Georgetown Entrepreneurship Announces 2020-2021 Entrepreneurs and Experts-in Residence

Georgetown Entrepreneurship, which serves all of Georgetown University from the McDonough School of Business, has announced its 10th annual cohort of entrepreneurs-in-residence and experts-in-residence (EIR). EIRs provide expertise, advice, mentoring, coaching, and other assistance to students, faculty, alumni, and administrators. 

As ambassadors for Georgetown University and the Entrepreneurship Initiative, EIR’s help to expand the base of contacts and reputation in the campus and business community by engaging their own professional networks. Both undergraduate and graduate students will have virtual access to the EIRs as they navigate their own companies and other entrepreneurial aspirations.  

The EIR team members are available for Chalk Talks, a weekly informal walk-in entrepreneurship clinic open to all Georgetown students via Zoom. Participants can speak with the entrepreneurs and with each other about their business ideas, career choices, and other topics. Students and alumni interested in starting their own venture are highly encouraged to attend.

The 23 entrepreneurs-in-residence and one expert-in-residence for 2020-2021 are:

Troye Bullock Jr. (C’16) is the co-founder and chief operating officer for GOOD. He is a pioneer in the social impact space for creating equity and opportunity for the nation’s most at-risk populations who historically have experienced trauma and poverty.

Jessica Carson will serve as an expert-in-residence, supporting student entrepreneurs and creators on the path of self-understanding and well-being. With a background in psychology, neuroscience, startups, venture capital, and mindfulness, she has both a scientific and embodied understanding of the unique wiring of entrepreneurs. Currently, Carson is the founder of Wired This Way and director of innovation at the American Psychological Association. Previously, she held positions as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health and director at NextGen Venture Partners, as well as other entrepreneurial roles.

Laura Clark is an experienced retail entrepreneur and communications executive who founded Wylie Wagg, a regional retail chain. She also was the company’s chief executive officer, served on an advisory board for an international brand, was an industry research consultant, and is a frequent spokesperson in publications and on panels. Currently, Clark is heading up the launch of an organic pet food created by the founder of Cisco Systems and Urban Decay. 

Brian Cooley (C’94, MBA’01) is the global chief marketing officer of EVERFI, a SaaS software company based in Washington, D.C., focused on critical skills education. In his seven years at EVERFI, Cooley served as the organization’s first CMO helping to grow the company to over $120 million in annual recurring revenue and from 40 employees to over 600. As a long-time marketer, he has developed a passion for building powerful global brands, fostering loyal communities, and growing revenue. 

Ryan Croft is co-founder and chief commercial officer (CCO) at TransitScreen®, a company that provides commute management solutions focused on real-time transportation information throughout the employee lifecycle. Croft is a trustee at the Federal City Council in Washington, D.C., and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Commuter Transportation and the Board of Directors for Give and Surf, a nonprofit based in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Ellen Eisenberg is an experienced entrepreneur whose focus is on building and growing effective teams. She was a co-founder of United Sortation Solutions and Eurosort, In.; both companies in the Material Handling Industry. Eisenberg helped grow these companies from startup in 2003 to 168 employees at exit in 2018. Her expertise lies in identifying positions to best support the growth needs of a company, defining the roles of new team members, and the sourcing and preservation of talent. 

Howard Eisenberg is the founder and president of EuroSort Inc., a provider of high-speed sorters for retail and postal distribution centers, as well as the founder and former president of United Sortation Solutions, an engineering/manufacturing company that designs, manufactures, and installs automated material handling equipment for e-commerce and retail distribution customers.

Shye Gilad (EMBA’12) is co-founder and managing partner of ProJet Aviation, an award-winning aviation hospitality company that helps people accomplish extraordinary things through the wonders of private flight. Additionally, Malloy is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

John Jabara is founder of Savenia Labs, a company based in Maryland that reinvents appliance, electrical products, and home energy ratings so that individuals and businesses can assess lifetime energy costs and environmental impact prior to purchasing. Jabara started and ran large international operating divisions in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan for over 22 years for multinational healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline. Additionally, Jabara is an adjunct professor and curriculum adviser for Business & Entrepreneurship for the SCS Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Program at Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies.

Jay Kenny (C’95) is a senior business leader with a strong track record creating strategic vision, building teams, and driving execution for high-growth companies in dynamic markets. Kenny is experienced in creating innovative marketing programs across SaaS, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, through channel, and enterprise software businesses with proven success delivering results in startup, growth stage, and Fortune 500 cultures. Additionally, Kenny is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

Fiona Macaulay is a serial social entrepreneur, educator, and field-builder committed to helping people achieve their potential. Macaulay founded the Women Innovators and Leaders Development Network (WILD) to support women social innovators to scale their impact, and thrive personally. She also is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the McDonough School of Business, where she also runs a leadership clinic for MBA students. Additionally, Macaulay is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School for Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business.

Mike Malloy (G’12) currently leads the Halcyon Incubator and was the CEO at Waveborn Sunglasses, a company that changes how people see the world by selling luxury Italian sunglasses and donating 10 percent of the profits to fund life-changing cataract surgeries. He has experience as a Deloitte management consultant. Additionally, Malloy is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School for Foreign Service.

Peter Mellen (C’89, MBA’98) is an entrepreneur with 20 years of experience working in online business and commercial real estate. He is the founder of Netcito, a network of peer advisory groups for entrepreneurs, and owner of Mellen Investment Properties, a real estate investing firm that manages and invests in commercial properties. Mellen co-founded Edison|Wright, where he launched one of the first Property Assessed Clean Energy programs in the world to finance clean energy projects in buildings through voluntary property tax assessments. Also, Mellen co-founded Headlight, an online learning company. 

Jill Monk is a pioneer and early evangelist of edtech. In 1995, she founded one of the first and most highly rated education portals on the internet, which was venture-backed. Monk is an executive entrepreneur and serial innovator, passionate about building ideas, products, and new ventures.

Miguel Monteverde is a tech and media executive based in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and principal at Green Mountain Advisors, a firm that provides consulting services for early-stage companies.

Rick Robinson is vice president of enterprise product innovation at AARP and co-founder of Urgent.ly. Previously, he has worked for several technology and media organizations, including POLITICO, National Geographic, and America Online. 

Mark Silverman (B’72, L’75) is a venture investor and adviser at Westhaven Therapeutics and Georgetown Translational Pharmaceuticals. He serves as an advisor and a board member for a number of early stage companies. Silverman also is vice president for the California Board of Accountancy.

Marc Steren is co-director of the Georgetown University Summer Launch program and the founding director of entrepreneurship at the Universities at Shady Grove. He is the 2015 entrepreneur educator of the year for the National Federation of Independent Business, the 2015 David S. Stone Excellence in Teaching award winner, and the founder of the Young Innovators program.

Steve Taylor (MPM’09) serves as the chief operations officer at Fixt, the first on-demand mobile device repair platform for the enterprise, where he is responsible for team alignment, scaling operations, and growing revenue. Taylor is also an advisor at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Fund supporting entrepreneurs outside of the major investment hubs of Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston, and is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Georgetown University. He began his professional career at the United States Naval Academy, after which he served for nine years as a naval flight officer. During his final tour he served at the White House supporting continuity of operations and emergency response plans. 

Dave Terzian (C’76) is a managing partner of Brand Strategy Partners, LLC, a boutique consulting group that specializes in the quick service and fast casual restaurant segment, with extensive resources to assist managers and entrepreneurs with brand development strategies and execution.

Barbara White has spent her 25-year career helping Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, start-ups, and C-Level executives design and execute transformational change programs centered on strategy, organizational effectiveness, and innovative capabilities. In 2019, she founded The Avoka Group, a consulting firm focused on applying the same innovative approaches to help individuals design and execute a personal strategy to navigate their own transformational change.

Tien Wong is an expert in technology and startups. He serves as chairman and CEO of Tech2000, a provider of advanced technology training and mobile device software to government and Fortune 500 companies; chairman of Lore Systems, an internet technology professional services company; and chairman of Opus8, a private investment and strategic advisory firm. 

Danny Wright (C‘16) is a co-founder of GOOD, a conglomerate of social impact organizations addressing the most challenging issues affecting low-income communities in the United States. Wright specializes in business strategy, designing and executing solutions that drive social change for those most in need.

Khuram Zaman is chief executive officer of Fifth Tribe, a digital agency that serves businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. He has provided digital marketing services to the Department of Defense, Kaiser Permanente, Oxfam America, Ernst and Young, and The Hult Prize. Zaman’s writing has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, and Business2Community. Additionally, Zaman is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.