Entrepreneur to speak at Judson graduation
On Saturday, Dec. 12, public speaker, entrepreneur, author and investor Mike Barrett will speak at Judson University's fall 2015 commencement at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Herrick Chapel, 1151 N. State St., Elgin.
Barrett is the co-founder and chief executive officer for the software development, testing and support company Unosquare, which he started in 2009 with his business partner Mario Di Vece.
Unosquare provides burstable software engineering capacity and uses the "nearshore" delivery model to provide fully Agile software engineering teams, BI, staff augmentation, application development, QA/test solutions and application support programs. The company, which employs nearly 200 software engineers, is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with Nearshore engineering centers in Guadalajara and Leon, Mexico. Clients include Harvard Business Publishing, Foundation Medicine and Columbia Sportwear.
Additionally, Barrett is co-founder and vice chairman of the board of the Nearshore Executive Alliance, a nonprofit executive organization of more than 70 companies working inside the Americas. The Alliance is the only industry association for the Nearshore industry in the Americas, and it promotes best practices and ethical standards for Nearshore service companies and buyers.
Barrett graduated from Judson in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He has served as a teaching pastor for Coast Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Lincoln City, Oregon, and as an angel investor and adviser for Aspiria, a Guadalajara-based micro-lender for small businesses in Mexico.
Barrett also is the author of two books, including: "The Danger Habit" and "Nearshoring to Latin America." In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with family, golf and surfing.
More than 130 bachelor and master's students will graduate during the 74th commencement ceremony at Judson University. Graduates from the School of Business and Professional Studies: Master's, MBA and MAOL, and Adult Undergraduate evening adult students will receive their degrees during the 10 a.m. exercise. Graduates from the School of Art, Design, and Architecture, the School of Business and Professional Studies (Traditional) and the School of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education, Traditional Undergraduate, and Master of Education, MLIT will receive their degrees during the 2 p.m. exercise.