Board of Directors

Neal Hartman is the Academic Head of the Managerial Communications Group and Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. He teaches courses in Communication and Leadership, emphasizing strategic communication, presentation skills, leading teams, intercultural communication, conflict and conflict resolution, crisis communication, and interpersonal communication and development. Neal has worked in higher education for nearly fifty years and has lectured at universities in China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Portugal. He has consulted broadly in the U.S., the U.K., Austria, Nigeria, and other locations worldwide, working with various companies and organizations on various communication issues. Neal attended the University of South Carolina and the University of Texas at Austin before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty and he resides in Boston, MA.

Hamad Mahmood is a visionary-led, transformational leader who always concentrates on helping his teams be the best they can be while embracing the customer’s ever-changing needs. Hamad has extensive experience in various industries. With over 25 years of experience in High-Tech, he has played an instrumental role in building three startups. His first venture was a bidding platform for the construction industry. He then worked on healthcare EHR/EMR systems, followed by financial ML/AI, focusing on high-tech and AI-based HR platforms. In addition to this, Hamad has 14 years of management consulting experience. His broad knowledge has enabled him to pursue a successful career in business, data analysis, and other related fields. He earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an Applied Data Science certificate from Columbia University, and a Master of Science from Robert Morris University. He resides in Cupertino, CA.

Donald Triner has over 37 years of progressive leadership experience with significant global impact as a military officer, federal executive, private sector startup executive, and director on not-for-profit boards. His experience as a leader makes him a valuable resource in any complex operational engagement. He led the Department of Homeland Security’s Operations Coordination Division and served as Director of the National Operations Center. Triner led teams to provide consulting, career development, and support to business operations worldwide. Don has published in several journals and is a Lecturer in Operations, Healthcare Operations, and Enterprise Management Labs at MIT Sloan. Triner is a passionate educator in Action Learning. Triner holds a B.S. in mathematics and computer sciences (with honors) from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an M.S. in Instructional Systems from Florida State University, and completed the National Leadership Preparedness Initiative executive education at Harvard University. He resides in Rhode Island (RI).

Dave Chiang is a seasoned tech leader with 20+ years of experience, serving as former Chief Product Officer at TextNow and advising startups BrandCloud and Placements.IO. His expertise spans eCommerce, Media, and Platforms, showcased as VP of Digital & eCommerce at Splunk. With pivotal roles at Walmart, Facebook, CBS, Rakuten, PayPal/eBay, and Yahoo, he’s known for product innovation and partnerships. Dave holds a Master’s Degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He resides in Saratoga, California.

Ms. Fatima Hamad is an experienced finance, operations, and data analytics professional with over 20 years of experience in high-tech, semiconductor, manufacturing, and consulting industries. During her career, she has held many leadership positions in companies like Western Digital, Hitachi Vantara, Cisco Systems, Microsoft Corporation, and IBM. As a thought leader, under her leadership, she and her team ideated and developed many data driven solutions impacting the financial operations, Go-to-Market initiatives, R&D Platform and Portfolio Analytics etc. She has a proven track record of success in FP&A, CFP&A, and in developing and executing strategies for growth, increasing revenue, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Ms. Hamad has completed her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and her MS in Finance from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and she also holds an MA in Economics. She is Lean Six Sigma black belt and has numerous other certifications in technology and finance.

Sharmila Chatterjee, a business-to-business marketing expert, examines issues in distribution channels, sales force management, and relationship marketing using survey research coupled with econometric methods for analysis. Sharmila Chatterjee is an MIT Sloan academic faculty member, having served as the Academic Head for the MBA Track in Enterprise Management since its launch in 2012. She is a senior lecturer in Marketing who is highly respected for her knowledge and expertise in the field. Sharmila carried out some of the first studies in the critical area of the sales-marketing interface, specifically in sales lead management. Chatterjee graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science and worked briefly in Faridabad, India, before earning her PhD in Marketing from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She resides in Boston, MA.

David Xi, the founder of Bethel Wealth Guardians LLC, is a distinguished figure in the financial advisory realm, specializing in serving high-net-worth families. With two decades of experience at Summit Financial Resources, a leading financial planning firm, David established his own venture in 2020 to offer a broader spectrum of financial services. Through Bethel Wealth Guardians, David serves his current and future clients with a wide array of financial products and services. David focuses on protecting hard-earned assets and wealth by minimizing unnecessary wealth transfers, such as income and estate taxes, interest payments, and lost opportunity costs, such as college and major purchase expenses. As a recognized leader in his field, David is a Top of the Table tier member of Million Dollar Round Table, an independent association of some of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals and has been an advisor within a MassMutual firm for nine years. David holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Government and an MBA in Finance, Accounting, and International Business Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He resides in Chester, NJ.

Donna Rust is an educator with a degree in English Language and Literature and a certificate in English education from La Roche University. Before retiring from the public school system in 2022, she taught high school students at all levels, both in the classroom and online, for over 26 years. In her last eight years, she primarily taught A.P. and Accelerated English to seniors, challenging them to think critically and communicate clearly while assisting them with their college applications and essays. She loves working with young people. Ms. Rust has also been a verbal SAT prep tutor and instructor for the last 28 years, including ten years as owner and director of the Educational Achievement Center. She ran SAT prep classes every fall and spring out of local libraries and colleges during that time. Donna is an avid reader residing in Pittsburgh, PA.