2021 Wolverine Venture Battle Judges

John Baun ’68

Mr. Baun graduated with a B.A. in Economics.  After a short stint at Mellon Bank, he served in the U.S. Army for three years.  After attending Spy School and learning to speak Vietnamese, he used his skills in a top-secret intel assignment in Vietnam.  Back in the States, he worked for Equibank in Pittsburgh for about six years, and started his first business in 1984…Baun Mortgage Company (commercial mortgage banking).  He followed with a string of real estate businesses over the years, including Shared Suite North (executive office suites), Tierra Realty Management (commercial property management), ACRES (commercial real estate brokerage firm), Stonewood Partners (commercial offices in Wexford for over 30 years), JGB partners (acquired homes for rental and resale for over 40 years in Pittsburgh and Sarasota, Florida, currently his most active business.  He is proud to say that all his companies were bootstrapped with his own money!  John is a member of Orchard Hill Church in Wexford and a 20-year past member of the Bradford Woods Council and Planning Committee.

Todd Brice ’84

Todd Brice has served as a director of S&T since 2005.  Mr. Brice has been the Chief Executive Officer of S&T and S&T Bank since 2008.  He previously served as President of S&T and S&T Bank from 2004 to January 2019.  Mr. Brice was formerly Chief Operating Officer of S&T and S&T Bank from 2004 until 2008 and Executive Vice President of Commercial Lending at S&T and S&T Bank from 2002 until 2004.  He currently serves on the board of directors for the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.  Mr. Brice previously served as a member of the boards of directors for the Pittsburgh Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Indiana Regional Medical Center and the Indiana County YMCA.  With 33 years of banking experience, including 17 years of senior management experience at S&T, Mr. Brice’s deep industry knowledge and his expertise in S&T Bank’s operations, commercial lending and corporate strategy provides the S&T Board with significant insight across a broad range of issues critical to their business. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Brice provides unique insight to the S&T Board regarding day-to-day operations, customer information, competitive intelligence, general trends in national and local banking and issues regarding their financial results.  Mr. Brice earned a B.A. in business administration from Grove City College and also completed a three-year program through the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

Mark Brody ’83

Mr. Brody graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting.  Most recently, he served as a Managing Director in the private equity industry for Sun Capital Partners and Aterian Partners.  In his roles as Managing Director, he has served on the Boards of dozens of businesses ranging from retail to manufacturing and chemicals, assisting them in strategic growth, operations, and leadership.  Mr. Brody was also involved in numerous acquisitions, divestitures, and IPOs, including the IPO of the Vince fashion brand (NYSE: VNCE) where he also served as Vince’s interim CEO and CFO.  Prior to private equity, Mr. Brody was the CFO of a variety of public and private companies, including Flight Options, LLC (a fractional jet startup that grew to $700 million in sales), Waterlink, Inc., Anthony & Sylvan Pools, and Sudbury, Inc.  His CFO experience was focused on leading operational improvements and planning and executing strategic growth plans both internally and through acquisitions.  Mr. Brody began his career as a CPA at Ernst & Young.  Mr. Brody also serves on the Board of the Lake-Geauga Habitat for Humanity in Northeast Ohio.  He and his wife June (Hart ’83) are retired and reside in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. 

Hannah (Vaccaro) Collier ’18

Pete Durfee ’80

Mr. Durfee has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sciences industry. He was formerly employed at Gilead Sciences, Inc. (“Gilead”), a publicly held, research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need, from 1997 until retiring in 2012. During his tenure, Mr. Durfee served as Senior Director of Corporate Engineering and Facilities Operations (CEFO) which was responsible for the strategic and operational direction of Gilead’s engineering pursuits. While at Gilead, Mr. Durfee was responsible for directing Engineering, Validation, Maintenance/Facilities Operations, Manufacturing/Contract Manufacturing, Environmental Health & Safety, Corporate Real Estate, Site Services and Security. Mr. Durfee received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and completed the required coursework for a Masters in Electrical Engineering at Penn State before moving to California in 1988. Peter and his wife Susan (Peshek ‘81) are retired, live, and play in Montreux, Nevada.

RJ Fryan ’08

Mr. Fryan is a dynamic sales and marketing professional who has spent the majority of his career working in the manufacturing industry.  RJ grew up in Canton, Ohio where he started working in the steel industry while still in college.  Throughout his career, RJ has served in various functions within the steel industry including operations, marketing, supply chain, and sales.  He also owns a metal processing facility in Washington, PA. RJ earned his MBA from Anderson University and is currently pursuing a DBA from George Fox University.  In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Laura (Koller ’11) and their two children, Raymond and Emma.

Dr. Deanna (Layman) Kiska ’87

Dr. Kiska received her doctorate degree in Microbiology from the Medical College of Virginia and completed a fellowship in Clinical Microbiology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She is board certified in Medical Microbiology. She was Assistant Director of the Microbiology Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse for over 20 years. Deanna served as the Chair of the American Board of Medical Microbiology where she oversaw the development of the board examination, an internationally recognized standard of competence in the microbiology profession. She is currently owner and president of U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc., an environmental microbiology laboratory located in the Pittsburgh area.

Jeff Moxie ’80

Mr. Moxie received a BA in Accounting and has over 40 years of financial expertise. Most recently, he was the CFO for PSI Services, a worldwide computer-based testing company based in Glendale, CA, where he was responsible for the oversight of all of PSI’s accounting and finance activities, Human Capital, Legal, and Facilities (4,400 locations worldwide) functions. During his 12-year tenure at PSI, revenue grew 1,200% while profitability grew over 1,500%. Prior to PSI, Jeff was CFO of Sunkist Growers, Inc., Virgin Entertainment Group, Inc. and Kinko’s, Inc. as well as other finance roles for various organizations. As part of his role as the senior finance person Jeff completed over 45 mergers and acquisitions including First Interstate Bank’s sale to Wells Fargo for approximately $13 billion, as well as the rollup of Kinko’s from 135 separate entities into one entity just prior to its sale to FedEx. On the nonprofit/volunteer side, Jeff has been involved in many different organizations including the Friends of the Island Fox as Treasurer, Simi Valley Non-Profit Spay and Neuter Clinic as a Board Member, U.S. Masters Swimming where he served as President, Treasurer and Board Member of the national organization and in various other local positions, Conejo Valley Multi-Sport Masters as co-founder and coach, and as a Board Member of the USA Swimming Foundation. In addition, Jeff and his wife Lori provide support for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (“CJD”) Foundation, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Venice High School Alumni Association, Carousel Ranch (Equestrian therapy for physically challenged children) and the Saving Grace Maternity Home. While at GCC,  Jeff was captain of the Varsity Swimming Team and a two time All-American. In addition, he was President of ODK and participated in the Accounting Society.

Elisabeth O’Brien ’16

Elisabeth O’Brien ’16 is passionate about enhancing the digital customer experience through behavioral science and consumer-driven insights. She has taken her passions into the financial services industry, where she has served as a product manager for an established fin-tech, driving the strategy behind the firm’s robo-investing product. She led a team to implement features and enhancements that have saved over $100K for the firm year over year while also implementing strategies for High Net Worth and Ultra High Net worth investors, driving asset growth of over $10B within the first 6 weeks of product implementation. Currently, Elisabeth serves in the Wealth and Asset Management consulting practice of a Big Four professional services firm, where she is responsible for driving the establishment of client segmentation, product development and future target operating model strategies for global and multi-national investment banks. She is also engaged with global sales and pursuit teams, generating net new account growth for the firm. When she is not working on client engagements and sales pursuits, she spends time creating published materials for the firm and has recently published client material on the future of the High Net Worth & Ultra High Net Worth market space and the implementation of Behavioral Economic strategies within target operating models. Elisabeth graduated from the Grove City College Entrepreneurship Department in 2016 and is very grateful to still be plugged into the community through opportunities like the Rocket Race class and the Wolverine Venture Battle. 

Mark Pentz ’81

Michael Pentz ’06

Michael Pentz earned a BS in Business Management and is the vice president of Calvin Group Inc, a used asphalt paving equipment dealer in Windsor, CO that reaches customers around the world. He joined his father in the company in 2009 to manage the day-to-day activities of the company. Prior to that Michael worked in marketing and product development for startups, nonprofits, and brands such as LG, Apple, and Specialized. Michael lives in Colorado with his wife, Yvonne (’06), and three children. 

Bill Smith ’69

After earning his BA in Business Administration and launching his career with companies such as RCA Computer Systems, Xerox Data Systems, and Rockwell International Corporation, Mr. Smith co-founded Smith Micro Software, Inc. in 1982.  Guided by his visionary leadership and savvy business acumen, Smith Micro developed a reputation as a trusted software solution provider to wireless carriers and cable companies.  Throughout the company’s 39-year-history, Bill has overseen more than 25 strategic acquisitions and has built Smith Micro into a multi-national company positioned for sustained success in the rapidly evolving global telecommunications industry.  Bill has served as Smith Micro’s President and Chief Executive Officer since its inception and as Chairman of the Board since the company’s successful IPO in 1995 (NASDAQ: SMSI). 

Tom Streiff

Mr. Streiff is President and CEO of TFS Resources where he uses his experience to assist international banks, private equity firms and insurers. He received a B.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Utah and an MBA from Pepperdine.  He started his career in the engineering field then ventured into financial services and started several companies that created, developed, and distributed retirement products.  In addition, he has held senior level positions at UBS, PIMCO, and TIAA/Nuveen. Tom holds numerous corporate board positions.  He is an accomplished author, having co-authored three books on retirement, pensions, and annuities. Additionally, he uses his considerable expertise as an expert witness, including at the U.S. Supreme Court, and Congressional Committees. Tom and his wife, Joan (Duffett ’81), are active in philanthropic, educational, and charitable organizations. Tom is active at their church and serves his community as a Township Planning Commissioner. Tom and Joan support Grove City College sponsoring a Fellow for the Institute for Faith and Freedom.  Tom especially enjoys spending time with his family, exploring Civil War History, and working on his 60-acre farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  

Brian Young ’92

Mr. Young graduated with a BA in Accounting and Political Science.  He has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and finance industries, with a focus on providing financial consulting and turnaround services to healthcare companies and advisory services to commercial lenders.  He began his career in various accounting roles with healthcare and finance companies before transitioning into commercial lending where he held various management roles, including Chief Operating Officer, Account Executive, and Controller for two commercial lenders.  In 2001 Brian co-founded the company that would become Breslin, Young, & Slaughter, LLC (BY&S).  Brian is currently the CEO of BY&S which is a firm of 35 staff that provide financial due diligence and consulting services to lenders, investors, and operators in the healthcare space. Brian and his wife Kitty (Henneman ’92) live with their 4 children in Street, MD.