AURP LEADERSHIP
AURP Staff
AURP Headquarters
9040 South Rita Rd. Tucson, AZ 85747
AURP HQ2 (Washington DC Area)
7761 Diamondback Dr., College Park, MD 20742
Chief Executive Officer
Vickie Palmer
O: (520) 248-1281
Meetings Manager
Diana Horn
O: (520) 529-2523
Chief Strategy Officer
Brian Darmody
O: (301) 928-0527
Marketing & Administration
Shelby Martin
O: (520) 529-2521
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Allison Madden, MBA
Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary
University of South Florida Research Foundation
VICE PRESIDENT
Jeff Smith, MBA
Director, Research Parks
Michigan State University Research Foundation
TREASURER
Amy Adams
Executive Director, Institute for Biohealth Innovation
George Mason University
SECRETARY
Harry Brislin, MBA
CEO & Executive Director, Real Estate Services & Asset Management
University of South Alabama Technology & Research Park
AT-LARGE
Kate Engel
Executive Director
Nebraska Innovation Campus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
AT-LARGE
Tracy Shickel
Director, Economic Development
University of Delaware
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Erin Koshut
Executive Director
Cummings Research Park
DIRECTORS
Merry Hunter Caudle
Associate Director, Economic Development, Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia
Keisha Demps
Executive Director of Partnerships, Centennial Campus, NC State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Will Germain
CEO & Managing Partner, MCB Science & Health
Chicago, Illinois
Linda Hall
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, NCInnovation, Inc.
Durham, North Carolina
Kate Hier
Principal, Clark & Enersen
Kansas City, Missouri
Marcel Johnson, CEcD
Senior Vice President of Talent and Technology Scouting and Identification, Port San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
Sara Merriman
Director, Member Engagement and Strategy, National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)
Newark, Delaware
Zach Miles, JD, MBA
Senior Associate Vice President for Economic Development & Executive Director, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Research Foundation
Las Vegas, Nevada
Laura O’Blenis
President & CEO, Stiletto: Make a Point
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Aaron Olver
Managing Director, University Research Park, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Russ Zarras
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Fraunhofer USA
Plymouth, Michigan
AURP thanks outgoing board members for their leadership and service
2025 AURP Board of Directors
Adam Eshelbrenner
Senior Vice President
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Kansas City, Missouri
Suzette McKinney, DrPH, MPH
formerly Principal & Director of Life Sciences
Sterling Bay
Chicago, Illinois