Bohdanna Kesala
Director of Partnerships at CModel (Techstars '23)- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Danielle Strachman
Bohdanna is an inspiring person, dynamic force of nature, and a one (wo)man band! She started her position working on events for the Thiel Fellowship in 2011. The fellowship, being a nascent organization, was growing into its own and Bohdanna brought a color to our programs and community that added to and embellished our values. With her background in the arts and love of adventure (like being an avid snowboarder) she brought a lot of fun, excitement, and creativity to everything we do. She's proactive, confident, and is independently minded while also taking direction well. Most importantly she can get behind a mission and fully embrace the needs of those we serve. I want to be clear that she is not just an event planner (ordering coffee, scoping out venues), but a curator and program orchestrator. She does everything from high level design thinking down to the coffee. I deeply respect that she is willing to do whatever it takes to make something a fantastic success. In 2014, The Thiel Foundation held its sixth Thiel Foundation Summit in Downtown Vegas. We ended up having 400 young people in attendance (double what we initially anticipated). Bohdanna designed and managed the entire event from partnerships with the Downtown Project, eliciting keynotes like Tony Hsieh, inventing and planning our Startup Crawl on Sunday to interesting venues to both inspire and educate our attendees, and ensure that the experience was a positive one for our young entrepreneurs and makers. Claire Lee from Silicon Valley Bank wrote up a wonderful recap of the weekend: https://storify.com/Claire0h/thiel-thinkers. I have worked with (and hired) a number of people in my professional travels and there are very few that I could say that I hope to work with them for the rest of my life. Bohdanna is one of those people.
Danielle Strachman
Bohdanna is an inspiring person, dynamic force of nature, and a one (wo)man band! She started her position working on events for the Thiel Fellowship in 2011. The fellowship, being a nascent organization, was growing into its own and Bohdanna brought a color to our programs and community that added to and embellished our values. With her background in the arts and love of adventure (like being an avid snowboarder) she brought a lot of fun, excitement, and creativity to everything we do. She's proactive, confident, and is independently minded while also taking direction well. Most importantly she can get behind a mission and fully embrace the needs of those we serve. I want to be clear that she is not just an event planner (ordering coffee, scoping out venues), but a curator and program orchestrator. She does everything from high level design thinking down to the coffee. I deeply respect that she is willing to do whatever it takes to make something a fantastic success. In 2014, The Thiel Foundation held its sixth Thiel Foundation Summit in Downtown Vegas. We ended up having 400 young people in attendance (double what we initially anticipated). Bohdanna designed and managed the entire event from partnerships with the Downtown Project, eliciting keynotes like Tony Hsieh, inventing and planning our Startup Crawl on Sunday to interesting venues to both inspire and educate our attendees, and ensure that the experience was a positive one for our young entrepreneurs and makers. Claire Lee from Silicon Valley Bank wrote up a wonderful recap of the weekend: https://storify.com/Claire0h/thiel-thinkers. I have worked with (and hired) a number of people in my professional travels and there are very few that I could say that I hope to work with them for the rest of my life. Bohdanna is one of those people.
Danielle Strachman
Bohdanna is an inspiring person, dynamic force of nature, and a one (wo)man band! She started her position working on events for the Thiel Fellowship in 2011. The fellowship, being a nascent organization, was growing into its own and Bohdanna brought a color to our programs and community that added to and embellished our values. With her background in the arts and love of adventure (like being an avid snowboarder) she brought a lot of fun, excitement, and creativity to everything we do. She's proactive, confident, and is independently minded while also taking direction well. Most importantly she can get behind a mission and fully embrace the needs of those we serve. I want to be clear that she is not just an event planner (ordering coffee, scoping out venues), but a curator and program orchestrator. She does everything from high level design thinking down to the coffee. I deeply respect that she is willing to do whatever it takes to make something a fantastic success. In 2014, The Thiel Foundation held its sixth Thiel Foundation Summit in Downtown Vegas. We ended up having 400 young people in attendance (double what we initially anticipated). Bohdanna designed and managed the entire event from partnerships with the Downtown Project, eliciting keynotes like Tony Hsieh, inventing and planning our Startup Crawl on Sunday to interesting venues to both inspire and educate our attendees, and ensure that the experience was a positive one for our young entrepreneurs and makers. Claire Lee from Silicon Valley Bank wrote up a wonderful recap of the weekend: https://storify.com/Claire0h/thiel-thinkers. I have worked with (and hired) a number of people in my professional travels and there are very few that I could say that I hope to work with them for the rest of my life. Bohdanna is one of those people.
Danielle Strachman
Bohdanna is an inspiring person, dynamic force of nature, and a one (wo)man band! She started her position working on events for the Thiel Fellowship in 2011. The fellowship, being a nascent organization, was growing into its own and Bohdanna brought a color to our programs and community that added to and embellished our values. With her background in the arts and love of adventure (like being an avid snowboarder) she brought a lot of fun, excitement, and creativity to everything we do. She's proactive, confident, and is independently minded while also taking direction well. Most importantly she can get behind a mission and fully embrace the needs of those we serve. I want to be clear that she is not just an event planner (ordering coffee, scoping out venues), but a curator and program orchestrator. She does everything from high level design thinking down to the coffee. I deeply respect that she is willing to do whatever it takes to make something a fantastic success. In 2014, The Thiel Foundation held its sixth Thiel Foundation Summit in Downtown Vegas. We ended up having 400 young people in attendance (double what we initially anticipated). Bohdanna designed and managed the entire event from partnerships with the Downtown Project, eliciting keynotes like Tony Hsieh, inventing and planning our Startup Crawl on Sunday to interesting venues to both inspire and educate our attendees, and ensure that the experience was a positive one for our young entrepreneurs and makers. Claire Lee from Silicon Valley Bank wrote up a wonderful recap of the weekend: https://storify.com/Claire0h/thiel-thinkers. I have worked with (and hired) a number of people in my professional travels and there are very few that I could say that I hope to work with them for the rest of my life. Bohdanna is one of those people.
Experience
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CModel (Techstars '23)
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United States
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Software Development
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1 - 100 Employee
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Director of Partnerships
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Oct 2023 - Present
Bohdanna plays a crucial role in leading the strategic development, execution, and management of key partnerships for CModel. She negotiates, and secures partnerships with a variety of organizations to expand CModel's impact. Bohdanna plays a crucial role in leading the strategic development, execution, and management of key partnerships for CModel. She negotiates, and secures partnerships with a variety of organizations to expand CModel's impact.
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Artist
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San Francisco Bay Area
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Professional Visual Artist
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Jun 2004 - Oct 2023
After graduating with my MFA, my soul focus was on creating paintings that enhance the aesthetic beauty of people's surroundings, as well as challenge them to think about the world in new ways. I exhibited my work in SF, NYC, and several countries in Europe. My work can be seen on www.bohdannakesala.com After graduating with my MFA, my soul focus was on creating paintings that enhance the aesthetic beauty of people's surroundings, as well as challenge them to think about the world in new ways. I exhibited my work in SF, NYC, and several countries in Europe. My work can be seen on www.bohdannakesala.com
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Singularity University
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United States
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Higher Education
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100 - 200 Employee
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Managing Director - Global Partnerships
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Nov 2019 - Sep 2023
Responsible for finding and activating Singularity's international network of partners to deliver events to future-minded global leaders. Managed dozens of Summits and Executive Programs around the world. Supervised the marketing of all International events. Worked closely with organizational leadership to guide operational strategy. Managed administrative logistics of events planning, event booking, and event promotions. Oversaw preparation and management of event budgets to… Show more Responsible for finding and activating Singularity's international network of partners to deliver events to future-minded global leaders. Managed dozens of Summits and Executive Programs around the world. Supervised the marketing of all International events. Worked closely with organizational leadership to guide operational strategy. Managed administrative logistics of events planning, event booking, and event promotions. Oversaw preparation and management of event budgets to deliver at or below projected costs.
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Managing Director - International Summits
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Sep 2018 - Nov 2019
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Director
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May 2016 - Sep 2018
As the Director of International Summits at Singularity University, Bohdanna oversaw the execution of Global Licensing SU’s International Summits, growing them from five in 2016 to eighteen in 2018. Bohdanna worked with partners from all over the globe, including South Africa, India, Western and Eastern Europe, Canada, Central America, and South America.
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Founder
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May 2015 - May 2017
10 Forward Events is a full service boutique event-curation firm specializing in producing innovative and one of a kind events for the science & tech industry, startups, entrepreneurs, and VC firms. We resourcefully manage a wide range of events for nonprofit and for-profit clients, welcoming all budgets. We have planned events such as summits, team building retreats, lectures, and black tie galas, all the while making sure to focus on the unique organization that is being represented. Our goal… Show more 10 Forward Events is a full service boutique event-curation firm specializing in producing innovative and one of a kind events for the science & tech industry, startups, entrepreneurs, and VC firms. We resourcefully manage a wide range of events for nonprofit and for-profit clients, welcoming all budgets. We have planned events such as summits, team building retreats, lectures, and black tie galas, all the while making sure to focus on the unique organization that is being represented. Our goal is to ensure that guests walk away with a better understanding of the organization’s mission and goals. Show less 10 Forward Events is a full service boutique event-curation firm specializing in producing innovative and one of a kind events for the science & tech industry, startups, entrepreneurs, and VC firms. We resourcefully manage a wide range of events for nonprofit and for-profit clients, welcoming all budgets. We have planned events such as summits, team building retreats, lectures, and black tie galas, all the while making sure to focus on the unique organization that is being represented. Our goal… Show more 10 Forward Events is a full service boutique event-curation firm specializing in producing innovative and one of a kind events for the science & tech industry, startups, entrepreneurs, and VC firms. We resourcefully manage a wide range of events for nonprofit and for-profit clients, welcoming all budgets. We have planned events such as summits, team building retreats, lectures, and black tie galas, all the while making sure to focus on the unique organization that is being represented. Our goal is to ensure that guests walk away with a better understanding of the organization’s mission and goals. Show less
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The Thiel Foundation
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United States
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Research Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Event Curator
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Oct 2011 - Jun 2015
Bohdanna was one of the architects of The Thiel Foundation Summit; a bi-annual assembly of young entrepreneurs and visionaries from around the world. Bohdanna also managed dozens of projects including CNBC Transforming Tomorrow, a documentary focused on the Thiel Fellowship and the Wired.com series ‘Teen Technorati’ showcasing Fellows from The Thiel Fellowship. Bohdanna was one of the architects of The Thiel Foundation Summit; a bi-annual assembly of young entrepreneurs and visionaries from around the world. Bohdanna also managed dozens of projects including CNBC Transforming Tomorrow, a documentary focused on the Thiel Fellowship and the Wired.com series ‘Teen Technorati’ showcasing Fellows from The Thiel Fellowship.
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San Francisco Art Institute
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United States
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Higher Education
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1 - 100 Employee
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Instructor: Adult Continuing Education
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Jun 2005 - Jun 2006
Taught painting and drawing in the Adult Community Education department. Researched, prepared and gave lectures. Designed and wrote course syllabi. Demonstrated painting, drawing and mixed-media techniques and materials. Mentored students. Taught painting and drawing in the Adult Community Education department. Researched, prepared and gave lectures. Designed and wrote course syllabi. Demonstrated painting, drawing and mixed-media techniques and materials. Mentored students.
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San Francisco State University
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Assistant Graduate Programs Coordinator
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Jun 2002 - Jun 2004
In this role, Bohdanna was responsible for interviewing potential MFA and MA candidates for the College of Creative Arts, organizing applications and portfolios for review, helping current MFA and MA graduate students navigate through the program, and act as liaison between the faculty, staff, and student body. In this role, Bohdanna was responsible for interviewing potential MFA and MA candidates for the College of Creative Arts, organizing applications and portfolios for review, helping current MFA and MA graduate students navigate through the program, and act as liaison between the faculty, staff, and student body.
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Education
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Indiana University Bloomington
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) -
San Francisco State University
Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Painting -
California College of the Arts
Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Art
Community
