The Beyster Institute History

The work of the Beyster Institute began in 1986 when, as part of the Foundation for Enterprise Development, it took on the commission to spread the visionary ideas of Dr. J. Robert Beyster, the founder of SAIC. These ideas have led to the development of many highly successful enterprises based on the potent combination of employee ownership and entrepreneurial spirit.

Dr. Beyster founded SAIC in 1969, and by the time he retired from the company in 2004 it had grown to Fortune 500® size, with more than 40,000 employees and annual revenues approaching $8 billion. Dr. Beyster firmly believed that the methods used to develop SAIC – employee ownership, shared entrepreneurship and participation — could make a real difference in the success of an enterprise and in the economic lives of people everywhere. From the very beginning, Dr. Beyster rewarded the performance of employees with stock ownership. As SAIC grew, Dr. Beyster fought to preserve the values that had made the early SAIC successful — not only employee ownership and entrepreneurship, but a flexible and decentralized organization structure, technical excellence, high standards of ethical conduct, and a firm belief in customer service.

The Beyster Institute was established by the FED in 2002 to advance the visionary ideas of Dr. Beyster. Practices developed at SAIC demonstrated the powerful combination of employee ownership and entrepreneurial culture, helping inspire the creation of many successful enterprises.

In 2004, the Beyster Institute joined the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego. Through its consulting practice, educational programs and leadership in the employee ownership community, the Institute promoted the understanding and application of employee ownership as an effective and responsible business model.

In February 2026, the Beyster Institute formally transitioned from an operational institute into the J. Robert Beyster Endowed Fund for Employee Ownership Education. The fund is designed to bridge industry and academia by supporting innovative initiatives that prototype and pilot new employee-ownership strategies.

The endowed fund will support bold efforts to document and develop emerging equity and business models, helping expand access to ownership opportunities that generate long-term prosperity. To learn more about current initiatives, visit the Thought Leadership page page.

Those interested in the Institute’s legacy can also consider the historical evolution and future vision of the initiative in the document Entrepreneurial Employee Ownership & Innovation: Historical Perspectives and Future Vision from Institute to Catalytic Fund.

The Beyster Institute's Mission

Furthering employee ownership by educating through professional consulting, academic courses, and thought leadership.

Developing the Next Generation of ESOP Professionals

We are proud of the achievements of our alumni.

Our engagements were designed to provide hands-on training, mentorship, and ongoing support to help our consultants achieve their professional goals.

Many of our former consultants became leaders in the ESOP industry, members of ESOP companies, or ESOP advisors. We were thrilled to have played a part in their success, and we were committed to continuing to develop the next generation of ESOP professionals.

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  Nikita Agarwal

  Ventura

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  Mauro Canelo

  BDO Capital

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  Charles Chang

  Khorsand ESOP Advisory

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  Andrew Field

  SES ESOP Strategies

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  Maria Frontera

  Ventura

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  Aashna Kampani

  Ventura

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  Brian Khorsand

  Khorsand ESOP Advisory

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  Scott Leach

  BDO Capital

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  Mitch Miller

  GreatBanc Trust Company

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  Michael Moyer

  GreatBanc Trust Company

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  Tanisha Mukherjee

  BDO RISE

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  Aparimit Phophalia

  KPMG

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  Jur Slinkman

  BDO Capital

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  PinRui (Amanda) Su

  Ventura

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  Diksha Surana

  Ventura

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  Damien Vira

  Principal

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  WeiYang (Tina) Xu

  Prudent Fiduciary Services

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  Rong "Selina" Yang

  Blue Ridge

Previous Leadership

Kim Blaugher

Kim had over 30 years of experience working with ESOPs and equity compensation plans. He used his income tax and accounting background to help companies determine the feasibility of an ESOP, forecast repurchase obligations, and craft ESOP transactions designed to address each client’s unique needs and objectives. Prior to joining the Beyster Institute, he was a vice president of ESOP consulting at Principal Financial Group. Kim also led the ESOP practice at Mercer Company and worked at RSM US LLP and KPMG. Kim held a Bachelor of Arts degree from Earlham College and a Master of Taxation degree from the University of Denver. He passed the CPA exam in 1985.

Anthony Mathews

Anthony Mathews was the incorporator and Secretary for the renewed California Center for Employee Ownership (CCEO). Tony had been an active leader in the ESOP community for over 40 years, serving as a principal in several of the most respected ESOP consulting firms in the country and as the Director of the Beyster Institute at the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management. During his tenure at UCSD, Tony was responsible for creating and delivering the first-ever MBA-level curricula on several subjects related to employee ownership and workplace democracy. He later took over the CCEO and incorporated it as a separate, independent entity serving the broad needs of stakeholders in the development of an effective employee ownership model. He served as its Secretary.

Martin Staubus

As Beyster’s former Executive Director, Mr. Staubus advised business leaders on the design and operation of employee stock ownership programs to build stronger companies and provide liquidity to owners. Martin has over 30 years of experience in business, having served in varied roles as an attorney, consultant, Labor Department policy advisor, corporate executive, and corporate director. He has served as Associate Director of the ESOP Association in Washington DC and as a director of the National Center for Employee Ownership.