Amy Adams, Executive Director, Institute for Biohealth Innovation, George Mason University

Amy Adams, Executive Director of George Mason University’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation, is responsible for nurturing and advancing biohealth research and innovation interests of more than 300 faculty and thousands of students who represent a broad range of academic disciplines. Her role includes fostering partnerships, overseeing core laboratory facilities, and creating hubs of innovation. Ms. Adams brings 22 years of experience in higher education and 18 years developing and managing new programs and organizations focused on research, innovation, and workforce development. Ms. Adams is co-leading the development of an Innovation District surrounding Mason’s SciTech campus in collaboration with partners from the City of Manassas, Prince William County, and business community.

Matt Ballard, CEO/Executive Director, West Virginia Regional Technology Park Corporation

Matt joined the West Virginia Regional Technology Park (WVRTP) in 2020 as its CEO/Executive Director.At the Park, he manages the 258-acre asset that focuses on science, technology, innovation, and economic development. Over 28 businesses call the Park home, and together, they employ approximately 1,000 people on the Park campus. Prior to joining the Park team, Matt served as the President/CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance and Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce — a multi- faceted economic and community development organization serving the Capital City of West Virginia. During his 15 years at the Alliance, he led multiple domestic and international relocations and expansion projects that led to new job creation and positive impacts in the community.
Prior to joining the Alliance, Matt served as the Executive Director of the popular Hatfield-McCoy Trails- one of the top tourist destinations in West Virginia. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail is the only public motorized trail system in the world that is managed on private property. During Matt’s tenure, over 75 new businesses related to trail tourism opened supporting the tourism industry in southern West Virginia. Before tackling tourism economic development in West Virginia, Matt served as Special Assistant for Public Policy to the Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue.

Brenda Barry, Director of Corporate Relations at University of Arizona

Brenda Barry joined the University of Arizona in January of 2023 as the Director of Corporate Relations for the College of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences.
Brenda has over 30 years of experience in the fields of workforce development and education reform, particularly in developing strategic public/private partnerships between education and industry. Prior to joining UA, Brenda held multiple leadership positions with The National Academy Foundation over 12 years. She served as the Director, Academy of Engineering leading the organization’s efforts in the programmatic development and expansion of the Academy of Engineering. In 2011, she was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Academy Development, overseeing network growth and service delivery to over 650 academies across the nation serving over 80,000 students. In January of 2016, Brenda was promoted to Vice President, Corporate Engagement and Relations and in March 2018 was elevated to the role of Chief Program Officer.
Brenda also owned a national consulting firm specializing in education reform, workforce preparation, and economic development. The firm, CMR Ventures, Inc., provided direct services to clients including strategic planning facilitation, whole school reform, research and evaluation and direct support to school districts and intermediary organizations. CMR Ventures, Inc. provided services with a focus on career development for underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged populations.
From 1994 – 2002, Brenda served as Executive Director of LEED-Sacramento (Linking Education & Economic Development), a nonprofit organization managing regional workforce preparation and development. During her time at LEED, Brenda launched the e21 Students First Initiative, a dramatic urban district high school improvement effort funded by the Carnegie and Gates Foundations. She also served on the California School-to-Career Governor’s Task Force, Educational Issues & Practices Committee; Far West States Skill Standards Consortium, Executive Committee; and the California Association of Leaders for Career Preparation Board. She was a founding member of the National Employer Leadership Council and the National Intermediary Network.

J. Michael Bowman, President and CEO, Delaware Technology Park, Inc

.
.
.
.
.

Kevin Byrne, President and Chief Executive Officer, The University Financing Foundation

As TUFF’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin has achieved national recognition as a creative problem solver for institutions facing the traditional dilemma of insufficient capital resources.
He has pioneered TUFF’s non-traditional approach to public-private partnerships, real estate financing structures, and economic development initiatives for university research parks and innovation districts. His strength is the ability to translate complex real estate solutions into true resource-saving solutions for institutional executives and boards.
Kevin graduated with Honors from Furman University in 1991, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Upon graduation, he received the Wall Street Journal Student Achievement award, the highest honor given by faculty to a student in school’s Economics and Business Administration department. He later earned his MBA, with Honors, from the Wharton School of Business.
In 2012 and 2014, Kevin served as President of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). He currently serves on the Board of Georgia’s Partnership for Inclusive Innovation and we was previously appointed by Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor to the Georgia Public Private Partnership Guidelines Commission. He also served on two Brookings Institution advisory committees – the Innovation District Initiative and the Bass Placemaking Initiative.
Kevin is Chairman of the Board of Young Life for Metro Atlanta, an Eagle Scout, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Whitefield Academy and chairs the Finance Committee. He is an avid golfer and little league baseball coach.

Neil Calfee, Executive Director, Economic Development and Innovation Zones, Arizona State University

Neil Calfee is the Executive Director of Economic Development + Innovation Zones for the ASU Knowledge Enterprise, collaborating across the ASU Enterprise, Greater Phoenix, and Arizona  to cultivate and strengthen industry and community relationships, as well as promote the ASU Innovation Zones.
For over two decades, Neil has held a variety of professional roles, spanning municipal government, higher education and the private sector. Most recently, Neil was the principal of Calfee Development Advisors, a company specializing in strategic planning, public policy and the creation and negotiation of public/private partnerships. He previously served ASU as the Director of Real Estate Development, where he spearheaded many high profile initiatives, including the efforts to build privately-funded student housing at the Tempe, Polytechnic and West campuses, as well as attract State Farm to the Novus Innovation Corridor.
Throughout his career, Neil has served on numerous municipal boards and trade groups dealing with economic development, corporate real estate and affordable housing. Neil is also a proud Sun Devil, holding degrees in Urban Planning and an MBA. Neil lives in Tempe and has two children, both of whom are also proud Sun Devils.

Merry Hunter Caudle, Director, Economic Development, Georgia Institute of Technology

Merry Hunter Caudle is the Director for Economic Development at Georgia Tech. In this role, she is responsible for developing strategic relationships that connect economic development needs and opportunity to transformative technology and talent. In support of city, state, and regional economic development efforts, Merry Hunter identifies and aligns higher education resources and capabilities to support the recruitment of new companies and overall industry ecosystem expansion in Metro Atlanta and Georgia.Working closely with both new and established corporate partners, Merry Hunter also helps innovation, technology, and other teams create and maintain meaningful engagements across the Georgia Tech campus. She supports and advances the economic development and ecosystem initiatives in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square and Science Square. She builds those communities of innovation and the surrounding areas by supporting the recruitment of large corporate operations, startup and innovation ecosystem programming, and public sector engagement. She previously served as Education Policy Advisor, responsible for early childhood, K-12, and higher education policy, as well as Deputy Director of Communications for Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. Merry Hunter holds a B.S. in Public Policy from Georgia Tech, a M.A. in Communications with a research emphasis on crisis rhetoric in higher education from Georgia State University, and a M.B.A. from Georgia Tech. She is a member of the Alliance Theatre’s Advisory Board and the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation’s Young Executives Board. Merry Hunter is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2020, the Zell Miller Leadership Institute Class of 2019, and is an active volunteer with the Junior League of Atlanta. Merry Hunter received the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) Rising Star Award in 2020. She and her family reside in Atlanta.

Matt Crommett, Managing Director, LH Capital, Inc. and Lyda Hill Properties

As Managing Director at LH Capital, Inc. and Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Matt oversees a portfolio of nature and science investments and grants for entrepreneur and philanthropist Lyda Hill. In this role, he leads non- and for-profit efforts to protect and conserve nature through innovative opportunities that address land, water, and wildlife challenges, prevent and treat diseases through basic and translational science and public health interventions, and grow the biotechnology ecosystem in North Texas.
Prior to this role, Matt served as deputy director of policy and programs at the George W. Bush Institute where he worked on issues spanning global health, economic growth, and veteran wellness. Before joining the Bush Institute, Matt helped implement the 10,000 Women initiative within the Executive Office at Goldman Sachs in New York, which invests in underserved women entrepreneurs in more than 20 countries.
Matthew received a Bachelor of Science degree in International Health from Georgetown University and a Master of Health Science degree in International Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Interventions from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He currently serves on the Board of Strategic Advisors for Georgetown University’s School of Health.

Brian Darmody, Chief Strategy Officer, AURP

Brian Darmody leads AURP initiatives including expanding membership, international partnerships and funding in order to build out additional member benefits. Prior to joining AURP, Brian served as Associate Vice President (AVP) of Corporate Engagement at the University of Maryland (UMD). At UMD, Brian was responsible for developing the overall university strategy for corporate relationships, as well as the development of projects and policies to support these initiatives centrally and through the colleges and schools on campus of the University of Maryland. Previously, he was the University’s AVP for Corporate and Foundation Relations in the Division of University Relations, AVP for Research and Economic Development, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Technology Development, Director of State and Federal Relations in the President’s Office and has served in the university’s legal counsel office. He serves on national and state boards, including: Fraunhofer USA, the Maryland Economic Development Association, and the Maryland Tech Council. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore and he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Karen Dobos, Scientific Director, Colorado State University Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL)

Dr. Dobos serves as the Scientific Director for the CSU Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) at Foothills campus, and was one of the key communicators for the RBL network during and after the COVID pandemic. She is also an active contributor on educating agencies on the importance of sustaining and modernizing all 12 RBLs.
The Dobos laboratory research program is primarily focused on diseases caused by Mycobacterium spp. Her laboratory pursues biomarker research, descriptive, comparative studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, and novel non-classical antigen discovery for the development of 2nd generation vaccines and diagnostic assays. Specifically, the laboratory utilizes mass spectrometry, models of tuberculosis, and collaborations with clinical research groups to define macromolecules and nanovesicles engaged in host-parasite interactions. This is accomplished through highly collaborative studies within and outside of the University.
Finally, Dr. Dobos merged her passion for education, outreach, and research to develop a TB outreach program at local and regional high schools with annual activities during the week of World TB Day (March 24).

Kelvin Droegemeier, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Science and Policy, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Droegemeier served as the Regent’s Professor of Meteorology, Weathernews Chair Emeritus, and Roger and Sherry Teigen Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where he had been a member of the faculty from 1985-2023. He previously served as the University of Oklahoma’s vice president for research from 2009 to 2018 and founded and served for five years as director of the Sasaki Institute, which fostered the development and application of knowledge, policy, and advanced technology for societal impact. He served as chair of the Association of Public and Land Grant University’s Council on Research Policy and Graduate Education (now the Council on Research) and is a fellow of both the American Meteorological Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science. 
Drogemeier’s federal science and policy leadership roles include serving on the National Science Board from 2004 to 2016, the last four years as vice chair, and directing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2019 to 2021. Concurrent with his leadership of OSTP he also served as acting director of the National Science Foundation for two and a half months in 2020. At the state level, he was appointed to the Oklahoma Governor’s Science and Technology Council, serving from 2011 to 2019, and as Cabinet Secretary of Science and Technology from 2017 to 2019.

Sarah Horta, MCFE, M.P.S., Director of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO)

Sarah Horta is Director of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). She is responsible for fostering intentional relationships throughout the State and managing programs that will support growth in infrastructure, economic development, and innovation.
Sarah served as Manager of the bwtech@UMBC Cybersecurity Incubator while in graduate school. bwtech@UMBC houses 131 companies and organizations that employ nearly 1,900 people and have generated $700M in labor income and business sales. While at bwtech@UMBC she assisted in the growth of the CYNC Program, a partnership between Northrop Grumman and bwtech@UMBC, which provided enhanced technology oversight, program milestone development and integrated support with Northrop Grumman technology resources.
Sarah transitioned to Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation where she acted as Business Development Director, continuing to foster growth and offer support to IT/cyber companies in Anne Arundel County. She managed the Arundel Defense Tech Toolbox, which offered services to support entrepreneurs developing solutions in the national security space.
Sarah received both her B.A. in Political Science and M.P.S. in Cybersecurity from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She then went on to obtain her MCFE after completing the Digital Forensics Certificate Program at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). Sarah is currently studying and looking to receive additional cyber certifications as well as her PMP in early to mid-2023.
Sarah played for the Division 1 Women’s Soccer Program while at UMBC and is from Fenwick Island, Delaware. She lives in Maryland her husband and son and spends her free time perfecting her golf game and watching Arsenal.

Rebecca Ivins, Research Parks Director, University of Virginia Foundation

Rebecca Ivins joined the UVA Foundation in July 2025 as Research Parks Director, bringing extensive private sector experience to lead the expansion and attraction of innovative companies to the North Fork.
With a career spanning business development and construction management roles at leading firms like Hourigan Group, Gilbane, and Jones Lang LaSalle, she has consistently focused on building partnerships and strengthening communities. A dedicated civic leader known throughout Virginia for her commitment to workforce development, infrastructure, and defense affairs, Rebecca has served in key roles with the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce and the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development. 
Rebecca attended the University of Akron and earned a mini-MBA from the University of Richmond. In her personal time, she is a golf enthusiast and has enjoyed watching her four children grow into adults. 

Tom Kissane, Enterprise Customer Support Manager, Halo

.
.
.
.
.

Allison Madden, AURP President; Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary, University of South Florida Research Park

Allison Madden serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary for the University of South Florida (USF) Research Foundation in Tampa, Florida. In this capacity, she plays a pivotal role in overseeing corporate governance, strategic planning, and the operations of the USF Research Park. Ms. Madden’s extensive responsibilities include community development and planning, construction oversight, vendor and client relations, and ensuring compliance with organizational policies and regulations. Her leadership contributes to the Research Park’s position as a cornerstone of USF’s Innovation Enterprise, which annually generates $582 million for Florida’s economy, sustains over 4,000 public and private sector jobs, and returns more than $71 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.  In her role as Corporate Secretary of the USF Research Foundation, Ms. Madden is responsible for executing official corporate documents and supporting the management of the board of directors and executive committee.
Ms. Madden holds an MBA with a focus on management and a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Information Systems and Decision Sciences, both from USF. She is a member of the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies.
Beyond USF, Ms. Madden has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) since 2020 and is in the role of President of the organization for a two-year term. She was previously serving as Vice President of AURP in 2024 and as Treasurer for the 2023 calendar year. Additionally, Ms. Madden is a member of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors and serves as Business Chair for the Tampa Bay Chapter of BioFlorida.
Throughout her career, Ms. Madden has maintained a steadfast commitment to ensuring the Research Park remains a premier destination for high-impact, high-technology research in a collaborative environment. Under her leadership, the Research Park continues to thrive as an essential hub for innovation, helping to drive economic development and research excellence in the region.

Tim Marlowe, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, FAKnostics; Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, University of Arizona, College of Medicine – Phoenix

Dr. Marlowe directs a drug discovery laboratory at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Cancer Center and College of Pharmacy. Dr. Marlowe’s laboratory primarily investigates the cancer drug target focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the mechanisms by which cancer and fibrotic disorders depend on FAK signaling for disease progression. He is chief scientific officer of biotech company FAKnostics, LLC, focused on FAK diagnostics & therapeutics. He is also director of the Molecular Discovery Core (MDC) facility, accelerating the development of drugs and chemical probes against multiple targets.
Dr. Marlowe received his PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Therapeutics from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and BS in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Marlowe has a strong background in pharmacology and drug discovery, with major expertise in structure-based drug design, computational drug discovery, and a wide variety of biophysical and biochemical assays. His research is focused on:

1. Structure-based discovery of novel FAK inhibitors.
2. Synthesis of peptides and small molecules.
3. Biological mechanisms of the FAK pathway in both cancer and fibrosis.
4. Drug discovery technology (SPR, NMR, fragment screening, X-ray crystallography).

Most recently, his lab has identified a series of cyclic peptide-based drug candidates that inactivate the focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain, the protein domain of FAK that regulates the focal adhesion complex and FAK localization. These promising molecules have shown significant efficacy in pre-clinical models of melanoma, liver fibrosis and lung fibrosis; and are under current drug development studies.

Sandra McQuain, Vice President of Infrastructure, Access Intelligence

Sandra McQuain is Vice President of Infrastructure at Access Intelligence, where she oversees the P3C Media and Exchange Monitor portfolios. Her work focuses on producing five national conferences centered on project delivery across a variety of asset classes, including higher education, transportation, healthcare, sports stadiums and convention centers. She also leads the company’s publications and events centered on the U.S. nuclear enterprise.
Sandra brings deep, practical P3 experience shaped by her earlier role as Founder of The McQuain Group, where she advised public and private sector clients on P3 strategy, stakeholder engagement, and project positioning. Her background includes executive management roles in economic development, airport operations, manufacturing, and technology, offering a multidisciplinary perspective on complex infrastructure delivery. She is a former contributing writer to P3 Bulletin and previously co-hosted Talk Back on KSYL, a live call-in radio program in Louisiana.
In 2021, Sandra was appointed by John Bel Edwards to the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry, which oversees Louisiana’s economic development incentive programs. She also served on the Resilient Louisiana Commission’s Transportation and Infrastructure Task Force, contributing to the state’s COVID-era recovery and long-term infrastructure resilience planning.

Mary Morris, Director Baltimore Fund, University of Maryland Baltimore

Mary M. Morris is Director of the Baltimore Economic Development Fund, a new program created by the Maryland General Assembly under the Center for Maryland Advanced Ventures initiative. Mary engages a host of regional contacts and companies to promote and administer the Fund, a financial incentive for companies affiliated with Maryland Public Higher Education Institutions to relocate into a network of innovation centers in Baltimore City, including the BioPark and the Grid. Prior to joining University of Maryland, Baltimore Mary helped launch the University System of Maryland’s (USM) Office of Economic Development, which supports economic development at all USM institutions. Mary has been fostering economic development and technology innovation across the state of Maryland for over 20 years at the state, regional, and local levels. She is an experienced entrepreneur and has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from James Madison University.

Brian Naumick, Partner, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate

J. Mark Nolan, Associate Vice President, Corporate Engagement, Georgia Institute of Technology

As associate vice president, Nolan leads the office that serves as the nexus for the Institute’s entire partner relationship and activity portfolios. The office is also tasked with facilitating collaboration efforts across various partner units within Georgia Tech, including the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Technology Licensing, Economic Development, Institute Relations, and Corporate Contracting, among others.
Nolan joined the team on January 1, 2022. His appointment follows a national search and is part of a larger Institute effort for more strategic and complementary initiatives between its corporate relations and industry collaboration units. Under this structure, Nolan will jointly report to the executive vice president for research and the vice president for development.
Nolan comes to Georgia Tech with more than 20 years of higher education expertise in economic development and corporate relations engagement.
At Carnegie Mellon, Nolan nearly doubled the university’s industry sponsored research spending between 2016 and 2020. During his tenure, the university’s executive education revenue increased by nearly 190% and several of its corporate partners, including Facebook, Honeywell Robotics, and Philips, opened new facilities near the campus.
Prior to Carnegie Mellon, Nolan spent nearly 15 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was appointed assistant director of economic development/private sector partners program at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in 2001 and then associate director of information technology and economic development in 2006 for the UIUC campus. He was named director in 2013. In those roles, he authored the economic development and industry engagement portion of a National Science Foundation (NSF) proposal for the Blue Waters Petascale Supercomputer, bringing in a $208 million award.

Thomas Osha, Executive Vice President, Wexford Science and Technology

Tom is employed by Wexford Science + Technology as an Executive Vice President. In this role, he guides Wexford’s implementation of its Knowledge Community strategy across their development stakeholders globally to position Wexford’s research park developments as critical hubs in the regional innovation ecosystem.
Tom is an engaging speaker who has recently delivered keynotes on creating innovation ecosystems and helping Universities, research institutions, cities, regions, and federal governments, leverage their research and technologies into knowledge-led economic development, at the Association of University Research parks, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Research Administration, and the NATO Industry Summit. He has also appeared on CNBC, CBC, CNN, and CBC and his opinions have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times, among others.
Additionally, Tom serves as an innovation advisor to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – Canada; helping Canadian companies successfully expand their operations into the United States and assisting US companies in developing Canadian partnerships and markets. He also serves as an advisor to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on global innovation, and the Brookings Institution for Innovation District research and measurement.
Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff at Broadwing Inc., an NYSE-listed, telecommunications provider, providing executive leadership in the areas of corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation.
Prior to that, he served as Special Assistant to United States Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), providing advice on foreign policy issues. Tom also provided policy advice to the Reagan Administration and developed a research methodology that has become a standard at Congressional Quarterly magazine.

Misty Parsons, Marketing & Relationship Manager, University of Virginia Foundation

.
.
.
.
.

Cody Pawlowski, Co-Founder and CTO, FirstIgnite

Cody is the Co-Founder and CTO of FirstIgnite: the #1 tool for university-industry collaboration. While attending UIUC, he cofounded his first startup, Convey, and pursued the venture full-time. The social listening platform predicted major elections such as Brexit and netted partnerships from political campaigns to drive outreach. He’s now focused on using AI to help research institutions partner with industry—getting more breakthroughs to market.
.

Jordan Peterson, Chief Operations Officer, Collaborative Real Estate

Jordan leads property operations and community networking navigation services for innovation districts and research properties managed by Collaborative Real Estate on behalf of both private and institutional clients.  With nearly 20 years of experience in corporate and institutional real estate transactions, strategy, and operations spanning more than 25 million square feet of real estate, Jordan has spent the last five years working specifically on community building, development, and management of university-anchored research properties and innovation districts.
Jordan has presented at conferences hosted by AURP (aurp.org), InBIA (inbia.org), NACRO (nacrocon.org), and UIDP (uidp.org) on improving the environment for individual collaboration in university-anchored innovation ecosystems; as well as at IFMA (ifma.org) on technology-enabled property management strategies.  Jordan’s experience engaging with university, business, and civic leadership coupled with his ability to connect seemingly minor operational details to “big picture” strategic considerations makes him naturally gravitate toward the relationships of our properties with the broader research goals and community networks that surround them.

Larry Peterson, Executive Director, Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities

Larry Peterson is an investor, serial tech entrepreneur, and Executive Director for the Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities (TFIC).
TFIC assists regions in architecting robust and financially sustainable innovation systems, employing the same principles that drove the success of the designed-from-scratch Austin innovation ecosystem advanced by Dr. George Kozmetsky (co-founder of F500 Teledyne, and the principal architect of the Austin “Technopolis” model).
Projects include development of the largest Texas venture accelerator; a statewide cluster organization for aerospace-defense; successful attraction of Army Futures Command; the Army Software Factory; and numerous methods for analyzing and accelerating regional innovation systems.

Justin Rerko, Growth Strategist, Tradespace

Justin’s focus at Tradespace is on helping us scale sustainably. Prior to this role, he was in-house IP and patent counsel for KPMG, LLP and also co-founded KPMG’s externally-focused IP Consulting practice. Justin blends 20+ years of experience across law firm, in-house, corporate strategy, and growth roles. A multi- year member of the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists list, he has a BA, JD and MS, Technology Entrepreneurship (ABT), all from Case Western Reserve University. Justin lives near Washington, D.C. and is an avid photographer.

Mala Sahai, Senior Director, Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs, Gladstone Institutes

Mala is a senior leader at Gladstone Institutes, a nonprofit biomedical research organization affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where she leads the legal, technology transfer, and business development functions. For the past decade, she has advised across research, operations, and finance, aligning legal and business strategy with organizational priorities to advance innovation and real-world impact. Guided by purpose and fueled by curiosity, she champions resilience, creativity, and values-driven leadership.
Before joining Gladstone, Mala spent a decade in private practice and industry, including roles at a multinational law firm, IP boutique firms, and a publicly traded technology company. She is admitted to practice in California and is a registered U.S. patent attorney.

Rahul Saxena, Director, CREATE-X; Associate Director, LAUNCH

Rahul Saxena is the Director for CREATE-X and the Associate Director for LAUNCH. Leading up to this role, Saxena had a career as a Venture Capitalist, startup CEO, entrepreneur, mechatronic design engineer, and published academic researcher. Saxena is a mechanical engineering Georgia Tech alumnus, earned his European Master’s degree in Fluid Mechanics from the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, and earned his MBA from Emory University. Saxena worked for Seraph Group, a venture capital firm, for 10 years evaluating and investing in companies while also holding the role of CEO in a company and serving on several boards of companies that went on to be acquired. 

Jeff Seymour, President and CEO, Oklahoma City Innovation District

Jeff Seymour is the President/CEO of the Oklahoma City Innovation District, leading efforts to expand the region’s innovation economy with a focus on Northeast OKC’s businesses, residents, and research institutions.
With a background in economic development, Jeff previously served as Executive Vice President for Economic Development at the Greater OKC Chamber and held leadership roles in Northern Oklahoma and Eastern Kansas. He holds a master’s degree in international affairs and leadership from Arizona State University, as well as degrees in economics and international business from Oklahoma State University. He is also a proud alumnus of Northern Oklahoma College.
Jeff lives in Northern Oklahoma City with his wife, Natasha, and their daughter, Emmaline. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and a good cup of coffee.

Mark Skinner, President and CEO, SSTI

Mark Skinner is president & CEO of SSTI, stepping into the role in 2025 with Dan Berglund’s retirement. Working with SSTI since 1998, Mark Skinner focuses on both the overall strategic direction of SSTI and the field of regional innovation, also known as technology-based economic development (TBED). Previously, he served as SSTI’s executive vice president and founded and ran the Regional Innovation Acceleration Network (RIAN), a federally funded seven-year project that worked to make public-private investments in innovation-based growth more efficient while achieving greater impact and to establish a national network of existing and emerging nonprofit Venture Development Organizations.  

Jeff Smith, Director, Research Parks, Michigan State University Research Foundation

Jeff Smith is the Director of Research Parks for the MSU Research Foundation. In this role, Jeff manages and directs the real estate and economic development opportunities on behalf of the MSU Foundation. This includes development and construction within the University Health Park, the Alliance Building, the VanCamp Incubator, City Center, and the Technology Innovation Center.
His goal continues to focus on leveraging university, corporate research, and community technologies toward commercialization and expansion of the marketplace.
Jeff is a Board Member of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Advisory Board for Redevelopment Ready Communities, the Lansing Regional Chamber Policy Committee, the East Lansing DDA, BRA, and EDC.

David Snow, Executive Director, Pegasus Park

Dr. David E. Snow is an innovation-driven executive with over 15 years of experience advancing research commercialization, strategic partnerships, and place-based innovation. He currently serves as Executive Director of Pegasus Park, a premier 26-acre innovation hub in Dallas, where he leads multi-year strategic planning, ecosystem growth, business development, and foster regional collaboration across the biotech, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining Pegasus Park, Dr. Snow held several senior leadership roles in university-based innovation organizations. As President and CEO of the University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation, he directed financial and operational strategy for the state’s leading 106-acre research park. He also served as Vice Chancellor for Economic Development and Executive Director of Technology Ventures at the University of Arkansas, where he led interdisciplinary innovation initiatives, the launch of a second innovation district, corporate engagement efforts, and technology transfer. Earlier, as Senior Managing Director of Research Commercialization at Texas Tech University, he oversaw intellectual property strategy and venture development across the university system. A Certified Licensing Professional and registered Patent Agent, Dr. Snow holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas Tech University. He is a recognized leader in knowledge-driven economic development and a frequent collaborator across academia, industry, and philanthropy.

Harold Strong, 2026 Spring Training Chair; CEO, InnovTX

.
.
.
.
.

Claudia Whitehead, Lead, Bioscience Healthcare, City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development

Claudia Whitehead currently serves as the lead for the City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department’s Bioscience Healthcare strategic initiative. Since 2019, under this initiative, more than $6.7 billion has been invested in more than 8 million square-feet of primary facilities creating more than 14,000 quality bioscience and healthcare jobs in Phoenix. Phoenix is now ranked as a top 20 U.S Life Science Market by CBRE. 
Claudia has more than 20 years of economic development experience working with municipalities in the greater Phoenix. She has worked to attract and facilitate the expansion of companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb, LabCorp, Sonora Quest Laboratories, NIDDK, Caris Life Sciences, Creighton University, SCHOTT MINIFAB, Exact Sciences, and GE Healthcare. She leads Phoenix’s promotion, stakeholder engagement and economic development efforts for its Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC). She is committed to elevating the visibility of Phoenix’s bio/health innovation ecosystem and its four biohubs – the Cotton Center, the Phoenix Bioscience Core, the Phoenix Medical Quarter/Midtown and Mayo Clinic’s Discovery Oasis – to attract companies to join Phoenix’s rapidly expanding life science community.    
Claudia graduated from Arizona State University. She served in the U.S. Peace Corps for more than 3 years working with an affiliate of Women’s World Banking in the Dominican Republic and has served as a volunteer consultant to the Ethiopian Banker’s association in Addis Abba, Ethiopia and the Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Windhoek, Namibia.
She enjoys riding her horses and hiking with her dogs on local trails with friends on the weekends.

Chris Whittier, Senior Director, Tishman Speyer

.
.
.
.
.

Alancia Wicks, Director, Office Of Tech Transfer and Innovation, Tennessee State University

.
.
.
.
.

Russ Zarras, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Fraunhofer USA, Inc.

.
.
.
.
.