Introducing IIT Stuart’s 2013 Commencement Speakers
Mark Fasciano, managing director, Canrock Ventures
Keynote speaker
Mark Fasciano is a Managing Director in Canrock Ventures, an early-stage, incubating technology venture fund.
Mark has co-founded six technology companies: FatWire Software (1996), Karma411 (2008), General Sentiment (2009), Thrive Metrics (2011), and Sentiment Alpha (2011), and Proseeder (2013) that have attracted over $50M of investment.
Prior to Canrock, Mark launched FatWire Software in 1996. For over a decade as CEO he helped the company become a leading global Web Content & Experience Management software provider with over 400 customers in nine countries around the world including GM, Ford, Channel, JPMorgan Chase, Best Buy, Banco Santander, Allied Irish Bank, and Walmart, before the company was bought by Oracle for $163M.
In 2000, he was a winner of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Mark is on the board of CooCoo, a mobile ticketing startup, and Overseas Military Sales Corporation in Woodbury, NY. In addition he is the Vice-Chair of Accelerate Long Island, a regional tech ecosystem development. Mark is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and he serves on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Planning Council as well as Nassau County’s Business Advisory Council.
Mark graduated from Cornell University with degrees in English and Computer Science, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Chicago. His doctoral thesis from the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Chicago built a system for planning and acting in real-time, uncertain worlds. He lives with his wife and three children in Port Washington, NY.
Santiago Rodriguez Gutierrez, BSBA ‘13
Undergraduate student speaker
Santiago Rodriguez Gutierrez will receive his B.S. in Business Administrationfrom IIT Stuart School of Business on May 18, 2013. Nominated by faculty and selected by a committee of IIT Stuart faculty and staff, he will deliver the undergraduate commencement address at the IIT Stuart Commencement Ceremony.
Originally from Colombia, Rodriguez first came to the United States in 2008, where he studied at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Harold Washington College — one of the City Colleges of Chicago. After earning his associate’s degree, he applied to Illinois Institute of Technology, where he received a Presidential Scholarship to study business with a minor in organizational psychology.
During his time at IIT Stuart, Rodriguez has been an active member and volunteer of several organizations, including Beta Gamma Sigma, the Undergraduate Business Council, Active Minds and TEDxIIT. Through IIT’s Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO), Rodriguez worked on projects including the fabrication of devices to facilitate medical compliance for senior citizens and software development for sentiment analysis on social networks.
Most recently, Rodriguez participated in the Chicago Innovation Chase, a grueling two-day competition where interdisciplinary student teams are tasked with “saving the world” using entrepreneurship and science, while facing numerous unexpected obstacles along the way.
Following graduation, he plans to spend some time launching his own businesses in the United States and Colombia. He also intends to continue his education and hopes to pursue a doctorate degree in the future.
Yinping Huang, MPA ‘13
Graduate student speaker
Originally from the People’s Republic of China, Yinping Huang will receive hisMaster of Public Administration from IIT Stuart School of Business on May 18, 2013. Nominated by faculty and selected by a committee of IIT Stuart faculty and staff, he will deliver the graduate commencement address at the IIT Stuart Commencement Ceremony.
Huang came to Illinois Institute of Technology through a partnership with the Beijing Institute of Technology, where he earned a dual-bachelor’s degree in public administration and law in 2010. He was recognized by the City of Beijing with a Youth Leader Award, and volunteered at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
At IIT Stuart, Huang has been an active leader in the Chicago community, and volunteers for a variety of organizations, including the Chinese American Service League and the Asian American Professional Association of Chicago.
As an M.P.A. student, Huang held several internships, including serving as a Mayoral Fellow for the City of Chicago, as a project manager for the U.S. – China Education and Exchange Association, as a research intern for the U.S. – China Chamber of Commerce, and as an intern for the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Since finishing his degree requirements in December, Huang has been working as a Research and Data Specialist with Google. In addition to this position, Huang is contributing to a book that will help international students find careers in the United States, which is due to be published this fall.
