INSTRUCTORS

Courses will be taught by faculty from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management and College of Law and industry practitioners.  Sessions will be highly interactive, using business decision cases to illustrate concepts.

Segment 1: Understanding a Business From Its Numbers

Excidian, an East Coast training company, specializes in developing and facilitating high quality, application-oriented, customized business skills courses. John Hynes (MSEE, MBA), co-founder, has used his financial skills to design production optimization models for heavy manufacturing clients, analyze the profitability of business and marketing plans, perform due diligence on targeted acquisitions, and determine the valuation of businesses. He developed and facilitates Excidian’s Business Finance programs for a broad range of clients, including Willamette University’s Executive Development Center. An alternative instructor may be Mark Rupnick, BSEE, MBA.  Mark has a twenty-five year tenure within the regulated and unregulated areas of the energy industry. Senior Vice-President for a software development company, he brings a wide range of real-world management experiences in applying financial analysis to decision-making.  In addition to his notable skills as a trainer, he has used his financial acumen to manage capital projects, develop capital budget proposals, write business plans, and perform due diligence on targeted acquisitions.

Segment 2: Understanding Where Financial and Legal Issues Meet

Excidian: See Segment 1 instructor description.

Segment 3: Comparing and Contrasting Legal Strategy with Business Strategy

Lindsay Stewart, J.D., has held corporate counsel and executive positions at Nike, Inc., since 1981, most recently as Vice President and Chief of Legal Staff. During his career at NIKE, he has overseen the company’s Legal and Government Affairs Departments and subsidiary relationships, and supervised its headquarters and European legal offices. Mr. Stewart also has been a staff attorney for Georgia-Pacific Corporation and been in private practice in association with two Portland law firms.

Robert E. Wiltbank, Ph.D. and Associate Professor of Strategic Management, Atkinson Graduate School of Management, co-authored with Warren Boeker of the University of Washington a Kauffman Foundation study on the financial returns of angel investors in North America, developing the largest data set ever collected on angel investor exit. His research focuses on making strategy under uncertainty, especially in new ventures. He has published research in leading academic journals on strategy and entrepreneurship and consulted and participated in due diligence for several private equity investments in the U.S.

Segment 4: Understanding Legal versus Business Risk

Vincent Chiappetta, J.D., Professor of Law at Willamette’s College of Law since 1997, received the Jerry E. Hudson Award for excellence in teaching in 2002. Named a CALI Trademark Fellow in 2003, he served previously as Vice-President and General Counsel at Tektronix Inc., Associate General Counsel (Trademarks) for Levi Strauss and Co., and Associate General Counsel (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) for Apple Computer, Inc.  He was in private practice as a partner in Meyer, Hendricks, Victor, Osborn, and Maledon in Phoenix. Member of State of Oregon commissions on the internet and on higher education and technology transfer, he also has authored scholarly publications in a variety of journals.

Julia (Julie) Ryan, Ms. Ryan currently leads west power trading, power marketing and business development for EDF Trading North America and she is a volunteer member of the Seattle City Light Review Panel, which oversees the utility's strategic plan process, financial activities and rate reviews.  Prior to this, she worked with numerous regulated and non-regulated energy companies in the areas of strategic planning, business development, and M&A due diligence through the consulting business she founded in 2006, Aether Advisors LLC.  From 2001-2006, she was a vice president at Puget Sound Energy, leading the gas and power supply operations, and later risk management and strategic planning.  She has over twenty years of industry experience in both regulated and non-regulated energy companies. Ms. Ryan has spoken at numerous industry conferences on the topics of risk management and strategic planning, and has been a guest instructor at Willamette University’s Atkinson School of Management since 2006.  She graduated Cum Laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, from Smith College in Massachusetts.

Segment 4: Integrating Organizational Dynamics with Legal Issues

Peter Letsou, J.D., is Associate dean, Roderick and Carol Wendt Chair in Business Law, and Director of the Law and Business Program at Willamette University’s College of Law.  Professor Letsou came to Willamette from the College of Law at the University of Cincinnati.  He has held positions at the law schools at George Mason University, the University of Connecticut, and Emory University.  Early in his legal career, he served as an associate with Cravath, Swaine and Moore and later with Christy and Vierner.  His most recent publication is Cases and Materials on Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions (2006:  Aspen Law and Business).

Polly Rizova, serves as Associate Professor of Management at Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management. Dr. Rizova came to Willamette from the Department of Sociology and The College of General Studies at Boston University. She has also been a Visiting Professor at Wellesley College and Tufts University in Massachusetts. A native of Bulgaria, Dr. Rizova began her career as a Regional Manager and Data Analyst at the Central Statistical Office in Sofia. In the United States, she first worked at the Office of Institutional Research and Policy Analysis at the State University of New York in Albany. She then moved to Boston where she has been an internal consultant for the Gillette Company. Her work there involved several studies into the design of the business processes and organizational structure of the company’s Corporate Research and Development Division. Her most recent publication is The Secret of Success: The Double Helix of Formal and Informal Structures in an R&D Laboratory (2007: Stanford University Press).

Segment 5: Marketing and the Creation of Value in Legal Services

Vincent Chiappetta, J.D. See Segment 5 instructor description.

Elliot Maltz, Ph.D., is Professor of Marketing at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. His areas of instruction include supply chain management, product planning, marketing strategy, data mining, and business-to-business marketing. He has conducted workshops on supply chain management with a variety of firms, including the Sony Corporation. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Logistics, The Journal of Marketing, Sloan Management Review and The Journal of Marketing Research.

Segment 6: Understanding Legal versus Business Risk

Vincent Chiappetta, J.D., Professor of Law at Willamette’s College of Law since 1997, received the Jerry E. Hudson Award for excellence in teaching in 2002. Named a CALI Trademark Fellow in 2003, he served previously as Vice-President and General Counsel at Tektronix Inc., Associate General Counsel (Trademarks) for Levi Strauss and Co., and Associate General Counsel (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) for Apple Computer, Inc.  He was in private practice as a partner in Meyer, Hendricks, Victor, Osborn, and Maledon in Phoenix. Member of State of Oregon commissions on the internet and on higher education and technology transfer, he also has authored scholarly publications in a variety of journals.

Julia (Julie) Ryan, Ms. Ryan currently leads west power trading, power marketing and business development for EDF Trading North America and she is a volunteer member of the Seattle City Light Review Panel, which oversees the utility's strategic plan process, financial activities and rate reviews.  Prior to this, she worked with numerous regulated and non-regulated energy companies in the areas of strategic planning, business development, and M&A due diligence through the consulting business she founded in 2006, Aether Advisors LLC.  From 2001-2006, she was a vice president at Puget Sound Energy, leading the gas and power supply operations, and later risk management and strategic planning.  She has over twenty years of industry experience in both regulated and non-regulated energy companies. Ms. Ryan has spoken at numerous industry conferences on the topics of risk management and strategic planning, and has been a guest instructor at Willamette University’s Atkinson School of Management since 2006.  She graduated Cum Laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, from Smith College in Massachusetts.

Segment 7: Communicating Legal Advice on Business Issues

James M. Baumgartner, J.D., is a partner with Black, Helterline, LLP.  For over twenty years, Mr. Baumgartner has worked with the firm on family owned and closely held businesses, employment law, Canadian matters and litigation. He was the firm’s managing partner for four years. A member of the Advisory Board for Oregon State University’s Austin Family Business Program, he works with clients to achieve their interrelated family, business, and estate planning goals. He advises on organizational and formation issues, day-to-day operations, strategic planning and long-term succession.  He also leads Black Helterline’s employment practice, both employment counseling and litigation, including issues such as hiring and discipline, compliance with state and federal laws, and developing and enforcing workplace policies and practices.  Since 2005, Mr. Baumgartner has been an Honorary Consul to Canada.

Linda Crafts, Ph.D., has over 25 years of experience in consulting, business management, and training.  This includes operations strategy, reengineering, and all aspects of transition management with extensive support for IT systems integration efforts. As a partner in Cumulus Resources, LLC, a Portland-based consulting firm, Dr. Crafts focuses on transitional issues associated with organizational change, including communications.  Prior to working at SAIF Corporation, she served as a leader and facilitator in WorkOut, the General Electric business work redesign initiative.  Dr. Crafts teaches courses in organizational development in both online and face-to-face formats for the Oregon Graduate Institute and on communications for Willamette University’s Executive Development Center.

Segment 8: Managing a Law Firm Like a Business

Lynn Spruill, Ph.D, joined Arnerich Massena in June of 2005 as Chief Operating Officer.  He assumed the title of Chief Financial Officer as well in 2006. His responsibilities include the management of internal operations and oversight of the financial reporting functions of the company. Previously, Dr. Spruill served for ten years as the Executive Director of Stoel Rives LLP, a multi-service business law firm with operations throughout the Western United States.  During this period he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Legal Administrators, serving as president of the Association in 2000-2001. Dr. Spruill’s experience in the field of higher education spans more than 24 years, including a teaching position at the University of Kentucky, serving as the Dean of the Business School at the University of Mississippi, before moving to Oregon in 1985 where he served as Dean of the Business School and Vice President of University Relations at Oregon State University.

Donald Williams, MPA, CLM, has been the Chief Operating Officer at Schwabe Williamson and Wyatt P.C., a 160 attorney regional law firm with its primary office in Portland, since 1999. He is responsible for the firm’s ongoing operations, including financial administration, facilities planning, human resources, and direction of the administrative and support services department. Before becoming COO, he was the firm’s business manager for fifteen years.  Mr. Williams also served as Director of Finance and Administration at the Oregon State Bar Association and in consulting and administrative capacities with governmental organizations. He has served in several roles for the City Club of Portland, including President, as well as on public sector task forces and planning commissions.