Matthew Connell

Matt Connell has served as the Dean of the Monroe Campus of Northampton Community College since 1998; prior to that he served as the Associate Dean of the Campus from 1994 to 1998. Previous professional experience includes a private business consultant practice in upstate New York; a R.O.P.E.S. Course facilitator at the Cayuga Nature Center in Ithaca, New York; and an adjunct faculty member at Cornell University and Tompkins Cortland Community College�]all in 1993 and 1994. Additional higher education administrative experiences includes employment at SUNY College at Cortland (1990�]1993), the University of North Texas (1982�]1990), and Ithaca College (1979�]1982). Currently, he serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Wall Street West/WIRED Project, a Federal Department of Labor funded initiative involving representatives from a 9 county region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, on the Poconos Workforce Investment Board, and on the United Way of Monroe County Board. He held a seat on the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce Board until recently. Leadership positions include Chairing the United Way of Monroe County Annual Campaign (2005), Chair of the Board of Directors, Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commnerce (2004) and President, United Way of Monroe County Board of Directors (2001�]2002). In addition, he has coached baseball in the West End Little League and soccer in the West End Soccer League. He holds the Ph.D. from the University of North Texas, an M.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. from Bloomsburg University. He is married to Evelyn Baxevane of Bethlehem, PA and they have 3 children, Alex, Moriah and Gabriel.

Website:

 http://beta.asoundstrategy.com/sitemaster/userUploads/site156/MattConnellBio.pdf

Susanne Cook

Susanne chairs the firm’s International Business Group. She is a business attorney focusing her practice on counseling companies on international and domestic business transactions, joint ventures, customs, export and licensing matters. She is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America for international trade and finance and in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.

John Davis

John Davis serves as CEO and General Manager for the SBIR Resource Center (R) *, the nation’s leading provider of commercial business development resources to the SBIR/STTR community. Since its formation in 1993, the Center has directly aided more than 3000 entrepreneurial firms in the pursuit of SBIR & STTR financing and has served thousands more by working closely with numerous state and local economic development organizations to establish and operate effective, local SBIR outreach programs.

Davis, a service-disabled veteran (Vietnam era), brings more than thirty years of progressive experience as a Technician, Research Engineer, R&D Program Manager, Professional Proposal Leader, Marketing/Business Area Director and C-level Executive (General Manager/COO for three firms, CEO of one) in leading technical organizations ranging from start-ups and small early stage companies, up to Fortune 200 multinational firms. He has directed the new business development, program acquisition, technical operations and hands-on program management of numerous technical projects ranging from small R&D efforts to developing and shepherding major systems through full test, evaluation and fielding under Federal funding. Davis has instituted project management cultures in three firms and is currently authoring a book on Project Management in Sub-Optimal Cultures. He has earned advanced degrees in both engineering and business administration. Mr. Davis is an active member of numerous professional and industry associations, including the APMP (Association of Proposal Management Professionals), IEEE and others. Mr. Davis has been honored by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) as their "Member of the Year", served as Vice President of the Capitol Chapter and was an industry elected member of their Board of Trustees. He has served as an editor & peer reviewer for the technical publications Unmanned Systems and Proposal Management. Since 1991 he has been honored with continuous biographical listings in publications such as Who's Who In Science And Engineering; In Industry and Finance; In America; and Who's Who In The World. Other such listings are fond in the Cambridge International Biographical Dictionary, Men of Achievement and many others.

In the field of SBIR/STTR, Mr. Davis is a much-published author and popular lecturer. He is an often invited speaker on Developing Competitive Proposals and R&D Project Planning, Cost Estimating and Control at many national and regional conferences and has participated in every National SBIR Conference since 1993. At the 2009, National SBIR Conference Davis has been invited to be the leadoff speaker and provide a major workshop focusing on Phase I & II R&D Projects. Widely recognized as a leading national authority on SBIR/STTR, he is the Executive Publisher of the newsletter SBIR News You Can UseSM and the Web site http://sbir.us, one of the Internet’s top three SBIR sites. He also leads the highly acclaimed How To Win SBIR AwardsSM and SBIR Competitive ChecklistSM workshops more than 12 times a year all across the country and has now developed the SBIR-MaxSM event to help SBIR firms transition into mega-buck Phase III federal contracts. As the originator and principal sustaining force behind the SBIR-ToolKit™ product line (21 solicitation-specific titles), and by professionally mentoring hundreds of applicants to pursue SBIR/STTR annually, Davis has personally dealt with the specifics and details of business development through proposal and grant request writing for each and every one of the SBIR/STTR solicitations, every year since 1993.

Website:

http://sbir.us/course/JAD_BIO.pdf

Michael D. Fox

Michael D. Fox is a shareholder with the Pittsburgh office of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky, where he concentrates his practice in business law. He joined the firm in 2008 in the combination with Gefsky and Lehman, P.C.

Mr. Fox’s broad practice experience includes business development and venture financing; mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures; business workouts; technology development, licensing and commercialization; product and service distribution and franchising; and international, computer and corporate law.

His clients include middle market and early-stage technology, manufacturing and service businesses, investment funds, entrepreneurs, and investors.

Mr. Fox for many years has held the highest rating for lawyers by Martindale Hubbell, a national register for attorneys, recognizing his professional standards and ethics as well as his legal ability.

Previously he was a shareholder of a large Pittsburgh based law firm and a member of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s General Counsel’s staff

Professional - Mr. Fox holds a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. He has held Board and officers positions with the MIT Enterprise Forum of Pittsburgh, Tepper Business School Alumni Association; Association for Corporate Growth; Carnegie Mellon University's Board of Trustees and Andrew Carnegie Society; and the Intellectual Property, the Antitrust and Class Action, and the Corporation, Commercial and Banking Law Sections of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

He is a member of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association, Association for Corporate Growth, Turnaround Management Association, and various sections of the American, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations.

He is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer on a variety of legal and business topics, and regularly appears on the American Entrepreneur radio program.

Personal - Mr. Fox and his wife Gerry live in Pittsburgh and have a son, Tad, and daughter, Amanda.

Gary Gardiner

Lead, Entertainment/Education Technology Initiatives

Gary Gardiner joined Idea Foundry in 2009 and brings a wide range of experience, including business planning, software engineering, multimedia and web design, and entertainment technology development, and sales & marketing. Gary is passionate about entertainment technology, social enterprise, and new product innovation.
He pursues a whole-brain approach to the world, combining his creativity, design, and story-telling talent with his passion for structures, systems, and quantified results. He does graphic design, business planning, software engineering, digital media, and interactive entertainment. He develops, hones, and refines ideas, and then he transforms them into businesses.

Gary holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business and a B.A. from Brigham Young University in International Relations and Chinese language. Prior to coming to Idea Foundry Gary worked at Goldman Sachs & Co.

Elena Howard

Elena has a keen interest in financial valuation. Her experience in banking operations and FINRA adds great value to project finance structuring. Her excellent academic performance has transformed into a diligent attitude and strong work ethic in the office.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• Prior to joining RMG, Elena worked for Dollar Bank as a Senior Loan Administrator in Commercial Real Estate. While at Dollar Bank she learned the basics of property performance and loan valuation.
• Before Dollar Bank she was an Investigative Intern at The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), where she did preliminary reviews of misconduct of financial institutions and advisors.
• Elena also interned with The Advisors LLC, a financial planning company.
• Elena graduated cum laude from Clemson University with a BS in Financial Management and a minor in Accounting.
• While in school she was on the Dean's List several times and was a member of both the Finance Club and Wall Street South Investment Club.
• She is now the Treasurer of the Pittsburgh Clemson Club and enjoys dancing and teaching Pilates in her free time.

Matthew Karnell

Matthew J. Karnell is the director of the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) Programs Division for the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). The CFA administers Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages, including the Alternative and Clean Energy Program and the Renewable Energy Program, which provide financial assistance in the forms of grant and loan funds to promote the use of alternative energy in the Commonwealth. The goal of DCED is to foster opportunities for businesses and communities to succeed and thrive in a global economy, thereby enabling Pennsylvanians to achieve a superior quality of life. Mr. Karnell was previously the manager of Grasso Holdings LLC, a real estate investment firm in Philadelphia, PA. He is appointed to the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists which regulates the practice, licensure and registration of engineers, land surveyors and geologists in order to safeguard life, health and property and promote the general welfare. Mr. Karnell is also a member of Lambda Alpha International, an Honorary Society for the Advancement of Land Economics. He is a 2002 graduate of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA and currently resides in Harrisburg.

Carl Knoblock

As the District Director, Carl carries out the SBA mission. The SBA mission is to help small businesses.While helping small businesses, he has a second mission of economic development in Western Pennsylvania. Benjamin Disraeli stated “A person is only truly great when he acts from his passions.” Carl has a deep passion to help small businesses succeed and create economic development in the region.

We accomplish our mission by using SBA programs: government contracting, guarantor of loans, advocacy, disaster assistance, and technical assistance.

Carl was born in Glendale, Arizona. He traveled extensively throughout his childhood because his father made a career in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and Masters’ degree in Health Science. In addition, he brings a diverse background having been involved in many different industries and businesses.
He served in the U.S. Navy and is a disabled veteran. He helped develop the asbestos abatement training program for the State of Delaware.
He started his own small business an environmental consulting firm. He specialized in chemical and biological issues and energy efficiency. Carl is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). Eventually, he left the environmental consulting business so he could spend more time as a foster parent. He found foster parenting a deeply rewarding experience.
He went to work at a small polymer manufacturing company. He understands what it means to wear multiple hats in a small organization. During his tenure, he handled the following duties: general manager, regulatory affairs manager, human resources, information systems management, research and development, and international marketing. In addition, he acquired ISO 9000:2000 registration for the company.
Carl is a strong supporter of youth entrepreneurship. Gloria Swanson stated “Never is a long, unpredictable time, and life is too full of rich possibilities to have restrictions placed upon it.” Carl sees youth like this and they are the positive change agents of the future .

Gandhi stated “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Carl sees the strength in Western Pennsylvania and looks forward of being part of the change.

Website:

http://www.sba.gov/content/carl-b-knoblock

Tom Kubilius

The founder and President of Bright Innovation. Bright is an innovation consultancy that helps companies change culture, get organizational alignment and execute on the creation of new products and services.

Tom is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University School of Design in the Master of Product Development program.

Prior to founding Bright, Tom designed products at Alcoa for the automotive, construction and sporting goods industries.
Tom also worked with the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) to develop entrepreneurial programs, bring new biotechnology companies to the region, administer research funding projects and attract biotechnology executive talent to the region.

Prior to PTEI, Tom worked as a management consultant with the New York Stock Exchange, HJ Heinz, Colgate-Palmolive, Andrew Corporation, Weurth, Wella, Ticona and many others for both Intelligroup, Inc. and Accenture.

He also served on the board for the 2010 International Conference of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) as the Vice Chair for Experience. Tom is also a founding board member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of PDMA.

He has also served as a class instructor on Understanding Customer Needs for the Product Strategy Network, on the Pittsburgh Technology Council Art + Technology Advisory Committee, the Young Professionals board of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and as a Partner of Pittsburgh Social Venture Partners.

Tom was a part of the first graduating class of the Master's of Product Development program at Carnegie Mellon University and also holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering and a bachelor's degree in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh.

Tom Link

Thomas Link manages the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh’s (URA) business and commercial real estate loan and investment programs. Mr. Link has been with the URA since 2003. Under Mr. Link’s management, the URA has invested in over 300 businesses and commercial real estate developments, investing over $40 million directly and leveraging over $350 million in total project costs. These investments created and retained over 2800 jobs.

Projects Mr. Link has worked on have utilized New Markets Tax Credits, Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, SBA 504, Tax Increment Financing and a variety of mezzanine and subordinate debt financing tools.

Mr. Link has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management (MSPPM) degree from Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III College. Prior to the URA, Mr. Link worked in consumer home loan mortgage underwriting and in retail business consulting. Mr. Link is certified by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Real Estate Development Finance.

Website:

http://olympus.cs.cmu.edu/events/st11/bios/Thomas_Link.pdf

Rob McAnally

Robert McAnally, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Appalachian Lighting Systems, Inc. (ALSI), says the most important lesson he learned from his previous jobs might have been simple—but it was also powerful: “There are solutions to any problem,” he recalls. “And the ideal solution is one that solves the problem once and for all.”

McAnally is trying to do just that at ALSI, an Ellwood City-based developer and manufacturer of high-powered and ultra energy-efficient LED streetlights and sign illumination as well as parking lot, warehouse, indoor office, and other specialty lighting.

Repurposing Lessons from Successful Career
Though McAnally’s brother David is president and CEO of the company, a history of success and expertise—not nepotism—led the former to ALSI.

McAnally, a Texas native who received an undergraduate degree in math and computer science from The University of Texas at San Antonio and a masters of science degree in management from Regis University, ran a business advisory group that counted Fortune 50 multinationals and the U.S. Department of Commerce among its clients.

“I had successfully led many technology projects, including hands-on projects in eight different countries, and my brother David knew I had a certain level of expertise in sorting operations and putting together operational solutions,” McAnally explains.

So, in 2008, McAnally began the interview—yes, interview—process, meeting with the entire ALSI team many times. They pressed him on how he would approach problems and meet challenges; what would inform his business philosophy; how he would formulate the company’s goals and bring true value to it.

After three months of talks, McAnally got the green light to join the management team of a company that is essentially about green lights.

Outshining the Competition
McAnally says that even with “hundreds and hundreds” of companies doing what ALSI does, his company consistently rises above its competition.

“The secret sauce is balancing energy efficiency with reliability and price,” he says. “By doing that, we’ve won more than our share of sales.”

ALSI products utilize only LEDs, which means they operate without a incandescent bulb’s filament; instead, they pass electricity through a solid state compound that produces light. That technology allows for an astonishing 70 to 80 percent decrease in energy consumption when executed properly.

The ALSI difference is that their products solve an inherent problem that LEDs encounter: they produce heat. And the more heat they produce, the shorter their lifespan. ALSI tackled the problem head-on by creating a variety of patented energy design features, the most notable being an advanced passive cooling process.

“The maximum temperature we allow is half of what our competitors allow,” says McAnally. “The process is a trade secret—but third-party validations have proved that our thermal goals can be achieved with the right materials and design.”

What all this means for customers’ bottom line is that the cost of installing the lights is more than underwritten by the savings the lights produce; in fact, McAnally reports that, with ALSI’s Energy Solutions program, a typical customer can have ALSI’s products installed with no out-of-pocket expenditures over the program’s 10-year period, and enjoy substantial reductions in their electricity bill.

This sort of innovation was what ALSI’s Founder and Chief Science Officer, James Wassel, envisioned. Wassel’s dedication to rigorously testing each new design has won ALSI some big clients since it started doing industrial installations almost five years ago. Some of them include the Pittsburgh International Airport, Allegheny County Jail, and Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, with new work coming from a community college, a multinational manufacturer located in Ohio, and clients as far away as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.

Next Up: Products That Last a Generation
McAnally says that a typical day on the job entails staying on top of production, checking in with suppliers (ALSI typically creates component specifications for the products they want to produce then has suppliers create them.), helping out with marketing and sales, and servicing high-profile accounts. Yet even when he’s knee-deep in the logistics of running a business, McAnally never loses sight of why he enjoys his job so much.

“The satisfaction of watching the company grow and prosper in the midst of recession is immense,” he says. “Despite those constraints, we’re winning contracts and gaining momentum because of our world-class products.”

McAnally is excited for the future of ALSI, a company that from the get-go has been primarily self-funded. First, there are all the new projects and products on the horizon: ushering along several major pending contracts and bringing two new customer-requested products to life. Then there’s a bold goal of creating products that will last at least 20 years.

“Our goal, within in the next two years, is to design, build, and sell lighting products that will last a generation,” he says. “Today, people replace a bulb after nine months, but there’s no reason we can’t design products that your children replace a decade later.”

Website:
http://www.appalachianlightingsystems.com/news/archive/2011/4/28/httpwww.keystoneedge.comfeaturesrobertmcanally0428.aspx

Larry Miller

As an Executive in Residence, Larry Miller works with the management teams of early-stage life sciences and medical device companies and other start-ups. Larry helps entrepreneurs address their critical business issues including product and business development, fundraising, sales and marketing, and strategic planning. Some of these high potential enterprises receive grant or investment funds and become members of the Innovation Works investment portfolio. For portfolio companies, Larry provides mentoring and network access, and may serve as an observer on the board of directors.

Larry has more than 20 years experience in leading and managing medical device companies to identify commercializeable IP and accelerate product development, raise venture capital, manage cash flow, identify market opportunities and generate sales, sustain profits, and implement productivity and quality improvement practices. His background includes 16 years of P&L and balance sheet management of divisions as large as $600M in sales to as small as a skunk works product development team designing novel permanent magnet based MRI systems.

Prior to joining Innovation Works, Larry was President and CEO of Biomec, a privately held technology accelerator and investment company which raised over $20M in SBIR grants and provided contract engineering and manufacturing as well as business development consulting for radiology product manufacturers and distributors. Previously, Larry was President of the Healthcare Products group at Picker International and Philips Medical systems, a $600M distributor of radiology supplies. He also managed the Asia/ Pacific region for sales and service of the diagnostic imaging product portfolio, and was president of the Picker Financial Group, a JV, captive leasing company. Other experience included leading the marketing and sales of CT and MRI products for Picker and General Electric Medical systems.
Larry has earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Website:

http://www.innovationworks.org/AboutUs/Team/OurExperts/LarryMiller/tabid/167/Default.aspx

 Ali Mohamed

Dr. Ali Mohamed has worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) since March 2007, and he currently serves as Division Director for the Division of Environmental Systems (DoES), Institute of Bioenergy, Climate and Environment. As division director, he provides coordination and oversight for the division's research, extension and education programs. These programs are focusing on the mitigation of environmental impact of agriculture and improve the quality of our world. The national leadership of this division integrates research, education, and extension expertise to address contemporary environmental and natural resource problems with new approaches that are economically sound and environmentally advantageous. DoES conducts its programs primarily in partnership with land-grant university scientists and cooperative extension faculty and collaborate with other Federal agencies.

Previously, Dr. Mohamed served as NPL for the 1890 Capacity Building Grant Program (CBG) with broad responsibilities that include the coordination and providing competitive funding to strengthen education, research and extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences and international programs at the 1890 universities.
Dr. Mohamed’s other experiences include serving as Chair of the Department of Biology, and tenured professor at Virginia State University. Under his leadership, the biology department established strong research component which provide excellent vehicle for research training for minority students. He was elected to the VSU faculty senate and chaired numbers of University committees including the Faculty Policies Committee, University Scientific Integrity Committee to name a few. He served President of the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) which successfully increased the participation of minorities (faculty and students) in different VAS activities. He published widely in referred scientific journal and has large number of scientific presentation at national scientific meeting. During his tenure at VSU, Mohamed received large number of competitive grants from USDA, NSF, NIH and industry. He trained many of African American graduate and undergraduate students as well as provided support them through his funded grants. He received number of teaching and research-related awards and one of them is the 2004 VSU “Outstanding Faculty” award. Through his carrier, Dr. Mohamed also served on number of advisory boards.
Dr. Mohamed has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from University of Cairo, Egypt, a Master of Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry from the same institution. He received his postdoctoral training at University of Maryland in 1981 and USDA/CSREES Fellow in 2004.

Catherine Mott

Catherine Mott is a founder and CEO of BlueTree Capital Group and BlueTree Allied Angels located in Wexford, PA (suburb of Pittsburgh) BlueTree Allied Angels is one of 300 professionally managed angel investor networks in the US and Canada. As of May 2010, BlueTree Allied Angels has invested $14.3 million in 24 regional companies. Ms. Mott is the past Chairman of the Angel Capital Education Foundation, an organization that researches and tracks angel capital, and provides education to bring professionalism and ethics to the industry. In July 2010, she will begin serving as Chairman of the Board of the Angel Capital Association, the professional trade association for Angel Networks and Angel Funds in the U.S.

Ms. Mott has been a speaker/panelist at national and regional conferences: the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) annual conference, the Angel Capital Association annual summit, the State Science and Technology Initiative (SSTI) Annual Conference, as well as the Michigan Growth Capital Conference and North Carolina’s Angel Investor Summit.In 2009, she served as a Corporate Ambassador for the US Dept of State representing professional managers of Angel networks in the US.

Catherine has been quoted or featured in many professional industry publications as one of the few women who represent the industry of angel capital/venture capital – Red Herring, The Scientist, The New York Times, PA KeyNotes, Wall St Journal, The Angel Journal, TEQ, Pop City, FanFare, and the Pittsburgh Business Times. BlueTree Allied Angels was listed in INC magazine in 2009 as one of the Top 50 angel investors networks in the US.

Previously, Catherine had founded Synergetics Sales Performance Group (formerly Strategic Sales Solutions) and Indigo Capital Development, LLC. In 2002, she was recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s 50 Best Women in Business

Prior to forming her own businesses, Catherine worked 17 years in corporate banking management where she served in senior management roles for investment sales/wealth management, commercial lending, business development, and retail expansion. Today, Ms. Mott uses these experiences and her education to bring together capital and prime investment opportunities.

Catherine holds an MBA in Finance, a BS in Education and a Masters Degree in Education.

Website:

http://www.brightbuffaloniagara.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=54

Alicia Passerin

As an Associate in the Intellectual Property Group, Alicia concentrates her practice on patent prosecution, protection of trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, licensing, opinions and litigation. Her multi-disciplinary background enables her to counsel clients in all areas of intellectual property, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in many areas of the biotechnical, mechanical, chemical and software engineering fields, including the general field of life sciences.

Experience

Alicia joined Cohen & Grigsby in 2004 after serving as a summer associate at the firm in 2002 and 2003.

During law school, Alicia was an intern for the late Judge Carol Los Mansmann in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and an extern at the University of Pittsburgh Office of Technology Management.

Prior to working at the firm, she was a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neuroscience.

Alicia is also a member of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association.

Honors and Achievements

Alicia was selected in July 2008 for inclusion in the Rising Stars Edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. The selection process includes peer nominations and independent research on candidates.

Legal Publications

“Supreme Court Tips Its Hat to Preclinical Research Exception”, Cohen & Grigsby Review, 2005

Scientific Publications and Speeches

• Co-presenter, Muscimol injection into locus coeruleus attenuates foot shock-induced Fos expression in several CNS loci, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society’s Annual Meeting, May 1999
• Co-author, Anatomical substrates for the central control of sympathetic outflow to interscapular adipose tissue during cold exposure, J. Comp. Neurol. 460: 303-26, 2003
• Co-author, The locus coeruleus, Barrington's nucleus, and neural circuits of stress, Physiol. Behav. 77: 737-742, 2002
• Co-author, Role of locus coeruleus in foot shock-evoked Fos expression in rat brain, Neurosci. 101: 1071-1082, 2000
• Co-author, GABA-mediated inhibition of raphe pallidus neurons regulates sympathetic outflow to brown adipose tissue, Am. J. Physiol. 276: R290-R297, 1999
• Co-author, Activation of bulbospinal serotonergic neurons during cold exposure, Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 77: 250-258, 1999
• Co-author, Stress-evoked activation of brain areas synaptically linked to the spleen, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 25: 700, 1999
• Co-author, Muscimol injection into locus coeruleus attenuates foot shock-induced Fos expression in several CNS loci, Neuroimmunomodulation. 6:241, 1999
• Co-author, Different pharmacologic activators of the sympathetic nervous system cause a differential alteration of spleen lymphocyte mitogenic function, The FASEB J. 12: A888, 1998
• Co-author, Activation of spinal cord serotonergic neurons accompanies cold-induced sympathoexcitation, Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 72: 884-92, 1994

Jerry Paytas

Jerry is the Vice President of Research and Analytics at Fourth Economy, providing planning and professional services for the promotion of sustainable economies. He also teaches at Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Public Policy and Management. He has held positions in private planning and consulting firms, the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Western Pennsylvania (BFTC/WP), and was formerly the Director of the Center for Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University. Jerry has initiated several multi-organizational, collaborative efforts to provide economic development and business services throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Jerry was the principal investigator in the EDA’s 2004 study, Universities and the Development of Industry Clusters. He developed the new standard definition of technology industries for use with the new NAICS coding system for the State Science and Technology Institute. Jerry was a contributor to Sunbelt/Frostbelt: Public Policies and Market Forces in Metropolitan Development, a 2005 Brookings Institution publication. He is also a frequent contributor to Innovation Daily.

Jerry has conducted market analyses and strategies for a number of emerging sectors including energy materials and nanomaterials, green building products, renewable energy, electro-optics, cybersecurity and water products and services, with a focus on the water-energy nexus.

Jerry serves on the boards of Sustainable Pittsburgh, the Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Research Advisory Committee for the U.S. Green Building Conference. Jerry has a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University, a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning and a Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Website:

http://fourtheconomy.com/?page_id=24

Elissa Sobolewski

Ms. Sobolewski has over 25 years of experience managing high risk, high payoff R&D initiatives funded by the Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce and Defense. She joined the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate's Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) in January 2006, and became the DHS SBIR Program Manager in June 2006 and the DHS SBIR Program Director in January 2009. Prior to joining DHS, Lisa held numerous management and technical positions at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. She was a Program Manager at DARPA for nine years, responsible for managing the RF and microwave/millimeter wave programs. Lisa also held positions at the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center, and at the Department of Defense Technology Analysis Office. She worked for McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company (Engineering Services) on various government contracts supporting the USMC. Lisa is an IEEE member and a member of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. She holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Duquesne University, and an MBA from George Mason University.

Website:

http://conferencing.uwex.edu/conferences/sbir2011/ElissaSoboleski.cfm

Kelly Wylam

Having worked for the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for 14 years, Kelly Wylam knows a thing or two about helping nurture technology companies throughout the state. While working in the DCED's Technology Investment Office, Wylam was in charge of the state's nanotechnology initiative and provided oversight for the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority's University Grant Funding and Keystone Innovation Starter Kit programs.

It's easy then to believe Wylam when she espouses the virtues of the Innovation Partnership, a one-of-a-kind way of connecting young companies and new innovators in PA with federal technology funding. When IPart was conceptualized in 2002, a cultural change was being sought--promoting more interaction among the many organizations promoting technology commercialization statewide.

"It's a unique collaboration," says Wylam, the director of IPart, which is primarily funded by DCED and the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, with financial and in-kind support from its partner organizations. "It's beneficial that we've brought all these organizations to the table to provide assistance. We have people interacting where they need to be interacting."

Since 2003, the consortium of a dozen organizations, including the likes of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Penn State University and the University City Science Center, has leveraged about $900,000 in MicroGrants, MicroVouchers and Federal Marketing Assistance funds to help Pennsylvania companies land more than $18 million in federal money. Most of the federal funding has come from the National Institutes of Health, which has made 29 awards totaling about $7.5 million, and the Department of Defense (21 awards totaling $5.4 million). Other prominent funding comes from the National Science Foundation and Department of Homeland Security.

Now well-known PA companies like Y-Carbon and Piezo Resonance Innovations can count federal funds among the numerous financial validations they've amassed. In fact, companies applying for federal dollars using IPart's assistance have achieved a success rate that is five percentage points better than the national average. Keystone Edge talked to Wylam about the process.

Website:

http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/kellywylam0916.aspx