Community Engagement Board

Carla Griffin
Executive-In-Residence – SJSU LCOB Community Engagement, Real Estate Broker
San Jose State University, B.S., Accounting and Finance ’65

Carla Griffin graduated from San Jose State University in 1965 with a BS in Accounting and Finance and began her career in the semiconductor industry first joining Philco Ford Micro Technology, Fairchild Semiconductors, and then Advanced Micro Devices. Her AMD career was as Controller/Treasurer and she “retired” in 1976 to begin a career in Real Estate specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions. Carla was a Board of Director of the SJSU College of Business Alumni Association for 7 years and was on the capital fundraising campaign to renovate the COB Classroom building which was completed in 1999. Carla is currently involved as Treasurer of the Santa Clara County Realtors Foundation which raises funds to assist low-income and homeless families in Santa Clara County. She chairs the 8 member Board and is a member of the Dean’s Global Leadership Council (GLC). 

Brad Baron
Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor/Accredited Wealth Manager - RBC Wealth Management
San Jose State University, B.S., Business Management ‘81

Brad Baron is an Accredited Wealth Manager (AWM) receiving  his BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from SJSU in 1981. He began his career at Sutro & Co. in 1993, serving on Financial Consultant Advisory Council and advisory body that represents RBC Wealth Management Financial Advisors. Brad is an active volunteer in the community having served on the Board of Trustees of the Health Trust, VIA Services, the Rotary Club of San Jose and many others. He is currently serving on SJSU Lucas College of Business Community Engagement Board and has been a member since 2014.  

Candice Salcedo
President- Candice Salcedo Insurance Agency Inc.
San Jose State University, B.S., Business Administration- International Business  ‘10

Candice Salcedo is President of Candice Salcedo Insurance Agency Inc. which she began in November 2009 while attending SJSU LCOB where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration- International Business in 2010. She is actively involved with the National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates (NHORA) as a Board member and chairs the Scholarship Fund for Hispanic college students. Candice joined the SJSU Lucas College of Business Community Engagement Board in early 2015.

Fernando Zazueta
Sole Practitioner at Zazueta Law Office
UC Davis School of Law, JD Degree, Law ‘75
San Jose State University, BS in Business ‘68

Fernando Zazueta was born in Mexico and came to California as an infant and raised by a migrant farm worker aunt and uncle in the San Joaquin and Santa Clara Valleys. He graduated from San Jose High School and then received a BS in Business from San Jose State College in 1968. He worked as a stock broker, banker and accountant until he received his law degree in 1975 from UC Davis.

After serving as a State Hearing Officer, he worked with a couple of law firms in San Jose until  in 1993 he returned to solo practice in which has has represented hundreds of people in personal injury matters for more than 35+years.

Fernando has volunteered and given much to Santa Clara County through many organizations and is still active in local, county, state and national bar associations as well as in Hispanic bar groups and the Downtown San Jose Rotary Club. He was a member of the SJSU Business Alumni Association in the 1990's and was instrumental in closing the fundraising effort in 1999 by asking his personal friend and fellow attorney, James Boccardo to name our Business Building. He is now a member of SJSU LCOB Community Engagement Board since 2014.

Fernando speaks Spanish, and has varying degrees of fluency in Italian, Portuguese, and French. For thirty years, Fernando was legal advisor to the Consulate General of Mexico in San Jose.

Gerhard (Garret) Brummer
Store Manager at Kohl's Department Stores
San Jose State University, B.B.A., Accounting ‘08

Gerhard Brummer graduated in 2008 with a BBA (Accounting).  He has been serving SJSU through the SJSU College of Business Alumni Network since 2009, the KOHL'S University Recruitment Program since 2013, and has been a SJSU College of Business Community Engagement Board member since the beginning of 2015. Gerhard is currently KOHL'S General Manager at the Milpitas Great Mall, where he works closely with the partners at the KOHL'S Corporate Information Technology Center in Milpitas. Before KOHL'S, Gerhard worked for other Fortune 500 and international companies such as Target, Safeway, and the grocer Spar in South Africa.  Gerhard also has experience as a public auditor and passed the CPA Audit and Attestation Examination.

Ken Smyth
Sr. Sales Manager, American Portwell Technology
San Jose State University, B.S., Business Management ‘77

Ken Smyth graduated from San Jose State University with a BS in Business Management and began his career in the semiconductor industry joining Advanced Micro Devices. His AMD career began in product line supply chain management while earning his MBA at night school and then he transitioned to Sales. He has worked at Samsung Semiconductor, Oki Semiconductor, Micron Technology, and is currently working at American Portwell Technology. Ken was a Board member of the SJSU College of Business Alumni Association for 10 years and the key role on the Board was to host the annual COB Student Awards Banquet. Ken launched the Board’s Executive Breakfast Briefings speaker series and was on the capital fundraising campaign to renovate the COB Classroom building.  The private sector fundraising was led by SJSU Business Alumni AMD President Rich Previte and was completed in 1999. Ken is now a member of the Dean’s Community Engagement Board to assist the College in connecting with Silicon Valley companies and the alumni from the Lucas College of Business and Graduate School since 2014.

Linda Morasch
Chief Financial Officer at Ponderosa Homes
San Jose State University, B.S., Business ‘83

Linda Morasch has been with Ponderosa Homes since 1976. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 1978 while attending SJSU and graduated from SJSU with a BS in Accounting in 1983.    Linda served on the College of Business Alumni Association Board during the 1990's and became a member of SJSU Lucas College of Business Community Engagement Board in 2014. Linda is a major supporter of both SJSU College of Business and Athletics.

Rebecca Haggerty
Internal Audit Manager at County of Santa Clara
San Jose State University, B.S., Accounting ‘87

Rebecca Haggerty is a 1987 graduate of San Jose State University, B.S. Business Administration-Accounting/Music Minor, Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor.  Her career, of over 25 years, in the auditing and accounting field included positions at Deloitte & Touche, the cities of San Jose and Palo Alto, a local CPA firm (Perisho, Tombor, Loomis & Ramirez), and the County of Santa Clara.  Currently she is the Internal Audit Manager at the County of Santa Clara where she recommends business improvements by performing audit and consulting projects.  Rebecca also applies her problem solving skills in her volunteer work with the San Jose State Lucas College of Business Community Engagement Board  where she has been a member since early 2015 Amigos de las America, and the County Employee Management Association.  She enjoys making a difference.

Sandi Conniff
Executive Consultant at Rodan + Fields Dermatologists
Administrative Director
SJSU College of Business Alumni Association, 1993 – 2000 (7 years)

Sandi Conniff is currently Executive Consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatologists.    She has been actively involved in community volunteer work since 1990.    She is currently serving as a Board Member for VIA Services, American Cancer Society and Silicon Coastal Regional Council,   Sandi was the Administrative Director for SJSU College of Business Alumni Association from 1993-2000 working with all of the Business Alumni, the Board members and managing the capital campaign.     Sandi has served on the SJSU Lucas College of Business Community Engagement Board since 2014. Sandi and her husband, Richard Conniff (SJSU MBA '87) sponsor the Richard and Sandra Conniff Leaders in Business Ethics Speaker Series,