Macathon 2026 Judges

Clinton Kunhardt ’19

Engineer at Blank Metal | He/Him/His

Clinton has formed a career around the belief that software is the most potent catalyst for critical infrastructure reform in the modern era. He currently works as a Forward-Deployed Engineer at Blank Metal, advising executive audiences on how to implement AI effectively, safely, and ethically, and building systems to ensure AI-driven software is in service of the common good. He and his wife met in the Music department at Mac, and currently live down the street in Saint Paul.

Hobby/Interest: You’ll usually find me at the Sauna/Cold Plunge, maybe even playing live music.
Mentorship: There is never a dearth of problems to be solved in the world, and empowering those with the spirit and grit to go out there and tackle them head-on is the most rewarding experience. Younger people should feel like the next generation is a springboard from which they can reach even higher.
Favorite Class/Memory: Getting to be in the first cohort of Kate Ryan Reiling’s Intro to Entreprenurship class.

Connor Valenti ’17

Director of Technology, 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.

Dan Tenenbaum – Guest Mentor

Partner at the Lathrop GMP | He/Him/His

Dan is an attorney who has been representing entrepreneurs and emerging companies for over 35 years. He is a Partner at the Lathrop GMP law firm where he has been Chair of Emerging Companies and Entrepreneur Group for over 25 years. As outside “general counsel” to many businesses, his primary areas of expertise are in entity structuring, capital formation, venture and angel capital, securities regulation, mergers and acquisitions and technology licensing.

His daughter is a Mac alumn (Class of 2025) and he has been assisting students in the entrepreneurship programs at Mac for over a decade. He also is the author of an original musical (www.picklechiffonpie.com).

Hobby/Interest: Musical Theatre (Current Board Chair of Hennepin Arts), Travel, Pickleball, Volleyball, Waterskiing.
Mentorship: I am always excited to help aspiring entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities community succeed and have spent over three decades mentoring dozens of emerging entrepreneurs.
Favorite Class/Memory:: American Musical Theatre. Also had a terrific time as the overall coordinator of the Brandeis University Parents’ Weekend my Senior Year.

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!

Florencia Perez Nuñez ’26

Equity and Inclusion Intern at Metro Transit, Metropolitan Council | She/Her/Hers

Hobby/Interest: Exploring new artistic/political spaces and doing yoga!
Mentorship: It gives me life to be part of spaces where people tackle big challenges and create social impact.
Advice: It gives me life to be part of spaces where people tackle big challenges and create social impact.

Gary Mainor ’72

Founding Partner and Board Member, Education Impact Advisors | He/Him/His

Gary has spent over 50 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 ClassLink, CoSN, Alliance of 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, travel and reading.
Mentorship: Keeps me young!
Advice: Ask questions and always take advantage of networking opportunities.
Favorite Class/Memory: I spent a year studying at the University of Bristol in the UK.

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. He now writes and performs poetry across the United States, working with various companies on corporate engagements. During his time at Mac, he was a part of the Fighting Scots football team, S.A.C.C., and 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.

Lee Wallace ’95

Owner/CEO at Peace Coffee

Lee handles the day-to-day operations of Peace Coffee with her cattle dog, Ruby, by her side. She loves to travel and visit her farmer-partner cooperatives around the globe, and also enjoys spending time at home learning about new ways to make her garden flourish. She leads Peace Coffee with incredible wisdom, foresight, and gives employees the confidence to excel in their roles; all driven by a tenacity to advocate for her farmer partners, their land, and the wellbeing of everyone along the supply chain.

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.

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.

Nick Kent ’26

Data Science Associate at Intact | He/Him/His

Nick is a Data Science Associate at Intact, where he builds predictive models using machine learning techniques to help with pricing policies and assessing risk. Outside of his day job, he is the founder of Rezzaux, a startup built around réseautage, the French word for networking, that helps students and aspiring professionals build and maintain their network by managing connections, reminders, and notes all in one place.

Hobby/Interest: Running, coffee, food, and working on my startup,
Mentorship: I believe that students and recent graduates bring real technical and creative skill to entrepreneurship, but a lot of them don’t see themselves as the ‘founder type’ and end up sitting on good ideas instead of acting on them. I would like to be someone who helps students act on what they’re already capable of and gives them a real shot to show it off.
Favorite Class/Memory: Playing on the soccer team and being a preceptor for numerous statistics classes.

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

Theon Masters ’18

Investment Manager at the Glen Nelson Center, American Public Media Group’s | He/Him/His

Theon Masters is an Investment Manager at the Glen Nelson Center, American Public Media Group’s venture innovation and investment office. He manages early-stage venture investments aimed at shaping the future of the media landscape, backing high-growth founders and innovative media tech startups. Theon also supports small businesses as an advisor through the Small Business Development Center of the SBA.

Hobby/Interest: Soccer and reggae/dancehall
Mentorship: Entrepreneurship creates opportunities for immense growth and learning!
Favorite Class/Memory: Joyce Minor’s business negotiation class, running negotiations against my peers.