Lepage Innovators-in-Residence are an accomplished group of executives, investors, and entrepreneurs who mentor student ventures, serve as guest lecturers in the venture accelerator course, and offer career advice during set office hours.
Innovators-in-Residence select their own individual titles, which may include designations such as Executive-, Investor-, or Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Regardless of professional background, each is an innovator committed to growing and transforming his or her discipline. This well-rounded group of professionals is equipped to aid students in any aspect of starting a business.
Current Innovators-in-Residence
Stacey Berger
Current Role
- Principal of CHQ Capital, a private investor in value-added real estate and early-stage ventures
Career Highlights
- Executive Vice President at PNC Bank, NA, and co-head of Midland Loan Services
- Over 40 years of experience and industry leadership in commercial real estate finance, loan servicing and asset management
- Served as President of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (formerly CMSA) and received the association’s Founders Award
- Vice-Chairman of the commercial/multifamily board of directors of the Mortgage Bankers Association and received the association’s Distinguished Service Award.
Companies
- Midland Loan Services, Inc.
- PNC Bank
Education
- BA in Economics, Tulane University
- MBA, Tulane University
Timothy Bovard
Current Role
- Founder & CEO of Search Fund Accelerator
Career Highlights
- At Search Fund Timothy has helped entrepreneurs find, buy and manage companies
- Over 20 company acquisitions and turnarounds
- Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD since 2003 and Columbia Business School since 2015, teaching Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
Companies
- Search Fund Accelerator
- CPI Group
Education
- BS in Management, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Masters in Political Science, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- MBA, INSEAD
Ben Cappiello
Current Roles
- Operating Advisor at Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm
Career Highlights
- Founding Advisor, former Chief Business Officer and Board Member of AxoSim, Inc., a Tulane-spinout biotech company where he led corporate strategy and business development, led multiple acquisitions and licensing deals
- Founder of Bioceptive, a women's health medical device company based on an invention he devised while studying biomedical engineering at Tulane. Led product development, clinical trial design, and FDA approval of platform device.
Companies
- Rubicon Founders LLC
- Bioceptive, Inc.
- AxoSim, Inc.
Education
- BSE in Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University
Nicholas Cartier
Current Roles
- Strategy & Innovation Expert
Career Highlights
- 10+ years in Tech, Media, Advertising, and Generative AI
- Led the formation of Hulu Live, scaling to a $250M+ recurring revenue stream
- Strategic Advisor to blue-chip F500 companies
- Mentor-in-Residence at Harvard, Tulane, and Vanderbilt University
Companies
- Hulu
- PwC Strategy&
- FOX Sports
- Publicis
Education
- BA, University of Virginia
Jim Christian
Current Role
- Senior Advisor, Global Leveraged Capital (GLC)
Career Highlights
- 35 years business experience
- CEO, Founder, Investor & Director
- Private Equity / Venture Capital
- Corporate Banking
Companies
- Benlovia, LLC
- Anschutz Investment Company
- Paribas
- Dillon, Read & Co. Inc.
Education
- BA, Williams College
Anna deTiege Harris
Current Roles
- Director of Innovation Capital, Louisiana Economic Development
- Managing Principal, Harris Development and Design, LLC (hdDESIGN)
Career Highlights
- (Pre)Seed fundraising
- Over a decade in commercializing and coaching small businesses and early-stage startups
- Co-founded hdDESIGN
- Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Alumni
Companies
- New Orleans Startup Fund
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center
- hdDESIGN
- Angel Capital Association
Education
- MBA, Boston University
- MS, Purdue University
- BA, Southeastern Louisiana University
Brian Egwele
Current Role
- Founder and Managing Partner at Egwele & Company LLC
Career Highlights
- Over 20 years of investment banking experience
- Significant experience advising clients on complex transactions, including mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, equity and debt financings, joint ventures, minority investments, recapitalizations and in- and out-of-court restructurings.
- Advised clients on over 50 M&A transactions aggregating close to $40 billion of transaction value and more than 30 financings that raised over $15 billion.
Companies
- Egwele & Company
- Sagent Advisors
- Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Education
- BS in Business Administration and Management, Tulane University
John Elstrott
Current Role
- Director at Traditional Medicinals, Inc.
- Former Chairman of the Board at Whole Foods Market
- Founder at Elstrott, Maurer & Hunnewell
- Emeritus Executive Director of the Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship
Career Highlights
- Over 30 years of teaching at Tulane University
- Chairman of the Board and Chair of the audit committee for Whole Foods from 1994-2017
Companies
- Danos
- Celestial Seasonings
- Good2Go, LLC
- Stewart Enterprises
Education
- PHD in Economics, Tulane University
Alex Goryachev
Current Role
- US Delegate & Technical Advisory Group Member - ISO 56000 Innovation Management
- WSJ Bestselling Writer, Innovation columnist and speaker
- Contributing writer for Forbes and Chief Executive Magazine, and an Editorial Advisory Board Member for Innovation Leader Magazine
Career Highlights
- As a Managing Director of Global Innovation Programs and Strategy at Cisco, pioneered the concept of ecosystem co-innovation, creating and leading global co-innovation centers in 14 countries
- Built award-winning employee engagement and development programs, empowering employees at all levels to develop their ideas
- Shaped the future of digital entertainment by pioneering digital rights management at Liquid Audio and driving business model transformation at Napster
- Recipient of numerous industry awards for innovation and culture transformation.
Companies
- Cisco Systems
- Napster
- IBM Global Services
- Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
Education
- MA in Public Policy, Institute of Social Sciences
Selina Ip
Current Role
- Retired from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Career Highlights
- 30 years of international experience driving large-scale organization transformations
- Over 15 years as a Managing Director and held senior strategy leadership roles at Deloitte, a top $40 billion professional services firm with a presence in 150 countries
- Directly advised the firm’s C-suite leaders including the Global Chief Operating Officer; the Global Executive Leader of all revenue-generating services; and the Global Chief Information Officer
Companies
- Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
- Twinwood Technologies
Education
- MBA, University of California
- BA in Marketing, University of Wisconsin
Mike Katz
Current Role
- Managing Director, Benson Capital Partners
- Investor/Founder at Tahoga LLC
Career Highlights
- Technology investor with 15+ years of experience across all stages of company lifecycles
- Current and/or prior investments include StubHub, Magic Leap, 23andMe, KeyMe, Dollar Shave Club, and ~30 others
Companies
- Naspers Ventures
- Alibaba Group
- Battery Ventures
- Conductor, Inc.
- Pequot Ventures
- Merrill Lynch & Co.
Education
- BS, Georgetown University
- MBA, Columbia University
Allison Piper Kimball
Current Role
- Managing Partner, Wave 27 Ventures
- President and Founder, Blue Catalyst Group
- Board Director, Montucky Cold Snacks
- Vice President and former Board Member of Houston Angel Network
- LP Advisory Committee Member, The Artemis Fund
Career Highlights
- Early-stage and angel investor since 2018
- Led Series A Round Montucky Cold Snacks 2021
- Over 20 years in competitive electricity markets
- Chief Operating Officer of Spark Energy through IPO NASDAQ: SPKE
- Chief Operating Officer of Startex Power through sale to Constellation Energy
Companies
- Montucky Cold Snacks
- Spark Energy
- Startex Power
- Constellation Energy
- Champion Energy Services
- Gexa Energy
- Reliant Energy
- ERM Environmental Services
Education
- MBA Tulane University
- MSPH The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- BS Clarkson University
Mark Newberg
Current Role
- President, Stockbridge Advisors
Career Highlights
- Led impact investing policy initiatives (Federal Government)
- Founded Stockbridge Advisors, LLC
- Judge and Mentor for MassChallenge, Louisiana Startup Prize, Harvard iLabs, SOLVE @ MIT
- Lead author of The Desktop Manual for Impact Policymakers
- Fellow, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University, 2018-2021
Companies
- Claira (Advisor)
- Qwally (Advisor)
- Winter Innovations (Advisor)
Education
- Tulane University, BA, Political Science, 2002
- Tulane Law School, JD, 2006
David Olk
Current Role
- Co-Founder & General Partner, Junction Venture Partners
- Co-Founder and Board Member, ShopKeep
- Co-Founder and Board Member, Voray
- Managing Partner & Co-Founder, The Founder Exchange
- Board Member Amper Music, Gooten, and Vengo
Career Highlights
- Founded and ran ShopKeep, one of the largest cloud point of sale companies in the world raising over $150m of capital
- Former board member of Kickstarter which he helped finance and advise from earliest stages (founded by former Tulane roommate Perry Chen)
- Led the mergers and acquisitions team at Barry Diller’s IAC (owners of Match, Vimeo, Tinder, College Humor, Angies list, etc)
Companies
- ShopKeep
- Voray
- BentoBox
- Amper Music, Inc.
- Shelf
- Gooroo
Education
- BS, Tulane University
- MBA, Columbia University
Mauricio Prieto
Current Role
- Founder of Travel Tech Essentialist
Career Highlights
- Co-founder, CMO and board member of eDreams Odigeo, Spain’s first unicorn and Europe's largest online travel company and the largest in flights in the world
- Grew eDreams Odigeo to $550 million in revenue and $140 million EBITDA
- Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School
- Board member: Wakanow, The Hotels Network, Barcelona Tech, Plazah, Night Train Swimmers
Companies
- eDreams Odigeo
- Charles Schwab (Product Development, Online Brokerage)
- Booz Allen & Hamiton
Education
- Princeton University BA
- University of California at Berkeley MBA
Alex Reed
Current Role
- President & COO at Yokogawa Fluence Analytics
Career Highlights
- Over a decade of experience in leading and mentoring tech startups
- Co-founded a startup that became one of Tulane’s most successful IP spinout exits
- Contributed to numerous patents, publications, funded scientific grants
- Recipient of the Forbes 30 under 30, Gambit 40 under 40, Biz New Orleans New & Notable, and several other startup and tech awards
Companies
- Fluence Analytics, formerly APMT, Inc. (acq. by Yokogawa)
- Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition
- Tulane University - PolyRMC
- Applied Polymer Technology Extension Consortium
Education
- BA, Economics, Latin American Studies and Minor in Business, Tulane University
Jimmy Roussel
Current Role
- CEO for the New Orleans Startup Fund
Career Highlights
- Worked for the past 35 years in a variety of startup environments, taking many of the companies from idea to profitability
- Experience in all aspects of the startup arena from raising money, to building teams, to setting up sales and marketing plans, and product development
Companies
- The New Orleans Startup Fund
- MakeBuzz, LLC
- Turbo Squid
- ProTier
Education
- BA, Dartmouth College
Mike Schroeder
Current Role
- President and Founder of Roundstone Insurance
Career Highlights
- 25 years of management experience, building and leading fast-growing, innovative insurance businesses
- Former Vice President and General Counsel for NASDAQ listed, AM Best, A-rated Insurer
- Founded a medical malpractice underwriter and drove rapid growth prior to its acquisition
- Served as turnaround management consultant for state insurance departments
- Named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2022
Companies
- Roundstone Insurance
- National Interstate (NASDAQ: NATL)
- Ulmer Berne LLP
Education
- Juris Doctorate, The Ohio State University College of Law
- Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Tulane University
Claire Tilmont
Current Role
- Head of Marketing and Data Analytics at Cara Stone, LLP
Career Highlights
- Lead marketing for several high growth software companies
- Publisher of the Venture and Angel Capital Report analyzing private venture deals across the country
- Advises companies on growth and marketing strategies
Companies
- Cara Stone, LLP
Education
- Tulane University
Joe Truhe
Current Role
- Partner at Jefferson Capital Partners & Board President at Elevate New Orleans
Career Highlights
- 15 years in private equity, hedge fund and public equity investing
- Board member/observer on multiple past and current Jefferson Capital Investments
- Investment committee member at HFR Asset Management; responsible for the expansion of firm's Asia-focused fund offerings
Companies
- Jefferson Capital Management
- Whitney Bank/Hancock/Horizon Funds
- HFR Asset Management
Education
- BA, Yale University
- CFA Charter Holder
Past Innovators-in-Residence
Wallace Boston
Current Role
- President of American Public University System
Career Highlights
- 17 years of experience in online higher education
- Appointed CEO of American Public Education in 2004, led it to an IPO in 2007, retired in September 2019
- Invested in Hondros College of Nursing, New Horizons Worldwide, Rallypoint, Fidelis, and Second Avenue
- 18 years as CFO, COO or CEO leading post-acute healthcare rollups at Meridian Healthcare, Manor Care, NeighborCare, and Sun Healthcare Group
- 5 years as Manager, Price Waterhouse Consulting
- Board Member for American Public Education, Inc. (APEI)
- Board Member for American Public University System
- Board Member for Hondros College of Nursing Companies
Companies
- American Public University System
- Sun Healthcare Group
- NeighborCare
- Manor Healthcare
- Meridian Healthcare
Education
- BA in History, Duke University
- MB in Marketing and Accounting, Tulane University
- EdD in Higher Education Management, University of Pennsylvania
Chris Damm
Current Role
- Doctor, Cardiac Care Unit at Ochsner Medical Center
Career Highlights
- Over 32 years of experience in medicine with a focus in cardiovascular disease
- Received post-graduate training at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City
- Held faculty positions at several leading institutions including the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Companies
- Ochsner Medical Center
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Drexel University College of Medicine
Education
- AB in Physics, Harvard University
- MD, Columbia University
- MBA in Finance, University of Pennsylvania
Deborah Elam
Current Role
- President & CEO of Corporate Playbook
Career Highlights
- Started with GE after graduation as a member of Human Resources Leadership Program
- Spearheaded programs at GE that support the professional growth of women, including female-specific training and scholarships
- Recipient of prestigious EPIC (Enhancing Perceptions in Culture) award from The White House Project
- Formerly Chief Diversity Officer and President of GE Foundation
Companies
- General Electric
Education
- BA in Sociology, Louisiana State University
- MA in Public Administration, Southern University
Sally Forman
Current Role
- Former Acting CEO at The Idea Village
Career Highlights
- Served as director of communications during former Mayor Ray Nagin’s administration
- Published two books: “Eye of the Storm: Inside City Hall during Katrina” and “How They Did It: Profiles of New Orleans Entrepreneurs”
- Owner of Sally Forman Communications
Companies
- The Idea Village
- Sally Forman Communications
- City of New Orleans
Education
- BA, Louisiana State University
Juan Linares
Current Role
- Principal with Callais Capital Management
Career Highlights
- Nearly 17 years experience in investment banking with firms such as Pareto Securities, Teneo Capital, CRT Capital Group, Pritchard Capital Partners and Cowen & Co.
- Involved in over $15 billion worth of capital markets transactions and has developed a broad network within the early stage to lower middle market space.
- Involved in a Youth Empowerment Project and sits on the board of Homer A. Plessy Charter School.
Companies
- Callais Capital Management
- Teneo Capital
- Sterne Agee CRT
- Rice, Voelker
- Pritchard Capital Partners LLC
Education
- BSBA, Georgetown University
- MBA, UCLA Anderson
Pradeep Ramamurthy
Current Role
- Co-Head, Investor Relations at OpenGate Capital
Career Highlights
- Served in senior operational and management positions at the White House, US Agency for International Development, and US Intelligence Community
- Advised clients in the US, Asia, and Africa on product development and capital strategy
Companies
- Omidyar Network
- San Francisco-based, Cauvery
- The White House
- Federal Bureau of Investigations
Education
- BSc, International Politics, Georgetown University
- MA Social Science, University of Chicago
Kevin Ryan
Current Role
- Senior Executive with Natural Insights, Mission Athlete Care and IdealPaint, Inc.
Career Highlights
- Sales and marketing agent for IdeaPaint, an innovative product that transforms any space into a dry erase surface, making collaboration accessible and effective
- Vice President of Field and Specialty Sales, Reebok International
- Director of Sales Operation, Planning and Development Tambrands Inc.
Companies
- Ryan Group
- IdeaPaint
- Mission Skin Care
- Natural Insights
- Reebok
- TamBrands
- Johnson & Johnson
Education
- BS in Management, Tulane University
Jeffrey Silverman
Current Role
- Co-Managing Partner Laconia Capital Group L.P.
Career Highlights
- 25 Years of experience building early stage media and technology companies
- Holds investments in over 25 Companies such as TripleLift, ALICE, Kik, SyncOnSet Technologies, C3 Metrics and Localytics
- Sits on the board of Homer Logistics, SyncOnSet Technologies and is a Senior Advisor at C3 Metrics
Companies
- Laconia Capital Group, L.P.
- Integrated Color Solutions
- DoubleClick
Education
- BA in History, Tulane University
Allen Square
Current Role
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square Button
Career Highlights
- Led the City of New Orleans Information and Innovation Department from 2010 to 2015
- 15 years of experience across private, public, non-profit sectors in technology, transportation, healthcare and private equity industries
- At Square Button, seeks to create job and ownership opportunities for young African-American men and women
Companies
- Square Button Consulting
- City of New Orleans, Information and Innovation Department
- Bain & Company, Inc.
Education
- MBA, University of Pennsylvania
- BA in Electrical Engineering, Tulane University
- MS in Telecommunications, Southern Methodist University
M. Stella Templo
Current Role
- Counsel at Private Family Office
- Associate General Counsel, Global Litigation for the We Company (currently on leave)
Career Highlights
- Started at WeWork in 2011 as Chief of Staff to the CEO and was its first full-time lawyer
Companies
- Pete for America
- WeWork
- Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C.
- Kutak Rock
Education
- B.A., Tulane University
- J.D., Tulane Law School
Marianne Van Meter
Current Role
- Managing Director and Founder of Legacy Capital
Career Highlights
- Actively involved in providing financial advisory services to corporate clients in various industries
- Previously served as Vice President with A.G Edwards & Sons, Inc., established their New Orleans Corporate Finance office
- Presented lectures on the buying and selling of closely-held businesses on behalf of Millsaps College and the Cambridge Institute
Companies
- Legacy Capital LLC
- A.G Edwards & Sons, Inc.
- Morgan Stanley
- Goldman Sachs
Education
- BS in Economics, University of Iowa
- MBA, University of Virginia
Aaron Walker
Current Role
- Founder & CEO, Camelback Ventures
Career Highlights
- Facilitated deals for companies large and small as a lawyer
- Supported new ideas to improve education as a portfolio director for the NYC Fund for Public Schools
Companies
- Camelback Ventures
- EXPERTLY
- Teacher Capital Management
- The Fund for Public Schools
- Allen & Overy
- Teach for America
Education
- B.A., University of Virginia
- J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School
