Anthony Obi

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Bri Crow

Bill Huber

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Damond Isiaka

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Darlene Bourdreaux

At TechFW, I have been coaching, prodding, encouraging, and hopefully inspiring entrepreneurs who are working to bring new technologies to the market for the past 12 years. I’ve transitioned the leadership role but continuing to coach clients. Before that, I co-founded and grew my own pharmaceutical company. And I’m a CPA. I’m going to continue coaching TechFW clients, but I will now have time to add a few other clients.

David Evans

David is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, investor, and advisor. He got started early in technology and startups, coding at age 14 and launching his first business at 19. At only 22, he became a serial entrepreneur when he launched Geode Software in the wake of the dot com bubble burst. His third business, EasySeat.com, would ultimately be his most successful, reaching #176 on the Inc 500. In 2015, David sold EasySeat to a strategic buyer. He still runs Geode as a boutique consulting firm where he advises $25M-100M businesses on leveraging technology to make money, save money, or improve customer experiences. As a serial entrepreneur, David enjoys helping entrepreneurs, at any stage, navigate their path to success. He is an active mentor and advisor with Capital Factory, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, RevTech Ventures, the United Way Social Innovation Accelerator, and multiple early-stage companies. David is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, a former Beneficial Hodson Scholar at Johns Hopkins University holds a Certificate in Corporate Finance from Harvard University.

David Nichols

With over 30 years of experience in the design, development and manufacture of medical devices I have led or provided support in many of the business and technical activities associated with bringing a device to market. This responsibility included the process and business development needed to support the manufacture of a variety of medical devices. New product development, vertical integration, technology transfer, product acquisitions and various other device development activities have all been an integral part of my career in the health care industry. Experience ranging from simple design and development activities up to the responsibility of managing a $30 million, 400-hundred-person medical device manufacturing facility has been the extent of my career. The opportunity to have played a role in all stages of product development and business management has allowed me to develop an incredible understanding of what it takes to turn opportunities into reality. Having spent a significant amount of time in my career working in smaller start up environments has given me exposure to all facets of business development and manufacturing activities. I now lead the efforts within a new venture, bringing together all the necessary resources needed to bring new medical device technology to market. I was also selected to serve as a founding member of the University of Texas Venture Mentor Service providing guidance to start-up ventures in the health care market. The launch of Huck Medical Technologies, Inc. has allowed me to continue my journey of value creation and provide resources needed to serve the medical device industry.

Deborah Hutchinson

The University of Texas at Dallas is a rising public research powerhouse with more than 28,000 students in eight schools and more than 140 academic degrees including top-ranked programs in business, engineering, science, audiology and arts and technology.

Dennis Dayman

Dennis Dayman has more than 25 years of experience working on security/privacy issues, data governance issues, and protecting and improving data through industry policy, regulatory policy relations, and technical solutions. Previously he was Return Path’s Chief Privacy and Security Officer, at that time Dayman leverages his experience and key relationships to provide best practices to Return Path, its customers, and ensures the compliance of their communications data flows. He was also responsible for coordinating and managing Return Path’s international electronic commerce, privacy and Internet related policy issues. He was appointed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Nielsen to the Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee (DPIAC) that provides input to DHS on programmatic, policy, operational, administrative and technical issues that relate to personal identifiable information, as well as data integrity and other privacy-related matters. Dayman is actively involved in creating current Internet and digital communication regulations, privacy/security policies and anti-spam legislation laws for state and federal governments. He also sits on several advisory boards for Internet companies and is also a partner, mentor, and frequent investor in start-ups, mentorship-driven micro seed funds, and startup accelerators.

Casi DeYoung

Ms. DeYoung joins Shattuck from ImmuneSensor Therapeutics, where she was the Chief Operating Officer responsible for corporate strategy, start-up operations, intellectual property, oversight of the Company’s first IND filing and the initiation of a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial. Previously, she held several senior leadership positions, including Chief Business Officer at Mirna Therapeutics, Vice President of Business Development at Reata Pharmaceuticals, Vice President of Business Development at ODC Therapy, and Operations Director for Oncology at EMD Pharmaceuticals and Merck KGaA. Ms. DeYoung earned a B.S. in Chemistry, from Southwestern University and an M.B.A. from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

Florence Lowe

Florence Lowe, Chief Operating Officer at Synerzip, is responsible for strategy, customer success, strategic business development and partnerships, and overall finance and administration. Prior to Synerzip, Florence led the finance function at InsureTech SAAS company EZLynx, and CyberSecurity startup iSight Partners. She has a deep interest in technology and data; and worked on bootstrapped startups in Dallas, one of which, InsiderEdge, developed an SEC filing research platform. Before turning to startups and high growth companies, Florence worked in financial leadership positions at private equity firm Hudson Advisors, Capital One, AlixPartners, and American Airlines. Additionally, Florence worked as a software developer at UBS Warburg, Professional Consulting Services, and IBM Global Services. Florence is a Board Member and on the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors of Refugee Services of Texas. Florence has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MCA (Masters in Computer Applications) from Jawaharlal Nehru University and BA (Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Delhi

Jason Derry

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Kimberly Mayer

I am Associate Vice President for Research at UTA, and I’m also currently serving as the interim Executive Director for UTA’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Economic Innovation. I find great satisfaction in fostering relationships with industry and the community that lead to greater engagement in the research endeavor at the university. Throughout my career, whether within academia or in the corporate world, I have worked to streamline pathways to translate research innovation into commercial products and services. I received my PhD in Genetics and Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1999 and my BS in Biology from UNC-Charlotte in 1995. I also earned an MBA at UNC-Wilmington in 2009 where I was a Visiting Research Assistant Professor and Business of Biotechnology Fellow at the Center for Marine Science. My scientific background is in biochemistry, molecular biology and protein engineering, and I have over a decade of experience working on a wide variety of organisms, proteins and enzymes. Before joining Caltech, I was the Statewide Technology Commercialization Director at the NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), a business development service of The University of North Carolina system. At the SBTDC, my team & I supported innovative faculty and entrepreneurs across the state with business counseling, training, SBIR/STTR support and advice on equity capital formation. I was previously a Senior Scientist at a successful agricultural biotechnology start-up company in RTP, an NIH-NRSA postdoctoral fellow at Caltech, and a Goldhaber Fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Lin Nelson

I am Associate Vice President for Research at UTA, and I’m also currently serving as the interim Executive Director for UTA’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Economic Innovation. I find great satisfaction in fostering relationships with industry and the community that lead to greater engagement in the research endeavor at the university. Throughout my career, whether within academia or in the corporate world, I have worked to streamline pathways to translate research innovation into commercial products and services. I received my PhD in Genetics and Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1999 and my BS in Biology from UNC-Charlotte in 1995. I also earned an MBA at UNC-Wilmington in 2009 where I was a Visiting Research Assistant Professor and Business of Biotechnology Fellow at the Center for Marine Science. My scientific background is in biochemistry, molecular biology and protein engineering, and I have over a decade of experience working on a wide variety of organisms, proteins and enzymes. Before joining Caltech, I was the Statewide Technology Commercialization Director at the NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), a business development service of The University of North Carolina system. At the SBTDC, my team & I supported innovative faculty and entrepreneurs across the state with business counseling, training, SBIR/STTR support and advice on equity capital formation. I was previously a Senior Scientist at a successful agricultural biotechnology start-up company in RTP, an NIH-NRSA postdoctoral fellow at Caltech, and a Goldhaber Fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Maura Schreier-Fleming

Maura Schreier-Fleming is a versatile, results-oriented speaker, sales trainer, and sales consultant who has worked with numerous clients to improve sales performance. Maura works with business and sales professionals who want to get better results from real-world sales skills and strategies.

Melissa Acosta

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education.

Michael Chaffin

Entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in business consulting. Co-founder of Three Commas apparel with Mark Cuban. Managed all aspects of the Grammy Winning hip hop artist Nelly’s business portfolio for the past 15 years including Derrty Ventures, apparel lines, endorsements, energy drinks, restaurants, online gaming, touring, accounting, and legal. Judge and mentor for Stadia Ventures, a global sports innovation hub. Launched Discovery’s hit show Fast N Loud Gas Monkey Garage’s Online Apparel Store in July of 2012. Specialties: Business development for technology companies, sales training, management consulting, call centers, production, apparel licensing, executive leadership, acquisitions, and fund raising.

Michael Schornstein

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Ralph Henry

The University of Texas at Dallas is a rising public research powerhouse with more than 28,000 students in eight schools and more than 140 academic degrees including top-ranked programs in business, engineering, science, audiology and arts and technology.

Ron Nag

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity

Ryan Hutchinson

Ryan Hutchinson, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He practices primarily in Fort Worth at John Peter Smith Hospital and the Moncrief Medical Center. Dr. Hutchinson holds bachelor of science degrees in biochemistry and immunology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated from the honors collegium. He earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University. After completing a residency in urology at Mayo Clinic Florida, he completed his fellowship in urologic oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. During his fellowship, he started a first-in-world tissue biobank through a collaboration between the Southwest Transplant Alliance and the basic science researchers in the Department of Urology. Dr. Hutchinson is primarily interested in early-stage novel diagnostics and therapeutics, having advised the university’s Office for Technology Development. He holds multiple patents in the space. He is the author of more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed publications and serves as a reviewer for Urologic Oncology, Urology, Journal of Urology, and European Urology

Scott Parsinen

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education.

Terry Russell

Terry Russell is the Managing Director of Interface Ventures, a new venture creation firm that builds companies in healthcare, high technology, and advanced manufacturing. At Interface, he oversees stakeholder relations, new venture due diligence, and daily operations. He is also the business lead for two early-stage Interface companies. An entrepreneur and scientist, Dr. Russell has co-founded and led multiple startups. He was the CEO of Makoto Life Sciences, Inc., a biotechnology discovery and services company that provided target identification solutions to global pharmaceutical companies, which he co-founded with scientists from Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. He also co-founded a critical care pharmaceuticals company, an engineering research and design company that developed technologies for industrial process measurement, and a high-speed genomics technology company where he was the inventor of the company’s patented DNA sequencing technology. Prior to his entrepreneurial efforts, Dr. Russell conducted research at Harvard University and Boston University on a range of topics, from detectors for biological warfare agents to genetically engineered proteins used in anti- counterfeiting applications. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Boston University. Dr. Russell is an active participant in the startup community where he mentors entrepreneurs, lectures on entrepreneurship, and advises faculty members and students at local universities.

Tracey Davies

An educational leader in the thriving North Texas region, UTA nurtures minds within an environment that values excellence, ingenuity, and diversity