Advisory Board
Björn Stansvik
Mr. Stansvik holds a M.Sc. in Business Administration from the Gothenburg School of Economics and has completed a master's thesis in Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. He worked in high-tech and strategic business development in Europe, Latin America, and the United States prior to founding MentorMate in 2001, and has guided the company through various stages of growth and change.
Mr. Stansvik is the creator of MentorMate's patented technologies and has received a Certificate of Commendation signed by the governor of Minnesota. He is a member of the Entrepreneur's Organization (EO), and in 2008, was elected to the board of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary - one of the largest in the state of Minnesota. Mr. Stansvik is a member of the University of Minnesota Computer Science Advisory Board and also serves on the President's Information Technology Steering Committee at Century College as well as on the boards of multiple start-up and high-growth companies.
He is a supporter of the National Parks Conservation Association and the Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He is also a member of SKOAC (Superior Kayaking and Outdoor Adventure Club).
Mr. Stansvik is fluent in four languages and is in the process of learning Mandarin as well. He often speaks at the University of Minnesota and other institutions on topics such as entrepreneurship, software development, globalization, and more.
Dr. Thomas Wilson
Dr. Wilson is co-founder of MentorMate and was recently President of Education for the JLT Group Inc. Earlier, he was the principal of Eagan High School, a school recognized nationally for being on the technological forefront. He has 42 years of experience as a principal, assistant principal, teacher and college professor. His most current educational qualification includes post-doctoral studies at Oxford University in England. Dr. Wilson holds a Ph.D. in school administration from the University of Minnesota, where he also teaches. He is a co-founder of the Minnesota eSchools Initiative and has written several articles on the use of technology in schools.
Beverly Tokarz
Beverly Tokarz is the VP of Licensing for Honeywell’s Automation and Control Systems (ACS) business, overseeing both Technology and Trademark Licensing for this $15B, highly diverse business. Ms. Tokarz’ Honeywell tenure also includes leading Merger & Acquisition (M&A) activity for the ACS business.
Before joining Honeywell, she served as an executive or co-founder for several Minneapolis-based start-ups. She was a co-founder and the VP of Marketing for NextNet Wireless, guiding the company through two rounds of venture funding and in the development of its successful Expedience broadband wireless access (BWA) platform. She served as the Director of Marketing for Linux-oriented Sistina Software prior to its successful acquisition by RedHat. Her early career experience includes Program Management, Operations Management, and New Product Development positions with major corporations including Hewlett-Packard and Polaroid. Beverly was named a “Woman to Watch 2002” by the Minneapolis BusinessJournal.
Ms. Tokarz holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from NDSU in Fargo, ND; and a MS, Electrical Engineering and a MS, Management from MIT in Cambridge, MA.
