Biographies of Elected Alumni Trustees, 2005 - 2011
These biographical statements appeared in the election materials sent to each Brown alumna and alumnus.
Theresia Gouw Ranzetta
Palo Alto, California
Sc.B. ’90, magna cum laude, Engineering
M.B.A. ’94, Stanford University
Theresia is a managing partner at Accel, a leading venture capital firm that has completed IPOs for Macromedia, Polycom, RealNetworks, and others, generating over $100 billion in value. She is a director on multiple corporate boards and has helped several companies develop from startups into successful public companies, including CRS, PeopleSupport, and Walmart.com. Previously, Theresia was a founding executive at a start-up and worked at Bain and at Silicon Graphics.
An active Brown alumna, Theresia is a vice-chair of Boldly Brown: Campaign for Academic Enrichment and an ACCess volunteer. She has also served as an interviewer with the Brown Alumni Schools Committees, on her 15th Reunion Gift Committee, and on Brown’s Advisory Council on Computing and Information Technology.
Theresia’s passions are spending time with her growing family and rooting for her favorite teams. She credits her love of sports to sitting through numerous snowy Buffalo Bills’ seasons with her dad and to covering athletics for the Brown Daily Herald.
Interested in serving because:
I arrived at Brown a first-generation immigrant from a small town. For the first time, I felt part of a community that was both varied and inclusive. I am indebted to Brown for this valuable perspective and for a terrific education. When President Simmons enabled need-blind admissions, it inspired me to give back to Brown in any way I can. It would truly be an honor to serve as an alumni trustee. I welcome the opportunity to share my experience identifying strategic opportunities and building organizations to support the ambitious goals of the Plan for Academic Enrichment.
Charles M. Davis
Pacific Palisades, California
A.B. ’82, Urban Studies
M.B.A. ’86, Harvard Business School
Chuck is chairman/CEO of Fandango Inc., the leading online movie ticketing service. Prior to Fandango, he was president/CEO of Shopzilla, formerly BizRate.com, the leading comparison shopping site, which grew from pre-revenues to a $569 million sale to Scripps in June 2005. Previously, Chuck was president of e-commerce for the Walt Disney Company’s Internet group.
Chuck has been active with Brown since graduation, serving in leadership positions for his 5th, 10th, and 20th reunions and currently co-chairing his 25th Reunion Gift Committee. He also serves on Brown’s Advisory Council on Computing and Information Technology and the Alumni Association’s Web Advisory Group. Chuck has served on Brown’s Annual Fund Leadership Council since 1988.
Brown is a family affair for Chuck. He met his wife, Jan Phillips Davis ’83, at Brown; both brothers attended, as did his father Joel ’56, who headed his 50th reunion last year. Chuck has been a youth mentor/coach/referee for 11 years and supports the Brown men’s soccer program.
Interested in serving because:
I grew up in nearby Connecticut and experienced Brown from an early age, as my father was always active with the University. With his example, I’ve given back as a thank you for everything Brown has given me – from an unparalleled education to great friends, a lifelong spouse, and sports journalism (Bruin Grid Weekly), which launched my career. For the past six years, I taught the BizRate.com case study in Professor Barrett Hazeltine’s class. I love Brown, and if elected would be honored to represent Brown alumni on the Corporation.
Annette LaPorte Nazareth
Washington, D.C.
A.B. ’78, magna cum laude, History and Economics
J.D. ’81, Columbia University
Annette Nazareth is a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She joined the SEC in 1998 as senior counsel to chairman Arthur Levitt, and later served as director of the Division of Market Regulation. As a commissioner, Annette is responsible for investor protection, oversight and regulation of the securities markets, and enforcement of the securities laws. She also serves on the Financial Stability Forum, which brings together authorities responsible for financial stability in significant markets.
Previously, Annette held senior positions at Smith Barney, Lehman Brothers, and Mabon Nugent. She began her career at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Honors include the President’s Award from the Securities Industry Association’s legal and compliance division and the Wall Street Letter’s Elan Award for her assistance to the securities industry after the September 11 attacks.
Annette has maintained her close ties to Brown by sharing her professional insights with the Brown community. She has been a Commencement Forum speaker and will be a keynote speaker at “Brown Spring Forum: Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Technology.”
Interested in serving because:
I treasure my Brown experience and the opportunities that a Brown education has afforded me. Brown has an important mission to provide a superior education to exceptional students to help them meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world. I welcome the opportunity to further Brown’s focus on meeting those challenges while at the same time maintaining its extraordinary character – one defined by a uniquely nurturing, flexible, and vibrant environment – intangibles that make Brown a remarkably special place.
William P. Wood
Austin, Texas
A.B. ’78, magna cum laude, History
M.B.A. ’82, Harvard Business School
Bill Wood co-founded Austin Ventures, which has become one of the largest venture capital firms in the country with more than $3 billion under management. Since retiring from Austin Ventures, Bill has continued his venture investing personally through
Silverton Partners and also co-founded with his wife, Pam Ryan, Silverton Foundation, a private foundation focused on empowering the working poor. In recognition of his support for the entrepreneurial community, Bill received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Austin Technology Pillar Award. In recognition of his community involvement through Silverton Foundation, the Austin Entrepreneur Foundation recently named Bill “Community Leader of the Year.”
For Brown, Bill serves as a vice chair for Boldly Brown: Campaign for Academic Enrichment and on the President’s Leadership Council. He is also a long-time volunteer with Alumni Career Connections (ACCess) and with the Brown Alumni Schools
Committees (BASC).
Interested in serving because:
Through my three years on the President’s Leadership Council, I have had the wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the University after many years in the Texas hinterlands. It is with great excitement that I can report that Brown still exudes that electric atmosphere of creativity, innovation, and sheer adrenaline that it did when I was a student mesmerized by the New Curriculum. If anything, this atmosphere has reached a palpable crescendo under President Simmons’s fearless leadership. I would be honored to be a part of the team that continues to nurture the culture that is so unique and so valued by all of us.