BOWHEAD CORP ADVISORY COUNCIL
Ralph Derrickson
Most recently Ralph was the president and CEO of Bsquare, a system software development company. Ralph is a highly accomplished business leader with a wide range of experience using technology to create innovative products, services, and business models. Prior to joining Bsquare, Ralph was president and CEO of Carena, a pioneer in the development of virtual health care delivery until its acquisition by Avizia in 2017. Ralph served as SVP of Corporate Development until Avizia’s acquisition by American Well in July 2018. Prior to Carena, Ralph was managing director of venture investments at Vulcan Capital where he was actively involved in the investment, growth, and operations of the firm’s technology portfolio companies. Ralph has served for 15 years on the board of Perficient (PRFT), an IT services firm with expertise in e-commerce digital transformation. Ralph has senior leadership experience at Metricom, Starwave Corporation (acquired by Walt Disney), and NeXT Computer (acquired by Apple Computer). He began his career as a software engineer at Digital Research and Sun Microsystems.
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Ralph serves on the dean’s advisory board of the Golisano College of Computing & Information Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he earned a BT in Systems Software. He also serves on the advisory board for the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, in the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
Tom Mase
Tom Mase is a professor of mechanical engineering and Cal Poly’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), overseeing academic integrity, institutional control and student-athlete well-being. Tom received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in 1980. He obtained master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982 and 1987, respectively. At Michigan State, he played on the golf team and was co-captain his senior year.
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Tom used his mechanics background to work on applied problems. Specific areas have been measuring constitutive responses of materials, impact modeling using finite elements, and composite materials. Representative publications include the Third Edition of Continuum Mechanics for Engineers (CRC Press), ”Modelling the Sound of a Golf Club Impact,” Proc IMechE, Part P, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, Sage Publishing, 226(2), 107-113, c 2012, and several papers on determining hyperelastic, rate-dependent properties of golf balls.
Tom consults with the golf industry on research and design, and is named on six U.S. and two Japanese golf-related patents. Every fall, Tom serves as a scientific panelist on Golf Digest’s Hotlist.
John Sztykiel
John Sztykiel is Vice President of Business Development at Harbinger, focused on partner engagement, strategic planning, and global growth. A disciplined believer that one can see the future with greater clarity through data, John brings more than 30 years of experience in chassis and commercial truck bodies.
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Prior to Harbinger, John served as President and CEO of Spartan Motors, which employed 1,800 individuals across five states. His intuitive approach and focus on value creation propelled Spartan to grow in the world of specialty vehicles from $10 million in sales to more than $500 million, provide 22 consecutive years of dividends, and grow through the acquisition of Utilimaster and their Isuzu assembly partnership.