Cesar was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and arrived in the United States in 1986 to attend graduate school. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale University in 1991 and an MBA from Vanderbilt University in 1998. After a stint as Research Associate at the Technische Universitaet Berlin – Germany, Cesar returned to the US, assuming roles of increasing responsibility in laboratory design and management. Professionally, Cesar’s drive for lifelong learning has directed him into management-level positions in sales, marketing, and roles with P&L and profit accountability. Most recently, Cesar was a Program Director at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service (UTK-IPS). From 1996 to 2022, Cesar lived in Nashville, TN, where he met his wife, Maria, and raised two children.
Cesar talks the talk, walks the walk, advocates through the talk, and coaches the walk. He performs as an engaging, trustworthy, and insightful brain for hire.
Before working for UTK-IPS, Cesar’s trajectory included delivering optimal results as a consultant, training and development manager, quality assurance/quality control manager, technical director for quality, research chemist, instructor, interpreter, and translator.
Cesar gets energized by any challenge that includes the phrase, “But we’ve never done that before.”
He is also a big fan of many historical figures that do not have buildings named after them.
As a must-read business book, Cesar recommends “Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices” by Peter Drucker, and one quick piece of advice for anyone in a leadership role: Find the courage to lead in the hearts and minds of those with the courage to follow you.
Away from work, Cesar enjoys life with his wife and two children. He attempts to write engaging essays, entertaining fiction, or bilingual children’s songs on some late nights.
