Advisory Board

Nicole Woolsey Biggart
Advisory Board Chairwoman
Ms. Biggart is a professor of Management and Sociology and the Jerome J. and Elsie Suran Chair in Technology Management at the University of California, Davis.  She received her Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley.  Ms. Biggart served as the dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management from July 2003 to June 2009.  She is an expert in organizational theory and management of innovation and has written many books, book-length reports and more than 30 articles.  Dr. Biggart has studied a variety of sectors, organizations and markets around the world.  She is active and deeply engaged in the Northern California business community and currently is on the editorial board of Comstock’s business magazine and the board of Sacramento
Area Regional Technology Alliance.

Daniel Sperling
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Sperling is a Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, as well as founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis.  In February 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Sperling to the Board of the California Air Resources Board, often referred to as the most powerful air quality agency in the world. Dr. Sperling is recognized as a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and transportation policy.  He was honored as a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies and is author or editor of 200 technical articles and 11 books, including Two Billion Cars.  He earned his
B.S. in Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning from Cornell
University and his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the
University of California, Berkeley (with minors in Economics and
Energy & Resources).

Wil Agatstein
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Agatstein is an entrepreneurial executive with nearly 30 years of experience in product innovation, international development, manufacturing, support, marketing and sales.  Graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s of science degree in material science from Rice University, Agatstein spent 27 years at Intel, where he established a proven track record of innovation of production products.  He was the creator and driving force behind the success of Intel’s Classmate PC, a small, rugged and personalized laptop for children in the developing world.  Mr. Agatstein is currently the Executive Director of the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship and Visiting Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Management.

Christine Gulbranson
Advisory Board Member
Named one of the “Top ‘Forty Under 40’ of Business Leaders in Silicon Valley,” Ms. Gulbranson earned five degrees, including an MBA, from the University of California, Davis, all by the age of 25.  She began her career as Director of Research Collaborations in the University of California’s Office of the President.  Combining her science and business background, Gulbranson spent two years as a partner at Global Catalyst Partners, a Bay Area venture capital firm that specializes in the high-tech sector.  In previous years, she has launched two nanotechnology firms and a consulting practice.  Ms. Gulbranson recently joined the Graduate School of Management’s Dean’s Advisory Council at UC Davis.

Bryan M. Jenkins
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Jenkins is a Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of California, Davis.  Professor Jenkins teaches and conducts research in the areas of energy and power, with emphasis on biomass and other renewable resources. His current research involves finding a means to improve the conversion and expand the use of biomass fuels.  In previous years, he has functioned as the Senior Resource Engineer for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company and as an Affiliate Researcher for the California Senate Office of Research.  Jenkins earned a bachelor’s of science in agricultural engineering from the University of Maryland and continued his education with an MS and Ph.D in agricultural engineering at UC Davis.

Jim Wunderman
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Wunderman serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bay Area Council, a business-packed public policy organization in the San Francisco-Oakland-Silicon Valley Bay Area.  Prior to the Bay Area Council, he held key positions in both the private and public sectors, which included Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Providian Financial Corporation and Chief of Staff to San Francisco Mayor Frank M. Jordan.  Wunderman is an active member of the community.  In addition to Sierra Energy’s Advisory Board, he serves on the board of California Pacific Medical Center, Bridge Housing Corporation, the Advisory Board of the Partnership for America’s Economic Success and many others.  Wunderman graduated with honors from
San Francisco State University, majoring in Political Science.  In 2003,
he was inducted into San Francisco State’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Michael C. Child
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Child currently serves as a Managing Director for TA Associates, Inc., a private equity investment firm, where he is co-head of the Menlo Park office Technology Group, focusing on investments in technology and technology-based service businesses.  Prior to joining TA Associates, he was a Product Manager for ROLM Corporation, worked with Boston Consulting Group in strategic planning and was a Production Engineer for Hewlett-Packard. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and earned his MBA from Stanford University.  Child serves as a member of the advisory board for Graduate School of Management at UC Davis and is the 2010 Aggie Service Award recipient in recognition of his recent
dedication of time, energy, volunteerism and leadership in support
of the alumni association and UC Davis.