Staff Directory
Leadership Team
Jim serves as the Assistant Vice President for Commercialization, leading UF Innovate, the umbrella organization over Tech Licensing, Sid Martin Biotech and The Hub. Jim is also the director of Tech Licensing. He works with internal and external constituents to provide strategic leadership and direction in building and capitalizing on facilities, expertise and technology at UF.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jim directed the tech transfer office at the University of Miami and served as the director of the Michigan Venture Center at the University of Michigan. Jim came to tech transfer with 20 years of industry experience. He worked in two startups in the medical device industry. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter pilot.
Jim earned his M.S. in engineering management from the University of Maryland and his B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic.
As the director of UF Innovate | Ventures, Dr. Jackson Streeter will lead efforts to fuel consistent growth in the number and quality of UF technology-based startup companies. He will source new venture investments, prepare in-depth financial and data analyses for potential investments, work closely with angel groups and other investment funds, and develop entrepreneurs. Jackson will serve as a liaison between public and private sectors in the application and implementation of an investment program intended to support UF startups.
Link to a PDF of Jackson’s biography.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jackson was the CEO and executive director of the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, a seed-stage venture fund investing in companies commercializing technologies developed at Florida universities, colleges or research institutes. Under his direction, the fund created more than 50 companies with private investment matching Florida state funding at a 9:1 ratio. Jackson also served as the CEO of Banyan Biomarkers, a UF startup commercializing the first-ever blood test for traumatic brain injury that received FDA clearance in early 2018. Jackson also founded and served as CEO for PhotoThera, Inc., where he raised more than $120M in private capital and designed and managed five U.S. and international clinical trials for the treatment of stroke. He also co-founded American Veterinary Laser, which was acquired in a private transaction.
Jackson is the inventor of more than 20 patented technologies and the author on multiple scientific publications.
He earned his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Nevada Reno and his M.D. from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, completing a general surgery internship at Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and then primary flight school at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. During his military service, he was the first naval flight surgeon selected as a Top Gun staff instructor, served on several overseas deployments, and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.
Karl R. LaPan was appointed director of UF Innovate | Accelerate in May 2021. He oversees its business incubation, commercialization programs and promotes the entrepreneurial energy and community within the Gainesville Innovation District and Progress District in Alachua, FL.
Printable version of Karl’s bio sketch is available here.
UF Innovate | Accelerate operates two best-in-class facilities encompassing nearly 130,000 sq feet, has a resident client portfolio of over 90 active companies, an average client wage rate 43% higher than the state of Florida average, assisted in securing nearly $11.3 billion in client invested capital, and since inception, provided support to over 250 client companies. Since its inception, the UF Innovate | Accelerate program has generated over $20.6B in economic impact, advancing the Gator Nation’s impact globally.
Before his appointment, he was the president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He led the globally award-winning entrepreneurial support organization and launched tech-based economic and entrepreneurial programs to serve the under-represented segments in Northeast Indiana. He and his team created innovative growth programs for accelerating early-stage company development to increase the survivability rate of nascent companies and create a vibrant ecosystem to nurture the development and commercialization of promising technologies.
Before that position, he served as the president and CEO of an advanced biometric identification company, NBS Imaging Systems. He started his career at General Electric and worked in six different strategic business units of GE, including Aircraft Engines, Power Systems, Marine Services, Appliances, Corporate Headquarters, and Financial Services. He is also a program graduate of their prestigious Financial Management Program.
Karl is an advisory board member of the College of Business (COBAB) at his alma mater, Franklin Pierce University, the current president of the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA), and an adjunct instructor in Entrepreneurship at Franklin Pierce University. Previously, he served on the Board of BioPoly LLC, an orthobiologics early-stage company. Additionally, he is a community advisory board member for the InBIA Ecosystem Builder Leadership Project (EBLP).
Karl’s professional interests are healthcare, innovation/entrepreneurship, and customer experience. Previously, he was an associate faculty member in the MBA program at IPFW and an Executive-in-Residence/Adjunct Faculty member in the MBA program at Taylor University. Additionally, he served on the Taylor MBA Business Advisory Board, IPFW Doermer School of Business Advisory Council & IPFW ETCS Industrial Advisory Board, Manchester University President’s Leadership Council, and the IU School of Medicine-Ft. Wayne Advisory Board.
After 18 years of service, Karl retired from the Board and his position as Secretary of Physicians Health Plan (PHP), a physician-owned and managed not-for-profit HMO, and, before its sale, he was a former board member of IAB Financial, a $1B community bank, where he chaired the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Additionally, he served on the Board of directors of the Indiana Chamber, assisted in the implementation of a system-wide innovation program at Parkview Health, and was on an advisory board for the Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center. Additionally, he received the IPFW Chancellor’s Award and the InBIA President’s Award of Excellence.
LaPan received his Bachelor of Science, business management, summa cum laude from Franklin Pierce University. He obtained his master’s degree in human resource development from American University in Washington, DC, and is a Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society member. He has completed executive education programs in non-profit leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation at Stanford University, Harvard University, Babson College, and the University of Notre Dame.
He is the author of several books, including his most recent book, published in May 2021, entitled Entrepreneurial Hacks: Practical Insights for Business Builders.
Jennifer is a dedicated professional based in Gainesville, Florida, holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida. With a strong educational background, she has earned additional certifications, including the lnBIA Incubator Manager Certificate, We Love Mentors Certified Startup Mentor, and Entrepreneurial Mindset Certified Entrepreneur Coach.
A printable version of Jennifer’s bio sketch is available here.
Jennifer is the driving force behind UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub, one of the largest single-use incubator facilities in the US. Since joining The Hub in 2016, she has excelled in maintaining occupancy and revenue goals, implementing innovative client-centric programs, and spearheading new initiatives and special projects. Her commitment and leadership were pivotal in The Hub receiving the 2018 International Business Innovation Association (lnBIA) Global Mixed-Use Incubator of the Year award.
Jennifer is a seasoned professional, bringing a wealth of experience from diverse sectors, including sales, hospitality, real estate law, finance, and accounting. Her proficiency extends to finance, operations, strategic planning, project management, data analysis, problem-solving, and leadership.
Outside her professional endeavors, Jennifer is active in the community. She proudly serves as a board member for the Alachua Junior Achievement and the Florida Business Incubator Association. A graduate of Leadership Gainesville (Go Green!), she exemplifies values such as compassion, respect, resilience, courage, passion, and imagination.
In her personal life, Jennifer’s journey started in some of the finest restaurants in South Florida and Atlanta before transitioning to a successful career in business. Her ultimate goal is to foster a safe, encouraging, and supportive community for entrepreneurs to start, grow, and thrive.
Beyond her professional achievements, Jennifer enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, and indulging in her love for food and wine. A fun fact about Jennifer is that she was born in the hospital once located on the very land where she now passionately works.
Elliott works on programs and progress for startup companies in UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua.
Before joining UF Innovate, Elliott was a business development intern for ReliOx Corporation, a resident startup at Sid Martin Biotech; a legal assistant for Robert S. Griscti, Esq., assisting him in his practice of white-collar criminal law, criminal defense, federal and state litigation, professional licensing and appeals; and volunteered with the North Central Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
He earned his BA in history with a minor in teaching English as a second language (2013) and MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and marketing (2017) from UF. He was a Bob Graham Center for Public Service Student Fellow and Poe Center for Business Ethics Education and Research MBA Fellow.
Printable version of Elliott’s bio sketch is available here.
Tech Licensing
Autumn Arranz joined UF Innovate in March of 2019 as a Licensing Associate working with Richard Croley in the fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and software. They review invention disclosures to determine patentability or commercial potential by meeting with innovators to determine if a patent, trademark or copyright should be filed She manages all aspects of the patenting process, including implementation of all federal reporting obligations as required under the Bayh-Dole Act, comply with all federal and state grants and regulations.
Before joining UF Innovate, Autumn worked for the University of Miami in the Office of Technology Transfer as the Patent Coordinator. She primarily focused her efforts on database management and analysis for all submitted Invention Disclosures, Ideas, Patent Prosecution activity and Agreements such as Licenses, MTAs and CDAs. She also provided research data/analysis reporting to University colleagues and Leadership as well as special projects with regard to individuals and companies working with UM based technologies.
Prior to joining the University of Miami, she spent 17 years in the Aviation private sector with a focus on Human Resources and Government Contracting including solicitation and management of two consecutive DoD awarded contracts. Autumn’s training and experience include Grant and Solicitation drafts, Government and ISO Audits and compliance and research/analysis reporting.
Autumn received her B.A in Journalism/Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Noel works with Licensing Officer Anita Rao, assisting in portfolio management for the life science area. She and Anita manage invention disclosures, patent prosecution, MTAs, CDAs, research agreements and licensing agreements for UF innovators in the life sciences. Many of her innovators are those in the UF Departments of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Before joining Tech Licensing in 2001, Noel worked at the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami. She worked at UF Innovate | Tech Licensing until 2009, moved to the University of South Florida’s tech transfer office for 2010-June 2014, and then returned to UF in her current role.
Noel graduated from Florida International University with a master’s degree in criminal justice.
Mel assists with new disclosure triage, coordination of patentability review and timeliness of filing, and management of patent applications from filing through expiration. She assists with marketing IP to identify commercial partners, completion of CDAs/NDAs, and throughout the negotiation process to execution of licenses. She liaises with innovators, patent attorneys, and licensees on patent strategy matters. She manages federal compliance and commercially funded reporting obligations for IP.
Mel began her work at UF as an OPS/Clerk in October 2004, became a senior secretary in March 2005, and moved into the Licensing Associate position in July 2007. In addition to her core responsibilities, Mel also served at MTA Coordinator from 2005-2014.
She graduated with a B.A. in pre-law from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Sara handles marketing and communications for all of the entities under UF Innovate. On any given day, she works with the licensing teams to showcase new technologies by University of Florida researchers, mines news about our startups or innovators to share on social media, edits website content or finds a solution for one more glitch, creates flyers or documents for events, plans events, and writes articles about the exciting happenings at UF Innovate.
After joining the UF Innovate team in 2014 as a technical editor, she has led the marketing department and worked with a team of interns who write non-confidential stories about technologies, write prior art searches, work with startups to help create business plans and more, promote the never-ending list of Pathways events, or facilitate material transfer agreements. In this whirlwind of “spinning plates,” as she likes to call it, Sara is forced to use both sides of her brain, interpreting “science speak” to communicate to a business audience. Previously, she used both sides of her brain teaching Algebra and English to middle and high school students. She also worked at The Gainesville Sun as a writer and editor.
Sara holds a B.S. in journalism and a M.Ed. in educational technology from the University of Florida. In her free time, she writes a personal blog at All Things Work Together and podcasts Sara’s Shorts, pocket-sized stories for the soul.
Andrea serves as a marketing and communications manager, supporting all UF Innovate entities. In her role, Andrea is the tech editor for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing, working closely with the licensing teams and interns to write and edit non-confidential summaries for technologies and conduct prior searches. In addition, she also specializes in social media, curating news briefs, photographing happenings at UF Innovate, and managing the content going out on the Tech Licensing social channels, with the support of a social media intern.
Andrea got her start in tech transfer when she joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing as a marketing intern in 2018. She quickly transitioned out of that role and moved into that of a social media intern, handling the content going out on the Tech Licensing social channels until her graduation from the University of Florida in 2020. Andrea gained industry experience working for a digital marketing agency as a social media specialist and digital marketing coordinator, furthering her passion for social media, communications, and customer service. She returned to UF Innovate in 2022, ready to make the world a better place, an innovation at a time.
Andrea holds a B.S. in agricultural education and communication, with a specialization in communication and leadership development (CLD), and a minor in mass communications from the University of Florida. In her free time, you can find Andrea cooking, baking, and discovering everything Gainesville has to offer.
Penny assists in arranging the material transfer agreements (MTAs) for researchers to receive or send research materials. These are predominately (but not all) in the nature of “scientific sharing” for academic research and do not include fee-for-service agreements (DSP), purchase agreements (Procurement), sponsored research or grants (DSP), or clinical trial agreements (OCT).
When materials are requested from a UF researcher, Penny can assist in determining if an MTA is needed to send the material to another academic researcher. If an MTA is needed, she takes over coordinating the request with the requester’s technology office. If a for-profit entity is requesting material, in conjunction with the appropriate licensing officer, Tech Licensing can consider whether a license is more appropriate. In either case, Penny will evaluate the IP terms and their ramifications on the researcher’s work and potential publications. It is important that materials not be transferred without an MTA as the sender may lose valuable rights.
When a UF researcher requests material from another academic institution or for-profit company, Penny assists in reviewing and revising the agreement provided, or suggests an agreement form if the provider does not have one. She reviews the terms and implications with each researcher to be sure the agreements are understood and acceptable. The goal is to free scientists to work on science instead of administrative paperwork.
Prior to coming to UF, Penny was an attorney in private practice, working in real estate development and private corporations. She graduated from Emory University Law School and Stetson University.
Rachel serves as a licensing officer, working with researchers in the life sciences, usually in the medical or biomedical space. Previously, Rachel worked as the licensing liaison, working in concert with the licensing teams to review and track biological materials and related rights, particularly those related to AAV gene therapy. Now she works to protect intellectual property and license technologies to industry members that can make the most of UF research.
Before joining Tech Licensing as a licensing liaison in 2016, Rachel was a postdoctoral researcher at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center of the Ohio State University.
She graduated with a B.S. from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in the biological sciences from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Sally joined UF Innovate |Tech Licensing as a licensing associate in September 2019. In October 2023, she was promoted to the position of compliance manager & analyst.
A Navy veteran and native of Michigan, Sally has held various executive support positions throughout her career. Upon her discharge from the Navy, she began working for the criminal court system. She held the position of crime victim rights advocate for the Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Michigan for seven years. She also worked as the executive assistant to the chief operating officer for Kalamazoo Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services in Michigan.
In June 2014, Sally began working for the University of Florida as a grants specialist in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Prior to joining UF Innovate | Tech Licensing, she worked as the assistant to the associate provost for the Office of Undergraduate Affairs.
In 2020, Melissa joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing as a licensing officer and works in the medical, biotechnology, chemical, and software disciplines to connect faculty and their inventions with licensees. An active member of the Florida startup community, she is the founder of a medical device company working in the field of pharmacogenomics. She currently holds a faculty appointment at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
As a faculty member at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Melissa headed a biomarker research group that developed diagnostics, conducted clinical trials, and investigated the biological applications of nanoparticles. Previously, she was a founding research member of the NanoScience Technology Center at the University of Central Florida, and she was part of the Operational and Evaluation Division at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), where she worked closely with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. She has been an invited speaker and presenter at conferences, including the American Chemical Society, Society for Neuroscience, Materials Research Society, the American Association for Cancer Research, and BioFlorida.
A returning Gator, Melissa earned her B.S. in chemistry from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where her research focused on radiopharmaceutical design and synthesis in conjunction with Harvard Medical School.
Hera joined UF Innovate | Tech Licensing in March 2019 as a licensing officer, mostly working in the medical and biomedical disciplines. She works closely with faculty to help protect and license their innovations.
Before joining UF Innovate, Hera worked for almost 20 years in industry, most recently in Program Management at ThermoFisher (former BrammerBio) and Lonza. She also worked at Dyax Corp (now Shire PLC ) and in various roles at start-up companies. She gained her previous experience as a licensing officer in The Netherlands at the University of Maastricht.
Hera received her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and completed her postdoctoral training at St. Mary’s Hospital/Imperial College, London (UK), and MGH/Harvard Medical School where she also had a faculty instructor position.
Leah is the Contracts Analyst for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing. If you have questions, are experiencing technical difficulties, or need a troubleshooter, she is the person to call. Leah receives, assigns, and processes agreements for the licensing teams. In addition, Leah works with three licensing teams to help coordinate their conversations with inventors and/or outside parties and to send correspondence on their behalf.
Leah has worked for the State of Florida for 8 years and has worked for UF Innovate | Tech Licensing since November 2017.
Dawn supervises two administrative support assistants who, in turn, support 12 Tech Licensing staff members. She assists Jim O’Connell, who directs Tech Licensing and the umbrella organization, UF Innovate. She also assists Jackson Streeter, Director of UF Innovate | Ventures. And in those ways (and many more), Dawn assists all members of the organization.
She schedules and prepares agendas and handouts, coordinates internal meetings as well as meetings with high-level visitors. She coordinates travel, arranges for business meals, prepares reports and presentations, handles the office budget, reconciles expenditures, assists in planning and implementing investor and innovator events, maintains the UF Innovate van and golf cart, keeps office and break room supplies ordered and available, and otherwise keeps the office running like a well-oiled machine.
Before joining UF Innovate | Tech Licensing in 2003, Dawn worked as a legal secretary for a law office and as a bank accounting clerk.
Dawn studied accounting at East Stroudsburg University and Northampton County Community College in Pennsylvania.
Jim serves as the Assistant Vice President for Commercialization, leading UF Innovate, the umbrella organization over Tech Licensing, Sid Martin Biotech and The Hub. Jim is also the director of Tech Licensing. He works with internal and external constituents to provide strategic leadership and direction in building and capitalizing on facilities, expertise and technology at UF.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jim directed the tech transfer office at the University of Miami and served as the director of the Michigan Venture Center at the University of Michigan. Jim came to tech transfer with 20 years of industry experience. He worked in two startups in the medical device industry. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter pilot.
Jim earned his M.S. in engineering management from the University of Maryland and his B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic.
As Financial Analyst/Contracts Administrator Adrienne provides pertinent metrics for the Tech Licensing office to the UF Board of Trustees, the State University System Board of Governors, to departments and colleges across campus, as well as to AUTM, the professional organization that completes an annual licensing survey of universities before issuing a fiscal year ranking. Adrienne also monitors the financial progress of the office budget throughout the fiscal year. She works with the UFRF business office on a daily basis to ensure that all financial terms of Agreements remain in compliance.
In addition to her role as Financial Analyst/Contracts Administrator, Adrienne also manages the database, streamlining processes for the tech licensing office. Prior to this role, she served as a licensing associate for John Byatt and as an administrative assistant.
Patti works with Licensing Officer Hera Lichtenbeld, assisting in portfolio management for the life science area. She and Hera manage invention disclosures, patent prosecution, MTAs, CDAs, research agreements and licensing agreements for UF innovators in the life sciences. Many of the innovators are those working in the medical and biomedical disciplines.
Patti is a returning retiree, having previously worked eighteen years in our Tech Licensing office. She worked at UF Innovate | Tech Licensing until 2021, and then returned to UF in her current role in 2024.
Patti’s background prior to Tech Licensing includes several years in the legal profession with a career as a Paralegal.
Patti is a “project” person. In her spare time, she enjoys landscaping the yard and doing other home improvement projects.
Lenny works with innovators and technologies from chemistry, materials science, and chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering. He has successfully negotiated over 290 licenses and has helped to start more than 40 companies.
When Lenny joined Tech Licensing in 2007, he had more than 20 years of industrial chemical experience. He has held multiple research positions with Milliken Specialty Chemical and Ciba Vision Corporation. He worked as a Business Development Manager for Clariant Specialty Chemicals for ten years. He is an inventor on 24 U.S. patents related to the contact lens and personal care markets.
Lenny earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Richmond in 1981 and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Emory University in 1986.
Mingder joined UF Innovate as a licensing officer in January 2024, bringing 11 years of experience with the type 1 diabetes research group at UF. Prior to joining UF, Mingder served as a research scientist in a startup company for 9 years, focusing on the commercialization of patented technologies that he co-invented to enhance animal health and production efficiency.
In his role at UF Innovate, Mingder collaborates with inventors from IFAS, Veterinary, and Dental Schools to safeguard intellectual property. He also assists in the process of commercializing these technologies to contribute to the betterment of society. Mingder holds a B.S. from National Taiwan University, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Nutrition and Immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Accelerate
Jennifer is a dedicated professional based in Gainesville, Florida, holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida. With a strong educational background, she has earned additional certifications, including the lnBIA Incubator Manager Certificate, We Love Mentors Certified Startup Mentor, and Entrepreneurial Mindset Certified Entrepreneur Coach.
A printable version of Jennifer’s bio sketch is available here.
Jennifer is the driving force behind UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub, one of the largest single-use incubator facilities in the US. Since joining The Hub in 2016, she has excelled in maintaining occupancy and revenue goals, implementing innovative client-centric programs, and spearheading new initiatives and special projects. Her commitment and leadership were pivotal in The Hub receiving the 2018 International Business Innovation Association (lnBIA) Global Mixed-Use Incubator of the Year award.
Jennifer is a seasoned professional, bringing a wealth of experience from diverse sectors, including sales, hospitality, real estate law, finance, and accounting. Her proficiency extends to finance, operations, strategic planning, project management, data analysis, problem-solving, and leadership.
Outside her professional endeavors, Jennifer is active in the community. She proudly serves as a board member for the Alachua Junior Achievement and the Florida Business Incubator Association. A graduate of Leadership Gainesville (Go Green!), she exemplifies values such as compassion, respect, resilience, courage, passion, and imagination.
In her personal life, Jennifer’s journey started in some of the finest restaurants in South Florida and Atlanta before transitioning to a successful career in business. Her ultimate goal is to foster a safe, encouraging, and supportive community for entrepreneurs to start, grow, and thrive.
Beyond her professional achievements, Jennifer enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, and indulging in her love for food and wine. A fun fact about Jennifer is that she was born in the hospital once located on the very land where she now passionately works.
Courtney oversees the maintenance, housekeeping, and general upkeep of the almost 100,000 square-foot technology incubator, UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub. She manages the inventory of building assets, space allocation, as well as accounts payable approver. She also serves as the liaison between the resident clients at The Hub and UF departments such as Information Technology, Facilities Services, and Environmental Health and Safety. Courtney interfaces with clients on a daily basis to solve problems, manage space, and create growth opportunities. She also handles event management, including room layouts, catering management, and scheduling. She manages data input and data management for the contact management system for The Hub.
Before joining UF Innovate in 2017, Courtney was the Facilities and Administration Manager at Naylor Association Solutions located in Gainesville. She was responsible for a 60,000 square foot commercial building, served as executive assistant to the CEO, as well as coordinated events. Prior to relocating to Gainesville, Courtney worked for 13 years in the print media industry in a variety of roles including media buying, sales, and production.
Courtney earned her B.S in advertising from the University of Florida.
Karl R. LaPan was appointed director of UF Innovate | Accelerate in May 2021. He oversees its business incubation, commercialization programs and promotes the entrepreneurial energy and community within the Gainesville Innovation District and Progress District in Alachua, FL.
Printable version of Karl’s bio sketch is available here.
UF Innovate | Accelerate operates two best-in-class facilities encompassing nearly 130,000 sq feet, has a resident client portfolio of over 90 active companies, an average client wage rate 43% higher than the state of Florida average, assisted in securing nearly $11.3 billion in client invested capital, and since inception, provided support to over 250 client companies. Since its inception, the UF Innovate | Accelerate program has generated over $20.6B in economic impact, advancing the Gator Nation’s impact globally.
Before his appointment, he was the president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He led the globally award-winning entrepreneurial support organization and launched tech-based economic and entrepreneurial programs to serve the under-represented segments in Northeast Indiana. He and his team created innovative growth programs for accelerating early-stage company development to increase the survivability rate of nascent companies and create a vibrant ecosystem to nurture the development and commercialization of promising technologies.
Before that position, he served as the president and CEO of an advanced biometric identification company, NBS Imaging Systems. He started his career at General Electric and worked in six different strategic business units of GE, including Aircraft Engines, Power Systems, Marine Services, Appliances, Corporate Headquarters, and Financial Services. He is also a program graduate of their prestigious Financial Management Program.
Karl is an advisory board member of the College of Business (COBAB) at his alma mater, Franklin Pierce University, the current president of the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA), and an adjunct instructor in Entrepreneurship at Franklin Pierce University. Previously, he served on the Board of BioPoly LLC, an orthobiologics early-stage company. Additionally, he is a community advisory board member for the InBIA Ecosystem Builder Leadership Project (EBLP).
Karl’s professional interests are healthcare, innovation/entrepreneurship, and customer experience. Previously, he was an associate faculty member in the MBA program at IPFW and an Executive-in-Residence/Adjunct Faculty member in the MBA program at Taylor University. Additionally, he served on the Taylor MBA Business Advisory Board, IPFW Doermer School of Business Advisory Council & IPFW ETCS Industrial Advisory Board, Manchester University President’s Leadership Council, and the IU School of Medicine-Ft. Wayne Advisory Board.
After 18 years of service, Karl retired from the Board and his position as Secretary of Physicians Health Plan (PHP), a physician-owned and managed not-for-profit HMO, and, before its sale, he was a former board member of IAB Financial, a $1B community bank, where he chaired the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Additionally, he served on the Board of directors of the Indiana Chamber, assisted in the implementation of a system-wide innovation program at Parkview Health, and was on an advisory board for the Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center. Additionally, he received the IPFW Chancellor’s Award and the InBIA President’s Award of Excellence.
LaPan received his Bachelor of Science, business management, summa cum laude from Franklin Pierce University. He obtained his master’s degree in human resource development from American University in Washington, DC, and is a Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society member. He has completed executive education programs in non-profit leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation at Stanford University, Harvard University, Babson College, and the University of Notre Dame.
He is the author of several books, including his most recent book, published in May 2021, entitled Entrepreneurial Hacks: Practical Insights for Business Builders.
Allen provides maintenance services for both UF Innovate | Accelerate facilities, The Hub and Sid Martin Biotech. He maintains and repairs each building in order to support our innovation ecosystem. Allen obtains proposals from private vendors and coordinates with UF Facilities Services, PD&C, contractors, and program clients on a wide range of building projects. He prepares offices and labs for new startups, manages bio-hazard waste activities, performs water and autoclave testing, and resolves various building issues.
Before joining UF Innovate | Accelerate, Allen worked at the UF Warrington College of Business. He has also been a business owner and was the facilities maintenance engineer for Le Triomphe Golf Club, a private golf club that hosts the PGA Tour’s Louisiana Open each year.
Brittany provides general administrative functions for UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech, including handling reception, scheduling meetings, coordinating calendars, preparing correspondence, and providing routine office support.
Before joining the team at Sid Martin, Brittany worked in customer service and multiple medical environments.
Brittany has earned two A.S. degrees from Santa Fe College, one in health information technology and the other in cardiovascular technology.
Lissette is The Hub’s accounting extraordinaire. She prepares monthly invoices for Hub clients and maintains the sub-ledger accounting system. Lissette processes Pcard transactions, expense reports, accounts payable, and monthly reconciliations reports. She assists the incubator manager with financial reports and monthly auditing as well as provides support for all internal and external Hub events.
Before joining The Hub in 2017, Lissette worked in many industries including a law firm in Miami and some of the best food and beverage establishments in Chicago. She has many years of experience in customer service, sales, marketing/social media, billing, and administration.
Lissette graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has completed her Fiscal Management Certificate at UF and is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish.
Lexi is responsible for providing direct and indirect support to assist resident and external clients of UF Innovate | Accelerate. Her duties include organizing and implementing entrepreneurial programming and connecting clients with local and program resources such as business development assistance, access to shared and support services, and networking/entrepreneurial community building. She plans and executes events such as Innovation Hours, Lunch & Learns, vendor shows, and workshops for both the Hub and Sid Martin Biotech. She strives to build a service culture of excellence for our entrepreneurial community through surprise and delight and memorable experiences for our clients.
Lexi graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in tourism, event, and recreation management, with a specialization in tourism and hospitality management. Post-graduation, she spent a year with the Kraft Heinz Company as a Planters Brand Specialist, driving the Planters NUTmobile across the country! Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Lexi worked in several managerial roles in the hotel industry at brands including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt.
Kat Scott is a full-time Administrative Assistant for UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub. Her primary duties include greeting clients (current and prospective), scheduling conference room bookings, and assisting with the particulars of community management within the incubator. She also provides fresh coffee and refreshments for residents to enjoy throughout the day while they are hard at work developing their technologies.
Before accepting her position as Administrative Assistant in 2021, she worked providing customer service and hospitality in the food industry. Kat studies various disciplines within the realm of visual arts and storytelling and can be often seen jotting down notes and sketches of her own.
Birk is responsible for managing technical services and laboratory areas at UF Innovate | Accelerate @ Sid Martin Biotech. As an experienced chemist, Birk assists startup companies with technical questions, shared equipment training, and maintenance of shared scientific instruments. He also ensures regulatory compliance, assists with facility operations and improvement initiatives, and acts as an IT liaison, ensuring seamless operations and a safe environment, fostering an atmosphere conducive to innovation and research.
Birk grew up in Iowa and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. Post-graduation, he moved to Gainesville to help plant a church, utilizing his skills in event production and music, while also working at the University of Florida. He began at the UF College of Pharmacy in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry as a laboratory technician responsible for managing the department’s shared lab spaces and scientific equipment, ensuring safe research activities. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2023, he worked at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Translational Drug Development Core. There, he developed LCMS methods for core projects, assisted with drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies, and performed timely data analysis to report high-quality results to the clients.
Addy is an administrative support assistant for UF Innovate | Accelerate at The Hub. Her duties include onboarding and exiting employees, providing residents with fresh coffee, assisting with renewals, and managing conference room bookings.
Addy graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in forest resources and conservation. Following graduation, Addy completed a service year through AmeriCorps, where she worked to eradicate invasive species, collaborated with the team members to focus on habitat restoration, and improved professional expertise and knowledge by completing chainsaw, wildland fire, and CPR/First Aid certifications. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Addy worked in customer service and property management.
Elliott works on programs and progress for startup companies in UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua.
Before joining UF Innovate, Elliott was a business development intern for ReliOx Corporation, a resident startup at Sid Martin Biotech; a legal assistant for Robert S. Griscti, Esq., assisting him in his practice of white-collar criminal law, criminal defense, federal and state litigation, professional licensing and appeals; and volunteered with the North Central Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
He earned his BA in history with a minor in teaching English as a second language (2013) and MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and marketing (2017) from UF. He was a Bob Graham Center for Public Service Student Fellow and Poe Center for Business Ethics Education and Research MBA Fellow.
Printable version of Elliott’s bio sketch is available here.
Lillian started at UF Innovate | Accelerate as an administrative assistant at UF Innovate | Accelerate’s Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua, Florida. She now goes between the Hub and Sid Martin as an administrative coordinator, providing administrative support to the executive team and conducting research. She also prepares and edits documents, presentations, and reports. Like a catch-all net, she handles multitudes of different projects and tasks.
Lillian graduated from Florida State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in social science, with concentrations in environmental studies and law & policy. She worked at a state agency and held multiple leadership positions within her sorority, Delta Zeta. Post-graduation, Lilly spent a year living in Tallahassee, building connections in the legal field. Before joining the UF Innovate | Accelerate team in 2022, Lilly worked at a small law firm under a city attorney and at The Florida Bar. Lilly is a Gainesville native and is happy to be back in The Swamp.
Ventures
As the director of UF Innovate | Ventures, Dr. Jackson Streeter will lead efforts to fuel consistent growth in the number and quality of UF technology-based startup companies. He will source new venture investments, prepare in-depth financial and data analyses for potential investments, work closely with angel groups and other investment funds, and develop entrepreneurs. Jackson will serve as a liaison between public and private sectors in the application and implementation of an investment program intended to support UF startups.
Link to a PDF of Jackson’s biography.
Before joining UF Innovate, Jackson was the CEO and executive director of the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, a seed-stage venture fund investing in companies commercializing technologies developed at Florida universities, colleges or research institutes. Under his direction, the fund created more than 50 companies with private investment matching Florida state funding at a 9:1 ratio. Jackson also served as the CEO of Banyan Biomarkers, a UF startup commercializing the first-ever blood test for traumatic brain injury that received FDA clearance in early 2018. Jackson also founded and served as CEO for PhotoThera, Inc., where he raised more than $120M in private capital and designed and managed five U.S. and international clinical trials for the treatment of stroke. He also co-founded American Veterinary Laser, which was acquired in a private transaction.
Jackson is the inventor of more than 20 patented technologies and the author on multiple scientific publications.
He earned his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Nevada Reno and his M.D. from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, completing a general surgery internship at Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and then primary flight school at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. During his military service, he was the first naval flight surgeon selected as a Top Gun staff instructor, served on several overseas deployments, and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.
Collaboratory for Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Karl R. LaPan was appointed director of UF Innovate | Accelerate in May 2021. He oversees its business incubation, commercialization programs and promotes the entrepreneurial energy and community within the Gainesville Innovation District and Progress District in Alachua, FL.
Printable version of Karl’s bio sketch is available here.
UF Innovate | Accelerate operates two best-in-class facilities encompassing nearly 130,000 sq feet, has a resident client portfolio of over 90 active companies, an average client wage rate 43% higher than the state of Florida average, assisted in securing nearly $11.3 billion in client invested capital, and since inception, provided support to over 250 client companies. Since its inception, the UF Innovate | Accelerate program has generated over $20.6B in economic impact, advancing the Gator Nation’s impact globally.
Before his appointment, he was the president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He led the globally award-winning entrepreneurial support organization and launched tech-based economic and entrepreneurial programs to serve the under-represented segments in Northeast Indiana. He and his team created innovative growth programs for accelerating early-stage company development to increase the survivability rate of nascent companies and create a vibrant ecosystem to nurture the development and commercialization of promising technologies.
Before that position, he served as the president and CEO of an advanced biometric identification company, NBS Imaging Systems. He started his career at General Electric and worked in six different strategic business units of GE, including Aircraft Engines, Power Systems, Marine Services, Appliances, Corporate Headquarters, and Financial Services. He is also a program graduate of their prestigious Financial Management Program.
Karl is an advisory board member of the College of Business (COBAB) at his alma mater, Franklin Pierce University, the current president of the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA), and an adjunct instructor in Entrepreneurship at Franklin Pierce University. Previously, he served on the Board of BioPoly LLC, an orthobiologics early-stage company. Additionally, he is a community advisory board member for the InBIA Ecosystem Builder Leadership Project (EBLP).
Karl’s professional interests are healthcare, innovation/entrepreneurship, and customer experience. Previously, he was an associate faculty member in the MBA program at IPFW and an Executive-in-Residence/Adjunct Faculty member in the MBA program at Taylor University. Additionally, he served on the Taylor MBA Business Advisory Board, IPFW Doermer School of Business Advisory Council & IPFW ETCS Industrial Advisory Board, Manchester University President’s Leadership Council, and the IU School of Medicine-Ft. Wayne Advisory Board.
After 18 years of service, Karl retired from the Board and his position as Secretary of Physicians Health Plan (PHP), a physician-owned and managed not-for-profit HMO, and, before its sale, he was a former board member of IAB Financial, a $1B community bank, where he chaired the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Additionally, he served on the Board of directors of the Indiana Chamber, assisted in the implementation of a system-wide innovation program at Parkview Health, and was on an advisory board for the Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center. Additionally, he received the IPFW Chancellor’s Award and the InBIA President’s Award of Excellence.
LaPan received his Bachelor of Science, business management, summa cum laude from Franklin Pierce University. He obtained his master’s degree in human resource development from American University in Washington, DC, and is a Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society member. He has completed executive education programs in non-profit leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation at Stanford University, Harvard University, Babson College, and the University of Notre Dame.
He is the author of several books, including his most recent book, published in May 2021, entitled Entrepreneurial Hacks: Practical Insights for Business Builders.