Collaborator Profiles
Donald Cooksey DONALD A. COOKSEY — INTERIM DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND PROFESSOR OF PLANT PATHOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
Donald A. Cooksey is Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside.  He joined the UCR faculty in 1982, served as Chair of the Department of Plant Pathology from 1996-2001 and as Associate Dean and Executive Associate Dean for the College from 2001-2007.  

Dr. Cooksey’s research includes fundamental and practical research on plant pathogenic bacteria, as well as research on beneficial bacteria for use in biological control of plant diseases.  Current efforts are directed toward functional genomics and host range characterization of strains of the bacterium causing Pierce's disease of grapevine and other agricultural and landscape plants.

Dr. Cooksey received a B.A. in Biology in 1977 from Albion College and a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology in 1982 from Oregon State University.

Visit the institution website at: cnas.ucr.edu
 
John Tillquist JOHN TILLQUIST, PH.D. — DEAN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
John Tillquist has over twenty-seven years experience in management, development, and research in business practice and technology.  He has held technical and managerial positions at US West and GTE Data Services, has served as technology planning consultant for firms in both the US and Canada, has founded two companies for software services and management consulting, has been a business school faculty at the University of British Columbia and UC Riverside, and is currently the Dean of Technology and Economic Development at Riverside Community College District.  He holds an MS and a Ph.D. in information and computer science from the University of California, Irvine.


Dr. Tillquist is widely published and has spoken at major international conferences about strategies for economic, organizational and technological change, business strategy, high technology startups, and venture capital. He has been quoted in newspapers, radio, and business conferences as an expert in computer technologies and provides expert opinion for high technology legal cases in California and Canada.

Visit the institution website at: http://www.rcc.edu
 
Kathy Barton KATHY BARTON — DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION OF UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE (UCR)
As Director of Technology Collaboration at UCR, Kathy Barton facilitates linkages between the community, private business and campus, particularly those involving private/public partnerships intended to expand UCR’s educational and research opportunities and enhance regional economic development. She also assists the campus in technology transfer and new business development efforts.

Prior to taking this position in April 2006, she was Director of Marketing and Research in the UCR College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, where she coordinated communications efforts and supported large, multi-disciplinary teams of faculty in the preparation and submission of proposals for extramural funding. Kathy first joined UCR in 1985 as a Public Information Representative and held several media relations positions prior to moving to the campus's Institute for Integrative Genome Biology in 2001. In 2005-06, she served as President of the UCR Staff Assembly. Kathy currently serves on the board of the Hunter Park Division of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from the California State University, Fullerton.

Visit the institution website at: www.gcr.ucr.edu/TechnologyCollaboration.html
 
Richard Chute LINDA PARKER — DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT OF BOURNS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (UCR)
As Director of Development, Linda Parker provides leadership to the Bourns College development efforts, reaching out to alumni, corporations and foundations to generate support for academic programs in engineering. She has a broad background in development and has served in leadership positions in the Midwest, Southeast and West Coast. She is an alumna of the University of California at Santa Cruz, is certified in planned giving through The College of William and Mary National Planned Giving Institute, and studied at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Prior to assuming her position at UCR, Linda Parker was the Chief Development officer for the Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology. She was part of the team that launched a $42 million campaign and opened the doors to one of Southern California’s most significant new museums and research centers. Her other leaderships positions include serving as a vice president at Trident United Way in Charleston, South Carolina, as the Assistant Vice President for Development at California Baptist University, and as the Executive Director of the Parkview Community Hospital Foundation.

Visit the institution website at: www.engr.ucr.edu
 
Mark Mitchell MARK MITCHELL — DIRECTOR OF TRITECH SBDC, RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT - NEC
First and foremost, Mark Mitchell is a strategist who is passionate about Venture Guidance for Committed Entrepreneurs. He is a speaker, trainer and consultant at heart with a mission to support businesses and individuals alike in defining and achieving greater success.

His background includes more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, management and consulting.

In sales and marketing, Mark has successfully doubled sales and helped capture market share for a variety of organizations. As President and consultant of the Mark Mitchell Group, establish in 1988, Mark provided businesses and clients with customized strategies and techniques in the areas of marketing, leadership development, customer service, and sales.

Mark began working with the Orange County Small Business Development Center in 2002 and is currently the Director of the TriTech Small Business Development Center focusing on assisting high technology, high growth businesses compete in the marketplace. At TriTech, Mark continues doing what he is passionate about: helping businesses and entrepreneurs launch and sustain highly productive, highly successful businesses.

Visit the organization website at: www.TriTechSBDC.org
 
Reza Abbaschian REZA ABBASCHIAN — DEAN OF BOURNS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (UCR)
Reza Abbaschian is Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. His prior position was Chairman of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Florida, which grew under his leadership to one of the largest in the country in graduate and undergraduate enrollment and research. He has also held the positions of Chairman and Professor at the Pahlavi University in Shiraz, Iran, Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Illinois and Visiting Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The emphasis of Dr. Abbaschian's research is the fundamental understanding of the role of interfaces on the processing and/or properties of material. Current projects involve investigations in solidification, high pressure-high temperature growth of diamond crystals, and electromagnetic levitation processing of alloys.


Dr. Abbaschian received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has more than 230 scientific publications, four patents and eight books. He is a Fellow and the President of ASM International, the largest materials society in the world. His awards include the 2003 ASEE Donald E. Marlowe Award in recognition of "creative and distinguished administrative leadership in engineering and engineering technology education", the 2002 Davis Productivity Award of the State of Florida, the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Leadership Award in 1999 and the TMS Educator Award in 1998.

Visit the institution website at: www.engr.ucr.edu