The EIC originally stood for the Economic Impact Committee but could equally stand for the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Collaborative (or really any combination of those six words).
One fixture of EIC is that all 50+ members are focused on strengthening and supporting UMD's innovation, entrepreneurship, economic development and inclusive growth ecosystem. Scroll below to get to know and see the faces of the EIC.
Learn more about the EIC
Formed in 2017, the EIC convened quarterly meetings to bring together more than a dozen campus innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development directors to foster a more collaborative and integrated community.
Today, this inclusive group of more than fifty members includes stakeholders from across campus who are directly involved with leading and supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic impact initiatives, as well as providing support to students, faculty, alumni, and members of the broader community.
Members meet monthly to learn from each other, share updates on ongoing and upcoming activities, and hear from colleagues and community partners about initiatives that may benefit and enhance the campus and community's collective ecosystem building efforts.
The EIC is organized by the Office of Innovation.
EIC Member Directory
Click here for a directory of the EIC member organizations.
Impact & Outcomes
The formation of the EIC has led to several positive outcomes including:
- Creation of EIC Listserv
- Creation of UMD I&E Events Shared Calendar
- Launch of the Innovation Gateway
- Enhanced I&E Ecosystem as demonstrated by:
- Greater Connectivity & Interactions across the ecosystem
- More Collaborations between I&E Units
- Hosted 2024 Deshpande Symposium
- Stronger Sense of Community
- Exchange of Best Practices
- Recognized as 2025 APLU IEP Innovation Awardee
EIC Members
The EIC comprises of at least one representative from each of UMD's innovation and entrepreneurship programs and units, as well as several other colleagues who support or engage with the ecosystem.
Phillip Alvarez
Associate Director for Ventures and Partnerships, xFoundry
Amir Ansari
Co-Founder and Inaugural Executive Director, xFoundry@UMD IDEA Factory
Mira Azarm
Innovation Instigator & Learning Experience Catalyst, Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Caroline Baker
Executive Director of Development, University Corporate Relations
Sarah Balcom
Principal Lecturer and Assistant Dean for Academic Programs, College of AGNR
Tanya Bansal
Director, Real Estate Development Program & Clinical Associate Professor
Rebecca Bellinger
Executive Director, Center for Global Business
William Bentley
Mtech Director, UMD Robert E. Fischell Distinguished Chair of Engineering and the Inaugural Director of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
Wynne Briscoe
Senior Veterans Business Specialist, Mid-Atlantic Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)
Jordan Broutman
Director of Development, University Corporate Relations
Lora Brown
Executive Director of Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Programs
Lottie Byram
Assistant Director of Community Programs, Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship
Stephanie Cantor
Strategic Consultant, Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC)
Jainaba Ceesay
Project DIrector of the SSBCI Credit Repair and Financial Literacy SBOP Program, MD SBDC
Dean Chang
Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Vice President for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Scott Christensen
Manager, Mtech Ventures and Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund (CBSCF)
Rob Cohen
Program Manager, Mtech Ventures
David Dahl
Associate Dean of Libraries, Digital Services and Technologies, UMD Libraries
Hal Daumé III
Director, AIM
Josh Doying
Startup Success Manager, UM Ventures - College Park
Mike Ducker
Ecosystem Manager, Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator
Shannon Edward
Senior Faculty Specialist and Experiential Learning Manager for the Public Health Science program
Tina Edwards
Director, Mid-Atlantic Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)
Sheena Erete
Associate Director of Research, AIM
Erica Estrada-Liou
Director, Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Nima Farshchi
Director, Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC) & Executive Director of Office of Experiential Learning
Sara Yousefnejad Gallagher
Associate Director, Do Good Institute
Katlin Gray
Lecturer; Senior Program Manager, Do Good Institute
Robert T. Grimm Jr.
Professor of the Practice; Levenson Family Chair in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership; Do Good Institute Director
Tanya Haro
Marketing and Programming Associate, Terrapin Development Company
Sara Herald
Director, Terrapin Innovation Leadership Program
Christina Hnatov
Learning Experience Catalyst, Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Michael Hoffmeyer
Managing Director, Dingman-Lamone Center of Entrepreneurship
Maria Johnson
Director of Corporate Partnership Development, Department of Computer Science and Program Director, Mokhtarzada Hatchery
Craig Kier
Director, Arts For All, College of Arts and Humanities
Kristina Kramarczuk
Associate Director, Computing Catalyst
Piotr Kulczakowicz
Director of Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) at the University of Maryland (UMD)
Dan Kunitz
Mtech Ventures Director, Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub Director & Maryland Innovation Extension Director
Arden Lawson
Director of Finance, Startup Shell
Willow Lung
Director of Community Development, National Center for Smart Growth; Director; Small Business Anti-Displacement Network; and Associate Professor
Jacqueline Manger
Managing Director, Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets
Ben Margolis
Director, Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator
Alla McCoy
Director, Startup Support, UM Ventures, College Park
Kisha McNeil
Accelerator Manager, Do Good Institute
Felicia Metz
Associate Director, UM Ventures, College Park
Ambi Narula
Communications and Program Specialist, Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
Nick Ocasio
Community Manager, Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Alex Onufrak
Associate Director of Technology Services, xFoundry@UMD
Sammy Popat
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Catalyst, Office of Innovation
Adam Porter
Co-Executive Director, University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC)
Ken Porter
Director, UM Ventures, College Park
Allynn Powell
Director, University Career Center & The President's Promise
Jessica Roffe
Associate Director, QUEST Honors Program
Caitlin Rudy
Program Manager, Industry Partnerships for Computing Catalyst
Lindsay Ryan
Executive Director of Economic Development, USM
John Sawyer
Interim Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance; Director, Strategic Research Initiatives
Jamie Shanker-Passero
Program Manager, Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN)
Brooke Smith
Assistant Program Director & Learning Experience Catalyst, Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Stan Smith
Director of Venture Investments, UM Ventures and Dingman-Lamone Center
Sheila Somashekhar
Director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC)
Corey Stambaugh
Director, Capital of Quantum
David Steele
Hub Coordinator, NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Region & Program Manager, UMD I-Corps
James Stillwell
Faculty Director, Do Good Campus, DGI and Associate Clinical Professor
Arthur Toole, III
Director, Maryland Business Opportunity Center (MBOC)
Ken Ulman
President, Terrapin Development Company and UMD Chief Strategy Officer for Economic Development
Eric D. Wachsman, Ph.D.
Director, Maryland Energy Innovation Institute; William L. Crentz Centennial Chair in Energy Research; Distinguished University Professor; Current Past-President, Electrochemical Society; National Academy of Inventors
Alison Waldman
Associate Program Director, xFoundry@UMD
Denise Warner
Director, Maryland APEX Accelerator
Jamison Watson
Assistant Director for Research Development, Clark School of Engineering at USMSM MATRIX Lab
Juliana White
Program Associate, Do Good Institute