Candidate for
Board Member; Cambrian School District

Jeff's Bio

I grew up in a bilingual Sicilian family just 45 miles from NYC in the seaside town of Norwalk, Connecticut. I attended private schools until my twin brother and I transferred to public high school in our sophomore year. Afterward, I attended the University of Connecticut, graduated with a degree in chemical and materials engineering, and went to work for an environmental technology start-up called Apollo Technology, in New Jersey. I wanted to help create clean energy and provide a better life by applying advanced technology. Apollo's mission was to resolve air/water pollution problems created by oil/coal power plants and I was glad to help. I traveled along the east coast as a project engineer before relocating to Italy for a couple years. I read and learned a great deal during my road warrior days. I came to realize that semiconductors would be the key to clean energy (think solar) and that my forte was applying analytical and communication skills to understand and solve complex problems. And I needed to be in Silicon Valley where the action was.

I traveled west on my motorcycle in the summer of 1981, completed an MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ, and arrived in Silicon Valley in the summer of 1983. My career vision was clear: Build relationships and serve customers in the emerging microelectronic and photovoltaic industries, work with exceptional teams to solve the most pressing manufacturing problems, develop and commercialize advanced manufacturing technologies created from these strategic alliances, and develop international markets for these enabling technologies. In the ensuing years I worked both with Fortune 200 (Varian Associates), medium (ATS Automation), small (Irvine Optical Company), and unknown start-up (Solar Alchemy) companies to develop business and serve customers searching for complex process solutions. I managed Japan business operations and sales for several years with two companies. I also collaborated with the research teams of three Nobel Prize winners, two IBM Fellows, dozens of distinguished professors, business and technical professionals, and entrepreneurs to create process technologies that would produce bleeding-edge electronic devices and disruptive cleantech products. Eventually, I returned to the classroom to teach at UC Berkeley Extension and later as a student to expand my technical knowledge, sharpen my analytical abilities, and maintain my competitive edge. I completed an MSE in Chemical & Bio-Engineering at SJSU in 2006.

Along my travels, I met my wife, Donna. We settled down, made a home with three kids who attend Price and Fammatre, and continue to persevere through the small stuff in life. Parenthood stabilized our lives and allowed us the opportunity to volunteer with the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf, Chandler-Tripp School, Cambrian Schools, boys and girls scouts, and numerous recreational sporting teams. For fun I ride my bike to Los Gatos and Saratoga coffee shops with Larry, hike at sunrise, play basketball in the driveway with the kids, tag along on BSA camping trips, play a little tennis and golf to stay humble. And there's never a day that I don't think about snow skiing or miss a chance to flirt with Donna.

Today, I split my time between consulting and mentoring cleantech (biofuels, solar, alternative energy, etc.) entrepreneurs to develop business, coaching SJSU chemical engineering students on their masters projects, volunteering in 4th grade PE Class at Fammatre, assisting my kids through their daily chores and homework, and encouraging my wife's pursuit of her CPA. Life is good.

Learn more about my credentials by checking my profile at http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/JeffCutuli.

You also are welcome to contact me directly at Jeff.Cutuli@gmail.com or 408-307-5060.