InBIA's ECM Instructors are a resource to all InBIA members.
InBIA selects expert entrepreneurial support professionals to teach the Entrepreneurship Center Management (ECM) courses. These seasoned practitioners draw from their own experiences to give examples while teaching the rigorously vetted content that is standard to each course and they engage participants in interactive activities and discussions around the key topics. Meet our current instructors below.
Interested in becoming an ECM instructor? Contact Molly Mordocco to learn more about the process.
Sandra Cochrane
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Assistant Dean
WMed Innovation Center |
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| Sandra Cochrane is the director of the WMed Innovation Center, the Kalamazoo SmartZone. In this position she manages a 70,000 s.f. business incubator, coordinates entrepreneurial training programs, and assists start-up and early-stage high-tech companies. Services she provides to client companies include business plan development, accessing capital, strategic planning, and general business guidance. She works with pre-seed funds, angel groups, and venture capital firms to connect companies to capital.
Sandra serves as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program. Evaluating cutting edge research and discussing commercialization proposals with experts from across America keeps her sharp and better able to assist her clients. |
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Ted Baker
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CEO/Executive Director
Muncie Innovation Connector |
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| Ted Baker Ted currently serves as CEO/Executive Director for the Muncie Innovation Connector, Inc. After graduation from Ball State University in 1980, his career journey has included management of small business, starting, growing, buying and selling businesses as well as assisting with the establishment of several nonprofit organizations. Ted maximizes his extensive business development experience by teaching and training students, startup business/existing business owners and leaders. Ted is a Certified Incubator Manager with the International Business Innovation Association as well as a Certified GrowthWheel business adviser and WKI certified consultant. Ted offers a unique, practical, and realistic insight to business owners and potential business owners. He is a regular speaker/presenter at conferences, university classrooms, and community groups. | |
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Thomas Hørdam
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Program Manager
We Love Mentors |
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| Thomas Hørdam is the man behind WE LOVE MENTORS. A concept that is based on Danish and international experiences with implementing and executing mentoring programs.
Thomas holds a Master’s Degree of Science and has during the last 11 years developed and managed mentor programs for various incubators in Denmark and abroad. At the moment Thomas is part of the team at a high tech incubator at the Danish Technical University. From his very first job in the incubation industry Thomas’ speciality has been mentoring programs. As Thomas had hard times finding existing models which worked out he decided to develop his own model from scratch. The model emphasizes the original understanding of a mentor and focuses on proper training, onboarding and feed-back models for mentors as well as clients. |
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Carol Lauffer
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Principal
Business Cluster Development |
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| Carol Kraus Lauffer is a recognized expert, consultant and trainer in business incubation/acceleration, programs to foster and support entrepreneurship and new business start-up, and cluster-based economic development. As a partner at Business Cluster Development (BCD) for more than 14 years, Carol consults with universities and colleges, communities, economic development organizations, industry associations, and corporations on the planning and creation of successful business incubation, acceleration and technology commercialization programs. BCD is an industry leader, assisting with the development of more than 70, best practices incubation programs across the U.S.
Carol also creates strategies and tools to accelerate the growth of emerging industry clusters and spur the evolution of the innovation ecosystem in communities and regions. She advises on strategic planning, financial sustainability, and management of effective entrepreneurial support programs. |
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Kim Mozingo
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Director, Federal Programs
TEDCO (Maryland Technology Development Corporation) |
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| As the Director of Federal Programs, Kim Mozingo is responsible for engaging with the federal government to convert scientific research into new jobs and new businesses. Kim focuses on engaging with research laboratories and manages programs that help businesses make use of the public investment in science, technology, and innovation in industries from cybersecurity to manufacturing, renewable energy, AI/ML, and robotics.
Her experience includes founding multiple companies in disciplines from engagement consulting to robotics. Her work has spanned research on employee engagement, managing a tech-focused business incubator, supporting government-funded labs, and economic studies in business retention and expansion. Kim is a certified trainer for the International Business Innovation Association’s Entrepreneurship Center Management Certification program where she teaches on topics from building collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystems to managing entrepreneurship programs, growing partnerships, and running profitable programs. |
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Brad Rickelman
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Assistant Director, Business and Entrepreneurial Services Meridian Technology Center |
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| Brad Rickelman assists Meridian Tech’s new businesses and incubator clients through educational programming and one-on-one consulting in product development and marketing. He recruits new client companies, mentors startups, serves as a community liaison, and teaches the Center’s entrepreneurship courses. Brad’s background is in product management and B2B marketing. | |
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Charles Ross
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CEO
InBIA |
| Over the past 15 years, Charles Ross has worked with communities of various shapes and sizes to build and sustain vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems. His experience spans across several innovation-related disciplines to include entrepreneurship, business incubation, economic development, and investment management. He has provided strategic leadership for organizations within the public, private, and nonprofit domains and has directly mentored and coached founders/CEOs at over 30 high-growth companies. | |
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Chuck Wolfe
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President
Claggett Wolfe Associates |
| Chuck Wolfe is president of Claggett Wolfe Associates, an incubation consulting firm in Auburn, Calif. He has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, incubator developer and operator of community-based lending and business assistance programs. Wolfe co-authored both the first and second editions of InBIA’s Best Practices in Action. He has contributed to other InBIA publications, worked with InBIA consulting teams, presented at InBIA conferences and outside events on the association’s behalf, and served as a judge for the InBIA Incubation Awards. Wolfe has been an InBIA member since 1997 and currently serves as Board Treasurer of the InBIA Board of Directors. | |
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InBIA helps guide, mentor, and develop sustainable entrepreneur support programs in every industry and demographic around the globe. View our upcoming courses and take advantage of our industry resources, education, events, and global programming to aid you in serving the needs of your unique community.
If you have any questions for our instructors, please contact us at [email protected]