Board of Directors

Lester Ezrati served as the Senior Vice-President of Tax for Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto from May 1999 until he retired in January, 2013.  He was with HP for more than 32 years, all within the Tax Department.  Lester managed a global department of 280 tax professionals with a budget of approximately $50M.  During his tenure at HP, Lester managed various functions within the Tax Department including Federal and State income tax compliance, tax planning and audits and International Tax.

Lester received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Rochester and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.  He also received a LL.M. in Taxation from New York University.

Jamie is an advisor for and investor in high-technology startups. She has spent most of her career as a product and marketing leader in high technology with a focus on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. She served as chief marketing officer at AppZen and Netskope, chief customer officer at Scalyr, and board director for La Comida. She also taught Strategic Communications as an adjunct lecturer in the Executive MBA program at the University of San Francisco. Jamie has a bachelor’s from U.C. Berkeley, an MBA from Stanford University, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. She is a die-hard Monty Python fan with a zest for movie lines, terrible puns, and practical jokes.

David is a senior at Yale University studying Political Science and Global Health. He has a particular interest in applying design thinking principles to solve healthcare challenges. David has utilized this approach on a team creating an innovative COVID contact tracing system, at a startup fighting pharmaceutical counterfeiting, and when designing an outdoor exercise course at the Ritsona refugee camp in Greece. As a member of the LGBTQ community, David recognizes the importance of equity in health care, and he is a passionate advocate for inclusive sex education. In his free time, you can find David figure skating on the Yale rink, mentoring younger students on campus, or working on a project at the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design.

Originally from the Tijuana-San Diego region, Fernando Trejo relocated to Silicon Valley during the COVID-19 pandemic. He works at a continuation high school, focusing on reengaging youth through Civics and bicycle technology courses. An active union leader, Fernando represents Santa Clara at the national level and has helped write curriculum for Ethnic Studies and the Equitable Practices Framework. As of summer 2024, he is pursuing a doctoral program in Instructional Design at National University, aiming to improve curricular opportunities for all students.

Deborah Whitman leads the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Stanford GSB. CES provides programs and resources to enhance entrepreneurial learning at Stanford GSB, including support for the popular Startup Garage course, the Stanford Venture Studio, and the Entrepreneurial Summer Program. CES also works closely with faculty members to create cases that highlight the challenges facing entrepreneurial companies, and to coordinate research on entrepreneurial topics.

Deb is a senior business leader with more than 20 years of experience in consumer and small business technology companies. She has held leadership roles at both startup companies and well-known consumer tech firms (Adobe, Intuit, and Microsoft), where she’s driven business growth, developed and launched new products, and built and led creative and capable teams. She holds an MBA from Stanford GSB and a BS from the University of Michigan.

A lifelong San José resident and proud graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School and the University of San Francisco, Noëlle also attended San José State University, where she performed internationally with the renowned SJSU Choraliers. She currently serves as the Corporate Outreach Officer for the City of San José’s Office of Economic Development, leading initiatives focused on semiconductors, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.

Noëlle brings a deep commitment to community service, currently serving on the boards of the SJSU Filipino Alumni Network, the Abraham Lincoln High School Foundation, Vivace Youth Chorus, and Juma Ventures’ San José Advisory Board. She also chairs the Larry Itliong Way Project, honoring Filipino American contributions to the labor movement.

Noëlle is enthusiastic about joining Health Connected, drawn to our mission of empowering young people with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their health and relationships.