2021 Speakers
Welcome & Penn State's Student Startup Showcase

Dr. Eric J. Barron
President - Penn State University
In 2017, Barron was named the chairman of the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) for the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU). He also serves on the Board of Directors for APLU, Kish Bancorp, Inc., the Board of Trustees for University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and Universities Research Association (URA). He is also a member of the Knight Commission and the College Football Playoff Board of Managers.
Barron spent the first 20 years of his career at Penn State, serving as dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences from 2002 to 2006, and as founding director of the Earth System Science Center, one of the first major initiatives focused on the total study of Earth as a system. In 1999, he was named Distinguished Professor of Geosciences at Penn State.
An accomplished scientist with a long background in atmospheric research, Barron was the director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Over the decades, Barron has lent his significant expertise in the areas of atmospheric science and the geosciences to many national committees and federal agencies, including nearly 20 years of service as the chair of multiple National Research Council committees and boards.
Barron earned a B.S. in geology at Florida State and his M.S. and Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Miami.

Dr. Lora Weiss
Sr. Vice President of Research - Penn State University
Weiss is an accomplished scientist and educator with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. With a background in robotics and unmanned systems, Weiss has centered her research on advancing the capabilities of unmanned air, ground, sea surface, and undersea vehicles. Weiss served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which is the world's largest unmanned systems organization. She was on the technical advisory board of the National Robotics Technology Consortium. She was an Executive Board Member for NDIA's Undersea Warfare Division; she supported several National Academies' studies; and she supported the Center for New American Security's Future Foundry Task Force. Weiss received her Ph.D. in acoustics from Penn State, her master's degree in mathematics from UCLA, and her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Boston University.
Session #1 - Investing in Rural & Heartland America

Matthew Weinbaum
Shareholder - Dentons Cohen & Grigsby
His clients operate in and/or invest in a diverse array of industries, ranging from robotics to the agricultural sciences, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, autonomous vehicles, digital media and beyond.
Matt formerly served as assistant general counsel and senior investigator at the Mintz Group in New York, a corporate intelligence and investigations firm. Matt began his career in the project finance group at Chadbourne & Parke LLP in New York.

Falon Donohue
Partner - Narya

Abby Lyall
Vice President - Big Idea Ventures

Lydia McClure
VP Scientific Partnerships - Research Bridge Partners
Session #2 - The State of Venture and Growth Capital in the COVID-19 Era

Jonathan Moyer
Partner - Reed Smith LLP

Steve Carpenter
Senior Vice President - Life Science Greenhouse of Central PA/PSU Garber Fund

Catherine Mott
President & CEO - BlueTree Allied Angels
• Current Portfolio Board Seats: C360 Technologies, Anglr, Peptilogics, Imprint, Cytoagents
• Previous Portfolio Board Seats: RedPath Integrated Pathology, ShoeFitr, ApartmentJet, Safest Seats and Figure 8
• Non-profit Boards: Innovation Works (BFTP), Thiel College, NextAct Fund, Pittsburgh Tech Council
Catherine has been a contributor to the Smart Business Magazine (Pittsburgh edition), plus she has been quoted or featured in many professional industry publications as one of the few women who represent the industry of venture capital - The New York Times, Wall St Journal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Tribune Review, the Erie Times, PA KeyNotes, The Angel Journal, TEQ, Pop City, The Scientist.
Professional and Business Awards/Recognition:
2018 Thiel College, Haller Institute, Entrepreneur of the Year
2017 Hans Severeins Angel of the Year (Nat'l Award, nominated by top peers in the USA)
2017 Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association "Impact Award"
2017 Pittsburgh Business Times Womens' First Award
2015 Smart 50, Smart Business Magazine
2014 CB Insights, Top 20 US Angel Groups
2011 Inc Magazine, Top 50 US Angel Groups
2009 Corporate Ambassador for the US Dept of State representing Women in Venture Capital
2002 Pennsylvania's 50 Best Women in Business
Prior to forming her own business, Catherine worked 17 years in corporate banking management where she served in senior management roles for investment sales/wealth management, commercial lending, business development, and retail expansion. Today, Ms. Mott uses these experiences and her education to bring together capital and prime investment opportunities.
Catherine holds an MBA in Finance, a BS in Education and a Masters' Degree in Education.
Ms. Mott has been a speaker/panelist at national and regional conferences for: The Angel Capital Association, National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF), the State Science and Technology Initiative (SSTI), New Zealand Angel Summit, NACO annual summit, Michigan Growth Capital Conference, North Carolina's Angel Investor Summit, Ohio Venture Association, the National Governors' Association, and EBAN (European Business Angel Network).
Personally, she is a proud supporter of two major non-profits: The RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through high quality research and analysis, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-partisan non-profit organization committed to educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact.

Shaunak Parikh
Partner - EW Healthcare Partners
At EW, he is responsible for identifying and evaluating new investments across the healthcare sector including pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and technology-enabled service opportunities. Shaunak also plays an active role in the management and value creation process of existing portfolio companies. During his time at EW, Shaunak has been a key member in a number of the firm's investments, including MiMedx Group, Cardiva Medical, Prolacta Bioscience, TissueTech, TELA Bio, Bioventus and Encore Dermatology.
Shaunak began his career in the investment banking group at Citigroup, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions primarily in the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. He earned his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with Honors from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Hunter Swisher
CEO - Phospholutions, Inc.
He received his B.S. in Plant Sciences with minors in Mycology and Plant Pathology from the College of Agricultural Sciences. During his undergraduate career, Hunter was recognized by the Vice President of Research as Top Entrepreneur within the university for his work in commercializing two patents from the university. Under his leadership, Phospholutions was awarded the top prize in the Penn State Venture and IP Technology Showcase, Big IDEA Contest by Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and featured on the WPSU television series The Investment. Hunter has been recognized three consecutive years as Foremost under 40 by Pennsylvania Business Central, Top 100 People of Pennsylvania, and recognized for his contribution to the environment by Governor Tom Wolf.
He currently serves on the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Advisory Board within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. He is an active member and an Ambassador for the International Fertilizer Association and serves on the Public Affairs & Communications and Agricultural Strategic Advisory Teams, as well as the Metrics and Applications Sustainability Committees. He also serves on the Sustainability Committee for The Fertilizer Institute.
Hunter's passions include sustainable agriculture, circular economies, entrepreneurship & innovation, and venture capital.
Penn State Tech Tournament

Alice Cheng
Associate - Upfront Ventures

Dr. James Delattre
Associate Vice President - Office for Entrepreneurship and Commercialization - Penn State
Prior to joining Penn State, Dr. Delattre worked in nanomaterials and semiconductor startups in central Pennsylvania and Silicon Valley. Dr. Delattre earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral work at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche at the University of Bari, Italy. Dr. Delattre received his BS with honors in Chemistry from Penn State, where he studied inorganic chemistry and Russian language.

Ilana Diamond
Managing Partner - 412 Venture Fund
Previously, Ilana was a Managing Director of Riverfront Ventures, Innovation Works' Venture Fund for early stage companies. She also served at Innovation Works as Managing Director of Hardware and AlphaLab Gear where she led a team that helped startups make rapid progress through the early stages of product and customer development.
Earlier in her career, Ilana led and grew tech companies from startup to exit — building management teams, raising venture capital, and managing mergers and acquisitions from both ideas of the table (buyer and seller).
Ilana frequently serves in leadership roles on boards of private companies and not-for-profit organizations. Her academic background includes a B.A. in Biological Sciences and Economics from Northwestern University, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Jim Pietropaolo
- Penn State
Prior to working at Penn State, Jim was a medical imaging industry veteran with a combination of large company (J&J, GE-Lunar, Hitachi) and entrepreneurial experience working with tech-based startup companies. Jim's successful track record includes his role as VP of U.S. Sales for Lunar Corporation. During his five-year tenure with Lunar, annual sales grew from $12 million to $100 million leading to a successful acquisition by GE Medical Systems.

Bruce Shook
President & CEO - Vesper Medical, Inc.
Previously, Mr. Shook was co-founder, Director, President and CEO at Neuron Therapeutics, a venture-backed company developing a drug/device product for the treatment of CNS disorders and President of Abiomed [NASDAQ: ABMD] where he successfully obtained PMA approval for the first, FDA-approved ventricular assist device. Mr. Shook also developed cardiac pacing and anti-arrhythmia products at Cordis Corporation.
Mr. Shook holds advanced degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Business Administration from Columbia University and the MIT Sloan School of Management, respectively. He earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University. Mr. Shook currently serves on the Board of Directors at Devoro Medical, the Penn State Research Foundation and Life Sciences PA. He previously served as a Director at Surgiquest, Respicardia and CoTherix.

Harl Tolbert
Assistant VP of Research - Penn State Research Foundation
Prior to leading Roswell Park's technology transfer efforts, he spent seven years as the Associate Director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Rochester; during his time there, the office was ranked in the top ten in licensing revenues among U.S. universities. Before entering academic technology transfer, he spent several years in the commercial sector, having worked in the Chemical and Agricultural Products Division of Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, Illinois and in the Business Development Group of Pierce Chemical in Rockford, Illinois.

Erika Swift
Associate Director - Penn State College of Medicine
Prior to joining Penn State College of Medicine in 2015, Ms. Swift worked in various industry sectors including medical devices, dental equipment and consumer goods having more than 20 years of experience in regional economic development, technology commercialization, new business development, operations, and startups. Ms. Swift received her Bachelor's Degree in Marketing with a concentration in International Business from Bloomsburg University, an MBA from York College of Pennsylvania, and currently enrolled in MHA program at Penn State University.
Session #3 - Life Science Ventures Addressing COVID-19

Larry Miller
Managing Director of Life Sciences - Innovation Works
Larry has more than 20 years experience in leading and managing medical device companies to identify commercializeable IP and accelerate product development, raise venture capital, manage cash flow, identify market opportunities and generate sales, sustain profits, and implement productivity and quality improvement practices. His background includes 16 years of P&L and balance sheet management of divisions as large as $600M in sales to as small as a skunk works product development team designing novel permanent magnet based MRI systems.
Prior to joining Innovation Works, Larry was President and CEO of Biomec, a privately held technology accelerator and investment company which raised over $20M in SBIR grants and provided contract engineering and manufacturing as well as business development consulting for radiology product manufacturers and distributors. Previously, Larry was President of the Healthcare Products group at Picker International and Philips Medical systems, a $600M distributor of radiology supplies. He also managed the Asia/ Pacific region for sales and service of the diagnostic imaging product portfolio, and was president of the Picker Financial Group, a JV, captive leasing company. Other experience included leading the marketing and sales of CT and MRI products for Picker and General Electric Medical systems. Larry is a member of the Coulter Oversight Committee. He is an active volunteer in the Reading is fundamentals program and in Entrepreneuring Youth. Larry serves a s a judge for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science and for the Pennsylvania Regional Engineering and Science Fair, both organizations support STEM programs.
Larry has earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Pete DeComo
Chairman & CEO - ALung Technologies, Inc.
Mr. DeComo has a passion for advancing the development of Life Science companies in the Pittsburgh region and devotes a majority of his time and effort to numerous entrepreneurial and community-based activities;
• Chairman and CEO, Alung Technologies, Inc.
• Past Chairman, Current Director, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG)
• Past Director, Executive Committee Member, Pittsburgh Technology Council
• Past Chairman, Community College of Allegheny County Educational Foundation
• Past Chairman and Director, ClearCount Medical Solutions, Inc.
Mr. DeComo is recognized for his contributions to the Life Sciences community and has been the recipient of the following awards;
• Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" in Healthcare for 2008
• Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association "Entrepreneur of the Year" for 2008
• CCAC "Hall of Fame Lifetime Legends Award for Leadership" in 2008
• Carnegie Science Center "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2005
• Finalist for the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" in 2004 and 2006
• University of Pittsburgh, School of Health and Rehabilitative Sciences, "Deans Choice Award" in 2005
• University of Pittsburgh "Legacy Laureate" Award in 2005

Tim Pelura
CEO - Respana Therapeutics
Dr. Pelura has enjoyed a long history of growing early/idea stage life science companies through various financing strategies to well-capitalized, successful companies. He is currently the CEO of OptiKira, pursuing therapeutics targeting ER stress and the UPR (unfolded protein response) in several diseases. Additionally, he is CEO of Respana Therapeutics, a startup developing therapeutics to increase influenza survival, and Executive Chair of Haima Therapeutics, developing therapies for bleeding disorders and hematologic diseases. His previous positions include CEO of Surpass, Inc., a preclinical CRO, Chairman, President & CEO of Immunome, an antibody platform company; founding CEO of Promedior, a product-focused biotech company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic disorders and diseases; Chief Scientific Officer for Kereos, a biopharma company focusing on oncology, cardiology, and molecular imaging; President and COO of Provasis Therapeutics, a developer of interventional neurosurgical devices; executive R&D positions at Neuron Therapeutics and Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp; and various positions at Pharmacia, a multinational pharmaceutical company.
Dr. Pelura is also pivotally involved in several non-profit, regional and national life science initiatives, sits on the boards of several biotech organizations, and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Rutgers University.

Teresa Whalen
CEO - CytoAgents, Inc.
In addition, Teresa serves as a Board Member at St. Clair Hospital, a highly regarded healthcare institution with leading quality metrics in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. As a member of the Quality and Safety Committee, I collaborate with the Executive Management other healthcare leaders to optimize care delivery, quality, and patient safety. I also serve as a member of the Community Outreach Committee and Medical Staff Development, focusing on the needs of the community and medical staff.
As an investor, Teresa is a Co-Chair of the investment committee of the Next Act Fund, focused on women led companies, and plays a leading role in sourcing, funding, and guiding firms from startup to exit.
Teresa's background also includes several years of experience as a Senior Executive and Clinical Pharmacist with leading organizations including Siemens Medical, McKesson and UPMC.
Virtual Entertainment & Happy Hour

Zach King
- American Internet Personality, Filmmaker, & Illusionist
King won the Hewlett-Packard commercial contest in 2010 and got a trip to the red carpet at the London Film Festival. In 2013, he won YouTube's NextUp Creators Contest. In 2015, King and his wife Rachel Holm competed in the 28th season of the American reality game show The Amazing Race. They were eliminated during the ninth leg of the race is placed sixth in the overall standings.
Morning Annoucements & Session #4 - Deconstruct Status Quo Thinking to Drive Innovation in Your Company

Nena Ellis
Director - Marketing/Communications - Invent Penn State
Her work has been integral to the successful development of numerous brands, from tech startups to consumer brands, including the snowboard and action sports brand AIRWALK, where she led international marketing, and Sheetz, where she was head of public relations and a member of the brand team that rebranded Sheetz as a "convenience restaurant". Ellis owned a marketing consultancy, GO! Marketing & PR, for more than a decade, providing branding and communications strategy for dozens of regional brands, including two of Penn State's successful biotech startups, Salimetrics and Indigo BioSciences.
Ms. Ellis's strategic approach is characterized by thoughtful brand marketing strategies, creative storytelling, and use of specialized vendor networks to deliver engaging communications, customer-centered tools and training, and public relations events and campaigns that break through media clutter.

Brian Slawin
Director and Portfolio Manager - Ben Franklin Technology Partners
3 Decades of Strategic Leadership, Product & Technology Innovation and Sales Success.
An accomplished operations executive with a comprehensive technology, marketing and sales background.
A proven track-record for building and leading world-class, cross-functional teams in large company and startup settings; both onsite and virtually.
Entrepreneurial and insightful with a clear communications style, skilled at partnering with senior leaders to capitalize on opportunities, manage product development and introduction while guiding sales in a fast-paced environment.
Highly networked with the ability to create business partnerships that maximize profitability.
Proven capacity for managing P&L, driving consistent revenue growth, enhancing customer retention, energizing operational efficiencies and evolving companies from low-margin services to high margin/high quality product offerings.
• Innovative, Entrepreneurial, Pragmatic & Inclusive
• Plan & Implement Process Controls & Standardization
• Process Reengineering, Strategic Planning & Alignment
• Product Development, Management & Evolution
• Develop, Retain & Grow Fortune 1,000 Clients
• Plan, Evaluate & Execute Marketing/Sales Campaigns
• Develop, Nurture and Grow C-Level Sales Teams
• Secure Angel/Venture Funding, Manage Investor Relations
Professional Speaker on Startup and Entrepreneurial Topics at "Slawin Says".
Please connect or email me through LinkedIn.

Sultan Meghji
Chief Innovation Officer - Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Tina Q. Richardson
Chancellor - PENN STATE LEHIGH VALLEY
Richardson came to Penn State Lehigh Valley from Drexel University, where she served as associate dean of academic affairs at Drexel University's School of Education, leading academic program development and evaluation, faculty professional developmentand the promotion and tenure process. She also served as director of the University's Assisted School efforts to improve K-12 public education in West Philadelphia's Promise Zone, working to secure millions of dollars in funding for in- and -out-of-school time programming. She was also the founder of Drexel's Critical Conversations in Urban Education lecture series.
Richardson is a long-term resident of the Lehigh Valley and served as a faculty member in Lehigh University's College of Education for 20 years. She was also director of Lehigh's counseling psychology program and a special assistant to the provost for a National Science Foundation-funded leadership initiative for women in science, technology, engineeringand mathematics.
In December of 2020, she graduated from the Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program and was a member of the 2015-2016 class of American Council on Education Institute for New Presidents. Her extensive leadership experience in education includes a fellowship with the American Council on Education; directing the Higher Education Resource Services Summer Leadership Institute at Bryn Mawr College; leading various study abroad and global citizenship programs; serving as fellow of the State University of New York Global Center for Collaborative Online International Learning initiative; serving as a Fulbright Hayes Scholar in Ghana, West Africa; and leading short programs abroad for K-16 educators.
Richardson earned her bachelor's in psychology, and master's and doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland.
She also serves on the following boards: Building 21 Allentown Advisory Council; ESSA Bank & Trust - Board of Directors; Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network - Board of Trustees; Good Shepherd Penn Partners - Board of Directors; Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce - Executive Committee, Board of Governors, as well as African American Business Leadership Council; Lehigh Valley Community Foundation; Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation - Board of Directors; and the Lehigh Valley Partnership - Executive Committee.
She has been awarded the 2017 Take the Lead award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, and the 2016 Education Excellence Award for her lifetime commitment to educational leadership by Lehigh County and Lehigh Valley My Brother's Keeper. In addition, she received the 2020 Circle of Excellence award from Lehigh Valley Business.
Richardson's personal interests include basketball, golf, matting and framing art, racquetball, and Tai chi.

Kara Wasser
Founder & CEO - OhanaLink Technologies
Session #5 - IP 101 - What Every Startup Needs to Know about IP Protection

Matthew Frederick
Partner, Philadelphia - Reed Smith LLP

Karen Keller
Co-Founder & Partner - Shaw Keller
Karen also serves as a member of the Sedona Conference's Patent Litigation Working Group 10 on Patent Litigation Best Practices and has been a faculty member for various corresponding Working Group Meetings. Karen served as the President of the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the primary liaison between the district court bench and the Delaware federal bar. In 2013, Karen was recognized for her service to the District of Delaware with the Judge Caleb R. Layton, III Service Award.
Taking on pro bono representations is also a regular part of Karen's practice, including a civil rights action for discriminatory arrest in which the jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages. After the district court judge overturned the verdict on post-trial motions, Karen successfully argued the appeal to reinstate the jury's original verdict. She has also successfully represented pro bono clients in immigration, family law matters and before the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals.
Karen has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The Pennsylvania State University and worked at GlaxoSmithKline conducting drug discovery research. Karen prosecuted patent and trademark applications during law school and worked on other intellectual property litigation matters at an intellectual property boutique firm in Philadelphia and at one of Delaware's largest law firms before founding Shaw Keller LLP in 2011.
Karen serves on the Alumni Council of the Penn State Alumni Association and as an appointed member of the Executive Board. She is co-chair of the Penn State Eberly College of Science Millennium Society and is also active in LionLink Career Mentoring and the Lions Roar Alumni Admissions Committee. She is a proud mother of two teenage boys and enjoys spending time with her family at the beach and traveling the globe.

Gary Keller
CEO - Xomix Ltd
Keller is Vice President, Managing Director of the Midwest University Research Network (MRUN), a not for profit consortium of commercialization stakeholders of academic research institutions and Federal laboratories, angel and venture capitalists, and technology accelerators across 14 Midwest States and 2 provinces of Canada. As founding Executive Director of The Florida Institute for Commercialization of Public Research, he established a statewide, quasi-government, not-for-profit corporation for the State of Florida focused on economic development through the commercialization of new discoveries generated from publicly-funded research.
He is Director of Corporate Development and Licensing for Conkwest, Inc., a San Diego based biopharmaceutical company he founded in 2002 that is developing cancer treatment products based its proprietary natural killer (NK) cell line, NK-92. Keller has more than 25 years of experience in business development for leading biotechnology companies including launching products into the United States market for Fison's and Sanyo Scientific through national sales forces and direct sales for biologics and genomics for the Midwest and as National Manager of Cell Therapy for Lonza Walkersville.
Keller is an international delegate for LES and VP of Knowledge Management for LESI and Co-Chair of the LESI GTIF/ Invent for Humanity. He has served as co-chair of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Technology Transfer Committee. He serves on multiple organizations and is a board director for Sinai Health System - Chicago. He has Masters of Biotechnology-Cell Biology & Bioinformatics from Northwestern University's Center for Biotechnology and a Bachelors of Science-Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University.

David Perry
Partner/Co-Chair of IP & Technology - Blank Rome LLP
• Comprehensive U.S. and international brand creation, clearance, enforcement, and counseling
• Prosecution and maintenance of trademark filings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and coordination abroad
• Intellectual property litigation in state and federal jurisdictions and before then Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Copyright counseling and filing before U.S. Copyright Office
• Litigation and strategic advice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") and related anti-circumvention and infringement provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act
• Counseling and practice in Internet law, domain name disputes ("UDRP"), and related litigation
• Preparation and negotiation of publishing, music, media, and entertainment
agreements
• Preparation of domestic and international license agreements of trademarks, copyrights, software, and know-how
• Preparation and negotiation of technology transfer, acquisition, assignment, and confidentiality agreements
• Corporate and financial services diligence and intellectual property structuring
In addition to his family life as a husband and a father of two daughters, David's lifelong passion for music bridges his copyright/IP practice with his band, Athensville, for which he writes and records music on lead guitar. He also combines his penchant for craft beer and branding with his various brewery representations.
Keynote Speaker

Kenneth Frazier
Chairman of the Board and CEO - Merck & Co., Inc.
Under Ken's leadership, Merck is delivering innovative lifesaving medicines and vaccines as well as long-term and sustainable value to its multiple stakeholders. Ken has substantially increased Merck's investment in research, including early research, while refocusing the organization on the launch and growth of key products that provide benefit to society. He has also led the formation of philanthropic and other initiatives that build on Merck's 125-year plus legacy.
Ken joined the company in 1992 and has held positions of increasing responsibility including General Counsel and President. Prior to joining Merck, Ken was a partner with the Philadelphia law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath. Ken's contributions, especially in the legal, business and humanitarian fields, have been widely recognized. He sits on the boards of PhRMA, Weill Cornell Medicine, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Catalyst and Cornerstone Christian Academy in Philadelphia, PA. He also is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, The Business Council, the Council of the American Law Institute, and the American Bar Association. Additionally, Ken is co-chair of the Legal Services Corporation's Leaders Council.
As a strong advocate for social justice and economic inclusion, Mr. Frazier is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Anti-Defamation League Courage Against Hate Award, the Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics from Columbia Business School, the Legend in Leadership Award from the Yale School of Management, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund National Equal Justice Award, and the National Minority Quality Forum's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Mr. Frazier was named one the World's Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine. In 2019, he became the first recipient of the Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award for Healthcare.
Ken received his bachelor's degree from The Pennsylvania State University and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Eric J. Barron
President - Penn State University
In 2017, Barron was named the chairman of the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) for the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU). He also serves on the Board of Directors for APLU, Kish Bancorp, Inc., the Board of Trustees for University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and Universities Research Association (URA). He is also a member of the Knight Commission and the College Football Playoff Board of Managers.
Barron spent the first 20 years of his career at Penn State, serving as dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences from 2002 to 2006, and as founding director of the Earth System Science Center, one of the first major initiatives focused on the total study of Earth as a system. In 1999, he was named Distinguished Professor of Geosciences at Penn State.
An accomplished scientist with a long background in atmospheric research, Barron was the director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Over the decades, Barron has lent his significant expertise in the areas of atmospheric science and the geosciences to many national committees and federal agencies, including nearly 20 years of service as the chair of multiple National Research Council committees and boards.
Barron earned a B.S. in geology at Florida State and his M.S. and Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Miami.
Awards Announcement & Closing Remarks

Dr. Lora Weiss
Sr. Vice President of Research - Penn State University
Weiss is an accomplished scientist and educator with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. With a background in robotics and unmanned systems, Weiss has centered her research on advancing the capabilities of unmanned air, ground, sea surface, and undersea vehicles. Weiss served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which is the world's largest unmanned systems organization. She was on the technical advisory board of the National Robotics Technology Consortium. She was an Executive Board Member for NDIA's Undersea Warfare Division; she supported several National Academies' studies; and she supported the Center for New American Security's Future Foundry Task Force. Weiss received her Ph.D. in acoustics from Penn State, her master's degree in mathematics from UCLA, and her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Boston University.