Anne L. Balazs, Ph.D.

Dr. Anne L. Balazs became the first female dean of the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation in 2018. She is an alumna of Smith College (A.B. Economics) and earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Her research on value congruency, elderly consumer behavior, health care advertising, and retailing has appeared in the Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Psychology & Marketing, and the Journal of Business Research and has been funded by the Swedish Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Richard D. Irwin Publishing Company.

Ebony Carter

Ebony Carter, V.P. of Minority Business Services and Director of the MBAC. She has worked with small businesses and start-up companies for the past 6 years assisting with funding opportunities, strategic financial planning, and company structural planning. Her previous position as a Financial Analyst at the University of Toledo sparked her mission to become a trusted resource who helps inform and equip small businesses with the necessary tools and skills to reach their goals.

Leon Cheng, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Toledo. His latest research focuses on Cyber-Physical-Human Systems.  Dr. Cheng has served on panels to review grant proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institute of Health (NIH), Nebraska Research Initiative (NRI), Swedish Knowledge Foundation, Austrian Science Fund, and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority.

Jessica Sattler

Jessica is a Senior Project Manager for the Regional Growth Partnership. She has spent the past 17 years in various roles in economic development, including nearly 7 years as the director of economic engagement and business development programs at the University of Toledo. During her time in economic development, she has worked with all types of businesses, ranging from tech startups at the incubator to small businesses and large corporations. She specializes in vetting business growth potential and fund development for civic and community projects and business growth and development.

Troy Szopo

Troy is a Director at Stout Risius Ross, a global investment bank and advisory firm specializing in corporate finance, valuation, financial disputes, and investigations. Troy provides valuation services for various purposes such as purchase price allocations, impairment exercises, federal tax, and shareholder disputes. In addition to his work at Stout, Troy is the Director of Woodward Angels, an angel investing group in the greater Detroit area. Additionally, Troy has served as a startup coach for New Enterprise Forum, where he mentored entrepreneurs in their quest to raise capital for their early-stage businesses.