About

TechGROWTH delivers intensive operational assistance through “Executives in Residence” who validate opportunities and prepare companies for investment.  In addition, TechGROWTH provides small, competitive “Growth Grants” to qualifying companies to overcome targeted commercialization obstacles, pre-seed investments providing “first-in” funding for technology startups, and access to a regional network of angel investors for “follow-on” capital needs as well as access to venture capital markets to fund the “scale up” of production, sales, and marketing.    TechGROWTH is funded by an Ohio Third Frontier grant with support from Ohio University and private capital.  TechGROWTH’s impact shows a leverage ratio of over $9 of follow-on resources acquired for client companies for every $1 of state money invested, achieving over $69.7 million flowing into the region over its first four years.

TechGROWTH Director John Glazer strong has overseen TechGROWTH program planning and implementation since 2008. He serves as the TechGROWTH Board representative on two portfolio companies. Mr. Glazer is a recognized professional in technology-focused entrepreneurialism, with a career dedication to economic development in underdeveloped regions of the US and abroad. Mr. Glazer began as a university lecturer, then segued to the private sector, eventually becoming President and CEO of Little Professor Book Centers, Inc., a national bookstore franchising company. He was the founder and CEO of four additional startup companies, one international. He has been an instigator of, and advisor to, numerous technology economic development projects in the Detroit area and internationally, working with founders and entrepreneurs to start up and finance enterprises and initiate the training, marketing, and service programs to help them succeed. In addition to his role with TechGROWTH, Mr. Glazer currently serves as President of New Work Enterprises and as Director for Lift Africa Technologies, based in South Africa. Mr. Glazer holds an MA and ABD Ph.D. from the University of Michigan where he taught in the Philosophy, English, and Anthropology departments as well as the Honors College.

Director of the Edison Biotechnology Institute David Wight has over 25 years of professional experience in scientific research, technology development and commercialization, and economic development.  He has served as Director of the Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI), a founding partner ofTechGROWTH, since 1995. Dr. Wight's leadership of the institute is informed by his experience as a researcher and a business strategist. During his tenure at the EBI, Dr. Wight was active in identifying and filling gaps in expertise or resources in southeastern Ohio that are necessary for company formation, retention, financing, and growth.  Accomplishments in this area include an NSF grant that developed partnerships between regional start-ups and Ohio University faculty, a partnership to create the "Southern Ohio Creates Companies" pre-seed fund, and the partnership to create TechGROWTH. Dr. Wight currently serves in an interim capacity as the Associate Vice President of Research and previously as the interim Director of Technology Transfer.  He is also the regional director for BioOhio.  Dr. Wight holds an AB in Botany with honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an MS and a PhD in Botany from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Ohio University.

Director of the Ohio University Innovation Center Jennifer Simon is the Director of the Ohio University Innovation Center (IC) since March, 2009.  During her tenure, the client base for the University-based incubator increased from 3 to 19 member companies.  Ms. Simon has won over $350,000 in grant funding for the IC, and spearheaded efforts to build a Biotechnology Research and Development Facility.  Ms. Simon facilitates client access to capital through Angels, Venture Capital, and traditional lending institutions. Ms. Simon's career prior to the IC Directorship included the Presidency of the Athens County Economic Development Council and Athens Area Chamber of Commerce CEO.  Prior to these positions, as the Assistant Director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia Ms. Simon managed over $60 million in grants.  In that role, she also led the high-profile retention of Diagnostic Hybrids, Inc., an employer of over 250. Ms. Simon holds a BS in Political Science, an MA in Public Administration, and an MBA from Ohio University.  Ms. Simon resides in Athens, Ohio with her husband, David.

Executive Director of the Muskinghum Business Incubator Carol Humphreys has held the position since the incubator opened in 2005. Under her direction, the institution became the MCBI Regional Incubator, serving 10 counties in Appalachia. In 2010 she raised over 2 million in grant funding to renovate MCBI's new 55,000 sq ft facility. Prior to, Ms. Humphreys spent 10 years in banking, 20 years in management in the hospitality industry, and worked for the Zanesville/Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce assisting with small business development. Ms. Humphreys attended Ball State University and in 2006 was chosen as a Woman of Achievement Award Winner in Business. She and her husband Charlie reside in Philo, Ohio.

Program Leader at the Ohio State University South Centers Meagan Barnes provides technical assistance and education in the area of technology commercialization. She has been with the South Centers Business Development Network since June 2007. Prior to her work at the South Centers, she spent six years with Oak Hill Banks, where she held various positions including Marketing Coordinator, Sales Coordinator and Branch Administration Coordinator. Ms. Barnes spent a brief time in Washington D.C. completing a college internship with a congressman prior to joining the bank.  She holds a bachelor's degree in Communications with a focus in Public Relations from the University of Rio Grande. She holds an MBA Ohio University. She and her husband live in Gallipolis, Ohio.

Executives in Residence and Business Advisory Staff

TechGROWTH Investment Portfolio Manager Jeff Doose holds the TechGROWTH Board seat on three portfolio companies and has played an integral role in TechGROWTH's investment portfolio development, assessment and management since program inception in 2007. Mr. Doose came to Ohio in 2001 to help launch the Appalachian Regional Entrepreneurship Initiative at Ohio University and to serve on the Investment Committee of Adena Ventures. In 2003 Mr. Doose joined Adena full-time as a Partner and member of the Investment Committee. He holds two Board seats in Adena portfolio companies. Mr. Doose's career has included roles as an entrepreneur, corporate chief executive, venture capitalist, banker, consultant, college professor, non-profit chief executive, and SBDC Director. He has worked in high growth enterprises, development banks, SBICs and NMVCs, social service organizations and institutions of higher education throughout the United States. He holds a BA in Political Science from Southwest State University, MN, an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver and a JD from the University of Denver.

Innovation Center Executive in Residence Bethany George joined the Innovation Center team in July 2011 after serving as a business advisory consultant since 2006 at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and TechGROWTH Ohio.  Ms. George is a Lancaster, OH native and grew up working in her parents' 3rd generation family owned meat-processing business prior to beginning her professional career. She has also had extensive international experience spanning over the past decade working with companies in Hong Kong, Thailand, Mexico, England, and Hungary.  As a consultant, she advised pre-revenue/early stage technology inventors and entrepreneurs as well as lifestyle businesses.  She was also responsible for managing teams of Ohio University MBA and Center for Entrepreneurship students, guiding them through strategy consulting engagements with clients.  Ms. George serves on OU's Global Leadership Center Advisory.  Bethany holds an Ohio University Master of the Arts in business, economics and political science and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism.

Business Advisor Anna Jensen provides generalized services to clients throughout 32 Ohio counties of Appalachia. She has coordinated, guided and evaluated MBA student applied learning projects. She works extensively in the energy sector, ranging from solar, wind and geothermal industries to cutting edge, disruptive technologies.  Ms. Jensen's experience in all facets of business include stints as a buyer in specialty retail (Seifert's, Inc.), specialist in integration of purchasing and pricing systems and as Manager of the Price Change and PLU office for the 270-plus door Bon Ton Stores, Inc. She was raised in an entrepreneurial family with both her parents drafting her into their full-time family businesses. Ms. Jensen is a past-president of the Ohio University Women's Club and serves as representative of the Ohio Bobcat Club. She has a BA in German from Central College in Pella, Iowa.

Consulting Executive in Fiscal Planning and Accounting Andy Johnson has over 20 years experience advising and working with public and private companies ranging from start-ups to multi-national corporations with excess of $1 billion in sales. Prior to founding Custom Financial Outsourcing, Mr. Johnson was the Chief Financial Officer of a human resource outsourcing company that was publicly traded on the NASDAQ Small Cap Market. Previously, Mr. Johnson had experience serving as an outsourced CFO for a privately-held biotech company. Mr. Johnson was the CFO of a development stage business-to-business e-commerce company during which time the company raised nearly $10 million in angel financing. From July 1987 through February 2000, Mr. Johnson served in a variety of roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers. His experience included buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, general audit and tax, as well as various business advisory services. He is a graduate of Ohio University, with a Bachelors of Business Administration and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of Ohio.

Executive in Residence Jane New joined the TechGROWTH senior advisory staff in 2011. Employed for ten years at The Ohio State University, Ms. New is an expert in technology commercialization and intellectual property protection and management, particularly in the specialty fields of life sciences. Ms. New has acted as a business advisor to various entrepreneurial endeavors and brings to TechGROWTH experience in both incubation and fund management in the area of technology-based economic development. Ms. New has a BS degree in Business Administration and earned her MBA and Master's Degree in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Kansas.

Sherry Stewart, Muskingum Business Incubator Executive in Residence, holds that position since January of 2011.  Ms. Stewart serves clients from MCBI's 10-county region with business concept development, planning and management advice, financial needs, and marketing strategies.  For ten years prior to joining Muskingum County Business Incubator Ms. Stewart was the Executive Vice President of a group of 5 privately held corporations in the Pittsburgh area with combined annual revenues of over $25 million and over 180 employees.  In addition to operational and financial responsibilities, her accomplishments included the successful start-up of a manufacturing facility, commercial real estate investments, contract negotiations, and sales and marketing strategies.  For 20 years prior to her corporate career, Ms. Stewart was a successful entrepreneur experienced with both start-ups and acquisitions.  She attended Ohio State University.  Ms. Stewart and her husband Dwight live in Zanesville, Ohio.

Consulting Executive in Residence Jonathan Sowash has extensive experience creating new business organizations and accelerating growth strategies. He has formed strategic alliances, joint ventures, joint development programs, licensing relationships, and technology transfer protocols among technology companies in Asia, Europe and North America to boost the commercialization of intellectual property assets. Mr. Sowash has also organized worker-owned businesses and cooperatives and serves as general counsel for Third Sun Solar and other advanced energy companies. He is a founding member of Eclipse, Ltd., a real estate development firm focused on historic preservation, and a founding member and legal counsel for Rural Action, a non-profit community development organization, Mr. Sowash has a Juris Doctor degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and is a member of the Ohio bar. Mr. Sowash maintains a law practice in Athens, Ohio. He is also a woodland owner and is guiding the formation of biomass to energy and other forestry-based companies in the Appalachian region.

Edison BioTechnology Institute Executive in Residence Jeffry Wiseman is responsible for advancing life sciences technologies in southeastern. Dr. Wiseman has 30 years' experience in drug discovery research in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Ohio University, he was Chief Technology Officer at the biotechnology company Locus Pharmaceuticals, where he participated in raising $32 MM in financing and established research collaborations valued at $60 MM. Prior to joining Locus, Dr. Wiseman led drug discovery departments in biochemistry and the therapeutic area for Inflammatory Diseases at GlaxoSmithKline. In 1994, Dr. Wiseman created the discipline of chemical informatics and the next year was appointed to Glaxo's worldwide Research Executive council. Dr. Wiseman serves on the boards of TechGROWTH client companies Sanuthera and Promiliad, Ohio-based medical device and drug discovery companies, respectively, and is CEO of Pharmatrope, a drug discovery software company. He holds a B.S. degree, summa cum laude, in chemistry from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.

Consulting Business Advisor Sonita Uijt de Haag provides operational assistance to alternative energy and clean tech start-ups. Prior to joining TechGROWTH in 2009, Ms. Uijt de Haag worked at Sunpower, Inc. in Athens, Ohio, where she focused on R&D services, government contracting, new business development and grant writing. She holds a BA in German, a certificate from the Global Leadership Center, an MBA and an MA in International Affairs from Ohio University. To complete her graduate capstone project, Ms. Uijt de Haag received a Fulbright Research Fellowship to study the management of multi-cultural workforces in Malaysia. Ms. Uijt de Haag is fluent in German and Dutch, and is conversational in Spanish. She currently uses her language skills and global experience to help clients evaluate international opportunities.

Administrative Staff

TechGROWTH Associate Director of Operations Faith Knutsen has served the Voinovich School in that capacity since 2008.  She is also a member of the Center for Entrepreneurship staff. Previously, Ms. Knutsen worked for twelve years in an executive operations role at Sunpower, Inc., an Athens Ohio-based, 90-employee R&D engineering firm founded and owned by her family. Ms. Knutsen's earlier career in international development began with a tour as a Peace Corps volunteer in francophone Central Africa, segued into consulting throughout Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and led to her Masters' thesis on microenterprise in Central Africa. Born and raised in Athens, Ohio, Ms. Knutsen is active in the local community with Board positions in several not-for-profits.  Ms. Knutsen holds a BA from Oberlin College, an MA from Ohio University, and an MA Certificate in federal government contracting from George Washington University.

Finance Coordinator and Contract Manager Leslie Dunn  served in that role since project inception in 2007. Prior to joining TechGROWTH, Ms. Dunn worked for eight years in Treasury Management at Ohio University, where she was responsible for the accounting and monitoring of the Ohio University and Foundation endowment investments. Ms. Dunn has several years' experience in internal and external financial reporting and has also worked as an accountant in health care, manufacturing and utilities. She has a B.S. in Accounting from Miami University and an MBA from Ohio University.

Deal Flow and Events Coordinator Phyllis Bohning served in that role since program inception in 2007.  Previously, Ms. Bohning was the Director of Real Estate Services for a national franchising company, overseeing internal operations of contract administration, compliance and risk mitigation. Ms. Bohning has over twenty years of wide-ranging experience in the real estate and franchise development industries.  She worked as the primary point of contact for stakeholders invested in multi-million dollar development projects, oversaw corporate relationships with Fortune 100 financial partners, and developed and presented training programs for small business franchisees. Ms. Bohning holds a BS degree from James Madison University and a Project Management Professional Certificate (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.

Management Services Coordinator Trenia Twyman serves TechGROWTH and the Voinovich School. She worked at Louisiana State University for 9 years in their Computing Services Department as Materials Management Coordinator and then moved on to become a Telecommunications/Computing Services Student Services Associate, as well as purchasing associate for the department before joining the Voinovich School. Ms. Twyman has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Marshall University.