Previous and Current Judges
Martin Andersons
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Martin Andersons is the President of American Latvian Association and a member of Columbia Business School Hermes Society. He brings extensive experience in corporate and strategic initiatives. He has held leadership roles in sales and compensation at General Electric, LinkedIn, and AssetMark. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan on Wall Street, financing over $20 billion in M&A and corporate deals. Martin received Phi Beta Kappa honors at Northwestern University.
Dr. Jack McGourty
Venture for All® Founder
Dr. Jack McGourty is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the founder of Venture for All®. He has taught applied entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology management across multiple Columbia schools for more than 27 years, reaching over 10,000 students worldwide. A former Vice Dean at Columbia Engineering, he has played a central role in building the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including launching the undergraduate minor in entrepreneurship.
Dr. Anas Chalah
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Dr. Anas Chalah is the Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He leads academic innovation and curriculum development across engineering and applied sciences, with a focus on integrating technologies into education. A 2023 Harvard Heroes Award recipient, Dr. Chalah plays a key role in advancing teaching excellence and bridging secondary education and technological ecosystems.
Dr. Paul Shih
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Founder
A true believer in education equality, Dr. Shih earned his MBA from Columbia University and founded IEG Global Association to deliver transformative programs for underserved students at institutions like Columbia, Caltech, Harvard, Stanford, and Berklee. As the founder of MEC, he aims to empower youth worldwide through real-world business experiences, global collaboration, and access to opportunities that spark meaningful change.
Manoj Pooleery
Venture for All® Professor
Manoj Pooleery is the Founder and CEO of M-Phi Innovators, a specialized technology services company that provides full range of innovation services to businesses. He provides end-to-end technology and business strategy definition and implementation to both startups and established businesses. He has helped many companies get started, out of the Columbia Business School as well as outside.
Daniel McQuade
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Daniel McQuade is a senior marketing and business executive and educator with extensive experience in business strategy, brand development, and entrepreneurial leadership. He has taught at Columbia Business School, guiding students in business development, go-to-market strategy, and innovation. In addition to his academic work, McQuade is the founder of InnoVenture LAB, where he mentors founders and supports early-stage ventures.
Herman Chan
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Herman Chan earned his B. Eng. and M. Eng. in Computer Engineering from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), as well as an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM). Herman serves as an adjunct faculty member at AGSM, where he teaches IT-led business transformation.
Dr. Shelby Forbes
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Dr. Shelby Forbes received her Ph.D. in communication and teaches related courses at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Her expertise lies in crisis communication and organizational communication, particularly as it applies to the healthcare industry. She serves as an affiliated researcher for Johns Hopkins University’s Inclusive Innovation Initiative.
Jennifer Lai
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
As the founder and CEO of ECIS Advisory, Jennifer brings over 20 years of experience in business strategy, private client services, and global residency planning. Her work spans key markets including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. She also serves as Managing Partner of Female Entrepreneurs Worldwide – Japan, and is a Fellow Member of the Investment Migration Council.
Steve Bernstein
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Steve is Managing Director of Lone Star Funds in Hong Kong, with decades of experience in global finance. He previously served as CEO of SinoPac Solutions and Services and CEO of Oppenheimer Investments Asia. Over his career, he held key roles across New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, including CAO of Nikko Salomon Smith Barney and head of Global Securities Services.
Roy Lee
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Roy is the Superintendent and Principal of Wagor International School. He is also a leading expert in AIGC and education innovation, and formerly served as Executive Secretary of Taiwan’s Open Education Consortium. A nine-time national and one-time Asia impromptu speech champion with Toastmasters, he has reached over 10,000 learners through his AI-focused programs.
Elia Brodsky
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Elia Brodsky is an executive professional in information technologies, marketing, and healthcare strategy. He’s also the co-founder and CEO of Pine Biotech, a Big Data Analysis company with a vision to enhance human health and well-being by enabling Biological Research and Discovery with relevant data. He received his MBA from Tulane University.
Victoria Sze
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Victoria Sze brings over 20 years of management experience from Fortune 500 biomedical companies. She has held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Getinge, St. Jude Medical, and Gambro, and is known for driving growth and organizational success. Victoria holds an M.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Joseph Rios
Venture for All® Professor
Dr. Joseph Rios received his Ph.D. in International Comparative Education: Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics from Stanford University, his MA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and his BA from University of California, San Diego. He is currently a senior consultant at Google.
Patrick Pan
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Patrick Pan received his MBA from Columbia University and BA from the University of Toronto and is currently an alum interviewer for Columbia Business School. He is the founder of Smartnext Edu, an ed-tech firm dedicated to improving financial literacy and business acumen for global youth.
Tatsuhito Sugaoi
Venture for All® Professor
Tatsuhito Sugaoi is a Venture for All® Professor, an Associate Professor at Yamagata University, and the Founder & CEO of Rise Base, Inc. In 2016, he launched the Japanese Venture for All® Program, playing a key role in advancing entrepreneurship education in Japan. Beyond academia, Tatsuhito develops and delivers corporate training programs for Global Fortune 100 companies. He holds an MBA from Hitotsubashi University, one of Japan’s leading business schools.
Shoko Saeki
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Shoko Saeki is the Founder of DUOLOGY Co. Ltd and Shoko & Partners HK, and a scholar-entrepreneur based in Japan and the United Kingdom. She holds advanced degrees from King’s College London and Heythrop College, University of London. Named one of the Top 10 Global Women Leaders from Japan (2024), Shoko is recognized for her work at the intersection of academia, entrepreneurship, and global issues, including sustainability, human rights, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Dr. Zelo Mangombo
Model Entrepreneur® Competition Judge
Dr. Zelo Anatole Mangombo is an Independent Consultant at the DNA Black Leadership Institute and a Project Manager for Programme Development, specializing in leadership and research development. He holds a Ph.D. in Natural Science from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and is committed to social transformation through leadership, mentoring, and research-driven practice.
Contact
A: 5214F Diamond Heights Blvd #3322, San Francisco, CA 94131
T: +1.800.965.9379
E-mail：mec@ivyedugrp.org
About Us
MEC is a global competition hosted by IEG Global Association. All university-run programs are conducted by each university respectively, and IEG serves as its official representative.