Fernando Poma has been the Managing Director of Real Hotels & Resorts since 2000. During that time, Poma has grown Real Hotels and Resorts from four to 22 premier hotel brands including InterContinental, Marriott, Quality and Comfort Inn. His growth plans are focused on Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Colombia and include a JW Marriott hotel, a JW Marriott Resort and five Courtyard by Marriott hotels. The company is also expanding its InterContinental hotel base.
Prior to joining Real Hotels and Resorts, Poma was assistant to the managing director of Choice Hotels Europe and worked in asset management and hotel acquisitions for the Westmont Hospitality Group.
Poma spoke at Cornell University on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 as part of the "Conversations with Entrepreneurs" series presented by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.
Fernando Poma graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Julia Posacki is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CW Enterprises. Through her brand, InvestingIsSimple, she delivers financial savvy to professionals and up-and-comers. IIS aims to unravel the mystique of the markets and give you the tools and confidence to know that you, too, can play with the "big boys" of Wall Street. In addition to the InvestingIsSimple web site, Julia speaks to various audiences nationwide.
Prior to launching IIS, Julia spent seven years working in the Fixed Income and Derivatives areas of Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.
Julia Posacki earned a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Financial Engineering from Cornell University.
Alissa Livingston is the Merchandise Planner for Men's Clothing and Furnishings at Polo Ralph Lauren, Retail Corporation. Previously, she was a Merchandise Planner at Abercrombie & Fitch.
At Ralph Lauren, Livingston is responsible for financial strategy and forecasting for several departments, including men's suits, sportcoats, trousers, formal outerwear, dress shirts and neckwear. She covers all labels, including Polo, Black Label, Purple Label and Made to Measure.
Alissa Livingston received her undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering from Northwestern University. She worked in the consulting industry for several years before returning to school to receive an MBA from Columbia University, Graduate School of Business, with a concentration in Finance and Retail.
Tracy Frizzell is the President of the Economic Awareness Council. The Economic Awareness Council (EAC) provides unique, custom programs and materials for all ages (young kids through adults) covering such topics as finance, economics, banking, checking, saving, credit cards, budgeting, and money.
Thomas Gellert is a vice president in charge of the cheese division and specialty food imports at Atalanta Corporation, a food importer in Elizabeth, N.J. Atalanta Corporation is a family owned business that is run by Gellert's father.
Thomas Gellert received his undergraduate, MBA and law degrees from Cornell University.
T.J Duane is a Principal of Lateral Link. Duane currently oversees Lateral Link's business operations and development for the law firm, in-house, non-profit and government sectors.
Prior to Lateral Link, Duane founded several companies focused on integrating internet and real world communities, including HL Central, Inc. Sheffield Capital and HL Alumni. From 2002 until 2006, Duane was an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York, New York with a practice focused on commercial transactions and securities law.
T.J. Duane holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Graham Hill is a social entrepreneur and founder of TreeHugger. TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.
Hill's past businesses include forays into fashion, web-development, viral email and plant-based air filters. In 1995, with his cousin, he started and grew the web-developer, SiteWerks, to 60 people doing work for large companies such as Microsoft and sold it to a New York company in 1998. Additionally, he owns a product business that sells a New York souvenir he designed a few years ago into 150 stores including MOMA.
Graham Hill has a Bachelor of Architecture with distinction from Carleton University in Ottawa and did advanced studies in Industrial Design at E.C.I.A.D, Vancouver.
Catherine Khan works at L'Oreal and is currently the Marketing Manager for the Garnier Nutritioniste product line.
Prior to her position at L'Oreal, she worked for four years with Andersen Consulting (Accenture).
Catherine Khan received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
John Santini is an entrepreneur and scientist with over a decade of industrial and academic experience in drug delivery. He has given numerous invited lectures on the use of microtechnology in healthcare and has authored over 60 issued/pending patents and several technical papers. In 2002, Dr. Santini was honored by Technology Review Magazine as one of the Top 100 Young Innovators in the world. He is also a member of the Governing Council of the MEMS Industry Group, a national trade organization dedicated to the advancement and commercialization of MEMS technology in the United States.
Prior to founding MicroCHIPS, he obtained his PhD in chemical engineering from MIT as a National Science Foundation Fellow. Dr. Santini also graduated with a BSE in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.