phil weilerstein

president

Since 1996, Phil has been the chief executive of VentureWell. From the beginning, Phil’s focus for VentureWell has been to help bring socially beneficial applications of STEM inventions to market. He’s accomplished this goal by designing and overseeing programs that encourage curricular innovation and student venture creation, provide resources for faculty and student entrepreneurs, and develop community through conferences and workshops for faculty and students.

Phil attended the University of Massachusetts where he was a co-founder of a biotechnology company developing naturally occurring pest control products. He is a Founder and Past Chair of the ASEE Entrepreneurship Division, and a recipient of the 2008 Price Foundation Innovative Entrepreneurship Educators Award, the 2014 Engineering Entrepreneurship Pioneers Award from ASEE, and the 2016 Deshpande Symposium Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. pweilerstein@venturewell.org

jennifer holme

chief of staff and vice president of administration and finance

Jennifer champions a spirit of collaboration and open communications across all VentureWell departments and operations to provide leadership and ensure efficiency for organizational initiatives and priorities. She manages implementation of the strategic plan to ensure systemic alignment of the development, program, and functional units within the organization. She oversees the financial integrity, growth and stability of VentureWell and ensures that talent and technology act in support of administrative goals. Jennifer holds an MBA with a concentration in public and non-profit management from Boston University. jholme@venturewell.org

allison bleyler

director of marketing & communications

Allison oversees the marketing and communications activity at VentureWell. She is leading the strategy to build VentureWell brand recognition and to promote and support VentureWell programs. Prior to VentureWell, she worked in marketing at a variety of corporations, including Yankee Candle and SC Johnson, where she developed a track record of employing user-centric approaches to uncover strategic insights and leading teams to drive business growth through innovation. Allison holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Cornell University. ableyler@venturewell.org

dorn carranza

director, strategic operations

Dorn leads the development and implementation of new strategic programs, systems and partnerships, and ensures the integration of strategic and operational activity across the organization. Dorn’s experience prior to VentureWell spans program management and team leadership with a focus on science and technology commercialization, product innovation, technology transfer, seed-funding and entrepreneurship in the medical, chemical/energy and higher education sectors. His educational background includes a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, a PhD in Chemistry, and an Executive MBA with focus on Strategy & Leadership. dcarranza@venturewell.org

chris desrosiers

director of finance

Chris manages the financial and accounting functions of the organization. Some of the activity he oversees includes accounting, grants and contracts, financial reporting and budget management. Chris gained his business and accounting experience as an entrepreneur primarily in the mortgage and real estate industries. He earned his MBA from American International College and is also a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a BA in sociology. cdesrosiers@venturewell.org

thema monroe-white

director of research & evaluation

Thema is responsible for the development and implementation of research and evaluation (R&E) activities at VentureWell. She oversees R&E activities in support of programs, grant proposals and thought leadership initiatives. Prior to VentureWell, Thema served as external evaluator for federally-funded initiatives focused on broadening participation, and promoting creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in STEM. She holds a PhD in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MS in Developmental Neuropsychology and a BS in Psychology from Howard University. tmwhite@venturewell.org

heath naquin

vp strategic development

Heath leads the Strategic Development staff and oversees the identification and development of new opportunities and initiatives to drive VentureWell’s strategic growth. Prior to joining VentureWell, Heath spent nearly 20 years working in the global startup, innovation and entrepreneurship field. Most recently, he was Executive Director for the Southwest I-Corps Node at the University of Texas at Austin. Heath holds a BBA from St. Edwards University, an MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin as well as a PMP designation. hnaquin@venturewell.org



laura sampath

vp program operations

Laura leads the Program Operations staff and oversees the planning, development, and execution of VentureWell programs and initiatives. She partners with the Strategic Development team in operationalizing new initiatives and leading the strategic growth of the organization. Prior to joining VentureWell, Laura ran the MIT International Development Initiative where she worked with students, faculty, and alumni to develop effective models of engagement in emerging markets. Laura has also worked with USAID in Kenya, and was a Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps Volunteer. lsampath@venturewell.org

gila aispuro

program officer, i-corps™

Gila manages the coordination and implementation of I-Corps™ training in entrepreneurship and innovation, bringing together academic researchers, student entrepreneurs and business mentors. Gila has over 10 years of experience working in higher education and the non-profit sector. She holds a BA from the University of Arizona and an MSc in Practicing Sustainable Development from Royal Holloway University of London. gaispuro@venturewell.org

cara barnes

program officer, global

Cara works with the Global Program to support innovators developing healthcare technology for emerging markets. Combining education and experience in chemistry and public health, she helps innovators overcome the challenges of developing and implementing technology solutions in complex global health systems. Prior to joining VentureWell, Cara was a scientist at Diagnostics For All, where she developed point-of-care medical diagnostics for low-resource settings and led field trials in rural Zambia. Cara has an MS in chemistry from the University of Utah and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University. cbarnes@venturewell.org

janine elliott

program officer, entrepreneurship training & curriculum development

Janine is the curriculum designer and primary instructor for Stage 1, Stage 2, and ASPIRE E-Team workshops. She helps student entrepreneurs vet their markets, build business models and get prepared to raise first equity investments. To inform on-going curriculum development, she can often be spotted networking in the Boston cleantech & healthcare communities. Previously she was a co-founder of a cleantech materials startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area. jelliott@venturewell.org

jennifer keller jackson

senior program officer, special programs

Jennifer oversees VentureWell’s faculty grants program, which supports university faculty in creating or strengthening courses, degree programs and co-curricular activities. In addition, she leads VentureWell’s annual conference, Open, which brings together faculty and students to share best practices in entrepreneurship education. Jennifer also organizes a biomedical engineering meeting for faculty (BME-IDEA). Her experience includes program development and management, technical proposal writing and business development. She grew up in Asia, Africa, and South America and is interested in entrepreneurial alternatives to the traditional aid model of development. jkjackson@venturewell.org

tara loomis

senior program officer, i-corps™

Tara manages the I-Corps™ national courses, faculty development and curriculum improvements. In addition she leads the development of new I-Corps™ initiatives such as I-Corps™ at NIH. Tara also manages the Lean LaunchPad for Educators workshop, which takes place twice a year. She holds a BA in Sociology from Loyola University New Orleans, an MA in Higher Education Administration from the Ohio State University, and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. tloomis@venturewell.org

victoria matthew

senior program officer, faculty development

Victoria leads faculty development initiatives and the Pathways institutional change program at VentureWell. She designs online and in-person programming that fosters the integration and institutionalization of innovation and entrepreneurship, and leverages the power of faculty networks. Prior to VentureWell, Victoria worked for over a decade in higher education. She designed, developed and managed degree programs, and has experience teaching online, and recruiting and training online faculty. Victoria holds a BS from the University of Hull and an MS from Marlboro College. vmatthew@venturewell.org

marie silver

program officer, i-corps™

Marie manages the National I-Corps™ Course and coordinates activities for the National I-Corps™ Sites and Nodes. She comes to VentureWell by way of the STEM Ed Institute at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she was the Program Manager for 15 years. At STEM Ed, she managed several NSF and NASA grants that guided STEM outreach at the university and worked with faculty throughout the Five College area on STEM programming. Marie has over 30 years of experience working with faculty and students to increase societal impacts of their STEM research. msilver@venturewell.org

mandy sutton

program officer, gist

Mandy organizes and implements GIST (Global Innovation through Science and Technology) Startup Boot Camps for young innovators around the world, while also overseeing GIST’s online presence at GIST Network. She bring to this role nearly a decade of higher education student services experience, having worked in the fields of study abroad and international entrepreneurship at UCLA and University of Texas-Austin. Mandy holds a BA in English from UCLA and an MS in Information Studies from University of Texas-Austin. msutton@venturewell.org

christina tamer

program officer, venture development and investments

Christina works directly with VentureWell’s early stage innovators as they move from initial prototype and proposal to high-growth startup seeking its first round of investment capital. Previously, she worked with a seed-stage impact investment fund. The experiences there now allow her to support VentureWell’s startups with real-world examples of what to do and what not to do on the path to commercialization. She holds a BS in Marketing and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Boston. ctamer@venturewell.org

rachel agoglia

information systems manager

Rachel manages VentureWell’s Salesforce deployment and other projects related to the expansion and improvement of the organization’s information systems. She has served many roles at VentureWell over the years in the areas of program delivery and grants management and therefore brings a deep understanding of the organization’s IT system needs and processes to her current position. Prior to VentureWell, Rachel worked at a variety of other nonprofits committed to addressing issues of hunger and homelessness, education reform, and strengthening nonprofit organizational capacity. ragoglia@venturewell.org

alisa ainbinder

senior research and evaluation analyst

Alisa Ainbinder is the lead evaluator for the I-Corps™ Longitudinal Outcomes survey and the formative evaluation for the I-Corps™ course. Prior to joining VentureWell, she worked at Mathematica Policy Research in their Washington, D.C. location where she was a survey researcher on numerous federal program data collection and evaluation efforts. Alisa holds a PhD in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, an MA in Social Work and an MA in Social Science also from the University of Chicago. aainbinder@venturewell.org

hollie crisler alvarez

events manager

Hollie manages the logistics and operations for VentureWell conferences and events across North America and worldwide. She works closely with VentureWell staff and external vendors to execute flawless settings for faculty and early stage innovators to network and learn. She is a seasoned event planning professional with strengths in organization, attention to detail, and budget and relationship management. Hollie earned dual BBAs in Marketing and in Management and an MBA from Valdosta State University. halvarez@venturewell.org

tim binkert

marketing & communications officer

Tim leads storytelling activity at VentureWell, managing the blog, the website and its content, and social media. Tim brings years of experience at VentureWell to bear in relating the stories of faculty and early stage innovators who have moved their ideas to impact through VentureWell’s programs. Tim holds a BA from Syracuse University and a Certificate in Professional Writing and Technical Communication from University of Massachusetts Amherst. tbinkert@venturewell.org

patricia boynton

grants management officer

Patricia oversees the efficient intake, review, processing and finalization of all submitted student and faculty grant proposals and competition entries. She manages pre- and post-award processes and works with student and faculty grantees and institution sponsored research staff to ensure procedural compliance on funded awards. During her time at VentureWell Patricia has worked on many student and faculty programs. Patricia has a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. pboynton@venturewell.org

tessa doubleday

events manager

Tessa coordinates the operations and logistics for many VentureWell events, focusing especially on the E-Team program for which she is lead events manager. She began her career working on the vendor side of the hospitality industry, and held positions at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Homewood Suites Holyoke and Chandler’s Restaurant at Yankee Candle. Tessa earned a degree in hospitality from the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst. tdoubleday@venturewell.org

kirstin gadiel

events manager

Kirstin manages the logistical coordination of numerous events at VentureWell, specifically focusing on the I-Corps™ program. She works closely with the program officers to develop and deliver high quality workshops and trainings. She brings more than seven years of events management expertise to this role. Previously, Kirstin worked for the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy (now J-Camp 180) where she coordinated the annual two-day professional conference. Kirstin holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. kgadiel@venturewell.org

mary gifford

executive assistant

Mary works as the Executive Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, as well as performing administrative tasks for Human Resources. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she also worked as the administrative assistant to the Director of Development at the College of Natural Sciences. mgifford@venturewell.org

allyson greene

senior accountant

Allyson assists the Director of Finance in executing the financial reporting and accounting functions of the organization including grants accounting, tax matters, budget management and compliance. She also oversees the payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable functions of the organization. She graduated in 2008 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received a BA in economics and is currently pursuing a MS in Accounting degree at Western New England University. agreene@venturewell.org

leann leake

research and evaluation associate

Leann supports VentureWell Programs through her Research & Evaluation work, including survey administration and analysis, database management, data visualization and reporting. Prior to joining the Research and Evaluation Team, Leann worked with VentureWell’s grants administration and finance teams. She brings a variety of skills to VentureWell including project management and writing from her prior experience in insurance underwriting, publishing and independent feature film production. Leann holds a BA in English and a BFA in visual art from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. lleake@venturewell.org

stacey mushenski

office administrator

Stacey is responsible for many aspects of our business, supporting staff in Finance, Program, and Human Resources teams, managing vendors, and providing top-notch customer service. Her incredible organization skills and friendly voice & face keep our team running smoothly and effectively. She takes great pleasure in making sure our staff and visitors are taken care of. Stacey has a passion for community development and a strong devotion to the nonprofit sector and appreciates how VentureWell helps improve the quality of life for many people around the world. smushenski@venturewell.org

kim noble

events manager

Kim leads event management for VentureWell’s programs. In her role, she supervises a team of four events staff and coordinates with program leaders to ensure all events deliver the high-quality experience that participants have come to associate with VentureWell. Kim brings to her role more than 15 years of experience directing educational training. Her past work focused on creating scalable training programs, applying evaluation data to curriculum development, and developing and maintaining training materials. She received BS and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. knoble@venturewell.org

michael norton

grants administrator

Michael provides administrative support to the grants team. In addition to managing the network of institutions and grants, he works directly with both student and faculty teams throughout the grant process and enjoys interacting with some of the top innovators in the world. Michael received a BA in International Studies from American University. mnorton@venturewell.org

megan o'grady

accountant

Megan assists with budgeting and financial reporting at VentureWell, and is responsible for accounts receivable, membership payments, and account reconciliations. Megan received a BS in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of Hartford. She is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of Hartford. mogrady@venturewell.org

lisa ponce

event planning administrator

Lisa Ponce provides comprehensive office support to the VentureWell event managers, and also serves as an office liaison between the events team and all other VentureWell departments. She brings to this role a background in hotel management, having worked in a variety of capacities for hotels in Massachusetts and Alaska. Lisa has a BFA from Catawba College and an MA from University of Massachusetts Amherst. lponce@venturewell.org

gabriel reif

research and evaluation analyst

Gabe is responsible for the evaluation of an array of VentureWell initiatives. Gabe’s work focuses on devising and implementing evaluation plans of programs such as E-Teams and the annual Open conference in order to assess their impact and effectiveness, as well as the satisfaction of participants. Gabe is currently pursuing his doctorate in Education Policy, Research, and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and holds an MEd from the University of Vermont, and a BS from Brandeis University. greif@venturewell.org

michael sjostedt

marketing & communications officer

Michael manages content marketing efforts for VentureWell’s partner websites. He crafts engaging web and social media content to showcase an organization’s programs and resources that support entrepreneurial ventures. During Michael’s 20 years of publishing and marketing experience, he cultivated and managed the online presence for many organizations and personalities including bestselling author Daniel Goleman. Michael holds a BA in Communications from Central Connecticut State University and a Certificate in Technical Writing/Web Content from California State University of Sacramento. msjostedt@venturewell.org

jennifer taub

assistant director of development

Jennifer supports development for VentureWell through preparation of funding proposals, concept notes and communications with funders and potential supporters. She conducts new prospect research, prepares stewardship reports to governmental and private funding sources, assists in coordinating the activities of the VentureWell Alumni network, and participates in the formulation of fundraising strategy with the Development Team. Jennifer has a BA in American History from Brown University and studied public policy at Claremont Graduate School. jtaub@venturewell.org

cindy teixeira

data sciences officer

Cindy oversees data management efforts at VentureWell. She brings over ten years of experience in the data archives field, where she focused on the areas of data quality, metadata development, and enhanced usability. Prior to joining VentureWell, Cindy managed the day-to-day operations within a public opinion data archive, and led efforts in the development and adoption of standards for digital curation. cteixeira@venturewell.org

leslie tillotson

human resources consultant

Leslie provides HR outsourcing through her company (HR Consulting) for her clients in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. At VentureWell, she guides the talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, and employee relations initiatives, and provides individual guidance to staff and management on a variety of issues related to Human Capital. Prior to consulting, Leslie held senior HR management roles at (mostly tech) companies, from start-ups to large corporations in the greater Boston area. Leslie holds a BA degree from Colgate University. ltillotson@venturewell.org

kate tobin

accountant

Kate manages accounts payable, contracts, payroll, and benefits administration at VentureWell. She has a background in sustainable agriculture, specifically in food justice in low-income areas of Boston and worked as Office and CSA Manager at Enterprise Farm in Whately. She holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. ktobin@venturewell.org