The 4 judges are:

Erik Sander - Erik's career spans a broad range of professional experiences – from working as a scientist and engineer in NASA's labs and Fortune 500 companies to experiencing the thrill of entrepreneurship, the intensity of the private equity industry, and the cutting edge research of academia. Erik began his career as a Project Manager and Senior Engineer analyzing advanced fighter aircraft engines and the Space Shuttle Main Engine for NASA, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, and Pratt & Whitney. He was also a Lead Technology Transfer Officer responsible for technology transfer between the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin and the private sector. Starting in 1995, Erik served his Alma Mater, the University of Florida, as Director of the University Center, Associate Director for the Engineering Research Center, and Director of Industry Programs for the College of Engineering - programs all directed at fostering industrial collaboration, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization. Erik was a Principal for Cenetec Ventures, a private technology incubator and early stage venture fund and, along the way, he grew several successful start-up companies in areas ranging from real estate development to technology deployment. He draws on these experiences as he teaches entrepreneurship at the graduate level at the University of Florida. Erik received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and Master of Science in Management of Technology (Cum Laude) from the University of Alabama in Huntsville . He serves on the Board of Directors for several world class organizations, is a published technical author, and is a recipient of the NASA Achievement Award and the Martin Marietta Eagle Award.

Bill Rossi is the Associate Director of the CEI. He has extensive experience in finance, general business, sales and operations management and has held several senior-level positions with Ford, Goodrich and Picker International. Since relocating to Florida in 1986, Bill has worked in executive management positions in smaller, entrepreneurial companies. Most recently he served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Applied Digital Technology, Inc., a Florida corporation that provides turnkey solutions for the compression, storage, editing, transmission and broadcasting of digital audio and video information. Bill holds an MS degree in Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical and Industrial & Systems Engineering from Ohio University. Bill manages GatorNest, the Center's experiential learning program, and teaches several courses including Principles of Entrepreneurship, our new undergraduate offering.

Joseph S. Hice, Jr. Joe Hice, APR, is the Chief Communications Officer at NC State University. Prior to his current position Joe was the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Florida. He was responsible for marketing, advertising and branding activities, public relations, and employee and internal communications for the university at the local, state and national levels. He was also director of the university's news bureau. Mr. Hice joined the University of Florida in June 2005 after a long career with some of the nation's most respected and well-known recreational product brands, including Harley-Davidson, Segway, Sea-Doo Watercraft and others. Prior to joining UF, Hice was Chief Marketing Officer of Segway LLC in Bedford, N.H. Segway manufactures the Segway Human Transporter, a self-balancing, two-wheeled transportation device. He also served as Director of Corporate Communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee, Wisc., and as Director of Marketing Communications for Bombardier Inc.'s Marine Products Division. At Harley-Davidson, Mr. Hice was responsible for all corporate communications activities and employee communications. He helped form the company's Financial Disclosure Committee and was involved in the planning of Harley-Davidson's Strategic Plan for Sustainable Growth and Harley's worldwide 100th anniversary celebration in 2003. At Bombardier Recreational Products, Mr. Hice managed the development of the Sea-Doo Watercraft and Sea-Doo Sport Boat brands and implemented marketing communications programs that helped the company grow from the smallest company in the industry to the industry leader in just five years. Bombardier is an international corporation with annual revenue in excess of $7 billion. He also served as Director of Marketing for Wellcraft Marine and Donzi Marine in Sarasota. Prior to entering the corporate world, Mr. Hice was co-owner of his own public relations and marketing firm in Tampa (Roberts and Hice, Inc., now Roberts Communications). He also was a vice president of the international public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton, Inc., and was business editor of the Tampa Times. Hice worked as a staff writer with Florida Trend magazine and the Tampa Bay Business Journal. He is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America. Mr. Hice has a bachelor's degree in journalism and communications and a master's degree in journalism and communications, both from the University of Florida, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Mr. Hice and his wife, Sandra, live in Raleigh with their two dogs and four cats. They have two daughters.

Matthew Hintze owner of TutoringZone. Matt took 2nd place in the graduate division back when he was an MBA student at UF. You can find out more about them on the Tutor Bio page.