Many of you had the opportunity last fall to hear Tom Mendoza (ND ’73) speak as part of the 2019 Dean’s Lecture Series. I received many comments about how engaging and inspiring Tom was, especially in talking about ethical leadership in the tech industry.

I’m excited to announce that we are launching a new series — this time, hosted by Tom, who during his 24-year tenure with tech startup NetApp rose to the position of vice chairman and was considered instrumental in the development of the company’s corporate culture and its global recognition as one of Forbes’ “Great Places to Work.”

Tom Mendoza Presents will feature Tom’s conversations with top business executives about their journey to success, what they learned along the way in forging great companies that have positive social and environmental impact as well as financial performance, and their advice to students and professionals as they build their careers. During this academic year, the events will be held as webinars facilitated by ND Studios.

I encourage you to join the webinars, as well as to ask your students to attend for those who teach. It’s a great opportunity to hear first-hand from leaders at the forefront of tech investing and innovation.

The speakers include:

October 16, 11 a.m. EST: Carl Eschenbach, partner at Sequoia Capital investing, which is considered one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firm. Eschenbach focuses on infrastructure technologies, cloud and SaaS investments. He is a director of Armis, Aurora, Cohesity, Gong, Palo Alto Networks, Snowflake, ThousandEyes, UiPath, Workday and Zoom. Eschenbach has 30 years of high-tech industry experience including infrastructure software, networking, telephony and storage.

November 6, 1 p.m. EST: Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of computer networking company Arista Networks, who is responsible for Arista’s business and strategic leadership in cloud networking. Ullal led the company to a historic and successful IPO in June 2014 and its entry into the S&P 500 in 2018. With more than three decades of networking and executive experience, she is the recipient of numerous awards including Barron’s 2018 “World’s Best CEOs” and Fortune’s 2019 “Top 20 Business Persons.”

You can register for the webinars (and find more information) at Tom Mendoza Presents or by contacting Jean Meade (Jean.Meade@nd.edu).

On another topic, I want to let you know that, unfortunately, we will not be holding the annual Mendoza Christmas Party for faculty and staff this year due to safety considerations regarding social distancing and large gatherings as well as continuing budget restrictions. I know this is deeply disappointing. The occasion is a cherished Mendoza tradition that we all — including myself and my family — very much enjoy. 

I’m glad that the University announced that all staff members are being given six additional paid holiday days, which will begin with a paid day off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (November 25) followed later by an extended Christmas break from Monday, December 21, through Tuesday, January 5. Even though we won’t be able to celebrate as a community as we have in the past, I hope these additional days will allow you to rest and enjoy time with your loved ones during the holidays.

I echo the words of provost Marie Lynn Miranda and executive vice president Shannon Cullinan — you have worked tirelessly and with amazing commitment during the past six months. I’m thankful for your heroic efforts.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn