Teofilo Tijerina
Executive Director and Co-Founder
teo.tijerina@edcoonline.org
(915) 539-5552
Mr. Tijerina is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of EDCO Ventures. Born in Reynosa, Mexico and raised in McAllen, TX, Mr. Tijerina is an entrepreneur who co-founded Innovei International, LLP (www.innovei.com), in El Paso, Texas. He has held executive and senior engineering positions with Dell, Inc., Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, and Dow Chemicals. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and attended the Graduate School of Business and the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) program at University of Texas El Paso.
Leo A. Ramirez, Jr.
COO, CFO and Co-Founder
leo.ramirez@edcoonline.org
(512) 423-3348
Mr. Ramirez is EDCO Ventures’ Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder. Born and raised in McAllen, TX, Mr. Ramirez is an entrepreneur and fourteen-year computer industry veteran with diverse operational experience managing business units, selling millions in enterprise software, creating consulting, training and support groups and optimizing operational and software deployment processes. He is Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of CoreTap Software and Executive Producer of NOC Films, LLC. Mr. Ramirez has held senior management positions with Sun Microsystems, Coremetrics Software, Trilogy, Inc. and Apple, Inc. He attended Stanford University’s Computer Systems Engineering Program from 1992-1996.
Patricia Mercado
Director of Development and Public Relations
patricia.mercado@edcoonline.org
(512) 413-8601
Ms. Mercado is Director of Development and Program Manager for EDCO Ventures. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Ms. Mercado is an entrepreneur who co-founded FINLE Technologies which was sold to semiconductor industry leader KLA-Tencor in 2000. She has held senior engineering and management positions with Advanced Micro Devices, the National Security Agency, FINLE Technologies, Expert Application Systems Inc., and Mercado Enterprises, and has assisted in raising millions of dollars during her fundraising career. Ms. Mercado holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University, an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park, an M.S. degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management from the University of Texas at Austin.