCombs School of Business, concentrating in Entrepreneurship and Private Equity Finance.

Prior to returning to school to get his MBA, Randall was a Captain in the United States Army after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in General Management with a focus in Environmental Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2002. Qualified as Airborne and Ranger, he served six years (two and a half deployed to Iraq) active duty and was awarded two Bronze Stars during combat.

At McCombs, Randall is also a member of the Entrepreneur Society, CleanTech Group, the Graduate Consulting Group, the Energy Finance Association and the Graduate Finance Association.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: United States Army
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: Limestone Ventures
3. Summer 2009 internship: Limestone Ventures
4. Venture Fellows fall 2009 internship: Limestone Ventures

Ryan Childress, VP Curriculum

Ryan Childress joined Venture Fellows in the Fall of 2008 and is an MBA 2010 candidate focusing on Finance and Entrepreneurship. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Ryan was an Assistant Vice President at Madison Capital Funding LLC, a Chicago-based leveraged finance firm providing senior debt and equity co-investments for private equity buyout transactions. While at Madison, Ryan’s responsibilities included deal structuring, due diligence management, and legal negotiation. Prior to joining Madison, Ryan worked at Comerica Bank as a commercial credit analyst specializing in middle-market and distressed debt financing.

Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. He is member of the McCombs Admissions Committee, the Entrepreneurship Society, CleanTech Group, and the Sports, Entertainment & Media Association.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Madison Capital Funding LLC
2. Venture Fellows spring 2009 internship: Austin Technology Incubator - Clean Energy Incubator
3. Summer 2009 internship: Raytheon Co.
4. Venture Fellows fall 2009 internship: VentureArchetypes

Tate Forrester, VP Curriculum

Tate joined Venture Fellows in the fall of 2008. Prior to McCombs, Tate spent four years with Morgan Stanley in New York. Most recently, he worked for the last three years in the investment banking division’s debt restructuring/liability management group working on over 43 restructuring, recapitalization, debt exchange, tender and consent solicitation transactions. Prior to that, he worked as an associate in the firm’s Latin America Private Wealth Management group for one year as a trader.

Tate is originally from Amarillo, TX and graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University where he studied Economics, Spanish and Managerial Studies and from Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, VA. He will graduate in May 2010 from the McCombs School of Business with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Management.

At McCombs, Tate is a member of the McCombs Admissions Committee, the Graduate Finance Association, and the Entrepreneur Society.

1. Place of employment pre-McCombs: Morgan Stanley