UEDA’s Board of Director’s is a group of committed individuals who work at all levels of higher education, including chancellors, presidents, directors, managers and professors. Each member brings their unique perspective and experience to round out our leadership and inform the direction of the organization. Those institutions and organizations who currently allow their employees to serve on the Board comprise the UEDA Leadership Council.

Executive Committee

Dr. Teresa Merriweather Orok is an expert on economic and business innovation. While her career spans more than 30 years of experience across grants, government contract management, economic development, government, and higher education, she currently serves as the inaugural Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development at Alabama A&M University.

Carol Stewart, a long-standing authority on research parks, is the Vice President for Tech Parks Arizona at the University of Arizona. Carol Stewart leads the UA Tech Park at Rita Road and is developing the UA Tech Park at the Bridges. She is also president of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation, a technology business incubator network serving the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the international community.

Stewart’s expertise in university research parks spans decades and nations with more than 20 years of experience working with research parks, technology commercialization, business incubation, governmental relations and business development.

As a pioneer in the research parks world, she has driven national policy, standardized programs, created national and international networks, built technology clusters, engaged stakeholders, and assisted countries with the development of their national science and technology policies.

Stewart is passionate about her community and serves as a champion in university-based economic development. She is a member of Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Flinn Foundation Steering Committee, a member of the Canadian Global Mentor Program and she also serves on the Board of Directors for Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, Pima County’s Workforce Investment Board, Sun Corridor Inc., Arizona Technology Council, Desert Angels, and is a member of the City of Tucson Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Council.

Lenore VanderZee is the Vice President for Strategic Relations & Communications at the State University of New York at Canton, where she works on economic development, workforce, and innovation/entrepreneurship initiatives, including oversight of the Center for Community, Workforce, & Industry Partnerships, the Small Business Development Center, and the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs. In addition, she also serves as the chief public relations & government relations officer for the college. She is passionate about rural economic development and placemaking in her beloved North Country New York region. In addition to her day job, she serves on several community boards and committees, including the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, the Canton Community Fund, the St. Lawrence County Small Business Group, and the Canton Economic Development Steering Committee. In her spare time, she also loves to hike in the beautiful Adirondack mountains, play board games with her family, and perform with her folk/Americana band, Uprooted.

Ms. Golemi is Co-Director of the EDA University Center at Georgia Tech. The University Center (UC) program is specifically designed to marshal the resources located within colleges and universities to support regional economic development strategies in regions of chronic and acute economic distress. She is also Director at the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) at Georgia Tech.

Margo leads facilitation, strategic planning, and client services for CED. Previously, she served as CED’s Lead Analyst and worked in the education sector for numerous school districts and universities in California and Alaska, as well as served as a VISTA volunteer with UCLA BruinCorps.

Jeffrey Sachse is Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Lakeland University. He is also engaged with Jake’s Cafe, Lakeland’s entrepreneurial incubator.

He previously served as the Director of the Center for Customized Research and Services and Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He has more than two decades of experience in higher education administration and applied research. Mr. Sachse also previously served as the Director of the Office of Economic Advisors for the State of Wisconsin.

During his tenure with UEDA Mr. Sachse has served as the Innovation Affinity Network Convenor, Awards of Excellence Committee Co-Chair, and Summit Committee Chairperson.

In addition to his service to UEDA, Jeffrey also serves at the President of the Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, is a member of the Entrepreneurship Committee for Progress Lakeshore and is a recent co-chair of the Friends of Two Rivers Snowfest. He is passionate about the intersection of talent, innovation, and place and its importance to rural communities.

Members-At-Large

In addition, Matt also serves as a liaison to various economic development stakeholders including the state’s utility sector, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and various corporate partners across Georgia to ensure that the UGA is aligned with the business community to produce an educated workforce for both today and into the future. A heavy focus for Matt is centered around high-demand areas of industry growth.

Before his start at UGA, Matt served in a similar role with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Prior to USG, he was the State Initiatives Director for GDECD’s Workforce Division of Workforce Development – ensuring the state’s talent development efforts align with the economic realities of the marketplace and industry demand. That work included a number of state-led programs seeking to meet the workforce needs of Georgia companies and aligning education and training toward in-demand jobs.

Matt previously served as a Business Development Associate with Electric Cities of Georgia in their Economic and Community Development – working alongside various stakeholders in the public and private sectors to bring job creation and capital investment to Georgia communities. Matt collaborated with domestic and international business leaders and company executives to locate or expand their business in Georgia – through market research, site selection assistance, and coalition building between state and local representatives.

A 25-year Georgia resident, Matt received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Broadcast News from UGA, and a Master of Business Administration at UGA’s Terry College of Business. He is currently seeking his Ph.D. In Higher Education from UGA’s Institute of Higher Education.

Matt and his wife Blair currently reside in Acworth with their children, Jack, Andrew, Charlotte and Clara.

Dr. Faison is a champion for faculty development and institutional capacity building. He has developed comprehensive grants training programs and played a key role in two University wide strategic planning efforts. His funded projects span data science, biomedical research, STEM education, and regional resilience.

A neuroscientist by training, Dr. Faison earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and completed postdoctoral research at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is an alumnus of the American Council on Education Fellows Program and serves on multiple national and regional advisory boards focused on research impact, economic development, and innovation in higher education.

Melody Flowers has engaged in strategic and financial planning, project management, and policy work for over twenty years in fields as varied as transportation, the environment, community and economic development, emergency preparedness, homeland security, healthcare, and higher education.

She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Economic Development & Real Estate at the University of Kentucky (UK), leading efforts across campus including community and business engagement, creative space and place making, and development of campus innovation spaces and economic impact programs. Melody co-Chairs UK’s Economic Development Collaborative.

Prior, Melody led integrated academic and financial planning at Harvard University and brings many years of experience from the non-profit and government sectors. She serves on the boards of CivicLex, Experience Learning, Fayette Alliance, the Downtown Lexington Partnership, the UK Art Museum, and the Gaines Center for the Humanities, regularly lectures on the economics of higher education, and mentors nationally competitive scholarship candidates.

She earned a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and her B.A. from UK, where she was a Singletary Scholar, National Merit Scholar, Gaines Fellow, and Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Bruce Hunter is the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Utah.  Prior to joining the University of Utah, Bruce served at the University of California, Office of the President as Executive Director to the Office of Innovation Transfer and Entrepreneurship where he provided innovation and commercialization support to all 10 campuses in the UC system.

 Mr. Hunter began his career as the founder and Chief Executive Officer at Digital Data Resources Inc., one of Iowa’s largest digital imaging companies. He took the company from a startup in the University of Iowa’s Research Park to acquisition by a publicly traded market leader. He is credited with bringing electronic imaging technology to Midwest companies.

He then joined the Madison Development Group, LLC, a Denver-based private real estate firm specializing in condominium conversions. As the Senior Vice President, he was responsible for the day-to-day management of multi-million-dollar real estate ventures.

 Mr. Hunter subsequently founded CORE Magazine and in less than one year established it as the fastest growing retail-based business and lifestyle publication in Colorado. Mr. Hunter is an executive coach and has designed and provided business innovation training to Fortune 500 companies.

 Mr. Hunter possesses a Juris Doctorate, Master of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Iowa.

Jenny Mizutowicz is Director of Economic Development and Sustainability Liaison at the University of Texas at Dallas. In this role, Jenny leads UT Dallas’ economic development initiatives aimed at serving as an economic engine for the North Texas region.

Jenny previously served as Manager of Economic Development Initiatives for UT Dallas from 2019-2022. She has also served as Economic Development Director for the City of Richardson, Economic Development Manager for the City of Carrollton and Director of Marketing for the former Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP), where she launched and managed the region’s first young professionals talent attraction campaign, “The Real Richardson.”

Jenny has a BBA in marketing from UT Austin and an MA in emerging media and communication from UT Dallas. She is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and past Chair of the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Young Professionals Advisory Committee and IEDC Education and Certification Advisory Committee. She currently chairs the UEDA Awards of Excellence Committee. In 2023, Jenny was selected by DCEO Magazine as one of the 500 most influential business people in Dallas. Jenny has one daughter and enjoys traveling to new places with her husband Cameron, Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys football, and reading books.

Mary Frances Postupack, is the Vice President for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (EDE) at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) in Pennsylvania. The (EDE) division  includes Career and Workforce Development, Business Accelerator, Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, Conference Services and University Center Operations, Schisler Museum of Wildlife and Natural History and McMunn Planetarium, The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, Office of Advancement-under the management of the ESU Foundation, and the ESU Center for Research and Economic Development, a private non-profit 501(c)3 affiliate organization, that manages the Pocono Mountains Keystone Innovation Zone (PMKIZ).

While at ESU, she secured and managed in excess of $8M in federal and state grants to support economic development and entrepreneurial initiatives including: Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP);  Economic Development Administration (EDA); Local Share Account (LSA); U.S. Department of Education; Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA); and Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

She serves on the Executive Board of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), the regional Local Development District (LDD); and has been a member of UEDA since 2007. Mary Frances is a past president of the UEDA Board of Directors and currently serves on the Board. She received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and completed the Corporate Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at Lehigh University.

Sandra D. Marin Ruiz, Ed.D. is the Assistant Vice President for Innovation and Business Development, the Regional Director of the Florida Apex Accelerator and Florida SBDC at FAU.

Her broad background also encompasses expertise and credentials as a Florida Small Business Development Center consultant, university professor, and certified program director for Kauffman FastTrac, SBDC Global, and Lean LaunchPad, and extensive experience as an entrepreneur and business owner. She is passionate about linking local needs to national and international policy. She is well recognized for being part of a positive force to support organizations in implementing entrepreneurship and social innovation programs.

Leslie earned a B.A. in Accounting from William Jewell College and an MBA from Mid America Nazarene University. She spent her early career working in Fortune 100 companies as an accountant and business analyst, transitioning to strategic business development, higher education advancement, and program development.

With a deep commitment to the tri-state region, Leslie is dedicated to forging strong partnerships with regional stakeholders. She is passionate about highlighting and advancing key economic and community initiatives, ensuring sustainable growth and development for the rural communities she serves.

Tonya Witherspoon is known for being an Innovator, Strategist, Entrepreneur, and connector. Her passion for innovation, education and technology has helped her succeed in connecting Industry leaders with faculty and students at Wichita State University. Tonya has helped engage, create, and expand education and career opportunities for students at Wichita State University. She has taught courses in robotics, clay animation, new media, and online education. Tonya is an analytical problem solver with the ability to drive strategic projects while managing competing priorities, deadlines, and financial goals. She has founded multiple companies and served in executive roles building hardware and software for enterprise customers. Tonya is a published author and keynote speaker.