Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
OKina Alford
Procurement and Grants Manager
OKina is responsible for managing vendor relationships and overseeing procurement processes at VentureWell. She has 10 years of federal procurement experience in the public sector, specifically school district procurement. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBO in Operations Management, and a Bachelor’s in Journalism; she is also a certified Registered Texas School Business Administrator through the Texas Association of School Business Officials.
Emma Angus
Financial Planning Analyst
Emma works in accounts payable and receivable functions, handles VentureWell’s expense reports and credit card expenses, and assists in month-end and year-end close tasks. She has worked in the accounting field for eight years, predominantly in accounts payable, where prior accomplishments include process improvement and the development of different accounting systems. She holds a B.A. in Accounting from Colorado State University.
Emi Aprekuma
Director, Contracts and Compliance
Emi will be guiding VentureWell in developing and implementing compliance policy. She brings her considerable experience collaborating with cross-departmental teams and governing boards to create user-friendly compliance programs at organizations, including association management firms, colleges, and medical schools, as well as government and healthcare institutions. Emi has a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.A. in Communication from Loyola University Chicago.
Collis Arrick
Director, Special Projects
Collis is responsible for leading subject matter experts teams at VentureWell, with a focus on driving efficiency, effectiveness, and operational excellence within VentureWell. He comes to VentureWell with over 20 years of experience achieving strategic objectives while providing strategic leadership, process improvement, and resource optimization within diverse industries. Collis Arrick has a B.S. in Finance and Business Management from Barton College and an M.B.A. from The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, with a focus on Entrepreneurship.
Kendra Balukonis
Accounts Payable Coordinator
Kendra is involved in all aspects of the accounts payable process at VentureWell. Kendra has experience in a number of complex aspects of accounting, including managing a company’s credit card system, reconciling accounts, and applying proper practices and procedures to finance work. She is currently enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University, pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Accounting.
Sarah Bucko
Assistant Controller
Sarah assists with financial reporting and accounting functions at VentureWell, including federal award compliance, budget management, and account reconciliations. She is also responsible for overseeing accounts receivable, and accounts payable. Sarah is a C.P.A. with a background in Audit and received her B.B.A. with a concentration in Accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Safiya Cathey
Senior Accountant
Safiya manages a portfolio of awards including billings, budgeting, and financials, and is also responsible for performing functions around the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes. Safiyah brings a masterful balance of grant accounting and general accounting skills, including extensive experience in compliance for awards audits, conducting annual reconciliation of grant activities, and collaborating with IT partners to develop, test, and monitor internal systems for improved grant tracking and time allocation. She holds a B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship from Baruch College and an M.B.A. from Georgia Tech.
Allyson Chabot
Controller
Allyson leads the financial reporting and accounting functions at VentureWell including grants accounting, funder/federal compliance, tax matters, and budget management. She also oversees the payroll, accounts payable/purchasing, and accounts receivable functions of the organization with a focus on internal controls and process efficiency. She holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as an M.S. in Accounting from Western New England University.
Trice Clark
Contracts Specialist
Trice works to optimize purchasing and procurement strategies, with an eye toward enhancing efficiency and sustainability. She has worked in procurement for school districts for over a decade, where she completed high-priority projects including launching a new credit card program for a travel/procurement department and facilitating supplier refunds for overpayment of goods and services. Trice holds an M.B.A. in Management Information Systems from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.
Chris Desrosiers
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Chris Desrosiers leads the accounting, financial planning and analysis, contracts, and compliance functions of the organization. Chris has over 15 years of experience managing federal awards with various government agencies. Prior to joining VentureWell, Chris was an entrepreneur in the mortgage and real estate industries. Chris earned his B.A. in sociology from the University of Massachusetts and his M.B.A. from American International College.
Rokia Diakite
Senior Accountant
Rokia works in accounting with the finance team at VentureWell. She began her career in accounting several years ago, when she started her own business providing tax and bookkeeping services to local small businesses. Since then, she has held a range of roles in the field, including Staff Accountant, Senior Accountant, Accounting Office Manager, and Human Resource Administrator. She holds both an Associate’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
Kelly Gorman
Senior Contracts Specialist
Kelly supports the intake and processing of accounts payable, and assists with consultant contracting. Drawing on her strong background in administration and customer service, she cheerfully balances the routine of regular implementation against the ever changing tide of as-needed items. Her prior work experience is predominantly administrative, but also includes several years of organic farming. She is deeply invested in sustainability, as well as supporting innovators and entrepreneurs working to change the world.
Ayo Jide-Omole
Manager, Contract Compliance
Ayo ensures continuity in the daily operations of VentureWell’s risk mitigation and compliance programs in alignment with legal standards, industry regulations, and internal policies. She has extensive experience helping companies comply with national and international healthcare regulations, fundraising, grant management, privacy, and other compliance regulations, including 2 CFR 200 and FAR. Ayo holds an LL.B. from Babcock University in Nigeria and an LL.M. from Loyola University Chicago, and is currently licensed to practice law in Illinois.
Kayla Kemp
Accountant
Kayla works within the accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll functions at VentureWell, to ensure compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and organization policies. She brings seven years of accounting experience, including five years in public accounting auditing nonprofit entities. Kayla holds a B.S. Business Administration degree in Accounting from Arkansas Tech University.
Shari Kouame
Senior Accountant
Shari deploys a myriad of financial reporting and accounting functions at VentureWell, including grants accounting, budget management, proposal development, and contract compliance. Her previous experience includes performing reconciliations, closing processes, tasks involved in the full grant/contract life cycle, proposal development, budget development, project management, contract compliance, and coordination of technical and financial deliverables. Shari holds a B.A. in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting, an M.A. in Public Administration, and an M.A. in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska.
Calvin Lamb
Senior Manager, Contracts
Calvin supports the administration of contracts and works to help lead and develop Contracts staff. Calvin has over 14 years of experience in the federal contracting space, supporting various agencies and contracting vehicles, and he has spent the last eight years in the managed healthcare industry. Calvin is a lifelong learner and has his sights set on a National Contract Management Association certification for Federal Contract Managers.
Melissa Lawrence
Contracts Specialist
Melissa works with internal program teams to provide contracting support, including drafting, reviewing, and administering contracts and modifications. Throughout her career, Melissa has leveraged her collaboration skills to drive change management initiatives, including playing a key role in launching Merative as an independent startup following the sale of Watson Health by IBM in 2022. She was recognized multiple times with significant awards for providing customer service excellence throughout her IBM career. Melissa holds a B.A. in Sociology from Wake Forest University.
Liz Muenzen
Senior Contracts Specialist
Liz supports the Finance Department and the RADx Initiative in processing accounts payable and tracking consultant documentation. She has a background in Social Work and has worked in area nonprofits for five years in homelessness and mental health, with a focus on helping youth and young adults. Liz holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Danika Ogle
Accounting Administrator
Danika supports the finance team by processing accounts payable invoices and payments, and plugging in to work on other accounting projects as needed. She brings three years of accounting experience to VentureWell, and is also a former social worker and has vast experience working with youth and underserved populations. She holds a B.S. in Family and Consumer Science from the University of Georgia.
Ana Ramos de Almeida
Accountant
Ana’s work on the finance team includes assisting in reviewing, verifying, and processing consultant and vendor invoices for payment. Ana brings three years of accounts payable experience to VentureWell, including work dealing with hundreds of invoices every week, making sure everything is processed accurately and on time. Ana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Certificate in Organizational Planning and Management.
Lyris Safa
Senior Financial Planning Analyst
Lyris Safa works closely with members of the Finance team to support in the financial planning of VentureWell. With over a decade of previous accounting experience, she has prepared budgets for multiple programs, overseen process flow for managing budgets, and successfully helped a charter organization spend down restricted state funding before its expiration date. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business, with an emphasis in Accounting, from California State Polytechnic University.
Colby Tuck
Senior Accountant
Colby’s accounting work at VentureWell focuses on government contracts and grants, specifically supporting Biomedical Engineering (BME) programs. His professional experiences include accounting work at organizations of various sizes, where he helped achieve greater efficiencies in internal workflows. Colby holds an accounting degree from Albion College.
Nichole Walsh
Accountant
Nichole supports the finance team by processing accounts payable invoices and payments, and plugging in to work on other accounting projects as needed. She comes to VentureWell with vast experience working in the diverse field of clerical accounting, from government accounting with the City of Oak Grove, Kentucky, to accounting with a generationally owned corporate newspaper office in New York. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University Montgomery and is finishing a B.S. in Accounting at Southern New Hampshire University.
Shaun Williams
Contracts Specialist
Shaun supports contracting processes and procurement across various programs. Shaun has an extensive history of working with prime and subcontractors throughout government, global, and commercial marketplaces with various contracts, including aviation, construction, finance, insurance, marketing, technology, transit, and service organizations and programs. She was the Prudential Davis Productivity Award winner for researching, developing, and negotiating an request for proposal for a client database system that yielded a cost savings of more than $2.4 million to the State of Florida. Shaun is a Florida Certified Contract Manager and holds a Technology Procurement/Contracting certification.
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