Dr. Patricia Arcari, PhD, RN is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mind-Body Health dedicated to helping individuals and healthcare professionals manage stress and build lasting resilience. With a doctorate in nursing and deep expertise in both the physical and emotional impacts of stress, she specializes in women’s health, workplace well-being, and holistic approaches to emotional balance.

Rich Hua is a technology strategist and innovation evangelist, and he currently serves as the Worldwide Head of EPIC Leadership at AWS. His mission is to upskill leaders in emotional intelligence and interpersonal dynamics, enabling them to lead with greater Empathy, Purpose, Inspiration, and Connection (EPIC). Rich has spent decades training and mentoring people in leadership and interpersonal skills—from CEOs to aspiring managers to early career professionals. He is the founder of EQ@Amazon which, at 70,000 members, composes the largest corporate-based EQ community of practice in the world. Building on his internal success, Rich launched the EPIC program to empower AWS customers with emotional-social skills to augment their adaptability, resilience, and innovation. Rich is a global thought leader who has been featured in The Guardian, Washington Post, and AWS Executive Insights, and his keynotes and workshops consistently receive the highest ratings at large-scale events such as re:Invent, ExecLeaders, and Imagine for Nonprofits. He and his team have reached over 1.3 million Amazonians and customers with EPIC skills, and his training content has been integrated into onboarding, sales, and leadership development programs across multiple divisions of Amazon globally. Learn more about Rich at his EPIC EQ website: www.richardhua.co.

Abhay Gangadharan is a People Operations Executive and Future of Work Leader with over 25 years of experience across Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups, including 14 years at Google. His career spans the U.S., India, and Japan, where he has led initiatives across strategic workforce planning, organizational design, talent management, and HR service delivery. His background additionally includes experience in online advertising, product management, and business operations. With a deep passion for shaping the future of work, he is committed to leveraging technology, including AI, to unlock human potential and build thriving, high-performing organizations.

For more than 45 years, Dr. Douglas Gross has been a Professor of Anatomy and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, teaching both undergraduates and medical students at UC Davis. A practicing pediatrician at the UC Davis Medical Center, Dr. Gross also serves as Medical Director of the RIVER mobile pediatric clinic, bringing care to underserved communities. He is a member of CA-11, California’s federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team, and has deployed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the earthquake in Haiti, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. His global health work includes providing medical care to remote regions of Africa, Central and South America, and partnering with the World Health Organization to reduce infant and child mortality.

Dan Bartel is SVP and Chief Procurement Officer at American Airlines. In this role, he leads all corporate procurement teams, processes and strategy for American.Dan’s career spans nearly 30 years leading procurement, sourcing and supply chain management systems across several industries. Most recently, he served as Chief Procurement Officer of Schneider Electric, and, prior to that, he held various leadership roles at ABB Ltd., leading both companies’ multi-billion-dollar procurement programs.Dan was awarded 2023 CPO of the Year from the World Procurement Awards and he helped lead Schneider Electric to various industry awards, including the top spot on the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2023 and the Environmental and Social Impact Award and Supply Chain Initiative Award at the 2022 World Procurement Awards. He also serves as an Advisory Board Member for several organizations, including World 50 Group’s Procurement Leaders, business sustainability ratings provider EcoVadis, and the University of California’s Institute for Supply Chain Excellence and Innovation.Dan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in production operations management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an Executive MBA from the Institute for Management Development.

Sai Zhou, Ph.D. is a researcher and entrepreneur specializing in next-generation wearable ultrasound technologies. His work has been widely published in Nature, and featured by many diverse major media outlets. Sai is the founder and CEO of CircuCare, a MedTech startup focused on commercializing wearable ultrasound innovations. Recognized for his impact at the intersection of biomedical engineering, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, he is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

Tyler Mincey is a Co-founder and General Partner at Baukunst, a venture capital firm focused on investing at the intersection of technology and design. Previously a key member of the iPhone and iPod teams at Apple, a Partner at the digital product studio Fictive Kin, and part of the founding team at Pearl Automation, Mincey brings a seasoned career in product innovation and entrepreneurship. His experience building and scaling products at the forefront of consumer technology informs his approach to supporting the next generations of visionary companies.

Michael Kubba is an executive leader in engineering, with over 15 years of experience driving innovation and operational projects across diverse industries. As COO at Fellow, he leads global engineering and operations teams overseeing supply chain, quality, and customer experience. Previously, Kubba was COO at Shaper Tools, and his career has spanned influential roles at companies like Google, Tesla, Apple, and Rockwell Collins. Currently, he serves as the Board Chair for CIC ministries, a Santa Clara-based non-profit organization, and Board Member for Oceanside Perspective.

Dr. Rose Yu is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on machine learning for large-scale spatiotemporal data, with a strong interest in utilizing artificial intelligence for scientific discovery. She has received numerous honors, including the PECASE, DARPA Young Faculty Award, ECASE Award, NSF CAREER Award, Hellman Fellowship, as well as faculty awards from major tech companies like JP Morgan, Meta, Google, Amazon, and Adobe.

In this week's LITE Talk, Tom Linton, former Chief Supply Chain Officer at Flex and co-author of “How Generative AI Improves Supply Chain Management,” published by Harvard Business Review, discusses how AI is transforming our supply chain industries!

Tom Linton is a globally respected supply chain and procurement expert, former Chief Supply Chain Officer at Flex, and co-author of insightful books: "Flow – How the Best Supply Chains Thrive" and "The Living Supply Chain: The Evolving Imperative of Operating in Real Time". With over 40 years of experience—including leadership roles at IBM, LG Electronics, and Freescale—he has helped pioneer digital and technological transformation in not only domestic, but global supply chains. A recipient of multiple lifetime achievement awards and a member of the CPO Hall of Fame, Linton currently advises organizations such as McKinsey & Company and Project44, and continues to shape the future of supply chain through his firm, Linton Advisors LLC.

Jimmy Anklesaria is a seasoned business leader and expert in supply chain cost management. He is the founder of Anklesaria Group, Inc., Salutec Holdings, and Anklesaria Solutions, Inc. Over his career, he has consulted for major companies such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, Shell Oil, and LG Electronics. He has taught finance and supply chain management at the University of San Diego and University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management. He is the author of Supply Chain Cost Management and co-author of Zero Base Pricing. Mr. Anklesaria also co-owns the San Diego Surf Riders, a Minor-League Cricket team, and serves as Chair Emeritus for UCSD’s Institute for Supply Chain Excellence and Innovation.

Dr. Damon N. Herr, a California native, has been a General Surgeon at Kaiser Permanente's Sacramento Medical Center since 2001, with a focus on breast surgery. He earned his Bachelor's in Psychology from San Jose State University and his M.D. from Howard University, followed by a General Surgery residency at Loma Linda University. He serves as Chair of the Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Tumor Board and plays a key role in the Breast Cancer Surgical Practice. He also served as the Assistant Chief of the Department of Surgery and currently serves as Volunteer Clinical Faculty for the U.C. Davis Surgical Residence, where he mentors and trains future surgeons. Dr. Herr also leads the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program and serves on the Surgical Subspecialty Quality Committee. He is affiliated with the American Board of Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and other professional organizations.

Sean McCrary shared an insightful and grounded perspective on how generative AI is being applied to real business problems today. Blending humor, personal experience, and technical exploration, he emphasized the importance of context, collaboration, and specialization in deploying AI solutions. His presentation highlighted a pragmatic path forward using multi-agent systems, home-grown AI tools like Gene.AI, and even nature-inspired optimization to reshape how inventory and supply chain decisions are made.

Sean McCrary is Data Product Leader for the Digital Supply Chain at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he oversees the supply chain data model and its operations for over $4 billion of inventory across 30+ source systems. He leverages advanced analytics and pioneering generative AI capabilities on a common data model to optimize inventories and reduce production costs, driving significant value for the organization.

At a recent panel discussion, top experts from UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy tackled one of the most urgent issues facing global business today: How do China, Mexico, and India fit into the evolving reshoring landscape amid geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty?

With Helen Wang as the moderator, the panel included Dr. Barry Naughton, Professor and So Kwan Lok Chair of Chinese International Affairs, renowned for his expertise on China's economy and industrial policy, Dr. Gaurav Khanna, Associate Professor of Economics, specializing in development and labor economics with a focus on migration, education, and supply chains, and Dr. Rafael Fernández de Castro, Professor and Director of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, and former foreign policy adviser to President Felipe Calderón, with deep insights into U.S.-Mexico relations.

In this video, Helen breaks down the key components of Emotional Intelligence with real-world examples and actionable frameworks, demonstrating how the integration of EQ into organizational culture can lead to even greater personal and professional success. As she wisely explains, "You can’t manage others if you can’t manage yourself." This talk is a powerful reminder that soft skills are indeed the necessary human skills to develop now and into the future.

Helen Wang is a seasoned supply chain executive driven by a passion for leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Her career spans transformative roles, from launching Apple’s first iPhone to advancing Google’s self-driving car, where she built and managed end-to-end supply chain ecosystems.

As the Founder of WCG, Helen provides C-level mentorship and coaching, delivers keynote speeches, and facilitates leadership workshops for global companies.

At UC San Diego, she contributes to curriculum development, serves on the board of the Institute for Supply Chain Excellence & Innovation, and teaches courses at the Rady School of Management, including “Leading with Emotional Intelligence” and “Innovation to Market.”

Helen is also the Founder and CEO of Oceanside Perspective, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that produces educational content, sharing authentic stories from business leaders, tech innovators, and entrepreneurs to inspire future generations.

In this timely and thought-provoking conversation, Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management, sits down with Caroline Freund, Dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, to unpack the complex forces shaping today’s global economy.

From trade wars and tariff uncertainty to the rise of reshoring and the role of the U.S. dollar, this conversation covers it all. Dean Freund brings decades of experience from the Federal Reserve, World Bank, and IMF to explore:

1. Why supply chain disruptions lead to lasting inflation

2. How policy unpredictability stifles investment

3. The realities (and myths) behind tariffs and reshoring

4. What’s next for global trade dynamics and U.S. economic strategy

Don’t miss this deep dive into the economic decisions affecting supply chains, geopolitics, and long-term growth.

🔔 Subscribe for more LITE Talks and Supply Chain Think Tank content from Oceanside Perspective.

Benjamin Lyon brings over 20 years of senior engineering experience spanning technology development, product commercialization, and large-scale program execution at leading global companies. He recently joined Archer to lead Engineering and Operations.

Prior to Archer, Benjamin served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Aptiv, where he led the global engineering organization of over 19,000 technologists across 12 technical centers. He was responsible for driving Aptiv’s long-term innovation strategy, keeping the company at the forefront of emerging technologies and business models in mobility and adjacent markets.

Before Aptiv, he was Chief Engineer and EVP of Engineering & Operations at Astra Space, Inc., where he oversaw the successful deployment of 22 satellites to low Earth orbit and launched the Astra Space Engine Hall-Effect thruster product line.

Earlier in his career, Benjamin spent over two decades at Apple Inc., where he led the development and productization of sensors, displays, high-performance compute systems, and safety-critical technologies at scale. He also co-founded Apple’s autonomous systems initiative.

Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), delivered valuable insights on the economic landscape and key factors currently impacting supply chains. Tom emphasized five crucial elements: GDP, Inventory Levels, Inflation, Lead Time, and Supply Shock-induced Recession to help industry leaders better navigate today’s complex and uncertain environment. He specifically pointed out that we're experiencing a contraction phase, making it essential to understand these key economic signalsTom Derry is CEO of the Institute for Supply Management with more than 30 years of experience in leadership and general management roles for public and private companies, and in the not-for-profit sector. He has executed turnarounds at the corporate and business-unit level through a variety of means, including acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring, and business process re-engineering.

Cytodyme is pioneering the future of clinical product development with their rapid onboarding software. Designed for small to midsized biotech companies and academic labs, their automation-first approach connects clients to the right CDMO and streamlines the path from research to manufacturing. Learn more about Cytodyme: https://www.cytodyme.com/

Dennis "D.J." White serves as CEO of Cytodyme with over 10 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical space and experience across cell and gene therapeutic categories. Mr. White is currently earning an MBA from the University of California, San Diego with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, new product development, and financing. He is currently leading many campus/student-led initiatives to advance UCSDs vision for future leaders and the Southern California region. Prior to these roles, Mr. White held several strategic rolls with in-development cell and gene therapy companies such as Kite Pharma and Immunity Bio.

Tammy Ogden serves as Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Cytodyme. Ms. Ogden is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in customer acquisition within the B2B SaaS ecosystem and revenue operations. She is currently an MBA Candidate at the University of California, San Diego, where she also serves as President of the Women of Rady Club and Vice President of the Venture Capital Club. Ms. Ogden brings unique perspectives and expertise from her vast experiences in Client Engagement, Marketing, Coaching, and Management.

Welcome to our new series “LITE Talks – Ideas that spark LITE,” where we share expert insights in Leadership, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. From startup strategy to emotional intelligence, each talk delivers real-world wisdom from experienced founders, builders, and thought leaders—designed to inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers.

As the founder and pitch coach at Pitch Guide, Haje helps startups refine their pitches and connect with investors. With over 5 years of experience in this role, Haje has seen the startup ecosystem from multiple angles, having been a founder, director of portfolio at a venture capital firm, and reporter at TechCrunch. He is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs to communicate their vision effectively and confidently.