Model Meetings is Driven by Science

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Our Team

Founded by James Jorasch, called “The Father of Invention” by Psychology Today, Model Meetings excels with deep expertise in business, technology, and organizational behavior. Our experience spans startups to Fortune 500 companies, mastering strategy, software development, data science, marketing, and executive leadership roles.

We have delivered enterprise-level projects, developed executive training programs, and taught university business courses. Collective expertise in communication, facilitation, and corporate culture drives the Model Meetings framework, creating more effective, value-driven meetings for organizations.

James Jorasch,
Founder and CEO

Inventor, investor, entrepreneur – sees creativity everywhere.

James is a named inventor on more than 780 U.S. issued patents focused on the intersection of people and technology. His patents are currently owned or licensed by companies such as eBay, Priceline, Facebook, Groupon and Zynga. James is a frequent speaker at conferences and has appeared on CNN, in The Atlantic Monthly and Forbes. Psychology Today’s profile of James called him the “Father of Invention.”

James was head of inventing at Walker Digital where he helped incubate a number of businesses over a 15 year period, including Priceline.com. Before joining Walker Digital, James was a management consultant with Deloitte & Touche. He earned a B.S. and M.B.A. degree from Cornell University. He is a chess expert, memory competitor and improv comedy teacher. Video Bio on YouTube,

Donna Terjesen,
Managing Director Client Engagement

Transformative Leader in Organizational Excellence

With over three decades of executive management consulting experience, Donna excels in advancing organizational excellence. In 2009, she established and led an independent consulting firm for nine years before merging it with a larger consulting firm specializing in strategic solutions for law firms. Her focus included research collection modernization, expense management, and innovative managed services to meet the emerging outsourced needs of Am Law 100 firms and corporate law departments.

Donna brings extensive experience in complex technology management, encompassing SaaS sales, legal, marketing, technology, and business process improvements. She has a stellar track record of optimizing client outcomes by holistically analyzing the intersection of a law firm’s workflows, people, processes, technology, and expense management.

Geoff Gelman,
Chief Data Scientist

Technology, data, visualization

Geoffrey Gelman is an accomplished inventor and business innovator with 300 patents on various business innovations. He co-founded software companies in the fields of education and digital signs/billboards, serving in multiple management roles for eight years. A licensed patent agent, Geoff was also VP of Intellectual Asset Management at Cantor Fitzgerald, where he managed a significant intellectual property portfolio. Geoff is a chess master with a distinguished playing career, including winning the National Junior High School Championship, the Connecticut State Championship, and sharing first place in the United States Amateur Team East Championship. Geoff has also taught chess summer camps and coached individual students.

His interests include data analytics and artificial intelligence. He was most recently a data scientist at Talkspace, a healthcare technology company, where he created and oversaw company-wide performance metrics. Geoff holds a B.S. and M.Eng. from MIT, and an M.B.A. from Harvard. Video Bio on YouTube,

Mike Werner,
VP Meeting Design and Experience

Expert at the intersection of revolutionizing business and IT

Mike applies his 30 years of experience at FedEx to lead, innovate and develop solutions for complex business/IT problems. Over the years, Mike has been consistently recognized for his IT leadership and delivery on many key strategic initiatives that revolutionized the shipping industry. He earned four 5 Star Awards, given to only the top FedEx employees for their delivery of key initiatives and leadership. With a unique sense of team dynamics and heartfelt commitment to people, Mike motivates teams to deliver and perform above what they think is possible.

He earned a B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Industrial Administration from Purdue University. When he is not working, he enjoys spending quality time with his spouse, two adult sons and friends, running, traveling and a great beach sunset. Video Bio on YouTube,

Gene Rendino,
VP Meeting Finance and Strategy

Combining successful business experience and impactful education

Gene is a tenure-track member of the faculty of the University of Hawai’i system, at Kaua’i Community College. Prior to moving to Hawai’i, he was a tenured Associate Professor of Business Administration at Elmira College where he taught for seven years. He has taught a wide range of classes in management, marketing, entrepreneurship, operations, strategy, finance, organizational behavior, and mathematics, including several new courses he has developed.

Before he entered academia, Gene’s professional career spanned more than a decade in senior engineering and operations positions in the plastics industry, and then more than a decade in senior finance, marketing, and strategy positions in the glass and ceramics industry. Some highlights of his career include serving as Vice President of Engineering and Quality with Mullinix Packages, Inc., and Product Line Manager for Gorilla® Glass® Parts with Corning, Inc., where he drove record growth, revenue, and profitability for the global business. A competitive powerlifter and weightlifter, Gene is also credited with four granted and several pending patents. He has appeared as a contributing expert to WalletHub, CreditDonkey, and MoneyGeek. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a double major in Philosophy, and an MBA in Finance and General Management, both from Cornell University. Video Bio on YouTube,

Peter Brass,
Sales Advisor

Global sales experience and expertise in delivering secure cloud services

With a proven track record in enterprise sales leadership, Peter specializes in scaling high-performing teams, executing go-to-market strategies, and driving exponential revenue growth in cybersecurity, cloud, and automation solutions. Peter has built and led global sales teams, spearheaded outbound expansion efforts, and closed complex, high-value SaaS and cloud deals with Fortune 500 and mid-market clients. Peter's expertise lies in fostering cross-functional collaboration, refining sales processes, and transforming organizations from inbound-led to outbound-driven sales models. Passionate about innovation and automation, he thrives in dynamic environments where technology and human insight intersect to solve complex challenges and drive meaningful progress.