About Us

Mike possesses over 23 years’ experience in higher education as an administrator and researcher with several universities, including the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Maryland System, University of South Carolina, Troy University, and South Carolina State University. Mike was previously founding research director of the IIFRE at the University of South Carolina, where he was a principal investigator involved with several USDA and NSF projects as well as several state agency research proposals. Mike has worked with numerous industry organizations as a university administrator, partnering in several outreach initiatives.

Mike earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of South Carolina and his doctorate from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

Denise has been providing operational and administrative support to Tony and the UIDP since 2008. She holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master of Arts in Communication from Ohio University. Prior to relocating to Columbia, South Carolina, Denise worked for the Rochester City School District in Rochester, NY for 15 years where she was an analyst in the Department of Research, Testing and Records. Denise and her husband, Paul, are now based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Melissa is the principal of Clio & Associates, a consulting practice that delivers solutions for university-industry collaborations. She has 16 years of experience in university-industry relations, including leadership positions at both Tulane University and the Pennsylvania State University. Melissa has demonstrated experience in using data to make decisions on pursuing “big ideas” with the most strategic industry partners while working across academic and corporate silos to inform and support large-scale initiatives for impact. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and  Spanish studies from Tufts University as well as an MBA with a concentration in international marketing from the FW Olin School of Business at Babson College.

Natoshia has 15 years of meeting professional experience planning and managing small- and large-scale meetings and conferences. Prior to joining UIDP, Natoshia worked as a meeting professional for a large corporation, a consulting firm, a university, and a nonprofit. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in executive leadership from Liberty University. In her spare time, Natoshia loves volunteering in the community through various local initiatives.

Jessica has 7+ years of event management experience with community and corporate planning and a degree in business and organizational leadership from Columbia International University. Jessica is a North Carolina native and currently lives in Columbia with her husband and two dogs. She is involved with the Columbia Running Club, volunteering and sponsoring local races, and also coaches other runners with a variety of training plans and distances. In her spare time she likes to run, cook, and take her dogs out for hikes.

As UIDP’s special projects consultant, Tamara Hayman Henry is responsible for managing the initiative to aid members in growing their relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Tamara is a certified project management professional (PMP), Lean and Six Sigma Blackbelt and engineer with more than 16 years’ experience in varying disciplines including software and systems engineering, information technology, project management and process improvement. Tamara has demonstrated experience in designing and executing Lean projects that leverage the intersection of technology, strategy, and business to create high–value and high–performing teams. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a master’s degree in technical management from Johns Hopkins University. Tamara is a wife, mother of two, and a classroom speaker for Maryland public schools, and actively participates in several community support activities as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

As the UIDP events content manager, Morgan ensures that all UIDP resources are organized, searchable, and readily available to members through the UIDP website. Morgan, a certified archivist, is a proud Tar Heel, as she earned both a master’s degree in library science and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining UIDP, Morgan worked for the South Carolina Department of Archives and History as the Electronic Records Archivist. She resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, Benjamin, and their daughter.

As UIDP’s marketing communication director, Sandy is responsible for planning and executing communication strategy across the organization. She brings more than 20 years of experience in persuasive writing, translational journalism and multi-channel communication to the UIDP team. Sandy has bylined hundreds of articles and reports, specializing in making complex topics accessible to a broad audience. She is a proud alumna of the University of California San Diego.

Mark McGill brings project management experience from seven years in the legal and insurance fields to his role as ERVA program coordinator. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of Charleston. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors and attending sports events.

Laquita brings more than 10 years of financial and accounting experience in various roles, ranging from financial services coordinator, payment operations team lead, and senior grants accountant. She has been responsible for accounts payable and, receivable functions, financial reporting, grants management, and budgeting. In her role, she provides financial oversight to the organization and grant operations, ensuring the appropriate use and accuracy of reporting. Laquita enjoys listening to audio books, fishing, attending travel baseball tournaments with her son, and watching foreign dramas.

As the membership data specialist, Lily works with UIDP members and staff to ensure all member information is both up to date and confidential. This ensures the maximum experience for UIDP membership organizations. Before joining UIDP, Lily served in both the public service and corporate sectors in team development and collaboration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and sales from Western Carolina University. Lily is a dedicated military spouse and a proud mom of twins.

Annie brings 10 years of relationship development and management experience to her role as the ERVA events and engagement manager. Prior to joining the team, Annie served in a variety of roles at a large public university, including development, grant management and career services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance, marketing and social entrepreneurship from Creighton University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina. In her down time, Annie enjoys spending time with her family, antiquing and a good DIY project.

Rebecca, our operations manager, has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate and non-profit relations.  Her expertise covers a wide range of areas, including public relations, human resources and employee relations, event planning, and business and program management.  She earned a master’s degree in leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University.  Rebecca resides in Irmo, SC with her husband, a retired Marine Corps helicopter pilot, and their two daughters.

Madison is a designer and illustrator from Columbia, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College and received her BFA in graphic design and illustration. In her free time, Madison enjoys creating art, Braves baseball, and listening to true crime podcasts.

As the UIDP membership services manager, Angie ensures that all UIDP members receive the maximum return on their membership investment by leading membership communications including news, benefits and services offered by the UIDP as well as connecting members with other opportunities that arise within the U-I environment. Angie has joined the UIDP team after earning her Bachelors from the University of Pittsburgh specializing in Business administration with a focus in Marketing and Operations Management. Please contact her at angie@uidp.net if interested in learning more about UIDP.

As UIDP’s communications specialist, Jenna supports events, projects, and membership functions by creating engaging video, audio, electronic and print media content. She holds a bachelor’s degree in media arts from the University of South Carolina. In her free time, Jenna enjoys exploring nature, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

As UIDP’s senior project advisor, Kristina manages UIDP’s project portfolio. The portfolio covers a wide array of topics relating to contracting, strategic partnerships, workforce development, and government engagement. For more than seven years, Kristina has worked at the intersection of university, industry, and government. She seeks to identify barriers to cross-sector collaboration and use crowd-sourcing techniques to create solutions and opportunities for lowering barriers and creating a stronger innovation ecosystem. Previously, Kristina held positions with AAAS and the National Academy of Sciences. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Purdue University and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland. She also regularly attends association management, project management, and meeting facilitation training. Kristina resides in Vienna, VA with her husband, Ben, and her dog, Vsepr.

Kimberly Walker has spent over a decade in higher education at the University of South Carolina, USC Upstate, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and the South Carolina Technical College System. Kimberly’s background includes continuous improvement, institutional effectiveness, institutional research, accreditation, and curriculum design. Kimberly earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in education from Columbia College, and a doctorate in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University. Kimberly resides in Columbia with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to NPR, and spending time with her dog, cat, ball python, and axolotl.

Wendi Yajnik is the global head of academic partnerships and external innovation at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), the innovation and research engine of Novartis. At NIBR, she leads a team focused on accessing innovative, breakthrough therapies through scientific partnerships and collaborations with global academic partners as well as leading educational training programs, including the NIBR summer internship, post-doctoral and post-baccalaureate programs. She also oversees all NIBR donations, grants and sponsorships.

Wendi joined NIBR from Sanofi, where she was the head of R&D transactions in the Global Business Development and Licensing Group. In that role, she led a team responsible for negotiating early discovery research and licensing agreements with academic institutions and biotechnology partners. Prior to Sanofi, she was the executive director of innovation for Partners Healthcare, directing a team responsible for negotiating research collaborations, out-licensing intellectual property to pharma and biotechnology companies as well as start-up formation working in collaboration with the Partners Innovation Fund and venture capitalists. Before transitioning to the business sector, Wendi was an assistant professor of medicine and pathology at New York University School of Medicine focusing on HIV-1 research.

Grace Wang serves The Ohio State University as executive vice president for research, innovation, and knowledge enterprise, where she leads expansion of the university’s cutting-edge research, enhances creative expression and scholarship, stimulates entrepreneurship, and builds strategic partnerships.

Prior to OSU, she held dual roles as senior vice chancellor for research and economic development at the State University of New York System and interim president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. At SUNY, she advanced a growth strategy and was instrumental in establishing large-scale strategic partnership R&D capacity while fueling regional economic growth.

Prior to SUNY, Grace served as acting assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation. In this role, she managed a funding portfolio of more than $900 million dedicated to investments in frontier engineering research, supporting engineering education and fostering innovation and technology commercialization.

Grace began her career at IBM/Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, focusing on research and development of magnetic thin film and carbon overcoat for data storage. She holds seven U.S. patents. She was also a professor in the department of materials design and innovation at the University at Buffalo. Wang earned a doctoral degree in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University.

Theresa S. Mayer is the executive vice president for research and partnerships at Purdue University, where she oversees the $670 million research enterprise of the university and supports holistic engagements with federal, industry, and global strategic partners.  Prior to this role, she was the vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech. During her 23-years at Penn State University, she served as the associate dean for research and innovation in engineering, the site director of the NSF National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, and a distinguished professor of electrical engineering and materials science.  She is widely recognized for her work in advanced manufacturing of nanoscale electronic, optical, and biomedical devices, which has been supported by the DoD, NSF, DOE, NIH, and industry. Theresa has over 200 technical publications, invited presentations and tutorials, and holds ten patents in these areas. Several of her inventions have been transitioned into commercial and military systems.  She is actively engaged in service to her profession and the nation, including past service on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, PCAST.  Theresa earned a bachelor’s degree. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, and master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

Nerissa Draeger is director of global  university engagements at Lam Research, a position she has held since 2017. She oversees Lam’s academic partnerships and strategic research collaborations in pursuit of disruptive and enabling technologies to advance the semiconductor industry. Her leadership is focused on creating diversity in both our technology and talent pipelines to drive innovative solutions for our customers. Nerissa has led various programs since joining the company in 2000; including feasibility of emerging materials and processes, new product development, and strategic business and intellectual property development.

Nerissa’s background is in thin film deposition and she earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and her bachelor of science in engineering degree from the University of Michigan. She has authored over 30 patents and numerous technical publications.

Manjula Donepudi is an alliance management professional with 15 years of experience managing innovation at the crossroads of industry and academia. Prior to joining Pfizer CTI as the Alliance Lead, for CTI’s academic network of collaborators, Manjula spent 12 years in academic technology transfer engaged in a range of activities, including intellectual property portfolio management, contract negotiations to support a range of industry-academia relationships and managing alliances for clinical stage programs being advanced through public-private partnerships.

As a post-doctoral fellow at MSKCC, she was motivated to join the field of technology transfer for the purpose of moving academic discoveries into industry hands where they would be advanced for patient benefit. She continues to remain committed to continue strengthening industry-academia collaborations for this purpose.

Sophia Herbert-Peterson is director of industry contracting for Georgia Tech Research Corporation, the contracting entity for sponsored research at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is responsible for managing all contracting activities, developing and implementing policies and procedures that support the research collaboration process, and developing and deploying strategic initiatives for industry engagement. She is also an active supporter of diversity leadership initiatives on campus, such as Georgia Tech’s Inclusive Leaders Academy and the Leading Women@Tech Program. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Sophia served as a law clerk for the Honorable Earl B. Gilliam in the Southern District of California, as in-house counsel for two Fortune 500 companies, and practiced  at an Atlanta law firm. Sophia earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies and Spanish literature from Manhattan College and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Kathy serves as university director, strategy & engagement, at Yale University. She brings more than 20 years of experience in industry partnerships, university-based research, cross-cultural project management, training and development, and fundraising. Her professional experience has been largely spent in academia building and sustaining effective multi-sector partnerships with lasting impact on the development of corporate policy, curriculum, research, and public policy.

Kathy collaborates with faculty and other campus stakeholders to grow and sustain substantial mutually beneficial corporate partnerships that support Yale’s mission to improve the world through exceptional research and scholarship. Her team’s activities center around three strategies: business development, strategy and policy alignment, and communication and collaboration.

Previously as director, global partnerships for the Shared Value Initiative, a multi-stakeholder effort that aims to drive adoption and improve implementation of shared value strategies among leading companies, civil society, and government organizations, Kathy launched the Shared Value in Perspective Series to explore the ‘living adaption’ of the shared value strategy around the world. Lead partners included Nestle, Novartis, Enel, and G.E.

Kathy is married with three adult children. She and her husband enjoy traveling, spending time cooking with family, and Bikram Yoga. Kathy earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Massachusetts and her master’s degree in business administration from Bentley University.