Lindsay Schuenke, Director of Content

Lindsay Schuenke has been with InBIA since December of 2004, when she joined the training and events team. In her time with the association, Lindsay’s responsibilities have primarily focused on coordinating content and details for events, including the annual conference, the fall training, and the advanced summits. She was involved in the inception and launch of the Business Incubation Management Certificate Program and has helped plan more than a dozen conferences and several smaller tours and events. Over the years, Lindsay has managed hundreds of speakers, written thousands of session and course descriptions, managed dozens of tours, and been involved with countless other aspects of planning and executing the conferences and other events. She has a degree in English from Ohio Wesleyan University. Lindsay works remotely from her home office in Maine, where she lives with her husband and four children.

Email: [email protected]

Lisa Brennan,
Membership Coordinator

Lisa started her career in the defense industry as a Competitive & Market Intelligence (CMI) Analyst at BAE Systems in Arlington, VA. She later worked for Pier1 in Texas and took some time off professionally to start a family. She joined InBIA in June 2022 as the Membership Coordinator supporting InBIAs delivery of customer benefits in membership, convening & training as well as supporting organizational goals. Lisa has a Business Degree from Ohio University with a focus in Marketing. She resides in Ohio with her husband and three kids.

  Email: [email protected]

Molly Mordocco, Business Coordinator

Molly Mordocco started her career in the hospitality industry as a sales and catering manager at the University Plaza Hotel in Columbus, Ohio, and later at the DoubleTree Worthington. She also acted as assistant manager at an apartment complex for college students for ​more than two years. First joining InBIA (then NBIA) in 2013, Molly stepped away in 2016 to take some time with family. She rejoined InBIA as the Business Coordinator in 2019 and in this role she is responsible for executing the training program, coordinating the online member community, managing the virtual support networks, and more. A graduate of Ohio University, Molly lives in Ohio with her husband and three sons.

  Email: [email protected]

Ariella Lukach, PhD, Vice President, Strategy and Positioning Stiletto

Ariella is Vice President, Strategy & Positioning, at Stiletto, a strategic planning and market intelligence firm. Ariella specializes in strategic planning and execution support for high-impact initiatives and new products, market focusing and positioning,
business development, and more. Ariella is passionate about working with communities of innovation and maintains strong relationships and sector expertise to help build strength from individual organizations to international networks. Industry expertise include cleantech, ICT, smart grid, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, smart and urban agri-food, mining, and healthcare. Ariella did her post-doctoral research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Toronto.

Krista Covey, President First Flight Venture Center

Krista serves as President of First Flight Venture Center, North Carolina’s original science-based technology incubator. Previously, Krista held leadership positions with VelocityTX, an innovation hub in San Antonio, Texas and the SMARTstart Business Incubator in Pasco County, Florida. She has an extensive background in banking and finance and experience in economic development, economic gardening for growth companies, business incubation, management, business development, marketing and public relations. An InBIA member since 2013, Krista has completed the association’s Business Incubation Management Certificate Program, is part of the Startup Champions Network, and has served on numerous community and industry boards.

Wilson Chan Associate Director of Strategic Partnership, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation

Wilson Chan is the Associate Director of Strategic Partnership, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation. He has been involved in the electronics and IT industry for over 20 years with working experience in HK, China, US and the UK. Since joining HKSTP, Mr. Chan has been assisting technology entrepreneurs in business and corporate development in Hong Kong, and the shaping of HKSTP’s incubation & acceleration programmes.

Amanda Chocko Director of SURGE, Lakeshore Advantage

Amanda Chocko is the Director of SURGE at the economic development organization, Lakeshore Advantage. She has been a leader in the West Michigan startup ecosystem for over a decade with extensive experience in business incubation, accelerator management, program development, lean startup methodologies and enterprise/startup partnerships. Prior to working at Lakeshore Advantage, Amanda spent 8 years at Start Garden where she helped to launch the monthly pitch competition 5X5 Night and the Seamless IOT commercialization accelerator. Over the years she has built relationships with startup communities and university programs throughout Michigan and has helped to organize 11 Grand Rapids Startup Weekends.

Paul Riser Jr., Director, Detroit Urban Solutions

Paul is the Managing Director of Detroit Urban Solutions. In this capacity, Paul leads an urban innovation district, founded by several Detroit-based institutions, focused on mobility, digital health, civic and smart city technologies. Previously, Paul served as Managing Director of Technology-Based Entrepreneurship at TechTown Detroit. Paul is also an entrepreneur, chief technologist, information officer, and systems engineer with more than 20 years of professional experience working with startups to global enterprises. He is a founding member of the Legacy Associates Foundation, board member and equity partner of B.L.A.C. Magazine, board member of the New Detroit Coalition, Motown Museum, Cranbrook Institute of Science and the National Advisory Board for the University of Michigan’s Fast Forward Medical Innovations (FFMI).

Lisa Smith, Executive Director, Bowie Business Innovation Center

Lisa Smith has been a thought leader, consultant incubator manager and ecosystem developer for the business incubation industry in the U.S. and internationally during her 22 years as an InBIA member. Lisa is the founding Executive Director of the Bowie Business Innovation Center (Bowie BIC), a public/private partnership, hosted by Bowie State University, supporting underserved technology companies and government contractors. During her consulting career, Lisa advised 30 US. Communities on the creation of entrepreneurial development initiatives. Her international work included establishing the first networking of technology business incubators in the U.S. for Scotland’s economic development agency.

Kristin Burton, Entrepreneurship Professor, Purdue University Northwest

Dr. Kristin Burton is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Purdue University Northwest. In this role, she is an entrepreneurial academic charged with
assisting students in developing their entrepreneurship skills and connecting them to the vibrant start-up community in Northwest Indiana. Dr. Burton is heralded as an inclusive ecosystem builder. Her research focuses on advancing opportunities for women and minorities in entrepreneurship. This research is used to create innovative programs and pathways to help alleviate barriers, so entrepreneurs can continue
building communities that flourish. Throughout her 20- year entrepreneurial career, Dr. Burton has co-founded several start-up companies, led two university entrepreneurship centers, and created a regional
business incubation hub.

Linda Ufland, Director of Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, and Innovation for the Office of Workforce and Economic Development, UT-Rio Grand Valley

Linda Ufland is the Director of Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, and Innovation for the Office of Workforce and Economic Development at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley located in deep South Texas. Linda is charged with providing leadership and oversight to the Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC) with focus in business incubation, entrepreneurial development, commercialization and innovation, and incubation management consultation across the region. She drives the vision for the UTRGV ECC in assisting local and international entrepreneurs to create and scale ventures in the Rio Grande Valley that will impact our region’s economy and create opportunities for generations to come. Her focus is to develop partnerships with economic development organizations, and international organizations to envision and develop solutions for the region and beyond with a strong commercialization path. The UTRGV ECC is a founding partner of the eBridge project, largest entrepreneurial center in the region. eBridge supports the economic development of South Texas with a focus on scalable businesses. Linda was raised in Matamoros, Mexico but attended high school in Brownsville, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s in international business and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Her professional drive comes from a sincere dedication to public service and to being part of a transformational economic and entrepreneurial change in our region.

Anthony Durante, Manager of Entrepreneurial Support, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Anthony Durante is the Manager of Entrepreneurial Support for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. For the last decade, Anthony’s career has centered on managing the operations of world-class business incubation programs. In these leadership roles, he has mentored startup founding teams to help them launch and grow their companies in manufacturing, technology, life sciences, and retail.

Marc Alessi, Executive Director, Business Incubator Association of New York State

Marc Alessi s the Executive Director of the Business Incubator Association of New York State (BIANYS) and the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham, NY. He is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and advocate for innovation. Marc’s mission is to educate and inspire through launching a museum, science center, and business accelerator at Tesla’s last lab. With a BA from SUNY Albany and a JD from Touro Law School, Marc is dedicated to empowering people in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.