Sacramento Mayor Names 19 to Tech Council

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has named 19 regional innovation experts to his Tech Council, which will advise the Mayor’s Office for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MOFIE) on tech issues as they relate to economic development. The Tech Council, which will meet quarterly, will help in vetting and recommending grants and investments available through the Innovation & Growth Fund policies. 

Working with the council will be Sacramento’s chief innovation officer, Louis Stewart, who has held that role with the city since May. Before that, Stewart was the deputy director for innovation and entrepreneurship in the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) for the past seven years. 

Following are thumbnails of the mayor’s 19 new tech advisers, as identified on the Tech Council website:

Meg Arnold, Managing Director, Valley Vision

Arnold was a consultant with Valley Vision before stepping into the role of managing director in 2016. She directs two of the organization’s key strategies — the Clean Economy and Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives — and is part of the organization’s executive leadership team. Previously, she served five years as CEO of SARTA, the Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance, which she led to become one of four founding organizations behind the creation of the Next Economy regional jobs growth plan.

Erika Bjork, VP of Marketing & Communications, Republic FC

Bjork is an executive with over 23 years of experience in corporate citizenship, interactive marketing, crisis communications and brand strategy. During her 20 years in sports and entertainment marketing — including nine years with the Sacramento Kings (NBA), Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA) and Sacramento Knights (CISL) — she aligned athletes and teams with national brands. She currently leads the branding, entertainment, broadcast, marketing and communications for Sacramento Republic FC.

Monique Brown, Sacramento iHub Director, I/O Labs 

Brown serves as the iHub director at I/O Labs. She previously worked at Impact Venture Capital, overseeing the growth and development of the Entrepreneurs Campus and Showcase activities and supporting the building and deepening of strategic relationships with corporate, foundation and government partners. Before that, she led the marketing and communications efforts at Delegata, a Sacramento-based IT and management consulting firm. She has over 15 years of experience in the communications field including work in print and television production, marketing and public relations.

Andrea Deveau, VP, State Policy and Politics, TechNet

Deveau is a veteran of advocacy with experience in energy and technology policy. She serves as TechNet’s vice president of state policy and politics. Based in Sacramento, Deveau is responsible for leading TechNet’s 50-state advocacy program. Previously, she served as TechNet’s executive director for California and the Southwest, where she worked on legislation related to advanced energy; the sharing economy; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and computer science education; and cybersecurity issues.

Pamela Eibeck, President, University of the Pacific

Eibeck, named president of University of the Pacific in 2009, is seeking to have her institution span three metropolitan regions — Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. She also serves on the Valley Vision Board, the Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council Board of Directors and the NCAA’s Committee on Academics. She received her degrees and doctorate from Stanford University and served in various capacities at UC Berkeley, Northern Arizona University and Texas Tech University. An expert in heat transfer, Eibeck conducted research on heat tiles for NASA’s aerospace vehicles.

Justin Fanslau, Political Consultant, Strategies 360

Fanslau is a political consultant working on coalition building, capacity development, crisis management and strategic planning at Strategies 360. He previously served as senior vice president for Mercury Public Affairs. Strategies 360 is a full-service research, public affairs, and communications firm.

Jeffrey Louie, Founder/Entrepreneur, Capsity

In 2008, Louie founded Capsity Inc., which serves as a hybrid model of business development and community engagement space for more than 70 entrepreneurs and business professionals and community-based organizations. Louie has 13 years of experience in IT, education, media and real estate. He serves on the boards of the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Benefit Corporations Standards Institute Inc., and is on the boards of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Community Impact Committee and Metro EDGE’s Communication Committee.

Damian Lynch, COO and Event Manager, HOFDay

In Lynch’s profile on LinkedIn, he describes himself as a “trained millennial.” More specifically, he is chief operations officer and event manager for Sacramento’s Hall of Fame Day, a music and arts festival celebrating the youth’s imprint within the city.

Gary May, Chancellor, UC Davis

May has been chancellor since August, overseeing a university with four colleges and six professional schools that offer 104 undergraduate majors and 96 graduate and professional degrees. Previously, May was dean of the College of Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2015, former President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring.

Ryan Montoya, CTO, Sacramento Kings

Montoya is the chief technology officer for the Sacramento Kings, a role in which he provides direction in directing and managing the Kings’ new technology and innovation strategies to enhance the fan experience and improve the team’s performance. Under his leadership, the Kings became the first NBA team to use Twitter and Bitcoin, to experiment with Google Glass and employ drones. Additionally, he oversees all technology for Sacramento’s downtown entertainment and sports complex, Golden 1 Center. Montoya began his career as an aide to former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and two Cabinet secretaries.

Vaibhav Nadgauda, Managing Partner, Moneta Ventures

Before becoming a partner in Moneta Ventures, Nadgauda was president of the SAP Business Unit at KPIT, managing a global portfolio of over $100 million in revenue and a team of over 1,800 employees. He was co-founder and partner of Sparta Consulting, where he served as executive vice president. Previously, he was vice president of corporate development and global delivery at Fujitsu Consulting. He started his career 21 years ago with Siemens. 

Robert Nelsen, President, CSU Sacramento

Nelsen, the first in his family to attend college, earned his degree in political science from Brigham Young University and subsequently earned his doctorate. While at the University of Texas-Dallas he founded the creative writing program, was a professor and served as vice provost. He was later named president of the University of Texas-Pan American. At Sacramento State, Nelsen is leading the effort to raise private funds for a new science building and an events center, as well as to raise money to renovate older buildings.

Tina Reynolds, President, Uptown Studios

Uptown Studios, which Reynolds started in 1992, encourages its team members to be involved in community activities and causes they are passionate about. Reynolds has been running her own design firm since 1976 and she is the community face of Uptown Studios.

Jay Sales, co-founder of The Shop, VSP Global

In 2006, Sales joined VSP Global, which offers high-quality, high-fashion eyewear, customized lenses and ophthalmic technology to help more than 84 million people see. He now serves as co-founder and co-director of VSP’s innovation lab, The Shop. Predicated on design thinking, lean methodologies and disruption theory, The Shop is breaking down boundaries between the digital and physical worlds where design, fashion and health care collide. Sales has over 20 years of experience in technology, including positions working with IBM, HP and multiple startups and Internet companies.

Tyler Smith, Founder and CEO, SkySlope

Born and raised in Sacramento, Smith is the founder and CEO of SkySlope, a software company that streamlines the transaction process for real-estate professionals. With more than 100 employees and growing, SkySlope serves 47 of the top 100 brokerages in the nation.

Brook Taylor, Senior State Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Mercedes/Daimler

Taylor is the senior state regulatory affairs specialist for Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America. Hired in 2017, he helped with marketing campaigns including autonomous vehicle technology. He has over 12 years of experience in public policy, economic development, government affairs and communications. Prior to joining Mercedes, he was a senior aide to Gov. Jerry Brown as deputy director at the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). He served previously as a senior policy analyst for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was governor.

Amy Tong, California CIO

As California’s CIO and director of its Department of Technology, Tong advises Gov. Jerry Brown on IT strategy and direction and oversees state government’s AIOs and CIOs. She has over 22 years of business, technology, and management experience in the public sector, including IT leadership positions in the Office of Systems Integration at the California Health and Human Services Agency, the California Lottery, the Board of Equalization, CalPERS and the Water Resources Control Board. She’s also spent 17 years as a community volunteer, helping to lead the Asian Pacific Islander Public Affairs Association and serving on the Elk Grove Planning Commission.

Eric Ullrich, Co-Founder, Hacker Lab

Ullrich has been a community innovation advocate in the greater Sacramento region for the last seven years. He co-founded Hacker Lab, a maker space and education facility in Midtown that hosts over 40 events a month. As Hacker Lab’s growth strategy director, he develops innovation programs focused on improving the Sacramento economy. He also created and directs the Startup Hustle boot camp, a six-week program designed to build entrepreneurial skills.

Ali Youssefi, VP, CFY Development

As vice president of a Sacramento-based firm that develops, builds and manages affordable and mixed-income housing, Youssefi’s primary focus has been on mixed-use infill development in Sacramento, where he also serves on the boards of the National Iranian American Council, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the VERGE Center for the Arts, B Street Theatre, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts and the R Street Sacramento Partnership.