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Astia Team
About Us FAQ Board of Trustees Advisory Board Investor Advisory Council Astia Partners The Astia staff is dedicated to nothing less than the complete success of our companies.Astia Team Sharon Vosmek, CEO Follow me on Twitter Sharon Vosmek has been CEO of Astia since June 2007 having served as its COO since August 2004 and community member since 2002. Her life and career are best described as a series of serendipitous events that have led to great opportunity and adventure. Her diverse experience lends itself to the many constituents of Astia. Sharon has been instrumental in building the community that is Astia – the advisors, the sponsors, the thought-leaders, and the entrepreneurs we serve. Sharon has a Masters in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a Bachelors in Political Science from Arizona State University. Prior to Astia, Sharon’s career included SJ Vosmek & Associates, a consulting firm focused on organizational change and growth that included PG&E and PacBell as clients. Prior to consulting, Sharon worked in management at American Express and in the office of United States Senator Dennis Deconcini. Sharon currently serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of San Francisco, on the Advisory Board of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs & Executives, and as co-chair of the Entrepreneurial Alliance for the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). In the recent past she has served on the boards of the Level Playing Field Institute, Food First: The Institute for Food & Development Policy, and Global Exchange.  Angelica Siles, Office Manager Coming from Nicaragua at age 18, Angelica Siles began working on her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts at City College of San Francisco and graduated in May 2008. Before joining Astia's team, Angelica worked for DNA Bridges Inc. and has dedicated her time as a volunteer for Building Blocks International. As a dedicated life-long learner, Angelica continues to seek out challenging experiences in both her academic and professional careers. Looking ahead, Angelica has the goal of becoming a registered dietitian with the hopes of starting up her own business.  Evie Mulberry, Director, UK/EU Programs With over 5 years as a UK attorney, Evie adds an international dimension to the Astia team. With a background in finance and corporate law, Evie has advised companies at all stages of growth in relation to their financing needs, from start-up corporate loans to syndicated multi-bank loans. In addition to 5 ½ years with Osborne Clarke, Evie also spent a secondment at a leading UK investment bank gaining valuable insight into corporate risk profiles. At Astia, Evie is now serving entrepreneurs at a much earlier stage in their growth cycle with an eye on the criteria for a successful exit. As the majority of transactions, on which Evie has worked, included an international aspect, Evie is well aware of the success of the global entrepreneur and in this role is dedicated in supporting entrepreneurs throughout the globe.  Katie Nittler, VP Silicon Valley Program Katie Nittler joined Astia in mid 2008 as an advisor and full time in July 2009 as VP Silicon Valley Program, Astia’s flagship program and the hub of Astia’s global network. With Astia’s expansion across the globe Katie brings to the Astia Executive team direct experience managing teams and doing business globally and combines a passion for alliances and growth in women.  Jennifer Hill, Vice President Jennifer Hill is an attorney specializing in venture finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and licensing, previously at Fenwick & West LLP. Currently, she is a Vice President at Astia, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicating to fostering the full participation of women in entrepreneurship by accelerating the funding and growth of high-potential high-growth women-led start-up companies. Ms. Hill launched Astia`s New York City operations and is responsible for the strategy, development and operations. Prior to pursuing career in law, Ms. Hill worked as the director of Strategic Alliances for an Austin-based enterprise software company and the U.S. manager of Business Development for an international publicly traded UK-based e-commerce company. She is fluent in Spanish, and holds a J.D. cum laude from the Northwestern University School of Law, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and an AB in International Relations from Stanford University.  Vanessa Kliewer, Events/ Program Manager Vanessa joined Astia in December 2008 and is responsible for spearheading the planning and logistics of Astia’s key events and conferences worldwide. She brings with her strong expertise and attention to detail that comes from planning exceptional events. Vanessa’s aim is to deliver unparalleled programs and events that will distinguish Astia internationally. Vanessa draws from a diverse background having worked in the hospitality industry as well as banking and investment management. While obtaining her BA in Entrepreneurial Business Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Vanessa worked for Edna Valley Vineyard in their hospitality center and wine club. Following graduation in 2004, Vanessa went to work for a top performing community bank in San Luis Obispo as a loan officer. In 2007, Vanessa relocated to San Francisco, where she worked for a $2 billion dollar hedge fund. Vanessa exemplifies a profound awareness for the entrepreneurial spirit as well as a commitment to serving the non-profit community with years of volunteer work and fundraising experience and she hopes to continue her efforts by devoting her time and work to Astia.  Jane Gervais, Executive in Residence Jane is a venture professional with over 13 years of experience in strategic investing and operational background in both enterprise and early-stage technology businesses. Throughout her career, Jane has been drawn to small companies with big ideas and is excited to devote her time to early and mid-stage startups through her work with Astia. In the near term, Jane is focused on growing the involvement of seasoned executives in the Astia community and helping to build the 2009 SV Doing it Right program. Jane was a member of the corporate ventures division of Visa, Inc. from the program's inception in 1995 through summer 2008. On the investment team for the past eight years, she recommended and managed investments in venture-backed companies and built and led global alliances to deliver strategic value. In this capacity, Jane worked with hundreds of early to mid-stage private companies, helped create and grow more than a dozen investments and alliances, and engaged portfolio companies with internal product and technology divisions to foster innovation. Most recently, Jane’s areas of focus were information security, authentication and e-commerce technologies, and she has broad expertise with financial services, mobile and data management technologies. In prior roles at Visa, Jane was responsible for research and analysis for long-term strategy and was involved in early product concept development. Jane began her career and gained her passion for startups as the marketing manager of a small network technology provider.  Raquel Episcopio, Intern Raquel recently joined Astia in March 2009 as an intern in New York City. Her efforts include grant research and writing and developing new Astia marketing materials. She brings her research skills and attention to detail from her experience as a former research analyst, as well as her passion for helping women successfully break through the "glass ceiling." Before Astia, Raquel worked as a mid- and small- cap bank equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch. She graduated from Villanova University in May 2007 with a B.S. in Economics and Finance. In the future, Raquel expects to obtain her Masters in Public Administration and engage in economic policy work.  Anne-Marie Twomey, Program Manager, UK/EU Programs Anne-Marie comes to Astia with a background as a results-driven financial service professional. She has 13 years of diverse business skills developed at Charles Schwab, one of the foremost institutions in the financial services industry. She has excellent expertise in project/product management, business process analysis, web development and content management and vendor relationship management with proven ability to drive organizational change. She achieved a reputation as a quick learner, ‘go to’ resource person, problem solver and successful trouble-shooter. Anne-Marie is excited to have the unique opportunity to immerse herself in the Astia community and garner invaluable insight regarding all roads that lead to entrepreneurship. She looks forward to contributing to all aspects of Astia’s mission to help exceptional women-led/owned companies achieve greater entrepreneurial success. Anne-Marie has a Bachelor in Business Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and is a licensed FINRA series 7 & 63 securities representative. She is delighted to be adding another international dimension to the Astia Team. |