Board of Advisors

Meet Our Board of Advisors

Michelle Rose Gilman
Michelle Rose Gilman
Michelle Rose Gilman founded Fusion Academy and Learning Center, a private, alternative one-to-one school. Fusion students do not fit into the one-size-fits-all model of traditional education. The school started humbly 35 years ago, within her San Diego garage.

It has grown to over 82 campuses in 18 states across the country and the District of Columbia. There is also Fusion Global Academy, the fully online, international version of the school. Fusion is now the leader in the individualized education industry.

Michelle has written 9 books and has been awarded numerous honors for her achievements. Most recently, she was recognized by the 2020 San Diego Women Who Mean Business Awards, and has placed on Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies 4 years in a row. Michelle is also a regular blogger for the Huffington Post, and sits on the Board of Advisors for the non-profits The Fusion Scholarship Foundation, The Ambition Program and Rock to Recovery (championed by Wes Geer, former guitarist for the band Korn).

She is a lifelong artist and owns Featherpunkstudio.com. Michelle currently coaches women and men in business through her private practice The Well-Heeled Warrior. Her latest endeavor, The Wanderlust Warrior Project, an empowerment book for young women ages 13-23, written with her husband, was published in 2019.

In her free time you can find Michelle in her garden, painstakingly trying to keep her 100 roses alive. She lives in Cardiff By The Sea with her husband and fur baby, Reggie.

Howard Dell
Howard Dell
Former Olympian Howard Dell approaches every avenue of his life with the same drive, passion and persistence that propelled him, at breakneck speed, down the icy rollercoaster-like slopes of the International Bobsled circuit. Rich in abilities, wide-ranging interests and diverse pursuits…

the multi-talented Dell is an accomplished actor, a musician and composer, and an expert on fitness, health and nutrition. He has crystallized his eclectic interests into his current role as a motivator and positive force for change.

Born and raised in Canada, Dell works around North America while maintaining a home-base in Orange County, California. As a medal-winning athlete, Dell has a deep understanding of what it takes, emotionally and physically, to excel in the elite sports world. He imparts that knowledge through a thriving consulting business, which he juggles with his demanding acting career. Moving easily from on-camera work to projects as a film and television sports advisor, he also trains top North American and European athletes in tennis, track, football and basketball. Dell is currently translating his hard-won, hands-on knowledge about nutrition for health and vitality into a book, Eating Left Because Right Didn’t Work, written for anyone who wants to feel and look better.

Dell consistently makes time to speak out on behalf of various charities. A former national spokesperson for Multiple Sclerosis, he has also donated his talents to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Alberta Lung Association. A passionate advocate for non-violence and anti-drug programs, Dell dreams of one day establishing a basketball camp for kids. He is also currently developing several children’s book ideas.

Early in his performing career he starred in the Canadian stage hit, The Black and Gold Review, where his vocal range, ready wit and transcending charm captivated sold-out audiences and garnered rave reviews. In his spare time, he indulges this life-long passion for music with composing and informal nightclub performances as a pianist and singer in his favorite local hangout.

Dell made his national TV debut on the hit Cosby spin-off TV series A Different World. Other credits include guest and co-starring roles in: Navy NCIS, The Young and The Restless, Malcolm and Eddie, That 70s Show, Psi Factor, Mean Streak, First Wave and Queer as Folk. He also guest starred in Full House, Jack’s Place, The Joe Torre Story and L.A. Heat. Film credits include Totally Blonde, Doomsday Rock and Panic in The Sky.

Dell’s favorite quote is from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Now is the time to make real the promises of your potential.” It is a maxim he lives by.

For more information about Howard, click here.

Alex Murray, MBA
Alex Murray, MBA
Alex Murray is Managing Director – Private Wealth Advisor for Silicon Valley Bank. SVB Private Bank is one of SVB Financial Group’s four core businesses, along with Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Capital, and SVB Securities, and provides a full spectrum of wealth, trust, and…

private banking services dedicated to helping clients simplify and strengthen their financial situations.

Mr. Murray has worked in financial markets and wealth management the past 10 years for both J.P. Morgan Private Bank and PIMCO.  Most recently, he was Executive Director with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Orange County, CA office. Prior to re-joining J.P. Morgan Private Bank in 2017, Mr. Murray spent five years at PIMCO, servicing Private Banks and Independent Trust companies nationally.  This was his second stint with the Private Bank, having served as Vice President in the Washington D.C. office working with clients in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland.  Prior to joining the financial services industry, Mr. Murray was a Naval Officer serving in San Diego, CA and Naples, Italy.

Mr. Murray was raised in Seattle, WA and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he was a member of the varsity football team as a Defensive End.  He holds an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Mr. Murray lives in Newport Beach with his wife Jessica, who is the Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Corona del Mar High School, and their three children.