Technology Commercialization Staff List

Our staff are currently working remotely, but our office is still fully functional, and we are here to assist you. Email is the best way to contact us.

See the Technology Commercialization Organization Chart

Executive Leadership

Portrait of Rick H

Rick Huebsch

Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation, Technology Commercialization

rhuebsch@umn.edu
(612) 626-3760

Rebecca Gerber portrait

Rebecca Gerber

Associate Director, Technology Strategy Group

gerbe074@umn.edu
(612) 626-5469

Kevin Anderson portrait

Kevin Anderson

Associate Director, Technology Licensing Group

andersks@umn.edu
(612) 624-8293

Leza Besemann portrait

Leza Besemann

Associate Director, Marketing & Corporate Engagement

besem007@umn.edu
(612) 625-8615

Maria Ploessl portrait

Maria Ploessl

Chief of Staff

ploes013@umn.edu
(612) 624-6230

Russ Straate portrait

Russ Straate

Director, Venture Center

rstraate@umn.edu
(612) 625-5878

Nathan Wassenberg Portrait

Nathan Wassenberg

Operations & Finance Manager

wass0033@umn.edu
(612) 301-1323

Technology Strategy Group

Rebecca Gerber portrait

Rebecca Gerber

Associate Director

gerbe074@umn.edu
(612) 626-5469

Sandipan Banerjee

Sandipan Banerjee

Technology Portfolio Manager

baner198@umn.edu
(612) 625-0989

Allison Ferro

Allison Ferro

Technology Portfolio Manager

ferro046@umn.edu
(612) 626-9150

Anne Hall

Anne Hall

Technology Portfolio Manager

hallx412@umn.edu
(612) 626-2033

Jill Crawford-Nichols

Jill Crawford-Nichols

UMD/NRRI Technology Development Manager

nicholsj@d.umn.edu
(216) 788-2681

Karen Ohlfest

Karen Ohlfest

Technology Portfolio Manager & Intellectual Property Officer

kohlfest@umn.edu
(612) 625-4907

Eric Olson

Eric Olson

Technology Portfolio Manager & Intellectual Property Officer

esolson@umn.edu
(612) 624-6529

Vaughn Schmid

Vaughn Schmid

Technology Portfolio Manager

schm2230@umn.edu
(612) 625-9409

Rayla Vilar

Rayla Vilar

Technology Portfolio Manager

pinto115@umn.edu
(612) 625-1273

Technology Licensing Group

Kevin Anderson portrait

Kevin Anderson

Associate Director

andersks@umn.edu
(612) 624-8293

Adam Bolton

Adam Bolton

Technology Licensing Officer

bolto121@umn.edu

Doug Franz

Doug Franz

Technology Licensing Officer

franz417@umn.edu
(612) 624-0869

Cecilia Hall

Cecilia Hall

Technology Licensing Officer

hallx562@umn.edu
(612) 625-5117

Kenneth Karanja

Kenneth Karanja

Technology Licensing Officer

kara0108@umn.edu
(612) 624-4531

Andrew Morrow

Andrew Morrow

Technology Licensing Officer

amorrow@umn.edu
(612) 626-7283

Rajesh Udupa

Rajesh Udupa

Technology Licensing Officer

rudupa@umn.edu
(612) 624-3966

Naomi Walsh

Naomi Walsh

Technology Licensing Officer

nmwalsh@umn.edu
(612) 301-3055 

Marketing & Corporate Engagement

Leza Besemann portrait

Leza Besemann

Associate Director

besem007@umn.edu
(612) 625-8615

Portrait of Nico Mesyngier

Nico Mesyngier, Ph.D.

Technology Commercialization Fellow

bresl061@umn.edu

Steven Prinslow

Steven Prinslow

Technology Commercialization Fellow

prins042@umn.edu

Jason Stockman

Jason Stockman

Corporate Research Partnerships Officer

stock776@umn.edu

Michael Woods

Michael Woods

Technology Commercialization Fellow

woods475@umn.edu

Venture Center

Russ Straate portrait

Russ Straate

Associate Director

rstraate@umn.edu
(612) 625-5878

Chris Ghere

Chris Ghere

Senior Venture Development Manager

gher0006@umn.edu
(612) 624-6797

Office Management & Systems

Maria Ploessl portrait

Maria Ploessl

Chief of Staff

ploes013@umn.edu
(612) 624-6230

Katie Breslin

Katie Breslin

Office Manager & Events Associate

bresl061@umn.edu
(612) 624-0550

Minyen Hsieh

Minyen Hsieh

Business Systems Associate

hsieh149@umn.edu

Phil Snyder

Phil Snyder

Business Systems Analyst

pjsnyder@umn.edu
(612) 624-2440

Operations & Finance Group

Nathan Wassenberg Portrait

Nathan Wassenberg

Operations & Finance Manager

wass0033@umn.edu
(612) 301-1323

Luba Anderson

Luba Anderson

Royalty Accountant

ande8727@umn.edu
(612) 626-8096

Susan Auspos

Susan Auspos

Patent Coordinator

auspo002@umn.edu
(612) 625-2001

Laurel Corgard

Laurel Corgard

Patent Administrative Specialist

laurel@umn.edu
(612) 626-2084

Resa Gilats

Resa Gilats

Senior Patent Administrator - Project Leader

gilat004@umn.edu
(612) 624-5871

Grey square, depicting an unavailable picture

April Kane

Patent Accountant 

kanex131@umn.edu

Portrait of Emma Keogh

Emma Keogh

Associate Patent Administrator

keogh059@umn.edu
(612) 626-8915

Portrait of Paula P

Paula Phongsavath

Contracts Manager

phong002@umn.edu

MNBridge Gap Funding Group

Chris Ghere

Chris Ghere

Senior Venture Development Manager

gher0006@umn.edu
(612) 624-6797

Tim Cusack

Tim Cusack 

MNBridge Gap Funding Network Manager 

cusac021@umn.edu

Students & Interns

Business Systems

Jeff Trinh

Patents

Giulia-Maria Bulugean
Melanie Hernandez
Miranda Hernandez
Joanna Longen
Siya Sakhardande

Venture Center

Mei Yee Chew
Logan Grayson
Muneeb Hafeez 
Kavaar Kavaarpuo 
Nida Yamin
 

Tech Comm Interns

Chakraborty, Rohan
Peng Ge
Yijia Li

 

Megin Nguyen
Jennifer Nhieu
Nanda Patil

 

Dechen Wangmo