Learn more about NCIIA's Board, Advisors, and Staff.

Board

Abigail Barrow | Director, Massachusetts Technology Center

Abigail Barrow is the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center (MTTC). The MTTC is state funded and supports technology transfer activities from public and private research institutions to companies in Massachusetts. The Center works with technology transfer offices at all research institutions; faculty, researchers, and students who have commercially promising ideas; and companies across the Commonwealth.

Prior to joining the MTTC, Dr. Barrow served as managing director of William J. von Liebig Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The von Liebig Center was created in 2001 to support the commercialization of research being performed in the Jacobs School of Engineering. Dr. Barrow worked in a variety of roles at UCSD CONNECT from 1990 to 2001. CONNECT’s programs focused on supporting early stage high-tech and biotech companies and in particular helping them raise funding from venture capitalists and corporate partners. Dr. Barrow has also worked with other regions where the CONNECT program has been successfully replicated, including Scotland and Scandinavia. Dr. Barrow is a Fellow of UCSD’s Beyster Institute and an Xconomist for Xconomy.com.   

David Chen | Founder and Managing Director, Equilibrium Capital Group

Dave’s focus on sustainability is a result of his work in venture capital, regional economic development and energy policy. In 2007, he was a visiting executive at the Meyer Memorial Trust developing a investing thesis on mission related investing (MRI); this tool has since been adopted by several institutions. In late 2007, he formed Equilibrium Capital Group; an investment firm focused on growth equity investment opportunities in the area of sustainability.

Most recently Dave was a general partner at OVP Venture Partners, joining the firm in 2001.  His investments at OVP include @once (acquired by InfoUSA), Ambric, Intelligent Results (acquired by First Data), Net6 (acquired by Citrix), Tzero, and UXComm. He served on the board of @mobile prior to its acquisition by software.com. Until 2002 he served on the board of HNC Software when it was merged with FICO (NASDAQ:HNCS, now NYSE:FIC).

Prior to OVP, Dave founded GeoTrust (acquired by Verisign 2006) & The Ascent Group; was Vice President Marketing Mentor Graphics; was an associate at McKinsey & Co; and was an early team member in 1978 at Solectron.

Equilibrium Capital Group portfolio board of directors:
•    GEDi
•    Biological Capital

Dave serves as Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Portland Branch, Governor-Appointed Chairman of the Oregon Innovation Council, Chairman of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), Advisory Board Member of the Oregon Investment Fund (OIF), Advisory Board of the X Prize for Energy & Environment, Board member of National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), Past Chairman of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum (2006).

Michael Malone | Ronnie & Eugene Isenberg Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Mike was educated in chemical engineering at Penn State University and at UMass Amherst where he joined the faculty in 1980. At UMass he was Director of the Process Design and Control Center for nine years, Head of Chemical Engineering for six years, and then Dean of Engineering for five years until 2009.  He has been a Visiting Scientist in Central Science & Engineering at the DuPont Company and has done extensive consulting and teaching for industry in the US and internationally. He is the author of numerous technical articles, a textbook, and holds two patents on catalytic distillation. He has won several awards for his research on process design and for his teaching.  Currently, he team-teaches an interdisciplinary course on Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Isenberg Program at UMass Amherst.

Paul Yock | Weiland Professor of Medicine and the founding co-chair of the Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University

Dr. Yock is internationally known for his work in inventing, developing and testing new medical devices, including the Rapid Exchange (tm) balloon angioplasty and stent system, now the primary system in use worldwide, and the Doppler-guided hypodermic needle system, P-D Access (tm). Dr. Yock also authored the fundamental patents for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging and founded Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, now a division of Boston Scientific. Dr. Yock’s research focuses on preclinical development and clinical trials of catheter devices, most recently in the area of stem cell delivery to the heart. Dr. Yock also founded and directs the Program in Biodesign, which is a teaching and mentoring initiative focusing on the process of needs finding, invention and technology translation in the biomedical field.

Advisors

Judith Giordan | Senior Advisor

Dr. Giordan has enjoyed a career as a technology and corporate executive for several Fortune 500 companies, including Vice President of Global R&D for Pepsicola and International Flavors and Fragrances, and VP R&D Henkel Corporation. She has held adjunct and visiting academic positions and is currently Professor of Practice at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is active in professional societies and organizations including the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Intangible Asset Finance Society, and the Industrial Research Institute. She is a member of the Board of Directors for startup companies, is a serial entrepreneur and is former Member of the Board of Directors both the Industrial Research Institute and the ACS. Dr. Giordan is also Managing Director – Intangible Asset Finance for Steel City Re, LLC and Vice President of Visions in Education, Inc. Dr. Giordan received her BS from Rutgers University, her PhD from the University of Maryland, and was an Alexander von Humboldt post-doctoral fellow at the University of Frankfurt, Germany.

Staff

Phil Weilerstein | Executive Director
Phil began his career as an entrepreneur as a student at the University of Massachusetts. He and a team including his advisor launched a start-up biotech company which ultimately went public. This experience, coupled with a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship, led to his work with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. Phil’s tenure at the NCIIA is marked by his skill for network-building and expert leverage of resources. He has a special talent for seeking out gifted educators and other important contributors and putting them to work for the betterment of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education in the U.S. and worldwide. As an entrepreneur in a not-for-profit organization, he has grown the NCIIA from a grassroots group of enthusiastic faculty to a nationally known and in-demand knowledge base and resource center. Phil also serves as the Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the American Society of Engineering Education. pweilerstein@nciia.org

Rachel Agoglia | Grants Coordinator
Rachel works closely with Grants Manager Jennifer Keller Jackson on NCIIA's grants programs and competitions. She brings to NCIIA over twelve years of nonprofit management and direct service experience, primarily from her work in Portland, Oregon and Providence, Rhode Island in the areas of hunger, education reform, and nonprofit consultation and support services. She returned to her hometown in Western Massachusetts in 2007 to join the team at NCIIA. Rachel holds a BA in Women's Studies from Bates College. ragoglia@nciia.org

James Barlow | Manager Outreach

James has worked in the University entrepreneurship space for 7 years and has been Commercial Advisor or Commercial Director for 16 start-ups as well as consulting internationally on start-up strategy, enterprise education and training. Prior to working in Higher Education, James has been a Performance Coach, Motivational Speaker and Strategy Consultant for FTSE listed companies and also worked in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Sales and Sales Management. He earned his BSc Honours Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Kent. jbarlow@nciia.org

Tim Binkert | Program Associate for Communications
Tim earned a bachelor's degree in English and Philosophy from Syracuse University in 2000 and a certificate in professional writing and technical communication from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2004. Tim joined NCIIA in 2004 as an intern and was later hired to the permanent staff. Tim's responsibilities at NCIIA include reviewing and summarizing grant proposals, writing and editing publications, generating web content, conducting grant performance reviews, and performing administrative and operational tasks. tbinkert@nciia.org

Patricia Boynton | Invention to Venture Program Associate
Patricia has worked for NCIIA since April 2008. She brings to the position many years of experience working for entrepreneurial companies, both technology and non-technology based. Most recently she provided marketing and sales support for MicroCal, a scientific instrumentation company based in Northampton, MA. Patricia has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. pboynton@nciia.org

Stefanie Costa | Office Assistant
Stefanie is a University of Massachusetts Amherst student pursuing a double degree program in Political Science and History with minors in International Relations and Economics. She has worked with legislators and as a political science researcher and during the summer she works on international programs funded by the State Department and the Department of Education. Stefanie is fluent in French, can read Spanish and German and is learning Swedish. She has plans to visit Iceland, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden and Finland to complete research for her thesis on the European Union. Stefanie’s responsibilities at NCIIA mainly involve providing assistance to the grants department. scosta@nciia.org

Chris Desrosiers | Accountant
Chris joined NCIIA in 2007 and successfully executes the financial and accounting functions of the organization. He handles bookkeeping and grants accounting and also assists with membership, human resources, and other related administrative activities. Chris gained his business and accounting experience as an entrepreneur primarily in the mortgage and real estate industry. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a B.A. in sociology and is currently pursuing an MBA from American International College. cdesrosiers@nciia.org

Suzette Durand | Manager of Finance and Operations / Corporate Secretary
Suzette directs the financial, human resources, operational, strategic, and administrative activities at the organization. She has a strong background in contract development, negotiation, review and compliance, system implementation, and has played an integral part in preparing winning revenue-generating proposals. Prior to joining NCIIA in 2007, Suzette spent over six years at Chiliad, a software development company in Amherst, MA, where she played a central role effectively managing the financial, human resources, and administrative functions of the company’s multiple locations. sdurand@nciia.org

Humera Fasihuddin | Invention to Venture Program Director
Humera oversees the NCIIA's acclaimed national workshop series and manages BMEidea, a national student competition in biomedical engineering. Since she joined the NCIIA staff in 2005, there have been over 75 Invention to Venture workshops throughout the country, reaching thousands of participants. In 2006, she launched the Advanced Invention to Venture workshop series, a 3-5 day intensive, hands-on workshop for student and faculty teams committed to commercializing their innovative products. The AI2V series continues to grow, and many participants have called it the single most important turning point for their startups. Humera is the co-founder of Edical May, a manufacturing and business development company enabling scale-up of new medical devices. She spearheaded the Western Massachusetts Regional Technology Corporation. Humera began her career at materials manufacturer Intelicoat. She worked her way up from operations to technical support, and finally to managing a $40 million business unit in the CAD arena and cultivating a new digital proofing business unit. Humera earned her MBA from UMass-Amherst in 2000 and her B.S. in Mathematics (minor in Economics) from Smith College in 1992. humera@nciia.org

Kate Golding - Program Associate for Research
Kate earned her BFA in Painting (minors in Economics and Psychology) from the University of Delaware in 2004. She has worked with a product development firm (office management and research), participated in all aspects of different small startups, as well as being office manager and project coordinator to established small businesses. Kate returned to Western Massachusetts in late 2008 after enjoying several years in Montana, and recently joined NCIIA. She is involved with several current research projects, assisting with assessment and evaluation, supporting the development of grant proposals, coordinating logistics of these projects, as well other tasks. kgolding@nciia.org

Ricardo Gomez | Assessment Specialist
Ricardo is a PhD candidate at the Center for International Education, University of Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Education degree from La Salle University and Master of Education from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His research interests span educational policy analysis, assessment and evaluation, and curriculum design and implementation. He is particularly interested in identifying key education policies and practice that support teachers and faculty in helping low-income youth succeed academically. Ricardo joined NCIIA as a fellow of the AEA/DU Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program in 2008. During this time he has been working closely with the Assessment and Evaluation Specialist and staff in the development and implementation of the NCIIA's evaluation plans, including client satisfaction surveys, instrument development, data collection, analysis, and reporting. ricardo.gomez@inbox.com

Allyson Greene | Office Administrator/Bookkeeper
Allyson recently joined NCIIA in May of 2009 and assists with bookkeeping and grants accounting and also with membership, human resources, and other related administrative activities. She graduated in 2008 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she received a B.A. in economics and she has plans to pursue a M.S. in accounting. She is a lifelong resident of the valley, having grown up in Montague, MA. While in school, Allyson swam competitively for Turners Falls High School and Roger Williams University and is currently an Assistant Coach for the Amherst Tritons Swim Team. agreene@nciia.org

Zak Hubbard | Technology Strategist
Zak got a proper hippie education at Hampshire College, working at the Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center to build toys and tools that change lives. As an educator, Zak has taught grade school and college level students alike on topics including stop-motion animation, zombie robot farm animal construction, and bicycle fabrication. Zak does not know how to ride a bicycle but can ride the farm animals okay. At NCIIA, Zak builds technology platforms in service of the organization’s mission and steers NCIIA along a technological path beneficial to its long-term objectives. zhubbard@nciia.org

Jennifer Keller Jackson | Grants Manager
Jennifer oversees the NCIIA’s grants programs (Course and Program, E-Team, Sustainable Vision, Sponsorship and Resource grants, totaling about $2M annually), the Olympus Innovation Awards program and other competitions. Jennifer’s background is in nonprofit management, in the areas of education and technology. Her experience includes program development, customer service, fund-raising, technical proposal writing, communications, and PR. She wrote a concept paper to start a nonprofit and worked to transform another organization into a for-profit company. Keller Jackson and her family moved to Amherst, MA from the Washington, DC area in 2004. Jennifer grew up overseas in Asia, Africa, and South America and is deeply interested in alternatives to the traditional aid model of development. She has a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied at the Univerisite de Montpellier, France. jkjackson@nciia.org

Dave Orsman | Marketing and Communications Manager
Dave joined NCIIA in 2008, having moved to the US from New Zealand. He brings 15 years of experience in marketing and communications to the role. Dave oversees NCIIA’s marketing and communication strategy and activities, including branding, public relations, publications and event management. He has previously held communications positions in New Zealand local and central government agencies, and organized the inaugural New Zealand Universities’ Games. In an earlier stint living in the US, he was sports and outdoors editor for the Tahoe World in California and served as writer/editor at Keene State College in New Hampshire. He earned his bachelor's and graduate degrees in Business Studies (Marketing) from Massey University. He runs, rock climbs and mountain bikes, but mainly is Dad to Lily. dorsman@nciia.org

Mary Secor | Program Coordinator for Outreach
Mary is responsible for the development and implementation of entrepreneur education programs, such as the Invention to Venture workshops. She will also work with NCIIA members and strategic partners to promote the organization of regional and national networks committed to promoting invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in higher education. Mary has over nineteen years of experience in higher education as an educator, advisor, program director, administrator, coach, recruiter, and consultant. She has worked with entrepreneurship programs across the country in developing and organizing entrepreneurship programs and curricula and has also presented at national conferences on topics related to student learning, retention, engagement and performance. msecor@nciia.org

Angela Shartrand | Research & Evaluation Manager
Angela oversees NCIIA's internal and external research and evaluation initiatives. Most recently, she has helped to build the organization's capacity to conduct research in areas that are closely aligned with NCIIA's mission, through developing collaborations with faculty researchers and developing successful research proposals to the National Science Foundation. She currently manages three NSF-funded research projects that examine innovation and entrepreneurship education in the STEM fields. Prior to NCIIA, she worked as a researcher and evaluator in several organizations, including the Young Sisters for Justice at the Boston Women's Fund and the Harvard Family Research Project. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College, an Ed.M. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Williams College. ashartrand@nciia.org

Joseph Steig | Treasurer and Manager of Venture Development
Joseph leads the Venture Well program for the NCIIA. He has twenty years experience as an advisor and CFO to entrepreneurial companies and non-profits. He also advises Long River Ventures, a regional venture capital firm, in the role of consulting CFO. He grew up in Vancouver, Canada and graduated with a BA from Hampshire College. jsteig@nciia.org

Jillian Zeppa | Office Assistant
Jillian assists with grant processing, documentation, and other grants and communications-related tasks. She is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where she received a B.S. in Communication Disorders and fulfilled a secondary major in English with a concentration in professional writing and technical communication. Jillian remains at UMass as a graduate student, pursuing her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology and working as a teaching assistant. jzeppa@nciia.org