Greater Philadelphia
Innovation and commercialization executive with 30+ years of leadership spanning Fortune 100, venture development, nonprofit leadership, governance, and national innovation ecosystems. I am honored to be a candidate for the American Chemical Society Board of Directors as Director-at-Large, 2027–2029. I would bring to the ACS Board a combination of scientific leadership, business and budget acumen, nonprofit CEO experience, board governance, and a deep commitment to strengthening member value and the chemical enterprise. My career has focused on translating science and technology into real-world impact by connecting industry, startups, academia, investors, government, and nonprofit organizations to accelerate commercialization, economic growth, and innovation. I currently serve as CEO of The Innovation Space, a science and technology startup ecosystem supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and innovation-driven economic development. In this role, I lead strategy, operations, partnerships, budgeting, fundraising, governance, and long-term sustainability for a mission-driven nonprofit advancing science-based entrepreneurship. I have also spent more than three decades at DuPont in leadership roles across global R&D, biotechnology, advanced materials, open innovation, venture development, and technology commercialization. My experience includes leading multidisciplinary organizations, developing strategic partnerships, building commercialization pathways for emerging technologies, and connecting corporate innovation with external startup and research ecosystems. My ACS-related interests center on strengthening member value, supporting local sections and technical divisions, expanding career and entrepreneurial pathways, communicating chemistry’s impact, and ensuring that ACS continues to serve as a trusted, financially strong, forward-looking global scientific society. Throughout my career, I have served in leadership and advisory roles with organizations including: • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Board of Directors • U.S. Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE) • National Academy of Sciences roundtables and advisory initiatives • DOE-supported bioenergy and commercialization organizations • Public-private partnerships advancing biotechnology, energy, and innovation ecosystems I am passionate about helping organizations and innovators bridge the gap between breakthrough science and scaleable impact.
Founded and lead The Innovation Space, a public-private innovation ecosystem created in partnership with DuPont, the University of Delaware, the State of Delaware, and regional stakeholders to accelerate science-based entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, and economic growth. Key strategic priorities include business creation, incubation and acceleration of science-based startup companies through our offering which includes world-class physical laboratories and offices, business building expertise offered through our Spark Factory and Science Inc Accelerator programs, and investment offered through our First Fund investment program. ▪ Raised over $40 million of support for the organization including a modern industrial laboratory building, over $20 million in grants & contributions, about $2 million in donated scientific equipment, and countless hours of contributed professional time and talent. ▪ Enabled startup companies at the Delaware Innovation Space have raised over $1.2B in investment capital and the organization has supported over 150 startups and created/retained over 1,000 jobs since forming in 2017 ▪ Created, launched, and growing the first non-profit based venture/seed capital investment program in Delaware - The First Fund (www.firstfund.org) and have made ~$500k in investments over the last few years across six startups. First Fund was established to enable the formation and growth of new science-based startup to enable the growth of the economic base of the State of Delaware. Currently planning to expand and scale the funding levels of the program for maximum impact. More information can be found on innovationspace.org
On-loan (seconded) from DuPont to the The Innovation Space, where I presently lead that organization as its President and Chief Executive Officer (see above for more details).
- Led DuPont Science & Engineering Global Operations responsible for deploying strategies and programs to leverage DuPont's access to technical expertise available across DuPont's global network of regional laboratories in China, India, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Brazil, and throughout the United States. - Provided a world class experience for DuPont customers connecting them with our science based innovation ecosystem via the network of DuPont Innovation Centers - Devised and created new innovation strategies, programs, and projects to maximize the impact and value of DuPont's global innovation engine and its connectivity to start-ups, government labs and agencies, universities, non-profit associations, customers, and other corporate/business partners
- Responsible for deploying strategies and programs to leverage DuPont's access to technical expertise available both internally and externally across DuPont's global R&D organization. - Lead DuPont's center of excellence on open innovation. This includes sponsorship and technical oversight for our global Innovation Centers and driving connections with DuPont's R&D centers around the world.
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