RI-CIE is led by a talented group of volunteers with expertise in entrepreneurship and the commericialization of intellectual property.  Advisors are draw from RI-CIE's founding partners (Brown University, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council, and the Slater Technology Fund) and the community at large.

Clyde Briant, VP Research Brown University
Clyde L. Briant is Brown University's vice president for research and the Otis E. Randall University Professor at Brown.  As the vice president for research, Clyde has senior responsibility for all aspects of research at Brown working closely with faculty and the academic administration to foster internal and external academic centers, groupings and relationships which will enhance and extend the University's research efforts. He oversees the University's intellectual property policies, its efforts to identify transferable intellectual property, and its Office of Sponsored Projects. Clyde most recently served as Dean of the Division of Engineering. Prior to joining the Brown faculty in 1994, he worked at the GE Research and Development Center (1976-1994). He received his Doctor of Engineering Science degree in materials science from Columbia University in 1974 and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1976. His primary research interest has been in the area of structural materials. At the start of his career he worked extensively with steel and nickel alloys, but more recently he has been involved in research on light weight alloys.

William Cesare, Founder/CEO Industrial Health Strategies
Bill is founder of Industrial Health Strategies, a Providence, RI venture firm specializing in early stage business development. With over 25 years experience, Bill has been a principal in multiple start-up companies in New England ranging from medical devices to retail operations. Bill was the founder of PreventionWorks, a corporate health and wellness organization which was acquired Beacon Mutual Insurance in 1997, and founder of ACES Technologies, a pioneering ASP internet firm which was acquired by Bridium, Inc. in 2001. He is also a founding partner of Angel Health Strategies in Providence, RI. Bill received his BS from Boston College and both an MS and Ph.D. from Boston University with post-doctorate training in industrial engineering and ergonomics from University of Michigan and Harvard School of Public Health. Bill has served as the Ergonomics consultant to the State of Rhode Island, Division of Worker's Compensation since 1987 as well as past clinical adjunct professor at both Boston University Medical School and Roger Williams University. Bill is the only Board Certified ergonomist in the State of RI. As an early stage investor, he sits on the Boards of Albion Special Care, ER-Card, Infusion Resource, JBM Medical, Pharma Resource, and DiJiPOP. He is also on the Board of Advisors for The Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RI-CIE) and serves as a Senior Mentor at BetaSpring, Rhodes Island’s newest business start-up incubator. Bill currently resides in Lincoln, RI.

Andy Cutler, Founder Cutler & Associates
Andy Cutler has over 20 years of experience in the area of strategic communications planning/public relations/branding. In 2003, he founded Cutler & Company based in Providence, RI .  Andy specializes in counseling public and private institutions, colleges and universities and start-up entrepreneurial ventures on issues related to corporate image enhancement, media relations, crisis communications, grassroots organizing, student engagement. and community relations programming aimed at improving key stakeholder relationships. Previously, Andy had served in a number of senior positions with Edelman, a global public relations firm, Feinstein Kean Healthcare (a division of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide), Boston's Faulkner Hospital, and Harvard Community Health Plan. He is a board member of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association’s Community Development Corporation (CDC), advisory board member of the Providence After School Alliance (PASA) HUB initiative, Providence Career & Technical Academy (PCTA)/Chairs, Post-Secondary Committee, Rhode Island Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is a founding board member of the Capital Good Fund, Industrial Designers Society of America-Rhode Island Chapter, Start-Up Weekend New England, and the Uncaucus. He is the Co-Founder/Professional Advisor to A Better World by Design, and has serves as a Partner for Social Venture Partners Rhode Island (SVPRI) and a Mentor to Betaspring. Previously, he served on the Board of Trustees for the Providence Preservation Society and Volunteers in Providence Schools (VIPS). In 2010, he received the Sandra Olson Award from New Urban Arts and was selected by Providence Monthly as one of their “Ten People to Watch in 2010.” Andy was a recipient of the Providence Business News’ “40 Under Forty” award, and named by Providence Monthly as one of their "15 People to Watch in 2009." Andy has also been recognized nationally by the Healthcare Advertising Awards for his work in the area of public relations programming, physician referral program, hospital web site development, newspaper advertising series; the Health Information Awards for special health event programming, marketing and collateral and web site development; and a recognition award from Boston University’s School of Management/Entrepreneurial Management Institute. Andy has also served as a guest lecturer at Brown University and RISD on the subject of entrepreneurship and taught, The Brand of You, at RISD’s Continuing Education program.  He received his B.A. from George Washington University.

Katharine Flynn, Managing Director Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
Katharine Flynn is the Managing Director of Science and Technology Initiatives at Rhode Island Economic Development (RIEDC).  Katharine joined RIEDC in 2004 as a Business Development Manager and was promoted to Director of Business Development in 2006 and to her current position in 2011. At RIEDC she is responsible for overseeing the Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), the Broadband RI program (BBRI) and the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) and its initiatives.  She is also responsible for working with businesses in Rhode Island as they grow. Prior to joining RIEDC Katharine worked in sales on Wall Street at various firms in New York for over twenty years. Katharine has an A.B. degree from Brown University in Mathematical Economics.

Katherine Gordon, Managing Director, Technology Ventures Office, Brown University
Katharine Gordon comes to Brown from Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development, where she served as a director of business development for the last five years. She oversaw development and commercialization of new technologies from a number of areas at Harvard Medical School and Dental School and had responsibility for establishing and negotiating licensing relationships, comprehensive research alliances, and start-up companies.  Earlier in her career, Gordon consulted at early stage biomedical companies on strategic planning, operations/management, and fund raising. She founded and ran Apollo BioPharmaceutics, a biotechnology company that developed neuroprotective compounds for Alzheimer’s disease and ophthalmic indications. She began her career at Genzyme Corp.  Gordon earned her Ph.D. at Wesleyan University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. “The vibrancy of Brown’s research community provides many avenues for product development,” Gordon said. “It’s a privilege to work on ways to turn Brown research into solutions for real-world problems.”

Richard Horan, Senior Managing Director Slater Technology Fund
Rich Horan joined Slater in January 2002 as Executive Director of the Slater Center for Biomedical Technologies (“Slater Biomed”). In March 2005, Slater Biomed merged with four other entities comprising the Slater Program and was re-named the Slater Technology Fund. Effective with the merger, Rich was appointed Senior Managing Director.
Rich began his career in the investment banking business in 1980, when he joined the Capital Markets Group of BankAmerica, San Francisco, CA. In 1986, he joined the venture capital firm of Johnston Associates in Princeton, NJ, one of the original seed stage investors in the field of biotechnology and life sciences. In 1998, Rich founded Sachem Ventures LLC, an independent seed stage venture development firm which focused in life science and healthcare markets.  During his tenure in the venture capital business, Rich has served as CEO of several of his portfolio companies, including: Immunicon Corp. (NASDAQ: IMMC), a Philadelphia-based developer of cellular diagnostic systems, where he was CEO from 1989-1991; Praelux Corp. (acquired by GE Amersham), a Princeton-based firm developing advanced technology platforms for drug discovery, where he was CEO from 1992-1997; and Medical Metrix Systems Inc. (acquired by Altaris Health Partners, the private equity arm of AIG), a medical imaging business based in Hanover, NH, where he was CEO from 1998-1999.  Mr. Horan received his A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1976 and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth in 1980.

Angus Kingon, Professor of Engineering Brown University
Angus Kingon is Professor of Engineering and Barrett Hazeltine University Professor of Entrepreneurship and Organizational Studies at Brown University as of 2008. He is the Academic Director of the Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship program and the co-Director in the graduate Masters-level Program on Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship (PRIME) at Brown University.Previously, Angus was at the North Carolina State University as Professor in the Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Executive Director of Technology Commercialization Programs in the College of Management, and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering. Prior to that he was Senior Chief Research Scientist and Program Manager at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa. His PhD was from the University of South Africa.Angus leads a major project funded by the National Science Foundation, to assist corporations to develop new business methods for creating value from science and technology. This project, entitled “National Partnership for Managing Upstream Innovation: The Case of Nanoscience and Technology,” is being undertaken in conjunction with a group of major industrial companies in the USA. He and his team of colleagues nationwide also undertake projects with individual companies in the area of innovation and value creation. This includes the establishment of new corporate structures and processes for the development of corporate ventures. Angus specializes in the pedagogy of entrepreneurship education. At NC State, as Executive Director of the High Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Program, he ran a concentration of the MBA program, teaching entrepreneurship and technology commercialization to postgraduate students from the College of Management, as well as science and engineering postgraduate students from throughout the university.  The unique methodology of the program was developed under the auspices of a major project from the National Science Foundation. This education and commercialization program has resulted in dozens of startups, about 600 jobs (and counting) and student projects have raised about $225 million in venture capital. The importance of the education and outreach methods have been well-recognized, with Kingon and his faculty colleagues now supporting the establishment of technology commercialization programs in other major universities in the USA, as well as in the UK, Portugal, Slovenia, Korea, Ireland, and South Africa. In Portugal, the educational methods are an integral part of a comprehensive strategy for innovation renewal and economic development supported by the national organization, COTEC. At the same time, Angus maintains an active research program in materials, electronic materials and nanoscience and nanotechnology.  He has published about 320 papers in refereed journals, edited 7 books, published 6 book chapters, and has 15 issued patents, with >5000 SCI citations to his research publications. Some of his research has been commercialized, for example in conjunction with Motorola for use in mobile phones.He has been the recipient of a number of awards, and has presented over 150 invited and plenary talks over the past 10 years.  He was the co-winner of the Price Foundation Award as Innovative Entrepreneurship Educator for 2006, primarily for the technology commercialization program in Portugal. He is a Fellow of the Center for Innovation Management Studies, and a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society.

Stephen Lane Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Ximedica
Steve is CEO of Ximedia, innovative, RI-based firm that provides complete research, product development, regulatory and manufacturing services to leading medical device and healthcare companies. Ximedica helps clients develop innovative new solutions that improve outcomes and enhance lives—and get them to market with commercial success. As CEO, Steve leads the strategic vision of the company as he has since its inception over 20 years ago. Since that time, Steve has remained devoted to anticipating the needs of the company’s clients and ensuring that they are met with unsurpassed excellence. Steve is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where he earned his degree in industrial design, and where he is now a member of the Board of Trustees.

Christine M.B. Smith, Executive Director RI Science & Technology Advisory Council (STAC)
At the RI Economic Development Corporation Christine is responsible for launching statewide economic development initiatives designed to maximize the economic impact of science, technology and innovation.  In this role, she currently serves as Executive Director of the RI Science & Technology Advisory Council (STAC),   a coalition of business, academic, medical and government leaders tasked with recommending to state leadership strategic investments that drive economic development and job growth.   STAC activities enhance the state’s R&D-related economic development opportunities by promoting collaboration across institutions, leveraging federal investments and encouraging entrepreneurship and venture creation through the transfer of new technologies and discoveries into the marketplace.  STAC is the State Governing Committee for NSF RI EPSCoR and develops and implements a State Science Technology Plan that is consistent with Rhode Island’s overall economic development strategy.

Prior to joining EDC, Christine managed multiple programs across a variety of sectors including non-profit, education (K-16), business and government and has worked in Washington DC as a registered lobbyist for an international energy corporation.  She serves on multiple Boards and Committees including the RI Science Leadership Task Force, RI STEM Council, Innovation Providence Implementation Committee, and RI INBRE.  Christine is a graduate of the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service where she received a degree in diplomatic history.

Allan Tear, Co-founder Betaspring, Aptus Collaborative
An expert consultant in new product and service launches, Allan is the Managing Partner of Aptus Collaborative. Aptus assists large organizations with innovation strategy, and incubates technology startups. Allan previously was a founder of three venture-funded startups, Elastic Networks, Incanta, and WhyData. He has raised over $15M from angels, venture capital, and strategic partners, including Slater Fund, Intel Capital and AT&T. Allan is co-founder of Hackable City and Mashable City, open-source projects that facilitate social capital in our urban environments and communities through better information, transparency, and citizen engagement. He advises students and schools on entrepreneurship through the Brown COE program, MET School, and the Carnegie Mellon Dean’s Leadership Council. He was selected in 2008 for the Providence Business News “40 Under Forty” list. Allan is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, with B.S. degrees in Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Public Policy.

Beth Zielinski, Ph.D., Lecturer, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brown University
Beth Zielinski teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Brown’s Department of Molecular Pharmacological, Physiology, and Biotechnology (MPPB) and serves as a student advisor.  She is currently teaching classes in biomedical engineering and biotechnology and is the Director of Industry Outreach for Brown’s Center for Biomedical Engineering.  As Director of Industry Outreach, Beth facilitates research, internship and employment opportunities for faculty and students.  Prior to joining Brown, Beth taught graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Rhode Island in biotechnology and was co-coordinator of the Biotechnology Manufacturing Program.  She sits on the executive board of the New England Biotechnology Association and is actively involved in many initiatives to support women and k-12 education in the sciences.

RI-CIE Staff

Brendan McNally, Director RI-CIE
Brendan McNally is director of the RI Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RI-CIE) at Brown University.  Opened in the spring of 2009, RI-CIE is a statewide collaboration to help launch and support innovation-based ventures in RI.  With a focus on commercializing discoveries coming out of RI colleges, universities and hospitals, Brendan’s role includes developing programs, building support networks, and identifying resources to help entrepreneurs create and grow new companies.  Prior to leading RI-CIE, Brendan provided special project support for the executive vice president for planning in Brown’s Office of the President.  A generalist with strong interpersonal, organization and analytical skills, Brendan’s many roles at Brown have centered on managing a variety of cross-functional projects supporting Brown’s Plan for Academic Enrichment (PAE).  A graduate of Bowdoin College (AB) and the University of Rochester (MBA), Brendan has worked for many large and small companies.  Brendan is an avid cyclist, rower and cook.

Leigh Kendall, Program Manager RI-CIE
Leigh Kendall is Program Manager at RI-CIE, where she develops and implements an annual suite of programs that attracts and supports new and existing ventures in Rhode Island.  Her work blends program management, marketing, event planning and fund-raising expertise.  She also works with RI-CIE’s Director on key strategic, organizational and operational assignments to enhance the Center’s effectiveness and image in the community.  Prior to this position, Leigh maintained responsibility for Brown Forum for Enterprise, a non-profit organization that educates and supports the entrepreneurial community in Rhode Island and at Brown.  Leigh also worked at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she planned and marketed Success by Design, a world-class conference featuring presentations by national and international businesses that use design to competitive advantage.  She has been a partner with her husband, Brad Kendall, in his commercial art business since 1987.