Spark Ventures

Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors provides broad oversight of the financial and organizational health of Spark Ventures. Specifically, the Board is involved in fundraising, setting policy and ensuring continued alignment to Spark’s mission, vision and goals. The Board meets quarterly and works closely with the CEO to accomplish these objectives.

Scott Barbeau, Vice Chair

Scott Barbeau is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. He spent the first 15 years of his professional career working at Lucent Technologies, Parson Group, and Hyperion Solutions in sales and management roles. He has been actively involved with Mercy Home, Chicago for Boys & Girls, FFHM Orphanage, and Songs of Love Foundation. He is currently employed as a professional musician.

David Goldstein

David was born and raised in New York. He attended college in Washington, D.C. and law school in Chicago, where he currently lives. He has worked in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office (Juvenile Division) and currently is a real estate attorney. He specializes in representing developers of affordable housing. David served as a board member of Open Hand Chicago (previously Vital Bridges) and as their Board President for more than three years. He has traveled to New Zealand, Brazil and throughout Asia and Western Europe. In August 2008 David traveled to Zambia with one of Spark’s Transformation Trips.

Richard Johnson, CEO

Rich Johnson is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He was born and spent his early childhood in Japan, prior to moving to northern Illinois. Rich received a BA in Communications and an MA both from Trinity International University. His work experience has included business marketing and consulting, leadership and management for several nonprofits, and higher education administration. Rich has volunteered with charities including Children International, Breakthrough Urban Ministries in Chicago, and FFHM working with orphans in Mexico.

Daniel Marcus

Daniel Marcus is co-founder of Spark Ventures and has served on the board since its inception. He was born in Santiago, Chile and immigrated to the United States at the age of 8 years old with his parents and two brothers. Dan attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he received a BA in Economics. He has worked in finance most of his career. He worked at Bear Stearns and currently is an Investment Advisor at Marcus Capital, LLC. Dan has been involved with various charities including 10 years as a Child Life Specialist at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago and two years at The Night Ministry, working to serve homeless and runaway youth.

Nancy O’Leary, Treasurer

Nancy was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Bradley Universitywhere she received a BS in Psychology. Nancy has worked in finance and accounting throughout her career. She has spent the last 17 years in the venture capital industry, and currently is the CFO of JK&B Capital, a $ 1 billion venture capital firm located in Chicago. Nancy has been involved with various charities, including over 14 years as a volunteer at Children’sMemorial Hospital. Nancy has traveled to Zambia in 2008 and 2009 with Spark’s Transformation Trips.

Sherif Mityas

Board - Sherif Sherif was born in Cairo, Egypt and immigrated to the United States at the age of 2 with his parents to call Wisconsin his new home. Sherif has attended Boston University, R.P.I. and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. He has served in numerous consulting and industry executive roles during his 19 year career in the Retail sector including CEO and Director for Movie Gallery, Inc. and currently serves as a senior Partner in the Retail practice of management consultancy, A.T. Kearney. Sherif has been involved with various organizations including the Chicago Commercial Club, Executive’s Club of Chicago and Gateway Green. Sherif currently resides in the Bucktown neighborhood with his wife, Melanie and 3 daughters – Mackenzie, Jade and Sienna.

Tasha Seitz, Chair

Tasha Seitz joined the board of Spark Ventures in 2009 after traveling to Zambia to see the positive impact of Spark’s partnership with Hope Ministries and meet the child that she sponsors at the Hope Community School. She is a partner with JK&B Capital, a Chicago-based venture capital firm with over $1 billion under management, where she invests in early stage software companies. Tasha has a bachelors degree in psychology from Wellesley College and a masters in business administration from Stanford University.

Koji Torihara

Board - Koji Koji was born and raised in Salem, Oregon, before moving to the Chicago area to attend Wheaton College where he graduated with a degree in Economics. He also has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son and works as an International Finance Specialist at the Boeing Company, focusing on financial accounting and compliance for Boeing's international activities with a particular focus on strategy development and the Latin American region. He is active in his church, led a project that raised money to build a school in Rwanda, and also serves on the board of Exodus World Services, an organization that mobilizes volunteers to connect with newly arrived refugees.

Gary Vlk, Secretary

Gary is co-founder and Executive Vice President of the full service event agency, One Smooth Stone, Inc. After graduating from Columbia College with a BA in Communications, he quickly entered the event production industry producing meetings, events and entertainment programs in the US, Europe and Asia. Gary has always been local to Chicago and resides in Naperville, IL with his wife Anne and two boys. He has been a volunteer board member for the Village of Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation since 2000 and currently chairs the marketing committee. Gary traveled to Zambia with his family on the 2009 Transformation Trip. He loves to cycle and has maintained his skill as a keyboardist to participate in his church’s worship band.

Stacy Wells

Stacy recently moved to Chicago from Indiana has 24 years of Commercial Banking Experience and is currently a Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager at Wells Fargo, specializing in providing credit and other financial services to Not for Profit Acute Care Hospitals. She received her Bachelors in Finance & Business Economics from Indiana University and her MBA from Butler University. Stacy has served on the Boards of the Wellness Community, the Villages, and participated in various Community Leadership programs and volunteer opportunities with several not for profit agencies, including United Way of Central Indiana and the American Heart Association. She also currently serves on the Board of St. Francis Health Network.

Brian Wu

Brian Wu was born in Poughkeepsie, New York and grew up in Maryland prior to attending Wheaton College in Illinois. He spent a significant amount of time living overseas, both in China, where he was an English Teacher, and in Kenya, where he worked for a church and a non-profit organization. He has studied and written on spiritual formation and international economic development. Brian is currently the General Manager of College Park Athletic Club in Deerfield, Illinois and he enjoys all kinds of sports and music. He and his wife, Alison, live in Chicago.