Paul Freedman

Paul Freedman founded Academic Engine in 1999 and ran the organization for more than five years. During that time Paul built a product development, sales, and service organization from the ground up. Under his stewardship, the company acquired nearly 150 clients in the education market, expanded from a single product offering to a comprehensive suite of communication management solutions, developed several successful partnerships, and weathered the financial storm of the dot-com bubble. In 2004, Academic Engine was sold to Hobsons, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust.

From 2004 to 2007, Paul served as President/Managing Director of the Hobsons EMT, a subsidiary of Hobsons, Inc. In that position, Paul oversaw Hobsons' international presence in the higher education technology market. During his four-year tenure, Hobsons EMT increased revenues and profits over ten-fold. Furthermore, Paul spearheaded multiple acquisitions and company integrations, including the 2006 acquisition of Chat University and the 2007 acquisition of AY Recruiting solutions.

Paul currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Hobsons, Inc and Destination Vertical, LLC, and is Chairman of the Board of Ivy Bridge College of Tiffin University.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Terry Howerton

Terry Howerton is the founder and CEO of the FastRoot organization, a full-service provider of information technology solutions for companies ranging from start-up to mid-market. He is a skilled technologist and committed entrepreneur, starting his first business at the age of 15. He has launched and built a series of successful ventures, all high-tech based or heavily leveraging technology. His companies have included consumer catalog businesses, book, magazine and web portal ventures, ISP’s and hosting companies, software products and consulting firms.

Terry Howerton passionately represents a new generation of tech entrepreneurs who are launching and building businesses in Chicago. As founding Chairman of the Illinois Technology Association (ITA), Terry champions the interests of nearly 700 local companies. He united dozens of local leaders to launch the ITA, based on a long-term mission that places the group among the nation's most influential technology associations. Terry also serves on the boards of area start-ups, emerging companies and non-profits, and is very involved in education reform following the 2009 launch of a new Chicago high school for entrepreneurs and technologists.

After 20+ years as an intrapreneur and entrepreneur, Michael joined the full-time faculty of the Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FCEI) in January 2007. Michael founded FCEI to help evolve engineering beyond the application of the sciences to the creation of businesses that capitalize on innovations.

Previously, Michael was a vice president and acting chief marketing officer at Bally Total Fitness where he led Bally’s transition into a multi-channel integrated marketing organization. He was also the founder and general manager of the Chicago office of Digitas, now a Publicis subsidiary, where he guided the office from startup to a staff of 80, providing interactive and relationship marketing services to companies such as Allstate, Best Buy, Brunswick, and others. His background includes key roles at Organic, Inc. and Solucient, Inc.

Michael continues to be a zero and early stage investor through his venture capital company, Solesde. He researches how established businesses can successfully foster new businesses through corporate venturing. Michael also focuses on the concept of "bootstrapping" — how to grow a company with little or no capital.

Michael received his BS in Accountancy with high honors from DePaul University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He currently sits on the boards of Sportiqe, Zone Medical, and ContextMedia.

Ralph W. Rydholm

In his 40+ years in the advertising business, Ralph Rydholm has worn a lot of hats. He has been a writer, an account exec, a creative director, a CEO, and chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. But most of all, he has been a premier brand builder. He has launched new brands, repositioned older ones and won more than his share in the highly competitive new business area.

Currently, Ralph is president of R2 Consulting, which he formed after retiring from Euro RSCG Tatham as CEO and Euro RSCG USA as director. Ralph came to Tatham Laird & Kudner from Ted Bates Advertising in New York City, where he worked globally on such accounts as the U.S. Navy, Xerox, Colgate, Panasonic and Prudential. Prior to Bates, Ralph spent 20 years at J. Walter Thompson, where he worked internationally in Europe, South America, Canada and Asia on clients such as Pepsi, Ford, Burger King, Kellogg and Kraft. Along the way, Ralph has worked in every aspect of the advertising business, from print to television, direct response to the Internet.

Ralph has been named one of “America’s 100 Best Creative People” by Ad Daily twice, the Wall Street Journal’s “Creative Leaders Hall of Fame” in 1994, “Ad Exec Of the Year” for 1990 by Adweek, one of the five “Best Men in Advertising” by McCall’s and Adweek in 1992, and was CEO when Tatham was named “Midwest Agency of the Year” by Adweek. As a cap to his many hats, Ralph was on the Board of the 4A’s for six years, served as vice chair, and was named chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies in 1997.

He is a member and former director of The Economic Club of Chicago and a member of the President’s Circle of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and the Executives Club of Chicago. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ralph did graduate MBA work at NU and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is happily married to Jo with 3 grown children. A native Chicagoan with a passion for sports, he has always been a dedicated Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Hawks and NU Wildcats fan, and remains a dedicated skier and a lousy golfer.

Robert Shaw

For the last five years, Robert Shaw has volunteered as a consultant and advisor to undergraduate engineering design courses at Northwestern University. Before that, Robert spent nearly 30 years as the co-owner of Milex Products, Inc., a small, medical device company.

Robert is a graduate of Northwestern University and he received an MM degree from Kellogg Business Scool. He has served on boards of MAC and the Sheil Catholic Center, as well as the field Museum Anthropology Alliance Steering Committee. Robert is a volunteer at Chicago Botanic Garden & Presidents Council and has served on numerous parish committees, including parish council chairman for five years and liturgy committee chairman for 12 years.

_______________________________________________________________________________________