Juan P. Montermoso – 50th Reunion Essay

Juan P. Montermoso

715 Jura Way

Sunnyvale, CA 94087

montermoso@comcast.net

408-390-6475

Spouse(s): Susana Ramos Montermoso (1970)

Child(ren): Juan-Antonio Ramos Montermoso (1972); Kara-Noelle Ramos Montermoso (1977)

Grandchild(ren): Maya Altman (2006); Winston Montermoso (2007); Malia Montermoso (2010); Ravi Altman (2010)

Education: Yale University BS 1969; Harvard University, MS 1970; Harvard Business School, DBA 1977

Career: Vice-President Info Tech, First Philippine Holdings, 3 years; Marketing Executive, Hewlett-Packard (CA), 24 years; Professor of Marketing, Santa Clara University, 11 years;

Avocations: Running, HBS Community Partners (2012 Volunteer of the Year); Yale Alumni Schools Committee (1988–2018)

College: Berkeley

Yale retrospective: “When e’er upon life’s sea we sail…”

On graduation day 1969, I felt a sense of achievement and pride, perhaps for being one of America’s “elite” minds—but maybe not one of the 1,000 leaders Kingman Brewster would allude to as graduating annually from Yale’s “leadership factory.” As an engineering graduate, I certainly knew my computer stuff. And I was going off to Harvard for a PhD in the field so I could be a knowledgeable expert. Yale had prepped me with confidence.

And then I got married—quite young, in retrospect. And my self-image changed. I found myself in a different world, taking care of a growing family. While living in the Philippines, my wife’s native country, my interests morphed from inventing technology to using technology. I shifted to a doctorate in business with an applied technology focus. My Yale undergrad years had been about change—not just about ideas but also about attitudes and social issues. Yale had prepped me for adaptability.

As my interest in business technology grew, so did the allure of Silicon Valley. (The mild climate of the San Francisco Bay Area was attractive too.) I joined HP, a high-tech leader in the 1980s. I soon realized I didn’t really know that much. Maybe I had some IT expertise, maybe I knew some marketing principles. But others knew more, communicated better, inspired more effectively. Just as my Berkeley College experience exposed me to a variety of leadership qualities, my Yale education had prepped me to recognize my limits yet grow beyond them.

As technological change and globalization accelerated, HP itself became constraining. I moved to Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school in Silicon Valley, as a marketing professor. To educate the next generation of managers, I had to learn new concepts because technologies and ideas had radically changed. I was teaching in the classroom, as well as online, and became a training consultant for global high-tech companies. My excitement for both learning and influencing minds was re-ignited. Yale had prepped me to find satisfaction in lifelong learning and to share that passion with others.

As I approach my retirement years, I realize that for myself life is not about being recognized as a leader. It is about keeping the journey moving forward so that one’s lifework resonates with one’s spirit. Perhaps what Yale really taught me is this:

Life may dole out challenges and adversities “when e’er upon life’s sea we sail…” yet what keeps us afloat and thriving in a constantly evolving world is resilience.