Mentors and Judges
Each finalist team will be assigned a mentor by the Farrell Center to assist them as they prepare for the final round. Judges for the first round of the competition will consist of Smeal College of Business staff and faculty members. The final round judging panel will consist of Smeal staff and distinguished guests. (Mentor and judge listing to come).
Finalist Mentors
Albert Flecha - Business Intelligence Architect/Developer, Bloomberg
Albert has been working at Bloomberg since he graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a BS in Finance. His first role was on the Technical Implementation Acquisition team. In this role, Albert created customized web crawlers to automatically scour the web for new data/news/documents and pull them onto the terminal for client facing functions.
Albert's current role is in Business Intelligence where he leverages his technical skills and knowledge of the business to create applications which help management understand and manage the business better.
Albert's hobbies include technology, cars, and Penn State Football.
Margot DeFrance - Founder, MD Consulting
Margot is a healthcare and financial service industry professional with a well-rounded background encompassing corporate strategy and communications, healthcare equity research, investment management, asset allocation, capital markets- private placement, product/marketing management, licensing and business development. Healthcare is a sector where history in the industry can provide valuable and time-saving insights. Margot draws on her extensive experience, her uncanny ability to remember a vast amount of information and integrate the pieces relevant to the moment, and her creative consultative approach to help solve issues.
She founded MD Consulting, a boutique consulting firm specializing in strategic corporate advice, investor messaging and targeting, private placements, and business development. Her clients include medical device, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, merchant banks, alternative asset managers, and consulting firms. Her investment/ operational experience includes regenerative medicine, implantable medical devices (both orthopedic and cardio), diagnostics, hematology/oncology therapeutics, digital health/healthcare data, OTC patch products, and infectious diseases.
Brad Falvey - Management Development Trainee, Hajoca Corporation
Brad graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a double major in Business Management and Marketing. Since June 2014, he has been part Hajoca’s extensive 3 year Management Development Program training to be a future Profit Center Manager of one of the many locations nationwide. Currently Brad is in his second phase of training focusing on development of Inside Sales skills.
Derek Six - Vice President, ClimeCo.
Derek Six is a Member of the Board of Directors and Vice President of ClimeCo Corporation. Derek Six joined ClimeCo Corporation in 2015. As the former CEO of Environmental Credit Corp., Mr. Six operated a nationwide portfolio of carbon offset projects, and acted as the manager of the Environmental Carbon Credit Pool, an environmental commodity pool managed by ECC which specialized in GHG-offset investment and trading. Prior to ECC, he managed the private equity fund Venture Investing Group, and served as a portfolio manager and head consumer discretionary sector analyst for the Nittany Lion Fund. Mr. Six’s trading experience spans environmental commodities, equities, and options, and he has passed NASAA Series 63 and Series 65 exams. He received his MBA with a concentration in Investment Management and Portfolio Analysis from the Smeal College at Pennsylvania State University.
An expert in the areas of cap and trade program design, offset protocol design, and offset project development, Mr. Six has served as a member of the Climate Action Reserve’s ODS protocol working group; a co-founder and treasurer of the Carbon Offset Developer’s Association; and a founding member and Assistant Chairman of the Compliance Offset Developer’s Association. He has contributed to several research studies involving climate change policy, cap and trade design, and the roles of voluntary and compliance offsets.
Mr. Six also taught in the Pennsylvania State University’s Energy and Sustainability Policy degree program, and continues to guest lecture and participate in various programs at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State. Mr. Six holds EPA Section 608 and 609 Technician Certifications, and is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed Master Captain.
Final Round Judges
Russell Barton - Senior Associate Dean, Smeal College of Business
Shawn Clark - Interim Director, Farrell Center for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation
Brad Leve - Assistant Director, Farrell Center for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation
Rudy Glocker - Managing Partner, pediped footwear
Shelton Mercer, III - Chief Executive Officer, TwitChange
