Executive Connections mentors

Todd Altomare is an instructor at the W. P. Carey School Of Business in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship. Mr. Altomare teaches MGT 430 Negotiations, ENT 441 Managerial Entrepreneurship WPC 480 Capstone and MGT 411 Leading Organizations. He brings over 29 years of significant corporate experience in the financial services industry working in leadership executive roles in client relationship management, investment advisory, business development and investor relations.

Mr. Altomare truly enjoys teaching and sharing his business and life experiences with every class and each student. He likes to engage his students in experiential learning which helps his students develop skills through learning activities and practicing through classroom exercises.

Todd has held the Certified Financial Planning Designation (CFP®) since 2013. His undergraduate studies were at Boston College where he received a Bachelor of Science in the majors of Finance and Marketing. He also received his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Prior to joining Academia, Todd worked in the financial services industry for two of the largest mutual fund companies in the world, Fidelity Investments and Vanguard. He is also Founder of High Seas Consulting where he uses technical analysis, price and chart patterns to execute daily and swing equity trades. His consulting firm also provides leadership training for small and mid-size companies.

Todd has been involved in giving of his time volunteering to several non-profits including his children's schools, several community food banks and organizations working to stop the spread of human trafficking.

Veronica Armstrong is an accomplished Executive Coach and Operations Consultant with over 25 years of experience in leading and optimizing contact center operations across diverse industries, including financial services, insurance, hospitality, and healthcare. As the founder of her coaching practice, Veronica specializes in empowering leaders and organizations to unlock their potential, optimize their operations, and achieve peak performance.

Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Veronica held key leadership roles, including starting and scaling an internal contact center at Wells Fargo from the ground up. She successfully grew the operation to include 100+ in-house employees and 300+ outsourced staff across three BPOs. Her expertise spans a range of areas such as Leadership Development, Operations Strategy, Executive Coaching, and Strengths Optimization.

Veronica holds an MBA from Arizona State University and is certified as a Gallup Strengths Coach, an accredited Small Business Consultant, and a Predictive Index Practitioner. Her approach to coaching is deeply influenced by her top 10 CliftonStrengths, including Achiever, Maximizer, and Deliberative, which guide her in helping clients navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable growth.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Veronica is actively involved in both Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also serves on the Board of the Lola Mercedes Parker Foundation, where she contributes to leadership initiatives and community empowerment. Moreover, she co-leads the ambassador program for Venture Café Phoenix, further extending her impact within the community.

When not working, Veronica enjoys spending time with her husband, traveling to San Diego or LA so he can photograph the landscape. She is also passionate about reading and learning, constantly seeking new knowledge to fuel her personal and professional growth.

Rick spent more than 35 years in marketing and brand management with Colgate-Palmolive Co., Continental Promotion Group Inc., and The Dial Corp. Rick is known for turning consumer products into household staples, and has generated global popularity for brands like Colgate toothpaste, Dial soap, Purex liquid detergent, Palmolive soap, Breck shampoo, and Fab laundry detergent. Rick most recently taught global marketing communications, global brand management, and global pricing as an adjunct professor of global marketing at ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management for 8 years.

Rick’s marketing plan for the European launch of stand-up toothpaste packaging won the prestigious Colgate-Palmolive Marketer of the Year award. Valuing the consumer as much as he does the product, Rick was the first brand manager outside the U.S. to add fluoride to Colgate toothpaste, seeing it as “critical to world oral health.” As vice president of Continental Promotion Group’s international arm, he increased global market penetration in Canada and Europe, doubling sales in year one and generating growth of 25 percent or more for three consecutive years.

Rick holds a BS in foreign management with double majors in international marketing and finance, and a minor in languages from Georgetown University, as well as an advanced management degree from USC’s Marshall School of Business. In his spare time, Rick enjoys team sports and international travel with his wife (especially to undiscovered beaches).

Holly Barrett has 30 years of international corporate finance experience and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Banner Health Ambulatory. Prior to joining Banner, Holly held held executive positions in manufacturing, legal, corporate affairs, and high-growth start-up business divisions with Intel Corporation. Holly was also leader in Intel diversity initiatives from the beginning, coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring high potential, diverse employees.

Holly served as the Vice President of Finance for the Internet of Things Group, where she played a key role in growing the business by over 30% to $2.5B between 2013 and mid-2016. She was also a leader in setting the strategy and executing on standing up a successful memory joint venture between Intel and Micron Corporation (IMFT). Holly also served on the Board of Directors for Wind River Systems and on the Governing Board of Directors for IMFT. During her Intel career, Holly was awarded three Intel Achievement Awards, Intel’s CEO approved, highest level of recognition.

Since retiring from Intel in June 2016, Holly has been providing consulting services via Gehrson Lehman Group, serving as an Arizona State University Alumni Council member, as a W. P. Carey School of Business Alumni Council member, and as an Executive in Residence Executive Connections mentor for the W. P. Carey School of Business Full-Time MBA Program. She is actively pursuing public Board of Director opportunities and volunteering for a variety of organizations focused on children’s health and well-being.

Holly holds a Certificate in Health Care Management from UCLA, an MBA from Arizona State University, and a BS in Accounting from University of Montana. In her spare time, Holly enjoys weight-training, photography, reading, travel, volunteer work, and home improvement projects.

With over 30 years of experience in clinical sales and marketing, Marcelo Beckford has consistently driven growth and built lasting relationships in the healthcare industry. Marcelo currently serves as both the Latin America Sales Leader and the Global Channel Management Leader. He has played a pivotal role in achieving exceptional sales results in Latin America. Marcelo is passionate about global compliance and demonstrates commitment to achieving success through rigorous adherence to regulatory standards and ethical practices.

Marcelo leads a team of 80 executives in his capacity of Latin America Sales leader and another 15 in his Global Channel leader capacity, including teams in China, Italy, Spain, US, Germany and Japan.

Prior to joining Gore, Marcelo served as a Sales Manager and a Sales Director at Emeclar between 1992 and 2009, where he successfully managed operations and earned recognition for his contributions to the company's growth.

Marcelo holds a Master’s of Healthcare Management and a Doctorate of Law.

Marcelo served as a Voluntary Firefighter for 22 years and is an avid long distance runner.

Marcelo speaks 4 languages and holds 3 citizenships.

Prior to retiring as a senior partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in 2015, Matt was responsible for a number of domestic and multinational companies in the retail, telecom, media, and consumer products industries.

During his 40+ year career, he led the firm's national apparel and textile practice, and was responsible for development of new business, technical consultations and talent development. His clients included Verizon Wireless, Toys R Us, Church and Dwight (Arm & Hammer), Rite Aid, and Polo Ralph Lauren. In serving those and other clients, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Western Europe, and Asia.

Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration (major in accounting) from Baruch College-City University of New York in 1974. Since graduating, he was heavily involved in recruitment activities. Later in his career, he was active in Baruch College’s Executives on Campus program, where he served as an undergraduate and graduate honor student mentor. Matt has a long history of philanthropy, serving in a leadership role at two New Jersey not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) prior to relocating to Arizona, where he now serves as a Board Chair for two highly visible Valley NFPs. His personal interests include classic cars, wine, travel, art, and bicycle riding.

With over 30 years of experience in leading advisory firms, John has built a depth of experience during his career. He began his journey in Canada, earning his CPA with KPMG. Although he found preparing for annual audits rewarding, John quickly discovered his true passion in consulting, which led him to the business environment of the San Francisco Bay Area. His CPA background and financial expertise provided a solid foundation as he ventured into advisory roles.

Early in his consulting career, John focused on helping companies in the consumer goods, technology, energy, and healthcare sectors reduce costs and improve processes. A notable highlight from this period was his work negotiating joint exploration costs between ARCO, BP, and Exxon in Alaska. This project honed his negotiation skills and deepened his understanding of the energy industry.

As John's career evolved, he took on a global perspective, developing strategies for complex outsourcing deals with delivery locations in India, Eastern Europe, China, and Latin America. This extensive travel gave him invaluable insights into different cultures and the complexities of global business. These experiences were instrumental in managing large-scale transformations and emphasized the importance of cultural awareness in international projects.

Returning to his core strengths, John focused on cost reduction through zero-based budgeting, process optimization for technology implementations, and shared services strategy. His work in these areas significantly enhanced business efficiency and strategic alignment.

John's professional journey includes leadership roles at firms such as KPMG, Accenture, PwC, IBM, and HP. His comprehensive understanding of both advisory and operational aspects of business provides him with a unique perspective, enabling him to offer holistic solutions to complex challenges.

John holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Saint Mary’s University in Canada and his CPA designation. Currently residing in Scottsdale, AZ, he continues to leverage his extensive experience and deep industry knowledge. John's dedication to sharing his expertise and guiding others makes him an invaluable resource for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of the business world and achieve their professional goals.

John enjoys spending time with his family, visiting his children in New York and Kansas City as well as more “exotic” vacation spots. Additional time is filled in with volunteer work at local charities and a passion for golf and fitness.

I began playing tennis at the age of four. Growing up in Croatia, a war-torn country in the 90s, I dreamed about playing professionally; I saw it as a vessel to a better life with more opportunity, and the only real chance to escape the grim environment with very limiting options that surrounded me.

However, coming to the United States to play college tennis was nowhere on my radar until my junior year in high school, when I received an email from my future tennis coaches and mentors, offering me an opportunity to come to the University of Minnesota on an NCAA Division 1 tennis scholarship.

The decision was not easy. It meant leaving my entire life behind to go somewhere I had only read about on the Internet. Despite being terrified of taking classes in English (a language I did not speak well, nor fully understood), I chose to embrace this unbelievable opportunity, and took my first flight ever when I was 19 from Zagreb to Minneapolis.

Beginning this “new” life was not a walk in the park, but as I acclimated, I realized that coming to the U.S. had been the right decision for me. Over the next 4.5 years, I had the time of my life – the University’s and team’s support and resources allowed me to grow, both personally and professionally, well beyond what would have been possible if I had stayed in Croatia. I even met my future wife, Alexa, at one of our team’s annual events (we now have two smart and handsome boys, Max and Leo).

Because of the opportunity I was awarded by my tennis coaches back in 2007, coupled with mustering enough courage to leap into the unknown, today I live a life I didn’t even know how to dream about before coming to the U.S. – I started my professional career on Wall Street (investment banking and private equity), ended up getting my MBA from Harvard Business School, became an adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota (Carlson School of Management), worked for UnitedHealthcare, one of the best and largest healthcare companies in the world (in Corporate Strategy and as a CFO of a $2.5 billion dollar division of the company), and now I run my own fractional CFO firm that serves VC-backed and PE-owned companies.

Aside from spending quality time with my wife and two boys, in my free time, I love to play tennis, golf, practice jiu jitsu, and spend time in the mountains. On a more artsy side, I love learning new playing techniques on guitar and piano, and understanding music theory behind those concepts.