As the Administrator my role is to oversee post-award and research administration activities tosupport the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (GLM-RFBC). I am very excited to join the team at the Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) at Michigan State University. With regional partners, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems is one of twelve organizations selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a Regional Food Business Center. These centers will help more farm and food businesses access new markets and navigate federal, state, and local resources. In September 2022, USDA announced $400 million available to fund this initiative. Over the next five years, the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center will receive $20 million to launch and coordinate this center with key partners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. For regional tribal support, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture and Food Systems (DAFS), in partnership with the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition (GLIFC), will serve Indigenous farmers and businesses. Over $10 million will be distributed directly to technical assistance providers and eligible business owners.

Creating an Environment to Support Entrepreneurial InnovationAs CEO, I pride myself on working with business incubators, accelerators, co-working labs, maker spaces and other ESOs (Entrepreneurial Support Organizations) in creating the right environment in order to generate entrepreneurial innovation. These environments consist of space, mentors, resources, connections, and networking events which includes the strategy, planning and support for each. I am able to utilize my 17 plus years of experience in incubator operations as well as my InBIA incubator management certification to provide consultation of what works and what doesn't work as it relates to strategy for operations, event planning, community outreach, grant research and funding sources. My 27 years of working in operations, business administration, board relations and event planning in various roles in a university environment also provides the collaborative business experience in working with public/private funding sources, dignitaries in various communities, vendors, sponsors and entrepreneurs.My passion is being engaged with ESOs and "startups" and providing them the tools and environment they need in order to succeed. I also feel it is important to collaborate with the community, local service providers and education systems in order to create/maintain a functional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As the Program Manager for Spartan Innovations in Grand Rapids, I worked collaboratively with cross-functional teams under the MSU Research Foundation to provide program services, investment opportunities, and connections for tech startup companies and entrepreneurs with a focus on the underserved community. The Bridge is a high-tech, high-growth startup incubator that is funded by the City of Grand Rapids with a goal of supporting companies and entrepreneurs by providing them space, mentorship, programs, and resources to grow and expand their companies and/or products.In this role, I managed the implementation of this new incubator and its program and services. I was the liaison between the construction company and Spartan Innovations to keep the build out on track and on time for opening. I oversaw the day-to-day program and organizational operations, including project timeline tracking, property/incubator client management, lease administration, grant administration, vendor and partner relations, digital marketing, event planning and staff development. The one key area was utilizing my knowledge and skill sets to tell the story of the impact our incubator and programs were having for our incubator clients and the community. I used both Salesforce and SharePoint daily to manage data, create / generate reports, create charts for presentations, organized / archived files so that updated information was available for team members to view and use on demand. I was also responsible for the marketing strategy and event planning utilizing my logistical expertise to provide successful programs and networking events.

As the Grants Program Manager, I was responsible for ensuring the successful execution of InBIA's grant-funded programs which included the successful implementation, program and task management, compliance and reporting for current and future grant-funded programs. I was the program manager for the La Idea Incubator Project that was funded by the United States Department of State and the Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA). This project provided the opportunity for entrepreneurs in Central America to directly engage with US-based incubators through virtual bootcamps. This project resulted in a high profiled program impact report prepared in collaboration with Agora and CENPROMYPE.

My role as Operations Manager for aMDI was to oversee the day-to-day operations of the institute and manage the entrepreneurial and incubator services, marketing and outreach, budget and grant management. I was also responsible for coordinating the activities of aMDI by working collaboratively with clients, industry professionals, national, state and local grant funding agencies and community entrepreneurial support organizations. I have 17 years experience operating a life science and technology incubator and accelerator, 27 years experience working in a university environment, expertise in outreach, educational and entrepreneurial event coordination and collaboration and expertise in establishing entrepreneurial resource networks. I was a member of the Women of MichBio Committee, a member for the planning committee for the Great Lakes International Innovation Summit (GLIn2), a member of the Michigan Business Innovation Association (MBIA), a member of the Native American Advocacy Council (NAAC) at GVSU, a member of the International Innovation Business Association (InBIA) with a certification in incubator management and Vice Chairperson for the KISD Health Science Early College Academy for Biomedical Sciences.My passion is engaging with ESOs and "startups" and providing them the tools and environment they need in order to succeed within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As Program Manager for the Michigan SBIR/STTR Assistance Program, I was responsible for coordinating all aspects of SBIR / STTR training, outreach and reporting efforts in Michigan.

I worked with the MBIA Executive Team as Operations Manager taking care of daily operations for the association and assisting with the marketing, event planning & logistics, membership development, project management, research and business outreach and the day to day accounting.

The Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship is an event that celebrates and promotes entrepreneurship across the state of Michigan. ACE brings together entrepreneurs, service providers, investors, students, government agents and other members of the business community to network, learn and connect.ACE began in Michigan in 2001 as a joint meeting hosted by the New Enterprise Forum (NEF) and the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Great Lakes. As Co-Chair for ACE'17, I was responsible for recruiting additional organizations to participate in organizing, supporting and promoting the event, and the scope of ACE had grown to encompass participants from across the state of Michigan. Through these collaborations, ACE garnered attention from participants and was featured in many news publications. Other responsibilities included the detailed logistics of the event for space, exhibitors, marketing and sponsors.

■ Managed day-to-day operations of multiple incubators and accelerators which included incubator client & facility management, maintained various programs with their own budgets, grant compliance, accounting, data entry/management, metrics, statistics, marketing, outreach, events and HR hires and onboarding.■ Responsible for budget strategy, preparation, and reconciliation from multiple funding sources■ Prepared financial statements for analysis, strategic planning, and projections.■ Established and managed networking relationships with incubator clients, clients, service providers, faculty, academic colleagues, and students across the state.■ Prepared lease agreements between incubator clients and the business incubators as well as with the university as the facility and fiscal agent.■ Accountable for grant management, compliance, invoicing and reporting from various funding sources (local, state, federal governments, foundations, and university).■ Responsible for procurement, delivery and setup of lab and office equipment■ Strategically researched, planned, and implemented grant programs which included preparing budgets, seeking funding opportunities, supervising grant staff, monitoring expenditures, identifying support agencies, tracking results, and analyzing financial data.■ Enjoyed working with community organizations on collaborative grant proposal submissions.■ Worked directly with the program directors to keep them on track for program initiatives and grant accountability.■ Worked directly with Marketing Director on marketing and event strategy, planning and logistical support for all in-house, community and collaborative events.■ Worked with the Executive Director in strategizing on personnel for GR Current and multiple programs.■ Accountable for HR document preparation according to grant guidelines and onboarding process.■ Implemented, maintained, and modified policies and processes.■ Provided guidance and mentorship to all personnel.

■ Provided strategic and business plans for future growth of the incubator.■ Played an integral part in making the incubator self-sustainable within the university environment.■ Utilized my civil learning to create community partnerships to provide expertise and support to entrepreneurs and startups at a low cost.■ Provided leadership in establishing our marketing, public relations, and community outreach goals.■ Supervised the Communications Director, Marketing Manager and Business Analyst.

■ Executive level management for the President, each Executive Officer, Senior Management Team and for the Board of Directors for the university.■ Responsible for direct communication, both written and verbal, with the Board of Trustees, dignitaries from the community and Michigan legislature.■ Worked with the Community Relations Coordinator to create, organize and logistically support all the university and community events that were supported by the President’s Office.■ Created and integrated new processes for workflow and event management.■ Supervised student graduate assistants.

■ Worked with Executive Director in strategically starting up the new center.■ Provided executive administrative support to the Executive Director■ Responsible for Grant management of W.K. Kellogg award which required creating, managing, and reconciling several reports.■ Responsible for Grant management of awards provided to Faculty that integrated a service-learning module into their curriculum.■ Responsible for event planning and logistics (local and national) to support the philanthropic vision and mission of the center.■ Enjoyed community outreach and business development.■ Responsible for budget strategy, management and reporting for the center.■ Responsible for day-to-day operations.■ Student and intern supervisor.

Co-Chair of the Planning Committee for all the MBIA events including the annual conference. Assisted with the marketing strategy and membership review.