We are thrilled to announce the celebration of our 15 years as the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. This is a special occasion to acknowledge the ideas that turned into businesses, the entrepreneurs and mentors who turned into family, and the support system who made it all possible. As a member of the CCEI community, we hope you can join us for our celebratory, all-day event on Friday, December 2, 2022, as we acknowledge the past, present, and future of CCEI.
As a countdown to the actual day of the event, weekly blog posts will go out each Friday. These blogs will focus on something (or someone!) important to CCEI and to our history and community.
For week four, we’d like to introduce 15 faculty members here at UConn who are dedicated to building entrepreneurship in their day-to-day life. These faculty members have significant background in entrepreneurship, as they may help oversee programs, teach others about the importance of entrepreneurship, and/or build a UConn community focused on venture needs.
So, without further ado, here's 15 faculty members we certainly believe you should know.
1. Ryan Coles Ph.D.
Ryan Coles Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor for Management and Entrepreneurship in the UConn School of Business and the Chief Scientist at Daigle Labs, an applied entrepreneurship lab formed in partnership between the School of Business and the Werth Institute. His research focuses on start-up research, technology commercialization and economic development. The lab is currently collaborating on projects in Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Nepal.
To contact Ryan Coles Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-coles-phd-3175b326/ or visit https://www.ryancoles.org/.
2. Michelle Cote
Michelle Cote is an Instructor and Director of Strategic Partnerships for CCEI, and is the Director of Launc[H]artford. In these roles, Cote “helps students and faculty build and practice entrepreneurial thinking and skills, and provides them with resources and support in the formation of new ventures'' (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/michelle-cote/).
To contact Michelle Cote, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-cote-8768b34/.
3. Leila Daneshmandi Ph.D.
Leila Daneshmandi Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor In-Residence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the UConn School of Engineering. She is the co-founder and COO of Encapsulate, a biotech startup that previously participated in CCEI’s Summer Fellowship program, and is focused on “cancer precision diagnostics” and conducting preclinical studies in partnership with Hartford Healthcare.” Daneshmandi has received prestigious awards for her startup, and has worked on projects with the International Space Station (ISS).
To contact Leila Daneshmandi Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-daneshmandi/.
4. Caroline Dealy Ph.D.
Caroline Dealy Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at UConn’s School of Medicine with appointments in four departments: Craniofacial Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Cell Biology. She is also a faculty liaison for CCEI’s Accelerate UConn program and the founder and director of UConn’s TIP Innovation Fellows Program. Her studies dive into regenerative medicine and stem cell research, among many others.
To contact Caroline Dealy Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-dealy-08258549/ or visit https://carolinedealy.org/.
5. Richard N. Dino Ph.D.
Richard N. Dino Ph.D. is an Associate Professor Emeritus in Management and Entrepreneurship for the UConn School of Business. He is also a director of the Innovation Quest Program, “which fosters innovation and entrepreneurship across UConn with a focus on creating companies and jobs” (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/richard-dino/). Dino has “extensive experience as an entrepreneur having started four enterprises and serves on the advisory boards of high technology start-ups” and is featured in numerous publications (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/richard-dino/).
To contact Richard N. Dino Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/richdino/.
6. Timothy B. Folta Ph.D.
Timothy B. Folta Ph.D. is a Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship in UConn’s School of Business. He hosts the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy Virtual Research Seminars at CCEI and serves as the Thomas John and Bette Wolff Family Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship. His research and teaching mainly “examine[s] both entrepreneurship and corporate strategy, analyzing decisions around entry, exit, and diversification” (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/timothy-folta/).
To contact Timothy B. Folta Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-b-folta-72051b8/.
7. Sami Ghaddar Ph.D.
Sami Ghaddar Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor In-Residence in Management and Entrepreneurship for UConn’s School of Business. Ghaddar’s research mainly “examines the efficacy of board-level specialized committees and how they affect a firm’s strategic choices. It also examines how board compositional characteristics influence firms’ financial and social performance” (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/samighaddar/). Ghaddar has presented his research at numerous annual conferences.
To contact Sami Ghaddar Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/samighaddar/.
8. Tiffany Kelley Ph.D., RN-BC
Tiffany Kelley Ph.D., RN-BC is a DeLuca Foundation Visiting Professor for Innovation & New Knowledge in Technology Commercialization Services. She is also Director of the Healthcare Innovation Certificate Program. Kelley is also a published author, keynote speaker, and entrepreneurial leader. “To her knowledge, Kelley is the first nurse in the United States to be appointed as a visiting professor dedicated to integrating innovation into the nursing curriculum across degree programs” (https://nursing.uconn.edu/person/tiffany-kelley/).
To contact Tiffany Kelley Ph.D., RN-BC, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtiffanykelleyrn/.
9. Jennifer Mathieu
Jennifer Mathieu is the Executive Director of CCEI and supports economic development by fostering initiatives for startups and small businesses at UConn, across Connecticut and to alumni worldwide. In this role she has helped to launch and grow hundreds of startups and several new programs and initiatives to support entrepreneurs. Mathieu is an entrepreneurship educator and teaches courses and programs to support entrepreneurs. In 2021, Mathieu was named a recipient of the Hartford Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” Award.
To contact Jennifer Mathieu, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-mathieu/.
10. Rory McGloin Ph.D.
Rory McGloin Ph.D. is the Assistant Director of Communications and Program Development at CCEI, an award-winning Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, and the Associate Director of Communication Programming and Development, Professional Education Program, in UConn’s School of Engineering. His career in higher education spans 15 years, including engagements with over 10,000 learners to date and 30 peer-reviewed journal publications. McGloin’s current work is focused on the use of communication best practices in organizational training and development programs. As such, he instructs the pitch communication portion of CCEI’s Summer Fellowship program and regularly aids in other CCEI programs.
To contact Rory McGloin Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-mcgloin-8468ab41/ or visit https://www.rpmcommconsulting.com/.
11. Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore is the MIS Academic Director of Operations and Information Management in UConn’s School of Business. He is also the OPIM Innovate Director in UConn’s School of Business and an Instructor In-Residence for Operations and Information Management in the School of Business. His areas of expertise include emerging technologies, database design, and gamification, among others. He is the co-founder of Appoint, a startup company previously enrolled in CCEI programs.
To contact Jonathan Moore, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-a-moore/.
12. David Noble Ph.D.
David Noble Ph.D. is the Managing Director of The Werth Institute, and an Associate Professor In-Residence for Management and Entrepreneurship in UConn’s School of Business. He has been featured in numerous publications, as his areas of expertise include entrepreneurial investment, technology entrepreneurship, and strategy in digital economy, among others (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/david-noble/).
To contact David Noble Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-noble-werth/.
13. Keith Pennington Ph.D.
Keith Pennington Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Management and Entrepreneurship for UConn’s School of Business. His areas of expertise include studying “collaborations and knowledge spillovers to examine the role of geographic proximity and chance social interactions on innovation and entrepreneurship” (https://www.keithpennington.com/). He co-founded his own entrepreneurial ventures, including Young Mountain Tea and EQUIPT Global Health.
To contact Keith Pennington Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithpennington/ or visit https://www.keithpennington.com/.
14. Greg Reilly Ph.D.
Greg Reilly Ph.D. is a Professor and Department Head for Management and Entrepreneurship in UConn’s School of Business. His areas of expertise include strategic Human Resource management, executive compensation, and management teams, among others. Reilly is featured in numerous publications, and in peer-reviewed proceedings and book chapters (https://www.business.uconn.edu/person/greg-reilly/).
To contact Greg Reilly Ph.D., please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-reilly-3715115/.
15. Kathy Rocha
Kathy Rocha is an Associate Director of The Werth Institute. She also leads the Evaluation Board for the UConn Innovation Fund, which invests in startups with ties to UConn. Rocha’s “expertise includes producing operational excellence, creating viable business models and roadmaps, developing funding strategies and establishing strong business partnerships” (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyfrocha/). She mentors students and [judges] startup and business plan competitions at UConn, Connecticut and the greater Boston area..
To contact Kathy Rocha, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyfrocha/.