National Business Incubation Association; Your source for knowledge and networks in business incubation

NBIA Members Elect New Board Representatives

June 11, 2009

Contact:
Linda Knopp
Director of News & Information
National Business Incubation Association
(740) 593-4331
lknopp@nbia.org

ATHENS, Ohio—Members of the National Business Incubation Association recently elected five new members to the board of directors that governs the 1,900-member association of business incubator developers and managers. A sixth board member was appointed to fill out an unexpired term.

Two of those elected are incumbents, and three are new to the board. These individuals and the newly appointed board member will join nine others, representing the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. NBIA is an international organization, with members from 67 nations, although a majority is from North America.

Marie Longserre, president and CEO of the Santa Fe Business Incubator in Santa Fe, N.M., and Tom O’Neal, director of the University of Central Florida Incubation Program in Orlando, Fla., will be returning to the board. Longserre was re-elected to a second three-year term, and O’Neal will serve as an elected member after serving out an appointment. Newly elected members are Sandra Cochrane, technology business consultant for the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center in Kalamazoo, Mich.; Darlene Ryan, executive director of Tech Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas; and Russ Yelton, executive director of the Center for Business and Technology Incubation in Asheville, N.C. All terms begin Oct. 1, 2009, and end in 2012.

In May, the NBIA board also appointed DeAnna Adams, director of the Mississippi e-Business Innovation Center in Jackson, Miss., to serve out the unexpired term of Linda Clark, who resigned from the board after retiring from the Ohio University Innovation Center in Athens, Ohio. Due to Clark’s earlier-than-expected retirement, Adams’ term was revised to begin in June rather than the originally scheduled date of Oct. 1.

Each of the candidates has a history of involvement with NBIA. “They have already demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the association through their services to members and their presentations at conferences and training institutes," said NBIA President & CEO Dinah Adkins. "Joining the board is really 'jumping in the fire.'" Board members prioritize member services, oversee the association’s financial well-being and plan for the future, as well as serve on a wide array of committees. "We appreciate their commitment to making NBIA a better organization in every way," Adkins said.

Business incubation programs catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. NBIA estimates that in 2005 alone, North American incubators assisted more than 27,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenue of more than $17 billion.

Based in Athens, Ohio, the National Business Incubation Association is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Since 1985, the association has provided industry professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.

NBIA’s board of directors, representing top business incubation programs and other key industry organizations, governs the association. The group meets three times a year to discuss association business, including educational programming, finances, member recruitment/services and publications.

The new board members join the following individuals whose terms will continue during 2009-2010:

  • Lou Cooperhouse, director of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton, N.J.
  • Evan Jones, director of @Wales Digital Media Initiative in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
  • Karl LaPan, president & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.
  • Carol Lauffer, partner with Business Cluster Development in Menlo Park, Calif.
  • David Lohr, executive director of the Virginia Biosciences Development Center in Richmond, Va.
  • Keelin O'Leary, manager of the Genesis Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
  • Melinda Richter, CEO and founder of Prescience International in San Francisco and executive director of San Jose BioCenter in San Jose, Calif.
  • Joel Stevenson, executive director of the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator in Columbia, S.C.
  • David Terry, executive director of the West Texas A&M University Enterprise Network based in Amarillo, Texas

Contact NBIA

Phone: (740) 593-4331
Fax: (740) 593-1996
340 West State Street, Unit 25
Athens, OH 45701-1565
info@nbia.org