About Us >> Board of Advisors
Robert (Bob) D. Blackwell, Sr., Chairman of Blackwell Consulting Services, Chicago
Bob is chairman of Blackwell Consulting Services. A well-known leader in management and information technology. Bob's computer industry knowledge spans more than 35 years. He is known in the industry for being a visionary and dynamic leader.
Bob's career began as a systems engineer at IBM in 1966 where he designed applications for hospitals and universities. In 1973 he switched professional gears by embarking on an extensive management and marketing-oriented career path for IBM. When he retired from IBM as director of the Greater Chicago Consulting Services, he managed more than 200 people and generated $300 million in revenue.
Bob is member of the Mayor's council of Technology Advisor, the Executives' Club of Chicago, the Economic club of Chicago and the Metropolitan Club of Chicago. Bob also sits on the board of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the board of trustees of both the Museum of Science and Industry, and Lakeside Bank.
Bruce Nims, Secretary/Treasurer of InDecatur Ventures, LLC, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Millikin University, Decatur, IL.
Mr. Nims is Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Millikin University in Decatur , Illinois . He acts as a resource for Millikin's Tabor School of Business and its Center for Entrepreneurship, with duties including guest lecturing, acting as a mentor for students, assisting with student projects, and offering consulting and seminars for community organizations.
In 1978, he founded Nims Associates, Inc, an information technology consulting services company based in Decatur . The company grew to over 450 employees, with branches in Dallas, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Denver . Nims Associates' market included Fortune 100 companies, with Nims providing software design and development, along with consulting and training activities. In 2004, the employee-owned company was sold to Keane, Inc.
Currently, Nims is the secretary/treasurer of InDecatur Ventures, LLC, a local venture capital firm. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Soy Capital Bank, and as a member of Advisory Committees for Continental Carbonic Products, Inc. and USA Clean, Inc. He is also active in community organizations; some current affiliations include the boards of Project Success, with the goal of preparing elementary and middle school students for a successful school experience, and Decatur Celebration, Illinois' largest free street festival.
Nims is a 1972 graduate of Millikin and was Millikin's 2004 Alumnus of the Year. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, Nims worked in Information Technology at McDonnell Douglas Automation Company and Archer Daniels Midland Company from 1972 to 1978.
Dr. Vinayak Hegde, Co-Founder, ABC Virtual
Vinayak Hegde is a technology business leader with more than 18 years experience specializing in consulting and financial services industries including mortgage, home equity lending, banking, and insurance market. Currently he is the President of Sage Associates, Inc, which is a knowledge services brokerage company connecting proven local executives and global solutions to companies in the services industries.
Prior to Sage, he was the President and CEO of Enterprise Software Solutions, and Co-founder and CTO of ABC Virtual, where he grew the businesses he founded to a cumulative consulting and product revenue of more than $75 million with more than 125 employees, and successfully sold some of his businesses he developed. His leadership experience includes senior executive roles in establishing strategic business direction, advanced technology research, developing partnerships with major technology vendors, engineering, sales and marketing.
He helped develop and market the mortgage origination software, positioning it as an early adapter of hosted ASP business targeted to small and medium sized mortgage companies, while providing the instrumental leadership in licensing and integrating the product to several of the top 20 mortgage lenders, including multiple successful deployment in production to more than 15,000 loan officers in some of the largest mortgage lenders in the country.
Vinayak provided senior consulting and leaderhip services to several fortune 1000 companies including Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Principal Financial Group, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Farmland Insurance, John Deere Credit, State of Iowa, IBM Global Services, Anderson Consulting, Microware Systems, etc.Mr. Hegde received his engineering degrees from National Institute of Engineering, Mysore and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science and an MBA from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
Dr. Rama Jayanti, Associate Professor of Marketing, Cleveland State University
Dr. Jayanti is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she teaches Graduate courses in Consumer Psychology, Executive courses in Marketing Management, and Doctoral courses in Consumer Psychology. She also taught at various other institutions including Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona and at Berufsakademie in Heidenheim, Germany.
Dr. Jayanti published extensively in peer reviewed journals and presented her research at national and international conferences. She attracted research and faculty development awards and has initiated corroborative research with faculty around the world. She presented seminars to business and non-business groups, reviewed articles for journals and conferences. She consults regularly with local and national groups such as Cleveland Clinic and Gallup Organization.