Date: 11/07/2008

College of Business Appoints Melissa Dyrdahl and Oliver Yu to New Leadership Roles

Contact:
Pat Lopes Harris, SJSU Media Relations, 408-924-1748

SAN JOSE, Calif., -- Melissa Dyrdahl, a San José State alumna and former Adobe Corporation senior vice president of corporate marketing and communications, and Oliver Yu, an SJSU professor and former SRI International executive, have been appointed the first executives-in-residence for the SJSU College of Business. Dyrdahl will assist with external communications and branding. Yu will head the college's East Asia outreach program. David Steele, the college's new dean, founded the executives-in-residence program.

"Melissa Dyrdahl and Oliver Yu will act as ambassadors and advocates for our college," Steele said. "They have the professional expertise we need to increase visibility and support for our outstanding programs and initiatives, which in turn provide our graduates with the academic and practical expertise they need to power Silicon Valley's economy."

The SJSU College of Business and Donald and Sally Lucas Graduate School of Business produce more than 1,500 graduates annually, with approximately 70 percent settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. The executives-in-residence are volunteers appointed to two-year terms that can be extended at the dean's discretion. Steele expects each executive-in-residence to have more than two decades of professional experience in an area the college seeks to enhance.

Melissa Dyrdahl

Dyrdahl is chief executive officer and co-founder of Bring Light Inc., a Web site for social change that connects donors and charities for more informed and effective online fundraising. Previously, she was senior vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Adobe Systems, where she was also responsible for the company's philanthropy and community affairs. Dyrdahl volunteers as a marketing strategy consultant for nonprofits, and as a mentor for women in leadership roles. She also serves as vice chair of the board for the Humane Society of Silicon Valley and vice president for marketing and membership for the SJSU Alumni Association. Dyrdahl studied advertising at San José State.

Oliver Yu

Oliver Yu is president of the STARS Group, a technology and resource strategy consulting firm spun off from SRI International. He also serves as an adjunct professor within the Lucas Graduate School of Business. Previously, Yu was director of energy and technology strategies for SRI, where he managed technology and resource projects worldwide, and acted as a senior advisor to Commonwealth Edison, the Taiwan Power Company, the energy minister of China, and the president of Philippines. Before SRI, Yu spent 15 years as a manager of planning analysis for the Electric Power Research Institute. Yu holds a bachelor's in electrical engineering from National Taiwan University, a master's in the same field from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a master's in statistics and a doctoral degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University.

Download photos of Melissa Dyrdahl and Oliver Yu.

San José State -- Silicon Valley's largest institution of higher learning with 32,800 students and 5,700 employees -- is part of the California State University system. SJSU's 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation's 10th largest city.