Macathon 2025 Judges

Clare Jacky ’07

Founder/Principal Consultant, Do-La | She/Her/Hers

Clare is the founder of Do-La, a People and Business Operations consultancy supporting clients through strategic planning, the development of operational rhythm, and progressive people practices. She specializes in change management, cultural innovation, organizational design, process refinement, and leadership development. In her consultancy, she works with founders and leaders in a variety of industries and stages of growth, including startups, scaling technology companies, agencies, and non-profit organizations. She feels strongly about coffee, effectiveness, and walking outside barefoot.

Hobby/Interest: Urban permaculture, food preservation, fermentation.
Mentorship: We need more folks who embody Macalester values as entrepreneurs and who hold a high standard of critical thought in their innovation work.
Advice: Try to figure out “what is really going on here?” as you are building.
Favorite Class/Memory: Sonita Sarkar’s classes were mind blowing and changed the manner in which I think and act in the world. She also had an amazing shoe collection.

Connor Valenti ’17

Director of Engineering, DOCSI | He/Him/His

Since graduating from Macalester in 2017, Connor has worked as a software engineer for a variety of different startups ranging from digital messaging to student loans and fintech. He currently serves as a co-founder and the Director of Engineering at DOCSI, a Twin Cities-based early stage healthcare startup. A two-time Macathon champion himself, he is thrilled to return to Macathon and see the brilliant ideas that students will bring to life.

Hobby/Interest: Running!
Mentorship: While my career journey has been heavily influenced by the experiences I had in the E&I department, I think there are valuable skills and experiences to be developed here for all walks of life and I’m always excited about the possibility of helping students learn and grow.
Advice: One of the clearest signs of having a good manager is if you trust that they have your back and will advocate for your interests when you’re not in the room.
Favorite Class/Memory: A class outside of my major! US Since 1945 was a history course I took that put a different lens on recent US history and caused me to learn a ton about a very relevant era to modern times.

David Sielaff ’90

Founder, Critical Hit Technologies | He/Him/His

David has been working in the tech industry for over 30 years now, with companies ranging in size from very small startups to Cray Research and Microsoft. After his startup was acquired by Microsoft, he led teams in Microsoft Research and Windows to modernize software engineering practices. As a software engineer, his inventions have been awarded multiple patents. He currently splits his time between consulting with Fortune 100 companies on tech acquisitions, as well as building his own startup. He lives in Seattle with my wife, kids, dog, and way too many computers.

Hobby/Interest: English folk music and dance.
Mentorship: This approach to creative problem solving can be an incredibly valuable skill.
Advice: Learn all that you can, and ask “why not?”
Favorite Class/Memory: Sanskrit: 8-10am Monday-Friday, all January, memorable and amazing experience!

Gary Mainor ’72

Independent Consultant | He/Him/His

Gary has spent 45 years in business. He has run businesses of various sizes in the technology and the education space. He continues to do consulting work in education and currently works with Pearson, CoSN, Former Chief State School Officers and the Software and Information Industry Association. Recently, Gary started a new company, Education Impact Advisors, with four partners, including a recent Macalester graduate, to improve education outcomes.

Hobby/Interest: Improving education outcomes.
Mentorship: Keeps me young!
Advice: Ask questions.
Favorite Class/Memory: I spent a year studying at the University of Bristol in the UK.

Heather Mickman ’96

SVP Enterprise Infrastructure and Cloud, Cencora, Inc. | She/Her/Hers

Heather has been working in tech for 2+ decades across industries and geographies. She is currently the SVP of Enterprise Infrastructure and Cloud at Cencora (the Fortune 10 company you’ve never heard of!) and formerly served as CIO at Gap Inc.. She leads large-scale digital transformations and modern infrastructure initiatives. Heather is passionate about technology, building high-performing teams, driving a culture of innovation, and having fun along the way — and she lives in Minneapolis with her two amazing sons, two cute dachshunds, and one awesome boyfriend!

Hobby/Interest: Cooking!
Mentorship: I love encouraging people to cultivate growth mindsets and learn about the art of the possible.
Advice: Be curious, humble, and hungry!
Favorite Class/Memory: Econometrics with Gary Krueger.

Kiante Miles ’20

Data Engineer, Hagerty | He/Him/His

Working full time as a Data Engineer, Kiante has a passion for developing robust data pipelines to assist downstream analysts. Aside from software development, he has a background in entrepreneurship. He has developed a poetry program for high school students and has also published a book. This year, he combined his passion with his skillset to form his first LLC, Miles of Art. The company’s mission is to expand black and minority presence in the digital realm. During his time at Mac, he was a part of the fighting Scots football team, S.A.C.C., B.L.A.C, and participated in Funkathon, MacStartups, and the Live It Fund.

Hobby/Interest: Creating VFX and writing/performing poetry.
Mentorship: I’m passionate about mentoring students, simply because they are the future. They are the light to hopefully help the world out of its mistakes. I believe they will change this world in ways we couldn’t dream of.
Advice: Your soft skills will carry you farther than your hard skills.
Favorite Class/Memory: My favorite class was Exploration of Race and Racism in the US with Duchess Harris. You simply can’t forget the lessons we learned in that class.

Maggie Abeles ’17

Vice President, NewBound Ventures | She/Her/Hers

Maggie began her career in Piper Sandler’s Consumer Investment Banking Group, advising on mergers, acquisitions, and financings for clients including New Era Cap Co., Perfect Snacks, Gold’s Gym, and Living Proof. She later joined Arbor Investments, a Chicago-based middle-market private equity firm, where she supported the firm’s $1.5B fundraise, led investment execution, and worked closely with portfolio companies on strategic initiatives during the COVID-19 shutdowns. In 2019, Maggie became a founding member of NewBound Ventures, where she built and launched the firm’s beauty, personal care, and consumer health investment thesis and continues to support portfolio companies as an Operating Partner. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management while developing her own startup (currently in stealth).

Hobby/Interest: I love to read — both nonfiction and fiction. I’ve found that it does wonders for my imagination and always keeps me curious.
Mentorship:Entrepreneurship can be lonely, but done right it’s a team sport. Learning how to find and invest in a supportive community is often more than half the battle.
Advice: Success is 10% skill, 90% effort!.
Favorite Class/Memory: I loved Economics of Public Policy with Professor Sarah West. It gave me a framework for assessing real world problems through an economic lens that I still use today.

Mark Abbott ’96

Chief Legal Officer at Atomic Data, LLC | He/Him/His

Mark is the Chief Legal Officer at Atomic Data, a Minneapolis-based enterprise IT services provider. Mark started his first technology company with two friends and a fistful of credit cards in 1995. Since then, Mark has been a leader in, owner, and adviser to multiple technology services and consulting companies. Mark enjoys developing new ideas, solving hard problems, mentoring, discovering local music and food, and traveling and spending time with Heather, his awesome partner, her boys, and their two maniacal dachshunds.

Hobby/Interest: Local live music, dining, and travel.
Mentorship: I believe that we all have the ability to make the world a better place and to achieve goals that matter to us, but many never have the support or the right situation to develop their own confidence and belief in what they can do. Mentoring gives me a chance to help students unlock that power within that they might not realize they have.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to learn as you go. You can only see a tiny amount of the path ahead.
Favorite Class/Memory: Everyone remembers the Great Snowball Fight of ’92, right? There are so many great memories, friends, and professors, but what permeates all of it is that Mac gave me place from which I could explore and start figuring out who I was going to be in real life.

Marty Carlson ’94

Owner, Law Offices of Martin A. Carlson, Ltd. | He/Him/His

Marty is a solo attorney in private practice, focusing primarily on civil litigation, appeals, criminal defense, and state administrative enforcement actions. He has worked with small business owners regularly on a variety of legal issues. Previously, he worked at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, working in the public safety and consumer enforcement divisions.

Hobby/Interest: Writing.
Mentorship: I’m so impressed by the level of innovation and excitement that I see from students who want to make the world a better, more inclusive, and innovative place.
Advice: Be hard-nosed and clear-eyed, have a thick skin. Seek out and listen to the advice of people who have more experience. Life is complicated, and we’re best equipped to engage with the future when we understand our history.
Favorite Class/Memory: Jim Stewart’s Social History of the Civil War.

Masami Kawazato ’00

Program Director, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council | She/Her/Hers

Masami is a 1.5-generation immigrant and third-culture kid originally from Japan. She is a Program Director at Metro Regional Arts Council (MRAC) responsible for $4M in arts access grant funding. Previously, she founded and led a boutique consulting firm offering strategic planning services to artists, creatives, and nonprofit organizations.

Hobby/Interest: Arts and crafts. Right now, I’m really into visible mending. I also got my clarinet fixed over the summer, so I’ve been playing more.
Mentorship: I like the communication side of it – I love asking questions and I really enjoy the process of refining an idea and presenting it to community.
Advice: Kill them with kindness.
Favorite Class/Memory: Using the 30 Mac roof as my porch the year I lived on Wallace 2.

Paul Batcheller ’95

Managing Principal, PrairieGold Venture Partners | He/Him/His

Paul has worked with entrepreneurs and startups for over 20 years at PrairieGold Venture Partners. More recently, he has led PrairieGold Energy, a renewable energy finance company he helped found in 2015. Paul is currently on the board of Northwestern Engineering Company and the Bush Foundation, where he is a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to PrairieGold, he worked for Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as a legislative assistant for economic policy issues. While at Mac, Paul played on the soccer team. These days he is rarely far from a book or a soccer field, as he is an avid reader and enthusiastic youth soccer coach. Paul and his wife live in Sioux Falls, SD and have three great kids, one of whom is a current Mac student.

Hobby/Interest: Reading and coaching.
Mentorship: I love working with bright teams that are tackling interesting problems.
Advice: Take the role with the most responsibility.
Favorite Class/Memory: Vasant Sukhatme’s ECON courses. They were tough but effective!

Paul Campbell – Guest Mentor

Co-Founder/Managing Partner, Brown Venture Group, LLC

Paul Cantrell ’98

Computer Science Instructor, Macalester College | He/HIm or They/Them

After studying computer science, math, music, and religion at Macalester, Paul went into industry, creating software for dozens of companies ranging from tech startups to Fortune 500s to arts nonprofits. Unable to resist Macalester’s siren song, he returned to teach computer science and run the Dev Garden (devgarden.macalester.edu). He leads a secret double life as a composer and pianist, and thinks his family is just the greatest.

Hobby/Interest: I am a pianist and composer.
Mentorship: The passion, imagination, and integrity of students gives me hope for the future.
Advice: Ask questions.
Favorite Class/Memory: Running into other students late in the evening in the computer lab or the practice rooms and chatting about what we’re working on.

Paul Olson ’72

Executive Consultant | He/Him/His

Paul works as an Executive Consultant after decades as a C-level leader primarily in tech businesses. He is a B2B e-Commerce pioneer, who founded two businesses including Sterling Commerce (IBM). Paul created the first data analytics decision support solution for the NFL (Minnesota Vikings). He is the Chair of the Board for a $3 billion semiconductor business – Entegris. He has extensive mentoring and board service experiences – corporate, college/university, and non-profit boards. Paul played in the NFL. He also has a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from Penn. For twelve years, Paul was a Macalester College Trustee and Co-chair of 50th Reunion (1972) – raising $15 million dollars for Macalester.

Hobby/Interest: Woodworking, reading, golfing, and fishing. And a musician.
Mentorship: I enjoy inquisitive, creative students that wish to be world changers.
Advice: Get an MVP and sell it!
Favorite Class/Memory: Modern Geometry (theoretical)

Peter Pascale ’94

President, ExceedHQ Consulting | He/Him/His

Peter’s career has spanned software development in EdTech, Marketing, and E-commerce, first as a Software Engineer, then later leading and building product organizations. He currently consults with organizations needing to up level their product organizations and launch new digital products.

Hobby/Interest: Biking and bike packing.
Mentorship: We are obligated to do anything to help the next generation reach farther, and solve bigger problems than before.
Advice: Get outside your comfort zone – it’s where all real learning occurs!
Favorite Class/Memory: Handmade papermaking and related internships

Seth Levine ’94

Co-founder/Partner, Foundry & Macalester College Trustee | He/Him/His

A longtime venture capitalist, Seth Levine works with venture funds and companies around the globe. His day job is as a partner at Foundry, a venture capital firm based in Boulder, CO, which he cofounded in 2006. Today it has nearly $4 billion in assets under management. A passionate advocate for entrepreneurship, Seth spends time as an advisor to entrepreneurs and policymakers—in the US as well as globally – especially in markets in the Middle East and Africa—to help promote entrepreneurship and economic development. He cofounded Pledge 1%, a global network of companies that have pledged equity, time, and product back to their local communities. He is a trustee of Macalester and a co-founder of Macathon.

Hobby/Interest: Wingfoiling!
Mentorship: #givefirst
Advice: Find amazing people to work for!
Favorite Class/Memory: Philosophy