Leadership
Shin Wei, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Senior Counselor. As CEO, Mr. Wei is responsible for setting the overall direction and product strategy for IvyMax. His industry experience includes 24 years in advanced software design, 15 years as a senior executive, and a decade of college counseling expertise. Mr. Wei began his career on Wall Street while attending graduate school at UPenn. He then joined Andersen’s (now Accenture) Advanced Technology Groups in Chicago as Senior Manager before founding Advante, a strategic consultancy where he served as Senior Advisor and Acting CTO or VP of Engineering for Internet startups. He later joined Brience as Managing Principal and Director of Professional Services. At Brience, a wireless enterprise software company with $200 million in VC funding, he built Professional Services to an 80-person organization that served more than 50 Fortune 100 companies. In 2000, Mr. Wei started helping aspiring students get admitted to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, UPenn, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and other prestigious universities. Subsequently, Mr. Wei co-founded IvyMax to specialize in premier college planning, applications, and test prep services utilizing industry-best experts and state-of-the-art memory engine online technology. Mr. Wei has been frequently featured on Sing Tao Chinese Radio, KTSF TV26, ETTV, LA18 KSCI-TV, the largest Asian language TV station in America, and other leading print and on-air media in the US and in Greater China. Mr. Wei holds a BSE and an MSE in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Francis Pai, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Garth Robertson, Chief Editor, Senior Counselor. As Chief Editor, Mr. Robertson finds profound satisfaction in overseeing IvyMax’s college application essay guidance program. In addition, Mr. Robertson serves many students as Senior Counselor, whereby he helps students gain admission to their dream universities and graduate school programs – from his alma mater Northwestern to UPenn’s Management and Technology program to MIT’s MBA program to Columbia University’s Jazz Studies department. He counsels and advises students in planning their high school and college lives, focusing on helping them become responsible global citizens while garnering a deeper self-understanding. At IvyMax, Mr. Robertson occasionally finds time to teach the full SAT I, is particularly passionate about critical reading and writing, and is skilled in math and sciences. He brings many years of experience teaching standardized tests, including the SAT, GRE, and GMAT. Mr. Robertson holds an MA from University of Chicago, an M.Div. from Claremont School of Theology, and a BA from Northwestern University.
Ling Sun, Vice President of Administration. As VP of Administration, Ms. Sun oversees the logistics and administration of business operations in the chain of IvyMax Learning Centers. She joined IvyMax in 2006 and served as Center Director at a few IvyMax Learning Centers prior to her promotion. Ms. Sun was trained in International Quality Guarantee System (ISO 9000), by the European Union-China Cooperation in the Field of Public Procurement, and by the World Bank in the Field of Loan Management. Prior to IvyMax, she worked as a consultant for construction projects and as a project manager and senior engineer in a construction site in China. Ms. Sun holds an MBA from Northwestern Polytechnic University in Silicon Valley and a BS in Civil Engineering from Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture in China.
T.J. Sun, Acting Chief Financial Officer, Senior Counselor. As acting CFO, Mr. Sun directs financial strategies and policies and manages all financial functions including accounting, financing, budget, credit, tax, and treasury. Mr. Sun has more than 10 years of experience in international finance, investment and business management. Before he joined IvyMax as acting CFO, he was a Board Advisor to the company. Previously, Mr. Sun was Associate Director of Global Healthcare Group in the headquarters of UBS Investment Bank in New York. Before UBS, he served as President of the US Subsidiary of China Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMED), and successfully brought in strategic investors, including GE Healthcare and Golden Meditech. As a key member of the IPO team, he was on roadshows and raised over US$110 million for CMED through an IPO on NASDAQ. Prior to CMED, Mr. Sun was Co-Founder and CFO of W.B. Technologies, Inc. He also served as Project Manager at China National Machinery I&E Corporation (CMC), and then as Deputy General Manager of the US branch of CMC early in his career. Mr. Sun holds an MBA with high honors from the USC Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor of Economics from Fudan University.
Jon Wei, Acting Head of Academic Affairs, Chief Counselor. Mr. Wei is responsible for overseeing IvyMax’s full-time teaching and counseling staff. Mr. Wei started his career in the high tech sector working for Kaiser Permanente and Oracle. He also started counseling friends’ kids in his spare time to get them ready for college applications. In 2004 he joined Advante（飞达学院）fulltime to help students to get into top-tier colleges. Mr. Wei has been frequently featured on Sing Tao Chinese Radio, KTSF TV26, and other leading print and on-air media in the US and in Greater China. Mr. Wei holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MS from Northwestern University and is a certified college admissions and counseling professional from UC Berkeley.
Vickie Zhang, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Principal of IvyMax Academy, Senior Counselor. As Principal, Ms. Zhang is responsible for academic affairs, administrative services, sales and marketing, and online education at IvyMax. She has led the development of IvyMax’s combination of online and offline education services, and keeps the train running on track at IvyMax Academy. In 2006, Ms. Zhang co-authored: “The Synergic Inquiry: A Collaborative Action Methodology,” published by Sage Publications. Prior to IvyMax, she served as Director of Information & Administrative Services at Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU). At NPU, she led the development and execution of administrative processes and procedures, and the promotion of intercollegiate collaborative projects in the U.S. and overseas. In addition, Ms. Zhang successfully managed implementing online education at NPU and submitting accreditation applications and obtaining approvals from ACICS and WASC. Prior to NPU, she served as B2B Project Manager at AMAX Engineering, Senior Research Analyst at the Warren Co., and First Assistant to the President of SBC International (China). Ms. Zhang holds a BA in English from the Beijing International Studies University, where she taught English for five years before coming to the U.S. in 1997. She also holds MA and MBA degrees in the U.S.
In addition, we are most thankful for the passionate focus, dedication, and leadership of our Regional Directors Annie Li and Jenny Wei, Center Directors Ada Kong, Sharon Li, Amber Liu, Angel Shi, Crystal Wang, and Helena Wang (Controller), and Associate Chief Counselor Ling Lien.
Board of Directors
Dr. Rick Giarrusso, Director. Dr. Giarrusso is a National Trustee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (the largest NGO in the U.S., serving approximately 4.5 million children daily, at 4,300 locations throughout the U.S.). Dr. Giarrusso’s history of launching market-changing companies has spanned software, aerospace, consumer products, energy, and financial services. A leader in developing businesses in new or existing markets, Dr. Giarrusso is Managing Director at Llenroc Capital. Previously, he was Managing Partner at Decision Strategies, and was CEO of Data Digest Corp., which pioneered the development of adaptive data-mining and analytics software that has since become the industry standard. Earlier, Dr. Giarrusso co-founded Rotary Rocket Company, which revolutionalized the aerospace industry—effectively creating the private space industry. Dr. Giarrusso holds a Ph.D in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and studied Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and Mathematics at Princeton University. He revamped and taught Stanford University’s award-winning program in entrepreneurship in high technology in its earlier days.
T.J. Sun, Director, Acting CFO (see above)
Jon Wei, Director, Chief Counselor and Acting Head of Academic Affairs (see above)
Shin Wei, Director, President and CEO (see above)
Eric Yuan, Director. An investor in IvyMax, Mr. Yuan is Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Cisco Systems and brings strong online technology business company building savvy to IvyMax. He was one of the founding engineers and developed the first several generations of WebEx products. Founded in 1996, WebEx executed a high successful IPO in Nasdaq and was subsequently acquired by Cisco in 2007 for US$3.2 billion, when Mr. Yuan was VP of Engineering who led the product development of the $500 million of annual revenue of products. Mr. Yuan is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program and holds 6 patents, plus a dozen pending patents in the pipeline.
Vickie Zhang, Director, COO, Principal of IvyMax Academy (see above)
Advisory Board
Dr. Richard B. Dasher, Senior Advisor. An investor in IvyMax, Professor Dasher is Director of US-Asia Technology Management Center, Executive Director of Center for Integrated Systems, and Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and in the Department of Asian Languages, at Stanford University. Fluent in Japanese, he served on the Board of Directors at Tohoku University, a Japanese national university, and a few Japanese companies, and directed the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute training centers in Japan and Korea. Professor Dasher holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from Stanford University and is co-author of the book “Regularity in Semantic Change.” He also taught clarinet and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and maintains an active interest in performing and enjoying music.
Dr. James Miller, Senior Advisor. An investor in IvyMax, Dr. Jim Miller is formerly China Country Director at Unitus Capital, Vice Chairman at Shandong Shenghua TV Information Services in China, and a Board Director at PeopleStrong HR Services in India. Dr. Miller formerly served as Founder and CEO of AaaHaa Media (China), COO of China-Hong Kong Wireless, and VP of Strategic Planning at UTStarcom. Prior to his industry ventures, he taught as Assistant Professor in Chinese and Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley and as a Lecturer in Comparative Literature at Princeton University. Dr. Miller holds a Ph.D in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and a BA in Chinese Studies from Yale University.
Dr. William F. Miller, Senior Advisor. An investor in IvyMax, Dr. William F. (Bill) Miller is Stanford University’s former Provost, Co-Director of the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Professor of Public and Private Management Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Professor of Computer Science Emeritus. Dr. Miller has spent about half of his professional life in business and about half in academia. He was a founding Limited Partner and Advisor at Mayfield Fund. As President and CEO of SRI International, Dr. Miller opened SRI to the Pacific Region and established the spin-out and commercialization program at SRI. Dr. Miller was appointed to the National Science Board, and has served on the Board of Directors of Signetics, Firemans Fund Insurance, First Interstate Bank (and later) Wells Fargo Bank, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Varian Associates, WhoWhere? Inc. (Chairman), and Borland Software Corp. (Chairman). He co-founded SmartValley, Inc. and aided the formation of CommerceNet and served on its Board. Dr. Miller was a founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Non-profits. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Sentius Corporation and is a Founder and Chairman of Nanostellar, Inc. Dr. Miller is a Life Member of the National Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Life Fellow of IEEE, and Member of the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame. Dr. Miller holds a Ph.D in Physics from Purdue University.
Faculty
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