Our Team
Doug Erickson
Doug Erickson is the Executive Director of Santa Cruz Works and the founder of the Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp. He has 30 years of executive level positions in companies such as Live Picture, WebEx, Cisco, SugarCRM, and Nanigans. He is also the co-founder of CruzHacks (HackUCSC) one of the largest hackathons in California. On any day when there is good surf or wind, you can find him surfing or kitesurfing.
Malina Long
Malina Long is a daughter of Cambodian refugees, a University of California Santa Cruz graduate, and the former Executive Director of Your Future Is Our Business. She is a resourceful individual with a creative eye that has developed event, program, and team management skills from her time working with UCSC’s Sustainability Office and Your Future Is Our Business. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new places to hike or dine at, snowboarding, camping, and watching the latest shows and movies with her husband Angel and cat Leche.
John Tran
COO - John is a venture investor with a strong foundation in physical sciences, deep tech, and software. Over the past few years, he helped build and scale a new venture fund—born from a collaboration between a research foundation and a state economic development corporation—into the most active fund in the Midwest. There, he led investments across sectors including quantum computing, energy storage, eVTOLs, robotics, and aerospace technologies.
Tavleen Kaur is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, majoring in Technology and Information Management with a minor in Computer Science. Graduating in 2026, she is passionate about pursuing a career in the tech industry, with a focus on marketing, product strategy, and management. She has contributed to a variety of projects that blend technical skills in coding with impactful outreach efforts, highlighting her commitment to both innovation and community engagement. In her free time, she enjoys scrapbooking, crocheting, and traveling to new places.
LeBaron Meyers
LeBaron Meyers has had an eclectic career in investment management, radio and digital media/tech. She specializes and consults on business development, effective leadership and strategic communication. Her passion for the intersection of tech & humanity mirrors her love of business & yoga.