Dean’s Advisory Board

David D. Buttolph is the founder and co-manager of Brookside Mezzanine Partners. He founded the firm in 2001 and has raised and invested over $600 million in small business since the founding. Prior to joining Brookside, he was a partner of two mezzanine investment funds at Canterbury Capital Partners, where Buttolph served on the boards of numerous portfolio companies. Prior to joining Canterbury, he was a senior vice president at LaSalle Business Credit, Inc. for five years and a district manager and vice president of Barclays Business Credit, Inc. Buttolph began his banking career at Bank Boston. Buttolph holds an MBA. from Suffolk University in 1981 and is a 1979 graduate of Boston University. Both his daughters are Boston University graduates as well.

Mark DiCristofaro (CGS ’06, COM ’08 ’09) is an Emmy-Nominated film and television producer based out of Los Angeles, CA and a member of the Producer’s Guild of America.  Recent Producing credits include HBO’s Documentary Film “WIG”, Netflix’ “THE WHO WAS? SHOW”, Viceland’s “WHAT WOULD DIPLO DO?”, “GREAT MINDS WITH DAN HARMON”, Fox Sports Films’ Documentary “LEGENDS NEVER DIE: THE SANDLOT STORY”, and Paramount Network’s “LIP SYNC BATTLE”.  Additionally, Mark produced the 2015 feature film THE ESCORT, which debuted at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival and acquired a North American distribution deal with The Orchard prior to its world premiere, and was recently acquired by HULU for streaming.  In 2016, MTV acquired the rights to develop THE ESCORT into a TV Show, tapping Mark serve as an Executive Producer on the project. In 2018, Mark produced BRAMPTON’S OWN, which acquired a North America distribution deal with Dark Star Pictures ahead of its world premiere at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival.  This past spring, NETFLIX acquired exclusive streaming rights.

Mark studied at Boston University’s College of General Studies, College of Communication.  He served on Boston University’s Alumni Council 2012-2019, and joined The College of General Studies Dean’s Advisory Board in 2018.

Michael Gould, often referred to as one of the most accomplished and recognized leaders in American retailing, became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bloomingdale’s in November 1991 and served in that capacity for over 22 years.  His tenure saw the greatest period of transformation and growth in the store’s history, expanding from 16 units located mainly in the east, to a broad national brand presence with 37 stores in 18 major markets from coast to coast, the debut of 12 Bloomingdale’s, The Outlet Store locations, and the launch of bloomingdales.com.  In 2010, Gould led the brand in its first global expansion into Dubai.

Mr. Gould received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1966 and continued there to earn a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Business.  It was a summer internship program during his MBA studies that afforded Gould his first retail experience.  A brief summer stint at Abraham and Straus in New York was enough to inspire him to seek a retail career; and in 1968 Gould entered that store’s Executive Training Squad as an assistant buyer in decorative home furnishings.  He soon became the company’s youngest merchandise vice president.

In 1978, Mr. Gould was named a Senior Vice President of J.W. Robinson’s in Los Angeles.  Within two years he was appointed Executive Vice President of merchandising and sales promotion.  In 1981, he became J.W. Robinson’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  Subsequently, he also became a member of the Board of Directors of its parent company, Associated Dry Goods.  In 1986, he was tapped as President and Chief Operating Officer of Giorgio Beverly Hills.  When Avon Products purchased that company in 1987, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer, and remained there until joining Bloomingdale’s.

Mr.Gould serves on a number of boards, including the Board of Trustees of Lenox Hill Hospital; the Board of Overseers of Columbia University Graduate School of Business; the Board of Governors of The American Jewish Committee; the Board of Trustees of Urban Edge Properties; the Board of Directors, David Yurman Enterprises; the Board of Trustees of The Rand Corporation; Advisory board of KidZania and Board of South Coast Plaza.

Over the years, Mr. Gould has received numerous awards for distinguished service from many organizations, universities and industry associations, along with a variety of cultural and philanthropic groups.  While he remains personally and professionally committed to these activities, his children always come first; and, as such, he is intensely proud of being recognized by the Father’s Day and Mother’s Day Council as the 1999 National Father of the Year. 

As vice chairman of Newmark Knight Frank, Michael Ippolito has steered the firm’s global platform to success through innovative corporate outsourcing and determining policy/procedures across service lines and continents. With a keen understanding of global markets, Ippolito delivers strategic solutions to optimize corporate portfolios and reduce operating expenses.

Ippolito joined the Newmark Knight Frank in 1991 and has since developed analytical and strategic tools that brought real estate and operational strategy development into alignment with his clients’ core business objectives. As a result of his advancements, Ippolito has become one of the leading tenant representatives for global corporations specializing in providing creative solutions for evaluating risk within growth strategies as well as measuring operational redundancies, analyzing consensus and developing operational efficiency metrics.

Ippolito’s track record of executing strategies for the development of his clients ranks him among the most successful global real estate professionals. Under Ippolito’s leadership, Newmark Knight Frank has been retained by numerous leading global organizations and has developed the firm’s portfolio base in excess of 600 million square feet worldwide. Some of his clients include Dow, NASDAQ, Novartis, Ricoh, Cummins and Transamerica.

Ippolito has been a guest speaker at several industry events, including Crain’s New York Business magazine, Commercial Property News Real Estate Forum and International Real Estate Forums in various cities throughout the U.S., EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. He has also spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, regarding global corporate real estate issues and trends. Ippolito is among a select group of senior business executives chosen to be a part of David Rockefeller Fellows. This program is designed to expose participants to key leaders and issues in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors of New York City while taking an active role in shaping the city’s future. Ippolito is a graduate of Boston University and Questrom School of Business.

Nancy Harwood Katz, originally from Highland Park, Ill., is a 1983 graduate of Boston University School of Communications and College of General Studies. She worked as a personnel recruiter in NYC from 1984-1990, when she and her husband Danny, moved their young family to the SF Bay Area and she began work at a career coach. Nancy specializes in helping align individuals with their strengths, talents and interests, as well develop authentic interviewing skills. In 2005 Nancy took a break from coaching to pursue a lifelong dream, and opened her own clothing boutique, Diva, in Walnut Creek CA. She owned and operated Diva for 5 years while her kids were in their high school years. Nancy continues to be involved in creative entrepreneurial projects, currently designing jewelry with her sister and running Rare Bird Jewelry, while she coaches. She and her husband Danny, a retired hedge fund manager, enjoy giving back supporting organizations they feel passionate about, especially their alma maters, Boston University and Duke University. They are the proud parents of Justin (CGS’09, Boston University’11) and Liza (Duke University, Class of 2014) Both kids live in NYC and work in the tech industry.

Linda Sloane Kay is executive vice president of Century Bank. Kay serves as a director of Century Bank and Century Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNBKA), while providing leadership as a member of the Bank’s Management, Executive and Loan Committees. She also served for a decade on the Boston University’s Board of Overseers. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Boston University and a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Century Bank is a 49-year-old regional bank with 27 branches in greater Boston and approaching $5 billion of total assets.

Peter Kravitz was in the class of 1968 at CGS, 1970 at Boston University College of Arts and Sciences and 1973 at Boston University School of Law. He also received a L.L.M. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976. While at CGS, Peter served as a delegate at large to the BU Student Senate in 1966-67 and as president of the CGS Student Senate in 1967-68. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, Peter served as law clerk to the Honorable Perry Barber on the Connecticut Supreme Court, then moved to Washington, D.C. where he practiced banking law as a senior attorney with the FDIC and later in private practice. Peter then became a federal lobbyist, retiring in 2013 as director of Congressional affairs at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Jonathon is a 1991 graduate of Boston University Questrom School of Business. He is the president and CEO of Turner Acceptance Corp. located in Skokie, IL. Jonathon serves on various boards, American Financial Services Association, National Auto Finance Association and the Independent Finance Association of IL. Jonathon also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of General Studies at Boston University. Jonathon enjoys giving back supporting multiple sclerosis research; Kaleidoscope, a child welfare agency in Chicago; Boston University; and the AFSA Education Foundation with focus on financial literacy education. Jonathon lives in Highland Park, IL with his wife Rachel of 23 plus years. They are the proud parents of 3 amazing children, Dylan (University of Boulder CO- Sophomore), Bryce (Drexel University-Freshman) and Becca (Highland Park High School-Freshman).

Jeff Manheimer is the founder and CEO of Tripping.com, the world’s top search engine for vacation rentals. Under his leadership, Tripping.com became the market leader before it was acquired by a German company in 2019. Prior to the acquisition, Jeff helped lead the company’s Series C financing and has raised over $55 million from investors in Silicon Valley, Asia, and Europe. Jeff started his travel career 15 years ago with Hyatt Hotels where he held roles both on property and in the corporate office. In addition to that, he has held senior roles at Expedia and Travelzoo. Jeff graduated from Boston University, is an aviation enthusiast and loves Pho when traveling to Vietnam. He was also the recipient of the San Francisco Citizenship Award for stopping a store robbery and a contributing author to the book, “At Home and Around the World, Your Definitive Guide to the Vacation Rental Industry”.  In addition to that, he has spoken on numerous panels, given keynotes talks in Asia on various hospitality trends and has been published in multiple news articles and travel research reports (Skift & Phocusright). Currently, Jeff leads strategic partnerships for a technology company in NYC called Envizzo.com.

Randolph L. Miller is the president of Produce Row Property Management Company and previously served as the chairman of The Moore Company. Miller’s former industry activities include chairman of National Independent Distributor Association; chairman of Distributor Councils for Sony, Pioneer, Quasar; and chairman of Distributor Section of National Computer Association (COMPTIA). He is also the recipient of numerous awards including: Port of Portland Compass Award, Portland Business Alliance President’s Award, City of Portland Spirit of Portland Award, ADA Father of the Year Award, and Boston University’s College of General Studies Distinguished Alumni Award. Miller received a BS in Business Administration from Boston University and received an MS in Economics/Political Science from Portland State University. He serves on many business, civic, and non-profit boards including Boston University’s College of General Studies Dean’s Advisory Board and is closely affiliated with the BU Initiative on Cities.

The New York Times has called Peter Shankman “a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some.” He is a 5x best selling author, entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer economy.

He is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.)

In addition to his passion for helping people and companies find success, some of Peter’s highlights also include:

• Founder of HARO – Help A Reporter Out, which became the standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources prior to being acquired three years after launch
• The ShankMinds Breakthrough Network, which is an elite, online mastermind of thought leaders, business experts, and change makers
• Faster than Normal – The Internet’s #1 podcast on ADHD, focusing on the superpowers and gifts of having a “faster than normal brain”

Peter has been a worldwide influencer for companies ranging from Huawei to Specialized Bicycles, from New York Health and Racquet Club to Sprint.

Finally, Peter is a father, a 2x ironman triathlete, a class B licensed skydiver, and an avid Peloton rider. He’s based in NYC with his daughter and 19-year-old cat, both of whom refuse him access to the couch.

Gregory G. Spiegel is an associate portfolio manager on the Small Cap Team at Neuberger Berman. Previously, he was director of research at Tourmalet Advisors, where he covered global equities and oversaw that firm’s research analysts. His investment career has included a number of analyst and portfolio management positions with Pequot Capital Management, Inc., Pilot Advisors, L.P., Bear Stearns & Co., Inc., Glickenhaus & Co., and Herzog, Heine & Geduld. Greg earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from Boston University.

Alejandro Suero, a member of the CGS Dean’s Advisory Board, is president/broker of The Suero Real Estate Group. After his graduation from BU in 1999, he worked for Merrill Lynch in Miami as a bank and securities officer, and in 2003, opened The Suero Group, a boutique firm, specializing in real estate, property management, and construction. In 2008, he completed an MBA at Instituto de Empresa, Madrid, Spain. He is an active member of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the Perez Miami Art Museum (PAMM), and the Bass Museum, and is an advisory board member of the ChildBrain Foundation.

Matt Trevithick is the founder and CEO of Blank Slate Technologies, a tech firm focused on reducing forgetting through adaptive learning tools. From 2013 to 2017, he was the co-founder and managing partner of SREO Consulting, an Istanbul-based monitoring and evaluation firm which provides humanitarian impact assessments for NGOs, UN agencies and governments funding relief programming across the region. He speaks Farsi, has a silver medal from the Head of the Charles Regatta, and his first book, An Undesirable Element: An Afghan Memoir, was published with an introduction by Ambassador Ryan Crocker. He was the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from Boston University.

Gary Villella attended CGS and Boston University Questrom School of Business where he received a BSBA in 1971. He earned his MBA from St Mary’s College of California in 1991. While at BU, Gary served as an RA during the 1969-70 and 1970-71 school years and was president of his social fraternity.

Villella retired after 41 years in the defense, computer, medical and aerospace industries. His roles encompassed all aspects of human resources including strategic planning, succession planning, executive development, turnarounds, acquisitions and labor relations for multi countries and multi sites. Gary was a European expat for 5 years with business responsibilities in Indonesia, Eastern Europe, Canada and the US.

Upon retirement, he volunteered as a mentor for SCORE in Vancouver, WA where he last served as vice chair of the chapter.

Gary and his wife reside in Gig Harbor, WA. He now enjoys various outdoor activities, reading and fly fishing.

Ed Westerman is principal of Westerman Consulting, an independent consultancy firm providing logistics and business operations services. Westerman has fifty years of experience in distribution, logistics, off-shore sourcing and liaison, cost reduction, problem solving and general management. He specializes in managing warehousing, transportation and business operations for small and mid-market companies. Prior to starting his own firm, Westerman was vice president of operations for three New England-based, national consumer products distribution companies.

Westerman attended Boston University’s College of General Studies and the College of Communication, where he received a B.S. in public relations. He has served on several nonprofit boards over the years, including the Creative Club of Boston, the Boston University College of General Studies Alumni Board, the Boston University CGS Dean’s Advisory Council, the Boston University Alumni Executive Board and, currently, co-chair of the Board of the Find The Cause Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization raising money and awareness to fight environmental causes of breast cancer. He is also a Navy veteran.

Westerman lives in Hudson, Massachusetts with his wife of forty-four years, Arline, and has one son, Micah, a Washington, D.C. charter school vice-principal. Westerman enjoys gardening, reading, music and occasionally skiing and jogging.