Deans Board of Advisors

Ron Fowler is the Vice Chairman and co-owner of the San Diego Padres and the Chairman and CEO of Liquid Investments, Inc. He is a principal and board member of Columbia Distributing in Oregon and Washington. Recognized as a beverage industry leader, Ron has chaired or been a member of numerous corporate and association boards over the past 40 years.

Ron was named to the Major League Baseball (MLB) Executive Council in 2017 and currently sits on MLB’s Pension Committee and Labor Policy Committee. From 2015-2016, he served as chairman of the Labor Policy Committee’s negotiation with the MLB Player’s Association on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that ensures labor peace through 2021.

Ron’s special interest is higher education. In 2016, Ron and his wife, Alexis, pledged a $25 million endowment gift to San Diego State University’s (SDSU) College of Business Administration that will provide scholarships and professorships, develop a lecture series, and provide international experiences and expanded programming for SDSU business students. Additionally, he was the primary financial contributor and chaired the successful campaign to create the Entrepreneurial Management Center at SDSU and served as the first chairman of its board of governors. He is chairman emeritus of the SDSU Campanile Foundation and past chairman of the SDSU President’s Advisory Board. In 2005, Ron received an honorary doctorate from SDSU. Ron served on the University of San Diego’s (USD) Board of Trustees from 1996 – 2016, served as Chair of the Board for six years, and was awarded Chair Emeritus in 2016. Ron is also actively involved and supportive of his alma mater, the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). Ron served on the St. Thomas Board of Trustees from 2009 – 2014 and on the Athletic Advisory Board from 2011 – 2014. In 2008, Ron received the John F. Cade Award in Entrepreneurship. And in 2014, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, both from the University of St. Thomas.

An avid sports enthusiast, Ron is chairman emeritus of the San Diego Sports Association. From 1987-1991, he was the Owner/ Managing General Partner of the San Diego Sockers professional soccer team. In 1991, he was recognized as “San Diego Sports Businessman of the Year.” He chaired the Mayor’s Task Force on Padres Planning, helping deliver a new ballpark for San Diego. He was the founding chair of the San Diego International Sports Council and also chaired the San Diego Super Bowl Task Force and the 2003 Super Bowl Host Committee. Ron’s efforts were instrumental in San Diego being awarded the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star game.

Ron has been recognized many times for his leadership roles in athletics, entrepreneurship and community service. In recent years, he received the first Chairman’s Award from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. He was named Herb Klein Civic Leadership Honoree by the Regional EDC, received the Downtown San Diego Partnership’s Alonzo Award and was Big Brothers/Big Sisters of San Diego County’s Person of the Year. In 2013, he was honored with the Guthrie Award by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. The San Diego Hall of Champions named him “Sportsman of the Year” and his generosity led to the construction of Fowler Park, the 1,700-seat ballpark on the campus of the University of San Diego (USD). In 2015, Ron was honored by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce with the Herb Klein Spirit of San Diego Award. In 2018, the Hall of Champions’ annual Community Champion Award was renamed the Ron Fowler Community Champion Award in honor of Ron’s “unending generosity to San Diego, the Hall and its community programs.”

Ron and his wife, Alexis, are the parents of five children and grandparents of three girls and one boy.

Considered an expert in Payroll Taxation, Becky has provided Tax guidance for US employees working on motion picture and television productions in both the US and around the globe at Entertainment Partners. She is responsible for employment tax and information tax processing, reporting, systems upgrades and legislative changes.

A member of APA’s National Speakers Bureau she also Co-Chairs the Government Affairs subcommittee focused on IRS issues. From 2012 through 2014, she served as Chair, Employees Benefits and Payroll Subgroup, for the IRS Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC).  In May of 2014, she was award the APA Meritorious Service Award for her contributions to the advancement of the Payroll Profession.  A Certified Payroll Professional since 1999, she has taught the Greater Los Angeles Chapter CPP prep course every summer since 2000.

Previously she was a Senior Manager, at both Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers National Payroll/Employment Tax Practice’s in Los Angeles.  Prior to her employment with in public accounting, Ms. Harshberger has 15 years of experience in unemployment claims/payroll tax consulting, human resources and recruiting.

She currently resides in Los Angeles.  Along with a BS degree (Business, Marketing) from San Diego State University, she obtained a Certificate in Horticulture from UCLA in 2009.   When not working, Becky enjoys Yoga, running, gardening and cooking (and eating!).

Background

Mark Clemens is the managing partner of KPMG’s Orange County office, and is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of KPMG’s Orange County office, and supports the development of nearly 500 partners and professionals.

Professional and industry experience

As an audit partner with 32 years of experience, Mark has worked with various public and private companies over the years and currently focuses in the technology industry. Mark is also an SEC reviewing partner (since 2004), giving him responsibility for managing companies through the registration and periodic reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Mark served for two years (1998-1999) in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice (DPP). 

Other activities

Mark is equally active in non-profit and community activities, currently serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board for San Diego State University’s Fowler Business School, the Board of the United Way of Orange County and the Discovery Science Center (children’s science museum). 

Education and Professional Associations

Mark earned his BS degree at the California State University of San Diego with a Distinction in Accounting and is a licensed CPA for California.  He holds membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)and the California Society of CPAs.

Dr. Jarik Conrad, EdD, SPHR, SHRM-CSP, NACD.DC, is vice president of the Human Insights team at UKG, which consists of former HR practitioners, business leaders, and consultants who are distinguished experts in the HCM field and uniquely qualified to help leadership teams reach their organizational goals. With an acute pulse on industry trends, best practices, and technological innovations, Jarik and his team serve as liaisons, trusted advisors, and thought leaders who help to shape HR industry conversations and direction. 
 
Prior to UKG, Dr. Conrad spent more than 20 years in HR leadership roles in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He is a sought-after speaker on employee health and wellness, the future of work, emotional intelligence, and workplace diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEI&B), and has been recognized as one of the world’s top “people practitioners” as well as a “Top HR Influencer.” 
 
Dr. Conrad is the author of the bestselling books, “The Fragile Mind: How it Has Produced and Unwittingly Perpetrates America’s Tragic Disparities,” and, “In Search of Humanity: Why We Fight, How to Stop, and the Role Business Must Play.” 
 
Dr. Conrad, who grew up in public housing in East St. Louis, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, two master’s degrees from Cornell University, and a Doctor of Education from the University of North Florida. 

Scott Drury is chief executive officer (CEO) of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a Sempra Energy regulated California utility.

Previously, Drury was the president of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), another Sempra Energy regulated California utility. Under his leadership, SDG&E made significant strides in modernizing the energy grid to enhance safety and reliability, while providing customers with increasingly sustainable energy choices and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

He joined the Sempra Energy family of companies in 1986 and has held various management positions with increasing responsibility, including chief energy supply officer; vice president of human resources, diversity and inclusion, director of safety and emergency services, and director of supply management for both SDG&E and SoCalGas.

Drury serves on the board of directors for the American Gas Association, the board of directors for the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University and the community advisory council of Alzheimer’s San Diego. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University, as well as a certificate in human resources and labor relations from Cornell University.

Jennifer Fall Jung has served as the executive vice president, chief financial officer of The Duckhorn Portfolio since June 2023. She leads the finance and accounting, financial planning and  analysis, corporate controller, and IT teams.

From 2019 to 2023, Ms. Fall Jung served as chief financial officer of Funko, Inc., a consumer goods company focused on licensed collectibles, accessories and apparel. Prior to that role, Ms. Fall Jung held a variety of roles at The Gap Inc., including senior vice president, corporate finance and investor relations from January 2017 to March 2018 and senior vice president and chief financial officer and head of international of Global Old Navy, a division of The Gap, from November 2012 to January 2017.

Ms. Fall Jung has more than two decades of corporate finance and investor-focused public company experience. 

She graduated from San Diego State University with both a BS in finance and an MBA in international business.

Dion Graham is a global, results-oriented technology and business executive with extensive  management experience across solution management, sales, consulting, and ecosystem alliances. His  career has been marked by a unique ability to leverage technology to improve business outcomes and  drive growth while enhancing the bottom line. With a keen focus on digital transformation, artificial  intelligence [AI] and machine learning [ML], supply chain resilience, SaaS and cloud technologies, and  post-merger company integration, Dion brings invaluable expertise to board service. 

In his board roles, Dion has consistently demonstrated leadership and vision, contributing to the organizational success  of several key institutions. As a board member of the Advocates Professional Golf Association [APGA] since 2024, he has  played a pivotal role in advancing the association’s mission. His previous experience includes serving on the Orange  County, North Carolina Human Relations Commission from 2019 to 2022, and currently as a board member of the Orange  County North Carolina Affordable Housing Advisory Board since 2021. Dion also provided strategic guidance as an  advisory board member and National Co-chair of Membership for the Parent’s Council at the University of North Carolina  Chapel Hill from 2018 to 2022. 

During his tenure at SAP Ariba, where he served from 1994 to 2024, Dion held several leadership roles, including Global  Vice President and Head of the Source to Pay Center of Excellence. He led global teams to drive customer success and  adoption of SAP procurement solutions, significantly boosting revenue and securing major deals across North America,  Europe, and APAC. His strategic approach to business development and customer relationship management delivered impressive results, including driving €146M in net new revenue in FY 2023 and €116 million in FY 2022. 

Dion achieved significant milestones throughout his career, advising a Fortune 50 food, snack, and beverage  conglomerate on a digital transformation project that managed over $15B in indirect spend across 35 ERP systems and  oversaw 35,000 external workers, resulting in $50M in savings within the first year. His collaboration with product  engineering teams to launch AI and ML innovations provided real-time market research and intelligent insights on  supplier performance.  

Dion’s ability to guide large-scale transitions is exemplified by his work with the largest oil and gas provider in Central  Europe, where he led the transition from outdated ERP systems to advanced SaaS/Cloud technology, resulting in lower  infrastructure costs, improved working capital, faster implementation, and enhanced end-user experiences. Additionally,  he championed the global transformation of the service delivery model for a worldwide pioneer in biotechnology to  support new business processes. Dion guided the client in migrating to a SaaS/Cloud platform, seamlessly adopting new  business processes with a flexible architecture and improved end-user experience, featuring intuitive and user-friendly  capabilities. 

Dion’s leadership extends beyond his professional achievements. He is known for his servant and empathetic leadership  style, which fostered strong professional and personal relationships built on trust. This approach resulted in zero attrition  and a highly motivated, high-performing team. His global perspective is further enriched by his business travel across  four continents, where he engaged with diverse cultures and markets. 

With a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an emphasis in Information Technology from San Diego State  University, Dion combines academic knowledge with practical expertise. He is a co-founder of the SAP Black Employee  Network [BEN] and a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, reflecting his commitment to community and  professional development. 

Dion’s comprehensive experience, strategic mindset, and dedication to fostering inclusive, high-performance  environments make him an invaluable asset to any board, ready to offer his expertise as a member of nominating/governance, strategy, and sustainability committees.

Terri Funk Graham ranks among the select few female Chief Marketing Officers to serve as an Independent Board Director within multiple Fortune 1,000 companies for the past eleven years.  Ms. Graham’s leadership positions have afforded her valuable experiences and expertise in dealing with issues facing many boards today, such as strategy formulation, branding and brand reinvention, digital acceleration and transformation, CEO and C-Suite succession planning, financial turnarounds, growth strategies, crisis management and driving cultural change in companies.  As an independent director, Ms. Graham has served as Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance and Compensation Committees and she brings experience leading Search Committee’s for two public company CEO transitions, as well as operating as the Chairperson leading several Board Director transitions.  Additionally, she has been involved in two “go private” sales to private equity firms.

She is currently an Independent Board Director for Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) a $6.8 Billion specialty retailer of natural and organic food focusing on health and wellness at a great value. She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation and Risk Committee’s.  

She is also an Independent Board Director for LL Flooring Inc. (NYSE: LL), a $1Billion specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring.  She serves as the Chairperson of the Nominating & Corporate Governance and a member of the Compensation Committee.  

Ms. Graham served as an Independent Board Director for CV Sciences, Inc. a $60 Million consumer product company for three years. She served as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.  

Ms. Graham also served on the Hot Topic Inc. and 1 800-Contacts Inc. boards before selling these companies to private equity firms.  

She is a successful Senior Marketing Executive change agent who directly influenced the success, image and significant growth of the $3B Jack in the Box brand for more than 20 years. As the former SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for 10 years, she was a pioneer in innovative branding, product development, advertising and digital media.  Acknowledged for her strategic thinking, financial acumen, courage and proven financial results.  Her strategic vision and business expertise enabled her to effectively reinvent the Jack Brand multiple times with Franchise Partners and Executive Management.  Ms. Graham delivered one of the most successful national advertising campaigns achieving 10 Effie Awards and several Belding’s and Clio Awards.  

Ms. Graham was also the CMO of RedEnvelope, an e-commerce gifting retailer. As the chief steward of the brand, she was responsible for re-branding the website, social media and digital omni-channel strategy & experience. 

Ms. Graham is a member of National Association of Corporate Directors and certified as a Board Governance Fellow.  She is also a founding member of the Women Corporate Directors.  Ms. Graham was named 2019 Women’s Inc.’s Most Influential Corporate Board Directors.  Ms. Graham was recently named 2023 Director of the Year from the Corporate Directors Forum for Enhancement of Culture and Inclusion.  

Ms. Graham’s is proud of her Spanish heritage and her personal interests include photography, golf and travel.

Nagraj Kashyap is co-founder and General Partner of Touring Capital, a venture capital firm focused on investing in next-generation software companies powered by AI at the early growth stage.

Before Touring Capital, he was a Managing Partner at Softbank Vision Fund II, investing in software and select consumer companies. He led growth rounds in Go1, Netradyne, Arkose Labs, Workboard, Pixis.ai, Plume, Blockdaemon and Vuori.

Prior to Softbank, he founded M12, Microsoft’s venture fund, in 2016 to invest in software startups. At M12, Kashyap oversaw a portfolio of 100+ companies, across NA, EMEA, India and Australia. Under Kashyap’s leadership, M12 focused on improving access to funding and careers in VC through partnerships with All Raise and Melinda Gates’s Pivotal Ventures. As a Microsoft Corporate Vice President and the Global Head of M12, Kashyap sourced and led early investments in Kahoot! (OSL:KAHOOT-ME), Livongo (acquired by Teledoc) and Outreach.io and co-led investments in Go1, Netradyne and Workboard.

Before M12, Kashyap was a member of the founding team at Qualcomm Ventures and led the firm from 2004 to 2016, expanding from the US to a total of seven geographies including India, China, S. Korea, Brazil, Israel and Europe. The fund established a new standard for corporate venture success with a $1b portfolio of 140+ investments. At Qualcomm, Kashyap sourced and led investments in companies like Zoom (first institutional round, NASDAQ:ZM) and saw eight successful exits, including Waze (acq. by Google), Jamdat (IPO, then acq. by EA), and Airvana (IPO, then acq. by Ericsson). Kashyap currently serves as a member of the UT Austin Computer Science advisory council and the Dean's advisory council at SDSU Fowler College of Business. He holds an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Business and an MA in CS from the University of Austin.

Mark J. Lee has over 30 years of experience managing commercial banking teams. He has a broad range of experience with middle market companies in various industries including technology, biotech, defense, equipment financing, manufacturing, and commercial real estate.

Mark graduated from San Diego State University (1985) with a BS in Finance and a minor in accounting.  He serves on the Advisory Board of SDSU Fowler COB, Board member of the Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito, and serves as a Mentor for students at SDSU and within Western Alliance.

Mark joined Western Alliance in March of 2019 to direct their Corporate Banking effort in San Diego and deepen the Banks presence in the middle market.

Prior to joining Western Alliance, Mark spent three years with Umpqua Bank as the market executive for San Diego to start and develop a corporate banking presence.  Over the course of three years Mark built a team of senior corporate banking professionals, growing that groups’ assets to just over $1bn across a diverse geographic region including Reno and Las Vegas.

From 1996 to 2016 Mark served as Corporate Banking Manager for California Bank & Trust building a corporate banking team with broad industry expertise.

As chief financial officer, chief administrative officer and senior vice president of Premier, Craig McKasson is responsible for financial affairs including strategic financial planning, internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, financial operations, tax compliance and planning, treasury services and investor relations. He also oversees Premier’s insurance management services division.

Previously, McKasson served as vice president of finance and corporate controller where he oversaw Premier’s accounting department and managed corporate financial reporting.

Prior to joining Premier, McKasson provided audit, tax and consulting for various privately held development companies and multistate publicly traded organizations in the life sciences, retail and technology sectors as a licensed certified public accountant and a consulting manager at Ernst & Young LLP.

McKasson received his bachelor’s degree in business administration, cum laude, and his master’s degree in accountancy from San Diego State University. In addition, McKasson is a member of the board of directors for the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University. He also serves as treasurer and is on the board of directors at Saint Vincent De Paul Villages Inc., a not-for-profit organization providing care and rehabilitation for the homeless.

Steve Richman became CEO of Techtronic Industries (TTI) in May, 2024. TTI is the parent company of Milwaukee Tool, where Steve served as Sr. Group President for 17 years. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the business, including:  Power Tools, Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE), Hand Tools, Storage, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and Accessory solutions.  He has over 35 years of experience in the management of industrial, electrical, plumbing, and retail distribution channels.  His tremendous growth mindset sets him apart from many.  He has held key management positions with BLACK & DECKER®, and MURRAY®, served as President of SKIL® and BOSCH® Power Tools, and served as President and CEO of Werner Co®.  Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA.

Ronda Sedillo is currently a consultant for the San Diego Padres. She served as senior vice president/chief financial officer of the San Diego Padres from January 2013 to January 2021. She managed a staff of 13 in the finance/accounting department. She was also recognized as a 2016 San Diego Business Journal CFO of the Year Award Winner.

Sedillo brings 30 years of experience in the accounting industry to her role. She spent 12 years at Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Inc. (AGIA), serving as chief accounting officer for seven years. In that role, Sedillo managed sell-side due diligence of AGIA to private equity in 2006, and then again was on the sell-side due diligence team to public company Brown & Brown (BRO) in late fall 2011.

Prior to her time at AGIA, Sedillo spent seven years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving as a tax manager for the final three years of her tenure.

A San Diego native and life-long Padres fan, Sedillo received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from San Diego State University. She remains active at her alma mater, serving on the Campanile Foundation Athletics Committee and as a guest lecturer and mentor for the Sports MBA program.

She currently serves as a Red Coat for the San Diego Bowl Games Association. She is an active member of the San Diego CFO Roundtable and the Financial Executives Institute.

Sedillo and her husband, Chris, reside in Tierrasanta. They have two grown children, Ashley, a 2006 graduate of SDSU and Dustin, a 2010 graduate of CSU Fullerton.

Dan Skiles is President of Shareholders Service Group (SSG), a financial services firm that provides brokerage and investment services for over 1600 independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) throughout the United States.  Mr. Skiles is involved in all aspects of managing the firm.  Specific areas of focus include technology, finance, business operations and strategy. 

Mr. Skiles was a Vice President with The Charles Schwab Corporation from 2001 to 2009 where he had responsibilities with the planning and development of technology solutions for Schwab Institutional and leading Schwab Performance Technologies, Inc., ™ a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation. 

Prior to joining Schwab, Mr. Skiles was a First Vice President with TD Waterhouse (now TD Ameritrade) and was a member of the Jack White & Company management team when the firm was acquired by TD Waterhouse in 1998. 

Mr. Skiles is a leading industry expert who recently completed 10 years of writing a monthly technology column for ThinkAdvisor.com and Investment Advisor magazine.  Investment Advisor magazine also recognized Mr. Skiles in 2014 as one of the 25 most influential people in and around the advisor industry.  In addition, Mr. Skiles served from 2014 to 2016 on the National Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association, which is the principal membership organization for Certified Financial Planner™ professionals. 

Early in Mr. Skiles career, he co-founded Solid Rock Gym in 1993, one of the first indoor rock climbing gyms in Southern California.  Solid Rock Gym was a premier facility with both individual and corporate clients, including the YMCA’s throughout San Diego County.  Mr. Skiles earned a BA in Recreation Administration in 1993 and a MBA in 2003 from San Diego State University.