Innovators-in-Residence

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

photo of Stacey Berger

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

LinkedIn


photo of Timothy Bovard

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

LinkedIn


photo of Ben Cappiello

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

LinkedIn


photo of Nicholas Cartier

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

LinkedIn


photo of Jim Christian

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

LinkedIn


photo of Anna deTiege Harris

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

LinkedIn


photo of Brian Egwele

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

LinkedIn


photo of John Elstrott

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

LinkedIn


photo of Alex Goryachev

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

LinkedIn, AlexGoryachev.com


photo of Selina Ip

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

LinkedIn


photo of Mike Katz

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

LinkedIn


photo of Allison Piper Kimball

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

LinkedIn


photo of Mark Newberg

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

LinkedIn


photo of David Olk

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

LinkedIn


photo of Mauricio Prieto

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

LinkedIn


photo of Alex Reed

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

LinkedIn


photo of Jimmy Roussel

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

LinkedIn


photo of Mike Schroeder

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

LinkedIn


photo of Claire Tilmont

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

LinkedIn


photo of Joe Truhe

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

LinkedIn


Past Innovators-in-Residence

photo of Wallace Boston

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

LinkedIn, www.apus.edu


phot of Chris Damm

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

photo of Deborah Elam

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

Bloomberg.com, WorkingMother.com, LinkedIn


photo of Sally Forman

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

TheAdvocate, LinkedIn


photo of Juan Linares

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

LinkedIn


photo of Pradeep Ramamurthy

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

LinkedIn


photo of Kevin Ryan

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

LinkedIn


photo of Jeffrey Silverman

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

LinkedIn, laconiacapitalgroup.com


photo of Allen Square

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

Nola.com, The New Orleans Tribune, LinkedIn


photo of M. Stella Templo

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

LinkedIn


photo of Marianne Van Meter

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

LegacyCapital.com, LinkedIn


photo of Aaron Walker

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

LinkedIn