Speakers

Neeli Bendapudi has served as the nineteenth president of Penn State since May 9, 2022. With a nearly thirty-year career in academia, President Bendapudi is committed to student success, fostering inclusive excellence, and creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to thrive.

Raised in India, Bendapudi moved to the United States to pursue her doctoral studies at the University of Kansas and to launch her career as an academic leader and educator.

Prior to coming to Penn State, where she leads the University's twenty-four-campus network and top-ranked online World Campus, Bendapudi was president of the University of Louisville from 2018 to 2021. During this time, she oversaw a series of transformative efforts spanning academics; finance; the health enterprise; philanthropy; athletics; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and more. Under her leadership, the university recruited its largest and most diverse freshman class, reached record enrollment levels, improved four-year graduation rates, increased annual sponsored research, improved the university's financial stability, and stabilized the health system.

Among her professional achievements, Bendapudi has served as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas from 2016 to 2018, dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas from 2011 to 2016, and as founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at the Ohio State University (OSU) from 2005 to 2011. As an educator, she has taught marketing at the University of Louisville, University of Kansas, Texas A&M University, and OSU.

In addition to her higher education leadership experience, Bendapudi previously served as executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank and has consulted for some of the world's largest companies and organizations, including AIG, Proctor & Gamble, and the U.S. Army.

With a background in the study of consumer behavior in service contexts, her research focuses on customers' willingness to maintain long-term relationships with firms and with the brands and employees that represent them. Her work has been published in the Journal of Academic Medicine, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Service Research.

Bendapudi has been recognized for contributions in her field and has been honored at the national and university levels, including with the Academy of Marketing Science Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award. In 2014, she was inducted into the University of Kansas' Womens Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals for significant contributions and achievements, overall impact, and outstanding character.

In addition, Diverse Issues in Higher Education referenced Bendapudi as one of twenty-five women "who have made a difference in the academy" (2021), Enterprising Women recognized her among a select group of women who "are making a difference in business and in the community" (2021), and Louisville Business First highlighted Bendapudi among twenty-five local leaders named to the publication's annual list of "Most Admired CEOs" for strong leadership exhibited during a year of unprecedented challenges (2020).

Along with her professional endeavors, Bendapudi is a former Leadership Foundation Fellow, a member of the International Women's Forum, and serves on the board of the American Council on Education and Internet 2.0.

Bendapudi earned her bachelor's degree in English and MBA from Andhra University in India and her doctorate in marketing from the University of Kansas.

Geoff Martha is Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, the global leader in healthcare technology. In his role, Geoff leads the $32 billion company and its 95,000 employees to deliver ground-breaking technology solutions for more people in more places around the world. Medtronic served 78 million patients in FY24. Geoff leads the enterprise in pursuit of fulfilling the Medtronic Mission to use technology to improve human welfare. Since becoming CEO in 2020, he has been recognized as a driven and innovative executive, including as a top CEO in healthcare technology by the Healthcare Technology Report and as one of Modern Healthcare's most influential people in healthcare.

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The Medtronic Mission - to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life - has inspired its researchers and engineers to create some of the most meaningful medical technologies in the history of healthcare: a pacemaker the size of a vitamin pill, the world's first hybrid closed-loop diabetes pump, neurostimulators for pain and brain disorders, and more.

Under Geoff's leadership, Medtronic is leveraging the latest advances in cutting edge technology to transform healthcare, including manufacturing processes, robotics, data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Recognizing the power of partnerships and innovative collaborations, Geoff has accelerated Medtronic's strategic acquisitions, boldly pursued novel R&D funding models, and embraced new ways to partner across industries and global borders.

Geoff assumed his role as CEO as the COVID-19 pandemic rocked communities around the world. As part of his commitment to lead with purpose, Geoff quickly mobilized the company and took action to help global healthcare professionals and partners continue to treat patients and protect themselves. In addition to accelerating the development of remote solutions, he made the unprecedented move to open source the company's intellectual property, making proprietary ventilator designs available to manufacturers around the world. The move helped address growing global demand for ventilators, resulted in new partnerships, and broke down barriers across industries to enhance care. For these efforts, Medtronic received a Fortune Change the World award in 2020, and in 2021, the Ireland-U.S. Council awarded him with the Global Achievement Award to recognize his role in overseeing Medtronic's significant contributions to the fight against the pandemic.

During Geoff's tenure, Medtronic has been lauded for its innovation in healthcare technology. In 2022, the company was yet again named to Fortune's Change the World list for its GI Genius™ intelligent endoscopy module, the first commercially available system that uses AI to help physicians detect polyps and flag signs of colon cancer.

Geoff has also helped further Medtronic's reputation as a world-class business and employer. Medtronic was ranked number one in Healthcare Technology Report's Top 100 Health Tech Companies of 2023, was recognized as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and has consistently been named one of America's Most JUST Companies by JUST Capital and CNBC.

Medtronic was selected as one of the World's Best Employers by Forbes in 2022. In 2023, the company was included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the first time and ranked second in DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity - reflecting its unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Since joining Medtronic in 2011, Geoff has remained an ardent supporter of Medtronic- sponsored philanthropic and diversity initiatives. He is a member of the Medtronic Foundation Board of Directors and serves as Medtronic's Executive Sponsor to FIRST Robotics. Geoff also led the Medtronic African Descent Network ― an internal resource group focused on recruitment, engagement, retention, and development for employees of African descent.

Prior to becoming CEO of Medtronic, Geoff held various leadership roles on the company's executive committee, including SVP, Strategy and Business Development; Chief Integration Officer; and Executive Vice President, Restorative Therapies Group.

Notably, he led the acquisition and subsequent integration of Covidien, the largest acquisition in the history of the medical technology industry. Before joining Medtronic, Geoff spent 19 years in a variety of business development, strategic marketing, and sales management roles at GE Healthcare and GE Capital.

Geoff is an active member of the global business community, sitting on the Business Roundtable and the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for NextEra Energy and the U.S.-China Business Council, and as Treasurer for AdvaMed. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Asia Society, a leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the U.S. in a global context. He is also President of the Executive Committee of the board of directors for the Minnesota Business Partnership. In 2021, he served as co-chair of the Taskforce on Health and Life Sciences for B20, a G20 engagement group.

Passionate about socioeconomic issues, Geoff serves on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations including the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), a Minneapolis-based community collaborative that works to end generational poverty and build a culture of achievement so low-income children of color graduate college and are career-ready, and the YMCA of the North, which works to nurture the potential of every child and teen, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to become healthier, more confident, connected and secure. He was also one of the founding members of OneTen coalition, an, organization committed to breaking down systemic barriers for Black Americans.

Geoff received a bachelor's degree in Finance as a member of the Scholars Program from Pennsylvania State University, graduating with highest honors. He was captain of the Penn State men's hockey team and later inducted into its Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2016, the University awarded him the Penn State Hockey Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also a member of Penn State's College of Liberal Arts Development Council.

Benjamin Birnbaum is a Partner at Keyframe, a special situations fund based in NYC that targets $20-100m investments related to the impact of energy transition on industry. Prior to starting Keyframe, Ben founded TeraWatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large scale (10MW+) electric vehicle charging. TeraWatt has raised >$1B and provides fleet charging to the likes of Pepsi and Waymo.

Ben holds bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Pennsylvania State University, graduating with both from Smeal in 2012. He lives in NYC with his wife Amy (also PSU '12, now an orthopedic surgeon). Ben is competing in the Happy Valley Ironman in June.

After gaining experience in civil engineering and building forensic analysis, Mr. Burchlaw earned an MBA from The University of Texas in 2000. With nearly two decades of experience in the real estate industry, he continually recognized the difficulties real estate investment firms faced in managing information and assessing their portfolios. This insight led him to create RE Analytics to address these challenges.

Mr. Burchlaw has a wealth of experience on the principal side of the business. He began his real estate career at a private equity investment firm in Dallas, TX, working as an acquisitions and asset management associate. Over ten years at Forest City Enterprises (which was acquired by Brookfield Asset Management in 2018), he oversaw three major mixed-use development projects in Dallas. As Executive Vice President for a family office, he served as lead developer on a 66-acre super-regional mall redevelopment project.

Charles is a seasoned executive with a distinguished record of leadership in the commercial real estate industry. With nearly two decades of experience, he has held senior positions at prominent firms, first at The Abbey Company in Los Angeles and as a Partner at ABS Partners Real Estate in New York City, where he managed vast portfolios of commercial properties.

His expertise spans sales, leasing, asset management, and the implementation of forward-thinking sustainability initiatives. Charles has successfully led multidisciplinary teams and overseen numerous high-profile projects, including the repositioning and re-development of major commercial buildings. These initiatives demanded an in-depth analysis of energy infrastructures, equipping him with a robust understanding of building energy systems that he expertly applies in his current endeavors.

In addition to his real estate accomplishments, Charles has developed a deep knowledge of the rapidly evolving prop-tech and climate-tech sectors, honed through his role as founder and managing partner at Caesium Ventures.

Charles has also contributed to the community through his service on the board of the Union Square Partnership in New York City and currently serves as a board member of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies at Penn State University.

He holds a Bachelor's degree from Penn State University.

Adam Wicks is shareholder in Buchanan's Pittsburgh office and leads the firm's Private Equity and Venture Capital Practice Group. As a strategic, business-minded negotiator, Adam's business transactions practice focuses on representing private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices and other sources of private capital and their portfolio companies in their corporate development, investment and acquisition strategies. Additionally, Adam regularly represents private business owners exploring the sale of their business and other strategic transactions.

Adam also serves as outside corporate counsel to clients ranging from startups to publicly-traded companies, advising on entity formation and corporate governance, financings and offerings, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), federal and state securities law compliance, commercial matters, and connecting his clients to key professionals and experts in other practice areas within Buchanan as various needs arise.

Adam's clients span a variety of industries including software, retail, security and fire alarm and protection, sports and gaming, medical devices, residential and commercial services, manufacturing, and professional services. Adam has received Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition in the Corporate Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law categories since 2021, and Super Lawyers Pennsylvania Rising Stars recognition since 2023.

Brad brings medical device experience from GE Healthcare, Edwards Lifesciences, and Spry Health. He holds a B.S. from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from Harvard.

In addition to his medical device experience, he has technology product and operations experience from Autodesk and Infinitus systems. Brad served as a Marine Corps Officer, leading troops in combat operations.

• Carnegie Mellon, Harvard Business School
• Captain, US Marine Corps
• Scaling operations for healthcare venture (Infinitus)
• Wearable sensor device development, Spry Health (Acquired by Itamar / Zoll, 2021)
• Public Health Business Development, UrSure (Acquired by Orasure 2020)

Tina is Co-Leader of the firm's Life Sciences Industry Team, and a shareholder in the FDA/Biotechnology group. She focuses her practice on issues related to the approval, regulation, promotion, sale and reimbursement of drugs, medical devices, biologics, dietary supplements, foods and cannabis-related products.

Tina assists clients in their interactions with various federal agencies including the following:

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

In addition to advising clients on how to obtain approvals for their FDA-regulated products, Tina's experience includes reviewing and revising the labeling of drugs, medical devices, foods and dietary supplements to ensure compliance with the FDA law and regulations. She works with clients to petition the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drug products on the market, and assists clients in a wide range of compliance and enforcement matters. She also advises clients on user fee issues, federal and state Sunshine Act reporting obligations, state price transparency disclosure rules, and state licensing requirements.

Tina is a thought leader on artificial intelligence and machine learning in the life sciences industry. She has spoken frequently and published several articles on AI/ML in drug discovery and development as well as FDA's regulation of AI/ML-powered medical devices.

Tina is also a member of the firm's cannabis group, where she assists companies in navigating federal and state law issues related to the promotion and sale of cannabis-related products. Tina has helped companies work to bring FDA- approved cannabinoid drug products to market, as well as helped clients to navigate sale of cannabis and hemp-related products.

Tina chairs the Buchanan B.O.L.D. Affinity group, and is conversant in Mandarin.

In 2019 and 2020, Tina was named to the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Most recently, in 2024, Tina was named the Rising Star Award winner by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

With a fine arts degree and more than a decade of experience in marketing, Jenna brings a creative and strategic approach to legal operations and compliance oversight. Jenna's career journey has fueled her passion for driving efficiency, optimizing processes, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to meet the legal needs of stakeholders. As the Associate Director of Legal Operations at Prelude Therapeutics, Jenna is fortunate to align her strengths with her passion - leveraging innovation and operational excellence to support our teams in developing groundbreaking cancer treatments. She has a deep interest in AI and its transformative potential in the biotech industry, particularly as it relates to legal operations, drug discovery, and clinical trials. As AI continues to reshape the field, managing its risks, ensuring accuracy, mitigating bias, and maintaining regulatory and data privacy compliance will be crucial to unlocking its full potential responsibly.

Erika Swift, MBA, MHA, serves as a Professor of Practice with a joint appointment at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Harrisburg. She is also the director of the Center for Medical Innovation at Penn State College of Medicine, where she leads efforts to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem. The Center provides essential education and resources to drive medical innovation, ultimately generating both economic and social impact.

With over 25 years of experience in economic development, technology commercialization, and new business development across various industries-including medical devices, consumer goods, and dental equipment-Erika joined Penn State College of Medicine in 2015 to spearhead technology development initiatives. She was pivotal in establishing the Center for Medical Innovation, officially launched in February 2017, aligning with the College of Medicine's broader mission of cultivating a culture of innovation.

Beyond her role at Penn State, Erika served as President of BioStrategy Partners, Inc., a nonprofit consortium dedicated to advancing academic research into the marketplace, from 2018 to 2024. She continues to contribute as an officer and board member.

Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in business with a concentration in international business from Bloomsburg University, an MBA from York College of Pennsylvania, and an MHA from Penn State University.

Jen Gilburg has decades-long experience working in both technology and manufacturing in the private sector. She has been on the forefront of such high growth technologies as data security and artificial intelligence, and has worked in advanced technologies for the automotive, medical and robotics industries. Most recently, Jen served as Vice President of Business Development for a developer of AI-driven technology for use in autonomous vehicles and robotics.

As Deputy Secretary of Technology and Entrepreneurship, she focuses implementing the Shapiro Administration's and DCED's vision of attracting, fostering, and investing in people and companies focused on technology and innovation across multiple sectors, and throughout the state.

Kathleen M. Shay concentrates her practice in the areas of business law and finance, securities regulation, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies.

Ms. Shay serves as outside counsel to a significant number of emerging growth companies in the life science and technology fields and represents venture capital investors in their investments in these emerging companies. Ms. Shay's representation ranges from structuring and organizing start-up companies through structuring and negotiating venture capital and other financings, licensing transactions and strategic alliances, and representing companies in mergers and acquisitions and public offerings.

Ms. Shay works proactively and collaboratively with clients' managements and boards of directors to coordinate and oversee clients' legal needs and their integration with operations and business initiatives.

Ms. Shay serves on the Boards of Directors of University City Science Center and Life Sciences PA (formerly Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association) and the Board of Consultors of Villanova Law School, and she is a Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) and a Trustee Emeritus of the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. Ms. Shay previously served as a director of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and she is a past-Chair of the Securities Regulation Committee. Ms. Shay is an Advisory Board member and former director of the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and has served as AWE's counsel since its inception.

A frequent lecturer, she is a 1977 graduate of Villanova University School of Law and a graduate of Villanova University.

Areas of Practice

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• Venture Capital

• Licensing/Strategic Alliances

• Corporations

• Partnerships

• Limited Liability Companies

• Business Law and Finance

• Securities Regulation

Victoria Virasingh serves as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances at the NobleReach Foundation, a non-profit with the mission is to get better technical talent and innovation in and around government. She most recently ran for US Congress in Northern Virginia. Prior to that, she was at Palantir Technologies, where she led Public-Private Partnerships and founded the Innovation & Jobs team. She built relationships with external stakeholders and partnered with them to address issues related to policy, innovation, and the future of work. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in International Relations and an MA in Latin American Studies

Steve Carpenter serves as Director, Research Startups at Penn State University's Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization providing guidance and support to scientists pursuing commercialization of their technology. Mr. Carpenter also serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Penn State's Smeal College of Business teaching Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Funding and as the Program Administrator for the Garber Fund providing venture investment experiences for Smeal graduate students.

Mr. Carpenter has served as a director or board observer on more than ten company boards since 2008. Mr. Carpenter has 19 years of experience with Life Sciences Greenhouse Investments providing seed- and early-stage investments in promising life sciences companies in Pennsylvania. In his most recent role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Carpenter provided guidance and support to portfolio companies, evaluated early-stage companies for prospective investments, and managed the organization's accounting and finances. Prior to joining LSG Investments, Mr. Carpenter served more than 20 years in a variety of management and engineering positions, primarily leading operation start-ups and new product launches.

Mr. Carpenter earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Penn State University's Smeal College of Business where his academic concentration was on venture capital, entrepreneurship, and finance.

Dr. Linda Bixby, an executive at NobleReach Foundation, leads the organization's Academic Partnerships to empower the next generation of talent and innovation to tackle our nation's most pressing security challenges. She prepares strategy, budgets, creates business plans, and solves internal and external issues as they arise.

Dr. Bixby's extensive experience includes support to the U.S. government, academia, non-profit organizations, and industry for 35+ years in executive, management, technical, operational, and analytical positions.

She served in the U.S. government, receiving numerous commendations. Along with her government service, Dr. Bixby was an executive at a Fortune 500 company, a non-profit organization, and a small, woman-owned business. She is a former associate professor and scholar in residence at American University. Dr. Bixby's publications and academic contributions include Domestic Danger, In Pursuit of Justice, Learning from History, and War-Time Slave and Forced Labor.

Dr. Bixby serves on multiple academic advisory boards to include Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business (member and former chairperson), University of Texas Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering, Virginia Cyber Navigator Internship Program at University of Virginia, and on two industry advisory boards.

She is on the Board of Directors for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) and was a member of their Advisory Committee and vice chairperson of the Acquisition Management Council. She participates actively in AFCEA International and the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Dr. Bixby is a certified Project Management Professional.

Dr. Bixby earned a doctorate in history (anticipatory intelligence) and completed her master's program in history and Soviet studies at the Freie Universität Berlin. She obtained bachelor's degrees in communications and German studies from the University of Arizona. Dr. Bixby continues her education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Program in Innovation and Technology.

Sree served as senior advisor to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo from early 2021 to 2024, focusing on emerging technology, supply chain resiliency, and industrial policy. He is currently a Fellow at the nonprofit NobleReach Foundation, advising that organization on technology, talent, and investment initiatives to support US national and economic security.

Sree's achievements at Commerce including developing and facilitating the CHIPS and Science Act and other Biden administration initiatives on semiconductors, supply chains, and critical technologies. He also developed Commerce's CHIPS strategy and investment thesis to guide implementation of the CHIPS program and helped recruit key leaders to build the CHIPS program office at Commerce. He served as Commerce's key technology and industrial policy interlocutor with the private sector, national security community, and Congressional leadership and staff.

He continues to advise a wide range of policy and industry leaders on ways to promote, protect, and scale up emerging technologies and industrial investments in the United States.

Sree was formerly a Partner in McKinsey & Company's Washington DC office and at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the non-profit business and economics research arm of McKinsey. In this role he was responsible for shaping MGI's and McKinsey's research on trends in global competition, technology disruption, and the forces impacting multinational firms. For more than a decade Sree has researched and written extensively about American manufacturing and supply chains, the impact of deindustrialization on economic and national security, and opportunities to revitalize industrial investment in established and emerging sectors.

Prior to joining McKinsey in 2008, Sree spent nearly a decade in the US aerospace and telecom sectors with roles in engineering and regulatory affairs. He holds three patents, an MBA, and Master's and Bachelor's degrees in computer engineering and telecommunications.

Matt is a Partner counseling clients in the fields of patent, trademark and trade secret law, in addition to representing clients in IP transactions, disputes and litigation. Matt has over a decade of experience in working with clients to obtain patents, develop patent and trade secret strategies, and litigate patent and trade secret disputes in federal court. Matt's background as a Chemical Engineer allows Matt to work across many different industries, including the chemical, polymer, pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer products industries. Matt also counsels clients in trademark clearance and prosecution, enforcement, and litigation. Matt works closely with clients in industries including higher education, food, pharmaceuticals, entertainment and consumer products to develop and protect key brands. In addition, Matt represents clients in negotiating all manner of IP agreements including licenses, sales, joint ventures and coexistence agreements. Matt has also experienced the client side of IP counseling, having been awarded three patents from the USPTO as a product development engineer for Federal Mogul before attending law school. Matt is a proud graduate of Penn State and is active with the University. In particular, he has participated in Penn State's educational seminars and programs, including sponsoring and attending the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference since its inception.

Sean M. Douglass is a seasoned Intellectual Property Attorney with extensive experience in patent and trademark development, prosecution, and portfolio management.  With a deep expertise in a range of technical fields, including computer science, financial technology, healthcare technology, blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and telecommunications, Sean excels in navigating the complex landscape of IP law to safeguard and advance clients' innovation. 

In the realm of patent development, Sean is adept at reviewing invention disclosures, conducting detailed interviews with inventors and clients, and providing thorough invention and patentability analyses.  Their strategic approach includes freedom-to-operate analyses and advising on design-around options to ensure comprehensive protection for clients' intellectual assets. 

Sean brings a wealth of experience to patent drafting and presecuting applications before the USPTO, including handling appeals before the Patent Trail and Appeal Board.  Sean has proven track record in managing patent portfolios across various fields and supervising foreign counsel in jurisdictions such as Canada, Mexico, the EPO, Great Britain, China, South Korea, Japana, Singapore, Australia, India, and Brazil.  

Prior to joining Pantich Schwarze, Sean was an in-house patent attorney for a Fourtune 100 Global Technology Corporation, where he drafted and prosecuted patent applications based on inventor consultation and invention disclosures. 

Ralph G. Fischer has experience in patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition law including litigation, patent solicitation, licensing, trademark cancellation and opposition proceedings, International Trade Commission investigations, registration of trademarks and copyrights with the United States Customs Service and related exclusion proceedings. 

Ralph practices in the fields of patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition law.  His work involves wide range of technical subjects including mechanical, electrical, electronic, e-commerce, biotech, chemical, metallurgical and computer fields.  Ralph has obtained and litigated patents on variety of products including computers, communication systems, business methods, medical devices, devices and systems used in the minerals industry, kilns, safety products, office furniture, window coverings, luggage, toys and other consumer products. 

Ralph also provides mediation, neutral evaluation, and special master services.  For example, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has approved him to serve as a mediator and an early neutral evaluator and to be appointed as a special master appointment. 

Earlier in his career, Ralph was honored by his peers and selected for inclusion in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars listed for 2012-2019 and was selected as an "Associate to Watch" by Chambers USA. He has since been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America since 2019 under the Litigation - Intellectual Property and Patent Law categories. 

Jack is a founder and Managing Director of Pantek Partners, Pantek is a boutique investment banking firm focused on the hard science sectors with deep networks in the North American, European and Asian technology centers. Strong expertise in advanced materials, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, batteries, alternative energy platforms, computer vision systems and biotechnology. Our mission is to provide our clients with unique insight and access to strategic investment, M&A and business development channels globally coupled with seasoned execution capabilities. Founded in 2007, Pantek has advised over a 300+ clients with regards to their global capital raising, strategic business development and M&A initiatives.

Mark was CEO of Bloomfield (acquired by Kubota Corporation), an ag-tech company using AI to help specialty crop growers across the US, EU, Africa and South America. Previously, he cofounder and CEO of RoadBotics (acquired by Michelin), which used AI to assess roadway infrastructure across seven countries. Prior to RoadBotics, he cofounded kWantix (acquired by Moody Aldrich Partners), a quant energy hedge fund, and cofounder and CEO of kWantera, an energy trading company, both using deep learning technology. Previously, he was CEO of Think Through Learning (acquired by Imagine Learning), an online tutoring company and US Managing Director of ANGLE Technology, PLC, a UK-based venture capital firm and consultancy.

Earlier in his career, Mark was the Director of Government Relations for Texas Instruments and held policy positions as a Senior Policy Analyst in The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Administration of George H. W. Bush. He was also staff assistant to late U.S. Senator John Heinz was a management consultant with Booz Allen.

Mark is an Adviser to MIR Ventures in Palo Alto and Cascadia Capital in Seattle. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University. Mark holds MS in Technology Management from The American University, a PhD in Public Policy from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. He also completed the AI Academy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Joe Ferrara is a Board Member of Innovation Works and Security Journey, a private equity-backed cybersecurity SaaS company. Joe is also strategic advisor to startups and venture-backed companies. He was most recently the CEO of Security Journey and previously the CEO of Wombat Security which was acquired by Proofpoint for $225 million, delivering over a 10X return for venture capital and angel investors. Other positions include GM of Proofpoint's Security Awareness Division, CEO of Tollgrade Communications, CEO Marconi Communications North America, and GM of Ericsson's Routing & Switching division. Joe has been involved with both sell side and buy side M&A throughout his career.

Nicholas Kuhn, has been CEO of Setex Technologies for 6 years. Recently he led an asset sale for the company to Shin-Etsu, a multi-billion advanced materials company. He is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the medical device, advanced materials and consumer products arenas. Prior to Setex, He was the Founder, President, and a Director of Curavi Health, Inc; a UPMC Enterprises healthcare IT spinout. He was the founding CEO of ALung Technologies, leading that company through technology development, clinical trials, CE approval, and global commercialization. Mr. Kuhn holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Notre Dame, and a M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management. Mr. Kuhn is the winner of the Pittsburgh Technology Council Enterprise Business plan competition; as well as Carnegie Science Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year.

Corey Phelps was appointed as the John and Karen Arnold Dean of Penn State's Smeal College of Business, effective July 15, 2024. He oversees all aspects of one of the largest business schools in the nation. Phelps brings a wealth of experience in higher education and business. Prior to Penn State, he served as the dean of the University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price College of Business, Fred E. Brown Chair of Business, and professor of entrepreneurship and strategy.

Phelps holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in business administration from New York University's Stern School of Business and an MBA and bachelor's degree from San Diego State University. His academic career includes positions at McGill University, HEC Paris, and the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. His research on strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation has been widely published and cited more than 9,500 times. He co-authored the book "Cracked It! How to Solve Big Problems and Sell Solutions Like Top Strategy Consultants."

Batool is an associate in the Global Corporate Group and a member of the Executive Compensation team. Her experience includes counselling private and public companies on matters involving employee benefits and corporate compensation, such as equity and cash-based incentive compensation plans, deferred compensation programs, bonus programs, and welfare plans in the context of mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Batool also negotiates and advises clients on employment, change in control, separation, and other executive agreements.

Allison is a Partner in the Global Corporate Group, who serves as Chair of the U.S. Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group, and assists clients with matters involving employee benefits and executive compensation. Among Allison's areas of specialty expertise are the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule, legal compliance for qualified retirement plans, complex controlled group and similar determinations, documentation and disclosure for qualified and nonqualified plans, executive compensation (including Code Sections 409A, 280G and 457), counseling regarding day-to-day benefits administration and compliance, health and welfare plan matters, and withdrawal liability and other multiemployer plan issues. Allison also regularly advises employers on ERISA fiduciary matters, including governance, potential liability, and best practices, and assists financial institutions with complex prohibited transaction, trust and custody, required disclosures, and "plan asset" matters. Allison also is experienced with benefits advice in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and lending transactions, including private equity and private fund transactions, as well as analyzing ERISA implications of fund structure and certain operations.

Bin Yan is the associate vice president for research and director of the Office of Technology Management (OTM). Prior to Penn State Yan was the director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Miami. During her tenure, the University of Miami generated record levels of licensing revenue and was recently ranked as one of the top performers in the country by Heartland Forward on the effectiveness of technology transfer based on research expenditures.

Yan is a tech transfer veteran who has spent the past 24 years working with innovators, investors, industry partners and other stakeholders to advance the commercialization of university research at the University of Miami, University of Florida, and University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Her work experience also includes serving as the associate vice president for licensing and legal counsel at a publicly traded biotechnology company.

She earned her doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Florida and her Juris Doctor from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Ryan is a managing director in the Private Wealth Management business in the Consumer and Investment Management Division. He advises Fortune 500 executives, family office groups and Entrepreneurs in the management of their personal assets, as well as assets on behalf of foundations, endowments and pension funds. Ryan is a member of the Private Wealth Management Top Advisors, and is co-chair of the Market Intelligence Group. He also leads new associate business development training for the Private Wealth Management business each year. Ryan joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2001 and was named managing director in 2019.

Ryan is a member of the External Advisory Board for the Schreyer Honors College at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and was co-chair of a fundraising campaign that raised more than $54 million for the Honors College. In 2011, he was awarded the Alumni Achievement

Award by Penn State, and in 2009, he was named the Outstanding Scholar Alumni Mentor by the Schreyer Honors College. Ryan is a chartered financial analyst charterholder.

Ryan earned a BS in Economics with a minor in Philosophy from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State, where he was also a Schreyer Scholar.

Benjamin Birnbaum is a Partner at Keyframe, a special situations fund based in NYC that targets $20-100m investments related to the impact of energy transition on industry. Prior to starting Keyframe, Ben founded TeraWatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large scale (10MW+) electric vehicle charging. TeraWatt has raised >$1B and provides fleet charging to the likes of Pepsi and Waymo.

Ben holds bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Pennsylvania State University, graduating with both from Smeal in 2012. He lives in NYC with his wife Amy (also PSU '12, now an orthopedic surgeon). Ben is competing in the Happy Valley Ironman in June.

Zander Isaacson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Xeal, a technology-first electric vehicle (EV) charging company operating at the intersection of proptech, energy, and loT. Prior to Xeal, Zander worked in investment banking at Citi Global Markets and Torreya Partners within the Mergers & Acquisitions division. Zander worked on a variety of M&A and licensing deals for technology companies, and more specifically in the Electric Vehicle space, working with a Formula E racing team. Prior to investment banking, Zander was the founder & president of Happy Valley VC, the first student-run venture capital fund at Penn State, as well as a Fund Manager in the Nittany Lion Fund.

Stak CEO/Co-founder, Diallo Powell, has been building socially impactful enterprises since 2008. He was a member of the founding team of the first B Corp health insurance company and Co-founder of Zipari (acquired), a platform to give health insurance subscribers greater transparency into the cost and administration of their care. Diallo co-founded Stak to catalyze the clean energy transition and realize positive climate and community impact.

Diallo resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two children. He was also a founding board member and now Vice Chair of the Public Housing Community Fund ("The Fund") board. The Fund was created to engage people and partners to invest in transformative programs that enhance the lives of 500,000 residents across NYCHA communities.