Industry Leaders Help Foster Students Level Up Learning

The Foster School of Business is honored to introduce our newest affiliate faculty members—Michael Megalli, Etienne Patout, Jenne Pierce, Betsy Sperry, and Kelly Breslin Wright. We are excited to have these Seattle industry leaders share their real-world expertise with Foster School of Business students.

“The Department of Marketing and International Business is thrilled to include these faculty in our curriculum,” says Mark Forehand, Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business. “They each bring thought leadership and energy to our classrooms and convey material with an eye to what will make Foster students excel in their careers from day one.”

Michael Megalli

Class: Entrepreneurial Marketing (MKTG 555) for Full-Time MBA and Evening MBA students

Michael Megalli is a brand and marketing strategy expert with more than 25 years of experience. He’s the former Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Microsoft, and currently works as Managing Partner of The Djinn Dept., a Seattle-based consultancy. He combines his passion for entrepreneurship with strategic insight to help leading brands, startups, and nonprofits define their missions and create meaningful impact.

What unique perspective do you bring to the classroom from your industry experience?

“‘Entrepreneurial marketing’ is a fairly open subject with lots of possible ways of approaching it. I try to give students a strong strategic foundation that’s also applicable to real-world situations—whether they end up starting their own business or working in a startup, large enterprise, or a non-profit. Throughout the course, I’m sharing hard-won lessons from each of my three businesses, as well as experiences working within large enterprises like Microsoft. I also rely heavily on my network to bring in guest speakers who can share their different perspectives to broaden the conversation further.’”

Jenne Pierce

Class: Strategic Product Management (MKTG 554) for Full-Time MBA and Evening MBA students

Jenne Pierce is a seasoned technology product executive with over 25 years in travel tech and e-commerce. Formerly a Senior Vice President at Apple Leisure Group and Vice President at Expedia, she now advises companies on software product practices and coaches CEOs and Chief Product Officers.

What unique perspective do you bring to the classroom from your industry experience?

“Having led the product function at start-up, growth-stage and enterprise companies and hired or managed more than 100 product managers, I bring a depth of real-world experience and honesty to every discussion. I enjoy sharing my mistakes for students to learn from as much as the wins.”

Betsy Sperry

Class: Entrepreneurial Marketing (MKTG 455) for undergraduate students, and  Personal Brand in the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in Sports (MKTG 315) for undergraduate students in conjunction with the Department of Athletics; Entrepreneurial Marketing (SMENTRE 565) for students in Foster’s Master of Science in Entrepreneurship

Betsy Sperry is a seasoned marketing professional and entrepreneur with expertise in brand strategy, advertising, and content creation. She’s the Co-Founder of Heavens to Betsy artisanal hot fudge sauce and One Degree Brand Chemistry, a strategy and design firm. She previously taught Global Entrepreneurial Marketing at Stanford University.

What unique perspective do you bring to the classroom from your industry experience?

“Determination is the most underrated trait. Yes, we need domain expertise and emotional intelligence to work effectively in any given field. But I believe the biggest thing that separates a successful entrepreneur (or businessperson, athlete, or artist, etc.) from another individual with equally great talent or ideas is that they actually pursue the idea. And, they don’t quit until they’ve accomplished their goal. As Thomas Edison said, ‘Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.’ I think that’s true. There are no shortcuts.”

Kelly Breslin Wright

Class: Culture Driven Sales & Go-To-Market Strategy (MKTG 579) for Full-Time MBA and Evening MBA students

Kelly Breslin Wright brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership, sales, go-to-market, operations, and strategy roles, including Executive Vice President of Sales (Chief Revenue Officer) at Tableau Software, President/Chief Operating Officer at Gong, and Board Director for public and private companies. She is the Founder and CEO of Culture Driven Sales.

What unique perspective do you bring to the classroom from your industry experience?

“Companies with the best go-to-market strategies and sales results have clear mission, values, and purpose. Best-in-class organizations align all stakeholders, including employees, customers, shareholders, and communities, around their unified purpose and culture. A strong culture helps companies communicate their identity, brand, and story while also motivating employees with a sense of purpose and belonging.”

Etienne Patout

Seminar: Leading New Product Development Teams (one-day seminar) for Full-Time MBA and Evening MBA students 

Etienne Patout is CEO of Seattle’s beloved Theo Chocolate, and has previously held executive roles at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Kellogg Company, and Kraft Foods. He brings expertise in building and leading high-performance teams and helping businesses expand into new product categories.

What unique perspective do you bring to the classroom from your industry experience?

“After over 25 years working in consumer-packaged goods developing and launching new products, I have seen many new product ideas fail. Why? Because the consumer insight was missed, the value equation was wrong, or the development and launch plan was blundered. Getting all three right requires a deep understanding of the consumer, vetting of the idea, and relentless attention to the details.”

Photo, clockwise from top left: Seattle industry leaders Kelly Breslin Wright, Michael Megalli, Betsy Sperry, Jenne Pierce, Etienne Patout