Presenters

Anthony (Tony) Boccanfuso, PhD

He has a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and more than 25 years of research and commercialization experience managing a variety of administrative, programmatic, and strategy initiatives for academic, government, and private sector firms such as The University of South Carolina, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Since 2007, Tony has led the University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP – uidp.org), a project oriented, membership organization committed to improving partnerships between the academic and corporate sectors. Tony derives tremendous satisfaction in leading the UIDP and helping its members achieve meaningful impact on a broad array of university-industry collaboration matters ranging from contracting, commercialization, and workforce development. Members use UIDP learnings to improve and advance their external engagement strategy. Tony believes that academic-corporate engagement improves the lives of people and the human condition through the development of transformational products, new medicines and creation of new information and approaches that lead to better decision-making. Tony is married to Laura Boccanfuso who is a social robotics researcher at Yale School of Medicine. They have three children who are in various stages of their educational pursuits.

David Gulley, PhD, RTTP, CLP

Dr. Gulley serves as the founding director of the Technology Transfer Office of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. The TTO is a Commonwealth-wide effort to enhance the island's innovation ecosystem in cooperation with Puerto Rico's universities, businesses, government, and investment communities.

Gulley's career includes over 25 years of developing and implementing innovation-based and technology-led economic development. From 2012-2015 Gulley led a team of senior professionals to establish and strengthen 21 technology transfer offices in Chile in cooperation with Chile’s CORFO agency and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). From 1989-2012, he provided leadership at the University of Illinois and its Chicago campus to promote academic-industry collaborations, research engagements, technology transfer and commercialization. He served as Associate Vice President for Technology and Economic Development, as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, and in other university-wide positions. In 2012 he retired from the University to promote best practices in technology transfer around the world and to serve in key positions with associations and organizations that support the profession.

He holds the professional credentials as a “Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP)” and a “Certified Licensing Professional (CLP)”.

William (Bill) Schweri, PhD

He served as the Director of Federal Relations in the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Kentucky for 20 years. In his role as Director of Federal Relations, he monitored legislative activity that might impact research and sponsored programs and acts as University liaison with the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Bill served as the UK Director of the Office of Sponsored Program Development from 1984 to 2004 and in July of 1994 he took on additional duties as Director of Federal Relations. He has worked in research administration for 32 years and at UK for 37 years. Before his research administration career, he worked for five years as a Research Associate at the Center for Developmental Change, a multidisciplinary social science research center at the University of Kentucky. He served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, speaks Spanish and has a BA and MA in anthropology from the University of Kentucky. When he is not in an airplane, he enjoys fishing, gourmet cooking and wine collecting. He has been a member of the international Society of Research Administrators International (SRA) since 1978 and served as President of the professional association. He is a member of the SRA Distringuished Faculty and received the SRA Excellence Award in 2006 and the Chermside Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research Administration in 2015. His other SRA activities included serving as a member of the International Committee and managing SRA Partnership programs with the University of Puerto Rico and the Ponce School of Medicine, international research administration training in Russia (funded by CRDF), Saudi Arabia (Funded by SRI) and Africa (funded by Carnegie and MacArthur) He continues to be an aggressive advocate for professional development and education in research administration.

Luz Marina Rodriguez, MS

She joined Youth INC in November, 2016 as Senior Director of Sustainability & Growth, where she leads all Fundraising Training, Board Advancement and Bridge Fund grantmaking & capacity-building programs. Luz is an experienced Executive Director, a Board member of several nonprofits, a college professor, a mother, and mentor to many social sector professionals. Recently she spent the last 13 years at the Foundation Center as New York Lead and Training Specialist for Social Sector Outreach where she was responsible for developing and delivering fundraising and philanthropy training, guiding nonprofits and social change agents to stellar results in the areas of nonprofit sustainability throughout the U.S. and across borders in regions such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Nigeria. Luz is a regular faculty member at the Artist as Entrepreneur Institute in Broward County, Fla. and Alfred University Graduate School of Counseling. She serves as an advisory board member of the Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts (PRIDA), and newly appointed board member of Global Humanitaria. Luz holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University. She was awarded a Windcall Residency for her social justice advocacy, and nonprofit leadership. Her oral history and papers are preserved in the “Voices of Feminism” Women’s History Archives at Smith College.