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
Phil Weilerstein
President and CEO
Phil has led VentureWell since its founding in 1996 and today serves as President and CEO. By developing and expanding VentureWell’s programs on a national and global scale, Phil has helped advance VentureWell’s mission to solve global challenges through science- and technology-driven innovation and entrepreneurship. He’s accomplished this goal by designing and overseeing a suite of programs that encourage and support the deeper engagement of higher education and research institutions in curricular innovation, and developing and strengthening innovation communities. Phil is committed to sharing VentureWell’s learnings and resources to support the creation of inclusive and more equitable pathways for student innovators to succeed in venture creation. Under Phil’s leadership, VentureWell has collaborated with key science funding agencies, major philanthropies, and hundreds of universities to train and support thousands of emerging students, researchers and faculty innovators. After celebrating VentureWell’s milestone 25-year anniversary in 2021, Phil remains driven to fortify the broader innovation ecosystem and continue guiding the launch of groundbreaking innovations. 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.
Chris Desrosiers
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Chris Desrosiers oversees the accounting, contracts, compliance, financial planning, and analysis 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.
Demetria Gallagher
Vice President, Innovation Ecosystems
Demetria leads the Evaluation and Marketing & Communications teams at VentureWell, and supports the development and implementation of an organizational knowledge and learning agenda. She has led across multiple sectors including government, STEM, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Notably, she co-founded the Jamii Group, leading cross-sector business development, innovation, and social impact; she also served as a policy analyst and White House Political Appointee in the administration of former President Barack Obama. Demetria holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s in Sustainable Urban Planning from George Washington University.
Vicky Harris
Vice President, Enterprise and Shared Services
Vicky Harris is responsible for leading VentureWell’s team of senior experts to provide internal solutions, infrastructure, and program support. She brings over 15 years of experience in aligning business strategy objectives with established project management methodologies, organizational change management, and the development of process optimization paradigm. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and an undergrad degree in Computer Science.
Mark Marino
Vice President, Growth Strategy and Development
Mark leads the implementation of VentureWell’s growth strategy, including new business cultivation and portfolio expansion of individual, foundation, corporate, and government revenue. He also serves as Principal Investigator and Project Director for a number of VentureWell initiatives. Mark has over 18 years’ experience in US and global health organizations leading operations, business development, board governance, program development, and administration. He has a background in molecular biology and infectious disease diagnostics and received a B.A. in Zoology and Neuroscience from Miami University (OH) and an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Ursa Scherer
Vice President, People and Culture
Ursa leads strategic human resources for VentureWell with a focus on creating and sustaining a culture of belonging for all staff and enabling a values-driven, productive, and joyful work environment. She brings with her over 15 years of people-centric experience in non-profits, including leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion work at these organizations. Ursa has a B.S. in Management of Non-Profits from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Christina Tamer
Vice President, Ventures
Christina leads VentureWell’s portfolio of venture development programs, supporting a community of entrepreneurs, startups, and investors. She has over a decade of experience working with startups as an investor, accelerator program instructor, coach, and program manager. Prior to VentureWell, she worked at a seed-stage impact venture fund, where she built a portfolio of 18 technology companies around the world. Christina holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Management from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
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