Our Team

Diverse experiences, passions, and expertise

Lisa Doherty

Head of Finance

Fernando Fabre

CEO

Bailey Farrell

Senior Administrative Associate

Katlyn Mease

Head of Recruiting

Kirsten Owens

Head of LP Program

Misty Papa

Events Director

Catherine Scoggins

Events Associate

Daniela Terminel

Network

Board Members

Itxaso del Palacio

Class 18

Class 

18

Notion Capital

GP

Christine Kenna

Class 23

Class 

23

IGNIA

General Partner

Karen Kerr

Charter Class

Class 

1

Exposition Ventures

Founder & Genral Partner

Susan Mason

Class 

2

Aligned Partners

GP

Marlon Nichols

Class 

18

MaC Venture Capital

Co-Founder & Managing General Partner

Melissa Richlen

Class 

22

John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Director, Private Equities

Allen Taylor

Class 

16

Endeavor Catalyst

Managing Partner

Past Board Members

Tom Baruch

KF Mentor

Class 

Baruch Future Ventures

Founder

Trish Costello

Former CEO

Class 

Portfolia

General Partner & Founder

Brian Dovey

Former Chairman

Class 

KF Mentor

Domain Associates

General Partner

Brad Feld

KF Mentor

Class 

Foundry Group

Managing Director

Jason Green

Founding Chairman

Class 

1

Emergence Capital

General Partner

Ashish Gupta

Class 

7

Clearvision Ventures

Senior Managing Director

Mamoon Hamid

Class 

11

Kleiner Perkins

Partner

Jenny Lee

KF Mentor

Class 

GGV Capital

Managing Partner

Jeff Harbach

Former CEO

Class 

16

Harbach Family Investments

Chief Entertainment Officer

Audrey MacLean

KF Mentor

Class 

Stanford

Consulting Professor

Jenny Rooke

Class 

11

Genoa Ventures

Managing Director

Josh Stein

Class 

9

Threshold Ventures

Managing Partner

Patrick Von Bargen

Former CEO

Class 

Harley St. Associates

Founder

Christian Wedell

KF Mentor

Class 

Phil Wickham

Former CEO

Class 

1

Sozo Ventures

Executive Senior Managing Director

Catherine Scoggins
Events Associate

Catherine comes to us with over a decade of experience in event management with a passion for creating memorable experiences and building meaningful connections within communities. She has worked at a variety of companies from boutique event firms to experiential event agencies, to Walt Disney World producing executive and press events, conferences, SXSW activations, community events, and weddings. Her most recent role was at the Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (KS WELI) at the University of Texas at Austin, where she played a crucial role in scaling KS WELI from a virtual-only institute in 2020 to a thriving on-campus community.

Best Advice

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.

Daniela Terminel
Network

Dani is all about entrepreneurship. She spent over a decade supporting entrepreneurs at Endeavor, where she was a key architect of the network experience for over 2,000 high-impact entrepreneurs from multiple industries and scaled the organization to more than 30 markets. After more than ten years at Endeavor, Dani jumped into entrepreneurship herself, co-founding and leading Elephant in a Box, a material science company specializing in honeycomb-inspired structures for furniture and beyond. Throughout her extensive career, Daniela has recognized the pivotal role of robust networks in driving sustainable global change. Now, as the VP of Network at Kauffman, she brings her entrepreneurial experience, strategic thinking, and a sincere dedication to fostering meaningful connections in the entrepreneurial landscape.

Best Advice

Slow down when you are in a hurry.

Fernando Fabre
CEO

Fernando is the CEO of Kauffman Fellows, the leading education and community platform for venture capitalists shaping the future of the industry. ​He is a co-founder and General Partner at Matterscale Ventures, a venture capital firm launched by former Endeavor colleagues, investing in early-stage Latin startups. ​He is also a co-founder of Columbia University's eLab, a fellowship for global entrepreneurs in edtech/workforce. ​Since 2019, he is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, SIPA, teaching the course Scaling Up in Hard Places: How Entrepreneurs Grow Outside of Silicon Valley. ​Prior to this, as president of Endeavor, he helped the organization expand to 30+ countries, launch Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor Insight, Open, Outliers, and revamp the experience for entrepreneurs, mentors, and the global team.​He is the co-founder of Collective Academy, a top higher-ed school in Mexico, and an advisor to EByC. He lives in New York with his family.

Best Advice

Luck exists whether you agree or not. Recognizing it and capitalizing on it is your job. Work hard and become luckier, or as I was taught, a motherlucker.

Misty Papa
Events Director

Misty has over 20 years of experience in event management, including strategic development, design, logistics, and implementation of multi-day, global experiences. With a B.A. in Technical Writing from the University of South Florida and an M.S. in Hospitality & Tourism Management from the Rosen School of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, Misty has worked with a variety of businesses, including Entertainment, Sporting, Consulting, Data/Cyber Security, Medical, Corporate, Government, and Non-Profit. In her role at Kauffman Fellows, Misty will use her hospitality and entertainment background to fine-tune and tweak the Events experiences to create WOW moments that will keep Fellows coming back for more.

Best Advice

Omnia Paratus.

Bailey Farrell
Senior Administrative Associate

Bailey supports the Director of Events and Director of Programs in the delivery of the Kauffman Fellows two-year leadership program. She delivers impeccable customer service, administration, exceptional communication, and organization to support the team. Prior, she served as an Administrative Specialist at Meta, where she supported six senior-level leaders. She provided administrative support, travel and expense support, and helped organize the intern events at Meta. She managed high-volume calendar scheduling, established partnerships, and great communications with all clients and their teams. She has a master's degree in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin and over six years of professional experience in Administrative Specialist and Coordinator positions. She is a friendly, loyal, and ambitious individual who loves working with people and building relationships.

Best Advice

Dream big, but take it one day at a time.

Katlyn Mease
Head of Recruiting

Katlyn Mease joined Kauffman Fellows in October 2016 and manages the recruiting and class selection process. Katlyn serves as the main point of contact for candidates as they move through the selection process from their initial application, through the interview process, to their ultimate transition to Fellow. She is uniquely adept at bringing organization to incredibly complex projects, and ensures our candidates and Fellows have seamless and exceptional experiences in their interactions with the organization.

Best Advice

Interesting people are interested!

Lisa Doherty
Head of Finance

Lisa started with Kauffman Fellows in 2008, one day a week, handling accounting, audit, and tax. Ten years later, she is the VP of Finance and Administration, still making sure all the numbers tick and tie. Previously, Lisa spent 15 years as a finance and accounting consultant for small companies, assisting several through successful acquisitions.

Best Advice

Listen with the intent to understand, not to reply.

Kirsten Owens
Head of LP Program

Kirsten joined Kauffman Fellows in September 2011 and plays a key role in driving cross functional initiatives including organizational strategy, business development, and team development. She leads all organizational partnerships and also partners closely with the Director of Content and Communications driving forward the overall brand, marketing, and communications strategy for the organization. 
 Prior to her current role, she worked as the Director of Learning Design, owning all of the content, programming and curriculum for the two-year program and drove the engagement strategies for the overall network. In previous careers, she gained eleven years of experience as part of an executive coaching and management consulting firm supporting start-ups and venture capital firms. 
 Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kirsten moved her family to Bainbridge Island, Washington in 2014. She has a beautiful daughter, a passion for traveling, loves fitness (especially weight lifting), and enjoys great conversations over an amazing meal.

Best Advice

Lead with empathy.

Jeff Harbach
Harbach Family Investments
Chief Entertainment Officer

Jeff Harbach is an entrepreneur, an investor, and a mentor to both. As President and CEO of Kauffman Fellows, Jeff leads a diverse team in delivering a world-class experience for each investor participating in the Kauffman Fellows program. A graduate of the Kauffman Fellows program (Class 16), Jeff brings a unique perspective and passion to the organization while providing leading-edge content around venture capital formation and creating business networking opportunities to help Fellows maximize their personal and professional development. Jeff has been an entrepreneur and investor since 2002 and has served as the Executive Director of the Central Texas Angel Network, based out of Austin, Texas. He has led multiple startups and is also an angel investor with the Vegas Valley Angels. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Information Systems from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as the Director of the Venture Fellows program and the Co-Founder of Texas Venture Labs. Through the Kauffman Fellows Fund, Jeff has invested in Zoom, Carta, finAccel, Flash, Groww, and Icon.

Best Advice

Always pursue learning with a growth mindset, because there's no growth in the comfort zone, and there's no comfort in the growth zone.

Itxaso del Palacio
Notion Capital
GP

Best Advice

Christine Kenna
IGNIA
General Partner

Best Advice

Patrick Von Bargen
Harley St. Associates
Founder

Best Advice

Ashish Gupta
Clearvision Ventures
Senior Managing Director

Best Advice

Trish Costello
Portfolia
General Partner & Founder

Best Advice

Josh Stein
Threshold Ventures
Managing Partner

Best Advice

Tom Baruch
Baruch Future Ventures
Founder

Best Advice

Brian Dovey
Domain Associates
General Partner

Best Advice

Audrey MacLean
Stanford
Consulting Professor

Best Advice

Jenny Lee
GGV Capital
Managing Partner

Best Advice

Marlon Nichols
MaC Venture Capital
Co-Founder & Managing General Partner

Best Advice

Allen Taylor
Endeavor Catalyst
Managing Partner

Best Advice

Melissa Richlen
John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Director, Private Equities

Best Advice

Mamoon Hamid
Kleiner Perkins
Partner

Best Advice

Jenny Rooke
Genoa Ventures
Managing Director

Best Advice

Susan Mason
Aligned Partners
GP

Best Advice

Phil Wickham
Sozo Ventures
Executive Senior Managing Director

Best Advice

Jason Green
Emergence Capital
General Partner

Best Advice

Karen Kerr
Exposition Ventures
Founder & Genral Partner

Best Advice

Christian Wedell

Best Advice

Brad Feld
Foundry Group
Managing Director

Best Advice