Mike Braun

Mike Braun is a seasoned leader with more than four decades of experience in the information technology sector, specializing in turnarounds and strategic business growth in both small and large companies. As a former CEO of three software companies, including Intacct Corporation (sold to Sage), and a General Manager of two major IBM divisions, he contributed to transformative growth through fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, and operational excellence. During his career, Mike also founded the Interim CEO Network, a unique professional services firm that placed 50 CEOs in six years to diagnose and drive change at troubled Silicon Valley companies.

After retirement, he served as Dean’s Executive Professor of Information Systems at Santa Clara University, teaching undergraduates and mentoring graduate students in real-world IT projects with Silicon Valley companies.

Mike is also an experienced board member who has served as Chairman and Lead Independent Director of a public software company and on numerous private corporate boards. In the nonprofit world, he served on the board of Tony Award winner TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and as Board President of the Peninsula Golf and Country Club. He currently serves on the board of the Northern California Golf Association.

Mike moved to the Bay Area from New York in 1993 and first connected with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley while seeking a meaningful team-building opportunity for his startup. That experience sparked a long-standing commitment, including annual volunteer events hosted by his companies. In retirement, he sought to deepen his involvement beyond financial contributions, leading to his current role on the Finance Committee. Through that work, he has gained a deeper appreciation for both the immense scale of Second Harvest’s operations and the critical importance of its mission. Mike says he can’t imagine a more urgent or important local need than addressing food insecurity.

In his spare time, Mike and his wife — both active volunteers, avid golfers and theater lovers — enjoy traveling and giving back to the community.