Michael Balsam
Vice President of Products and Services, Onvia.com

Balsam, vice president of products and services, leads Onvia's product strategy and development effort. Balsam came to Onvia as part of the ProjectGuides acquisition in 2001 with over 10 years of experience in bringing products to both the commercial and government marketplace. At ProjectGuides, Balsam was responsible for the design of supplier tools, and he actively participated in business development. Prior to his role at ProjectGuides, Balsam was general manager of catalog sales at Foss Environmental where he grew business to business sales from $0 to $3 million in two years and launched a division dedicated to public sector sales. Balsam graduated from the University of New Hampshire.

Michael Eguchi
Lecturer, Marketing and International Business, Business School, University of Washington; Adjunct Professor, Management and Marketing, Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University

Before coming to the University of Washington in 2004, Eguchi had a long and successful career as a senior executive in the broadcasting industry. He is recognized as an expert problem solver in sales and marketing. His 34-year career with Fisher Communications, Inc., Seattle, spanned 11 different positions, including those of internal consultant and national sales manager, KOMO 4 Television, and general manager, Fisher Pathways. He holds an M.B.A. from Seattle University.

Vandra L. Huber, D.B.A. Professor, Human Resources Management, University of Washington

Huber works with the Essentials of Business certificate program, CIBER, and the Business and Economic Development Center, conducting research on minority and women-owned small businesses. She received her M.B.A. and D.B.A. in human resources and social psychology from Indiana University, and served on the faculties of the New York School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and the University of Utah. She has published numerous articles and textbooks on human resources decision making. She has earned several awards and fellowships, including the Dorothy Harlow and Fritz Rothesberger Awards, and an Ascendant Scholar for the Western Academy of Management. She has been a consultant for companies like Microsoft, Nokia, and Boeing. Huber is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who among Women.

Mark Kotzer
Principle, Venture Drive Consulting

Kotzer has extensive experience helping both start-ups and major corporations develop new business opportunities, achieve market traction, and secure funding. Before launching his consulting practice, he held senior business development and fundraising positions with start-ups in a wide variety of industry sectors. In 2001 he co-founded the Early Stage Investment Forum, the premier Northwest event for companies seeking early stage financing. Kotzer's consulting firm adapts the best practices of entrepreneurs and VCs to drive innovation and new growth at mid-market and large corporations such as Expedia and Weyerhaeuser. He presently serves on the board of the Association for Corporate Growth and is a judge for regional and national business plan competitions. Kotzer earned his undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from Darden Graduate School.

Peter Rowan
Corporate Vice President of New Ventures, Coinstar, Inc.

Rowan is responsible for new ventures including the development of new lines of business, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Rowan's past experience includes advising early-stage technology companies for the Interactive Strategy Group. Until its sale to a leading systems integrator, he was President of T3 Media, an internet services provider that was recognized in 1998 by Forrester Research as one of the top "web integrators" in the United States. Peter also held various corporate development positions, including Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and Director of International Business Development, at GP Strategies Corporation, a NY-based private equity firm. Rowan’s 15 year tenure in corporate finance, business development and technology management roles has helped him lead Coinstar’s growth and diversification program. Through these efforts, the company has more than doubled its size, successfully entered several new lines of business and introduced a number of innovative growth initiatives like its e-payment and coin-to-card programs. Rowan holds a B.A. in Russian History from Cornell University, an M.A. in International Policy Studies and an M.B.A. from Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Instructors are subject to change.