Staff Members

Thomas C. Kinnear, Ph.D. Executive Director

Phone: 734-764-1388
E-mail: tckinnea@umich.edu

Thomas Kinnear is a leader in entrepreneurial education and enterprise at U-M, where he has received awards for teaching excellence and service. His teaching and research interests focus on entrepreneurial studies, strategic-marketing planning, marketing and public policy, and market-based management. Previously, Dr. Kinnear was senior associate dean of the U-M Business School and vice president for development and executive officer for the University. In 1997, he was awarded the Eugene Applebaum Professorship of Entrepreneurial Studies. Prior to U-M, he taught at the University of Western Ontario and held visiting appointments at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the European Management Institute (INSEAD) at Fontainebleau, France. In the entrepreneurial community, Dr. Kinnear serves as a co-founder, advisor, angel investor, and board member of start-up companies and is a limited partner in Apjohn Ventures, Arbor Partner Ventures, Arboretum Ventures, EDF Ventures, and RPM Ventures. Dr. Kinnear has worked in marketing management, marketing research, and marketing-education consulting for clients, such as Aetna, the American Electronics Association, AT&T, Alcatel, Chrysler, Domino's Pizza, Eli Lilly, the Federal Trade Commission, General Motors, and General Electric. Currently, he is CEO/board chair of the Venture Michigan Corporation and a director/board chair of the American Marketing Association. Dr. Kinnear has co-authored several books, and his research has been published in numerous scholarly journals. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a Ph.D. from University of Michigan.

Timothy L. Faley, Ph.D. Managing Director

Phone: 734-615-4425
E-mail: faley@umich.edu

Timothy Faley is responsible directing the creation and implementation of the Institute’s practice-oriented student programs, managing the Institute’s staff and budget, and developing and teaching innovative graduate-level entrepreneurship courses, including cross-disciplinary courses with the College of Engineering. Dr. Faley was the founding director of the U-M College of Engineering’s Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization. He came to the University from the Dow Chemical Company, where he worked in research, new-business development, corporate venturing, and technology licensing. Previously, Dr. Faley was a chemical-engineering faculty member at North Carolina A&T State University. He has been associated with seventeen new ventures throughout his career. He holds an MBA from Northwood University and a Ph.D.(ChemE) from the University of Notre Dame.

David J. Brophy, Ph.D. Director, Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance

Phone: 734-764-7587
E-mail: djbrophy@umich.edu

David Brophy joined the finance faculty at U-M in 1968 and has served since 1992 as director of the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, where he assists emerging and mid-size companies. He is a founding member of the editorial board of the Journal of Private Equity and the International Journal of Venture Capital. Dr. Brophy’s consulting activities in the public and private sectors include his advisory work with funds such as Compass Technology Partners, Plymouth Ventures and Bio-Star Ventures, as well as with various government agencies in the United States, Australia and France. He holds an MBA from University of Detroit and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

Thomas S. Porter Executive in Residence

Phone: 734-764-4551
E-mail: tporter@umich.edu

Thomas Porter teaches a class on managing the growth of new ventures at the Ross School and manages the School's student-led Frankel Commercialization Fund, a seed and pre-seed venture capital fund having teams investing in Technology, Healthcare, CleanTech, and Consumer products. He has extensive experience in founding, managing and advising successful technology growth companies. Mr. Porter co-founded and is a former general partner in EDF Ventures, an Ann Arbor-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies in healthcare and information technology. At EDF he lead the healthcare practice where he founded five companies based on technology from Michigan universities: Theragen Inc.(now GENVEC, GNVC on NASDAQ), Coagulation Systems Inc., Selective Genetics Inc., IntraLase Corp. (purchased by Abbott following a successful IPO), and HandyLab Inc. (purchased by Becton Dickinson), creating more than $1 billion in exit values for investors. Mr. Porter currently serves as the chairman of Incept Biosystems and Better Rehab LLC., companies which he also founded or co-founded, and works with universities and research institutions that are engaged in the commercialization of technology. He founded and served as chairman of the Van Andel Institute's technology advisory board, and currently serves as a member of U-M's national technology transfer advisory board and Vice Chair of the Council of Michigan Foundations. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a BA from DePauw University where he is a member of the Board of Visitors.

Richard (Erik) Gordon Associate Director and Clinical Assistant Professor

Phone: 734-764-5274
E-mail: rmegordo@umich.edu

Erik Gordon's interests focus on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization, including strategy, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture finance. His expertise also includes alliances and joint ventures, intellectual-property strategy and licensing, and the roles and operations of boards of directors, particularly in the biomedical, energy and green-technology fields. Mr. Gordon is the managing director of the Wolverine Venture Fund and teaches a foundation course on how to prepare business plans for new ventures in the life sciences, biotechnology and other industries and another course on how to market start-up businesses to potential funders, customers and other key influencers. Previously, Mr. Gordon was the Shulman Family Chair in Technology and Business Innovation and associate dean at Stevens Institute of Technology. He also served on the faculty and as associate dean/director of the graduate division of business and management (Carey Business School) at Johns Hopkins University. During his career, Mr. Gordon has co-founded or advised numerous companies. Gordon holds a B.A. in economics from Bucknell University and a J.D. from The Albany Law School of Union University.

Peter Adriaens, Ph.D. P.E. Professor of Entrepreneurship

Phone: 734-763-8032
E-mail: adriaens@umich.edu

Peter Adriaens’ teaching interests at U-M include entrepreneurial business fundamentals for scientists and engineers and clean technology venture opportunities. He owns Global CleanTech LLC, a company that specializes in business development and technology integration for sustainability applications. Dr. Adriaens also is a senior strategic consultant at LimnoTech, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based environmental-services firm. His research focuses on environmental-sensor development, remediation strategies, green-building designs, and market-based technology policies for emissions mitigation at electric utilities. Dr. Adriaens has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He is currently vice president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and serves on the science advisory boards of research centers, national laboratories and industries. Peter holds a B.Sc. (eng) from Ghent University (Belgium), an M.S. from Ghent University, and a Ph.D. from University of California.

Sarika Gupta Program Manager

Phone: 734-615-4422
E-mail: sarikag@umich.edu

Sarika leads the development and execution of the Zell Lurie Institute’s student-oriented programs including the Dare to Dream Start-Up and Mayleben Venture Shaping Grants, Michigan Business Challenge, Marcel Gani Internship program, and Mingle 'n' Match networking events. In this role she lso coachrd and mentors U-M student teams to help students advance their businesses. Sarika has extensive start-up experience as a manager, mentor, and coach. She served as President & CEO of Dance Telephone - a group party game, COO of V-teractive - an online gaming start-up, and Associate at MyBandStock.com - a site that delivers exclusive digital access to music fans. Additionally, she was a Senior Quantitative Research Associate at Cambridge Associates for 3 years. Sarika holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Mary Nickson Marketing Program Manager

Phone: 734-615-4424
E-mail: mnickson@umich.edu

Mary is the Marketing Program Manager for the Zell Lurie Institute and its Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance where she drives and executes the Institute's marketing vision. She also serves as the program manager for premier symposia and conferences which build networks among and engage leading members of the global entrepreneurial, venture capital and private equity investment community. These include the annual Entrepalooza Symposium, Michigan Growth Capital Symposium, and the Michigan Global Private Equity Conference, in addition to other activities. After successfully employing her creative approach to her own conference management and event business in the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas, Mary came to the Business School in 2000. Prior to this, she gained several years' worth of rewarding experience at Yachting Magazine in New York. She received her BA in marketing from Michigan State University.

Marybeth Davis Program Assistant

Phone: 734-615-4428
E-mail: mbdavis@umich.edu

Marybeth serves as program assistant for event management activities at the Institute. Before joining the Institute, Marybeth coordinated the Annual Business Conference for the Business School's Alumni Relations office. Previously, she led her own public relations firm, worked as a product development specialist for Lovejoy Tiffany's Incentive Division and served as a volunteer manager for the St. Joseph Mercy Health System. Marybeth has also served as the managing editor of two weekly Chicago newspapers owned by Time, Inc. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism form the University of Missouri.

Carolyn M. Maguire Administrator

Phone: 734-615-4419
E-mail: cmaguire@umich.edu

Carolyn has more than 22 years of experience at the Ross School of Business. Prior to joining the Institute she was academic support for 12 faculty members across five departments and for the CEMP program which has grown to become the ERB Institute. Carolyn is responsible for all primary correspondence and communication and for all University reporting and financial functions. Carolyn has an Associates Degree from Washtenaw Community College and has taken several courses in business at Eastern Michigan University.