The Power of Partnerships
Our team is the connection between your ideas and UB
Here is where differences become our strengths, where scientific and technological adventures transform into profitable ventures, and where bettering the world becomes our life’s work. A successful team is about more than finding a group of people with the right mix of professional skills; it's about finding a team who is passionate about helping you succeed and then working together to do it.
LEADERSHIP
Rick Gardner
Associate Vice President for Economic Development
With more than two decades of experience in the public, private, nonprofit and startup sectors, Rick Gardner has been an innovator throughout his career. He holds 32 U.S. patents and has taken dozens of products to market.
Under Rick's leadership, the BEP team helps grow the infrastructure and support services needed to commercialize innovative research, increase industry-academic collaborations, identify expert talent, align industry expertise and advance the next generation of startups and technologies.
TOGETHER, LET'S BUILD SOMETHING IMPACTFUL
Asal Barem
Operations Manager, Baird
Peter Burakowski
Senior Associate Director, Startup Ventures
Timothy Dee
Associate Director, Technology Transfer
Jeffrey Dunbar
Director of Business Partnerships
David du Plessis
Business Development Manager, Life Sciences
Esther Eagan
Senior Associate Director, Contracts
Michelle Friedman
Licensing Manager
Michael Fowler
Commercialization Manager
Rick Gardner
Associate Vice President for Economic Development
Sara Goodman
Startup Program Manager
Kathryn Helfer
Senior Manager, Stakeholder Engagement
Smitha James
Senior Associate Director, Life Sciences Programs
Christopher Janson
Senior Business Development Manager
Richard Kim
Director of Startup Ventures
Kimberly Kohl
Associate Director, Finance & Operations
Tracy Krawczyk-Schiedel
Assistant Vice President for Communications, Marketing & Digital Operations
Rebecca Larson
Commercialization Coordinator
Adrian Levesque
Industry Engagement and Visualization, Center for Computational Research
Jennifer Mandina
Senior Manager, Contracts
Tom Matheny
Senior CRM Marketing Manager
Daniel Miner
Senior Manager, Program Administration
Hoda Moussa
Contracts Manager
Thomas Murdock
Manager, Incubator Network
Norma Nowak
Senior Advisor, Life Sciences
Matthew Pelkey
Program Director, Entrepreneurship Law Center
Diane Plinke
Finance and Operations Assistant
Alan Rae
Director, NYS Centers of Excellence and Advanced Technology
Jason Saylor
Operations Manager, CBLS
Danessia Scott-Warren
Contracts Manager
Steven Shepler
Finance Associate
Sandra Small
Senior Manager of Science Education and Workforce Development
Jessica Szklany
Associate Director of Marketing Communications
Sandra Talley
Startup Program Assistant
Deanna Thames
Senior Administrative Associate
David Thiemecke
Senior Startup Success Manager
Penny Turrell
Patent Paralegal & Compliance Specialist
Emma Vecellio
Marketing Content & Writing Manager
Evan Witmer
Technology Assessment Specialist
Our Extended Team
We work with accomplished scientists, experts, entrepreneurs and businesspeople who help us move innovations to impact.
