Advisory Council
William S. McKiernan
CEO, WSM Capital
Bill McKiernan is CEO of WSM Capital, LLC a private equity firm he founded to invest in payment and other technology companies. Prior to founding WSM Capital, Bill founded CyberSource Corporation in 1994. In July 2010, Visa, Inc. acquired CyberSource in a transaction valued at $2 billion. Mr. McKiernan holds a BS from Boston College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a Trustee of Boston College and Bellarmine College Prep. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Ireland Fund, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Harvard Business School California Research Center Advisory Board.
He is the West Coast Chairman of the Boston College Technology Council and Chairman of the Board of Bitnet Technologies Ltd. a payment processor for bitcoin.
Thomas D. Follet
Retired, Partner, Accenture Consulting
Tom Follett is a retired business executive who spends a great deal of time seeking ways to fight the Parkinson’s disease at The Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center. He joined the Board of Directors at the Institute in 2005 and for the last 5 years has served as Board Chairman. Tom provides an active, hands on role helping with strategy, fund raising, problem solving, and as a public relations spokesman for the Institute. Tom also serves as a member of That Man May See (TMMS) Board of Directors helps raise funds for the Ophthalmology Department at UCSF. Over a 10-year time frame he has chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and has served on the Finance Committee, along with the Recruitment and Retention Committee. After losing his wife to Lou Gehrig’s disease, Tom became active with The ALS Association, with whom he served as President of the Bay Area Chapter for three years. Tom was a Partner with Andersen Consulting (now called Accenture) and retired in 2000 after a 25-year career. He started in Chicago but spent the majority of his career working with high tech clients in the Bay Area. He also lived in Germany for 5 years where he managed the Manufacturing Industry Practice.
Tom is a graduate of Notre Dame (BS Aero Engineering), University of Michigan (MS Aero Engineering) and Xavier University (MBA).
Lisa Friedman
AVP Web Marketing & eCommerce, RingCentral
Lisa leads Web Marketing and eCommerce for RingCentral and is responsible for the company’s web properties, corresponding business results, customer experience, development, product management, and operations. In the past 20 years, Lisa has held executive roles in marketing and management, as well as built profitable online environments and eCommerce sites for top brands such as Scholastic, Banana Republic, Williams-Sonoma, and Intuit, and several start-ups.
Lisa is proponent of non profits and is currently acting as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for BAFB.org. She serves on the Board of The Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California and has been acting VP of Marketing for the club. In addition, Lisa was honored as a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women Award in 2018, celebrating women who exemplify and reflect innovation, creativity and excellence. She is a passionate mom, skier, dancer, cyclist, and volunteer.
Cita Rojas-Sila
Principal and Founder, CRS Design Studio and Casa Cita Rugs
Cita’s journey, shaped by more than 13 years of experience in prestigious high-end design firms and her leadership roles in the interior design community, reflects her deep passion for art, sustainability, and a profound understanding of the impact that design has on individuals, especially within the areas of sustainability and neuroaesthetics.
Throughout her career, Cita has taken on various leadership roles, including serving as President of the California Peninsula chapter of ASID, completing a LEED internship, and currently holding advisory board positions with ASID California Peninsula and Bay Area Furniture Bank. She is committed to promoting sustainable design practices, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the interior design profession, and volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley by giving presentations on interior design, all while enhancing her clients’ lives through thoughtful design.
As the founder and visionary behind CRS Design Studio and Casa Cita Rugs, Cita continues to channel her passion for art and design into her work. Her creative process is inspired by a wide range of influences, from art and architecture to nature, travel and culture, resulting in designs that are as unique as each client. The inspiration for her rug line emerged from her desire to innovate and create something fresh and distinctive in rug design. Her debut capsule collection, inspired by her love of Pre-Columbian art and deep cultural roots, has been warmly received.
When she’s not focused on growing her business, she’s spending quality time with her family, exploring new destinations, and seeking out the next exciting winery.
Brenna Bolger
Founder and CEO, PRxDigital
Brenna Bolger is the Founder and CEO of PRx, Inc.–now PRxDigital — an award-winning, full service marketing communications firm specializing in comprehensive branding campaigns, creative problem-solving, strategic planning, media relations and digital campaigns, including social media platforms, video content, production and optimization.
Brenna’s role at PRxD includes overall CEO responsibilities, strategic consulting and creative solution development for clients, quality control over all clients, relationship maintenance, enabling employee development of their special strengths, interests and career growth, financial management and new business acquisition. PRxD clients have included Cypress Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Milestone Technologies, Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley and East Bay; Clos de la Tech Winery, San Joaquin County, Stockton Metropolitan Airport, Greater Silicon Valley, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Valley Medical Center Foundation, CORE Companies, ORBIS International among others.
Mary Proepper
Retired Development Director, NW Furniture Bank
As the Development Director for NW Furniture Bank in Tacoma Washington Mary was responsible for Fundraising, Communication, Community Relations and Volunteers Engagement. Previously, she worked at Bridging, the largest furniture bank in the country which is located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of MN. In her 8 year tenure with Bridging she implemented a successful fundraising and development department. Prior to Bridging, Mary spent more than 25 years in for-profit companies in the functional areas of account management, sales, project management, human resources and operations with some 20 years spent in management capacities. Mary grew up in Minneapolis and holds a BA from the University of MN.