Georgetown Entrepreneurship Announces 2022-2023 Entrepreneurs and Experts-in-Residence

Georgetown Entrepreneurship, which serves all of Georgetown University from the McDonough School of Business, has announced its 12th annual cohort of entrepreneurs-in-residence (EIR). EIRs provide expertise, advice, mentoring, coaching, and other assistance to students, faculty, alumni, and administrators. 

As ambassadors for Georgetown University and for Georgetown Entrepreneurship, EIRs use their professional networks to help expand the entrepreneurial connections available to the Georgetown community and provide guidance on key initiatives. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni across Georgetown University have 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 in person and through 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.

Georgetown Entrepreneurship introduced two new EIRs this year, increasing the total cohort to 28 members. Dahna Goldstein and Neil Shah are the newest additions to the EIR team, and each bring years of experience and expertise in the startup industry. Goldstein currently serves as the chief investment officer of Halcyon and co-managing director of the Halcyon Fund, and Shah serves as CEO of D.C.-based product studio, ThinkNimble. 

“Many great businesses have already emerged from Georgetown and I look forward to engaging with current students, recent alumni, and the broader Georgetown community as more great businesses are born and shaped by the Georgetown Entrepreneurship ecosystem,” said Goldstein. “I hope that my experience, particularly with a focus on impact businesses, will help bring an empathetic but also strategic and valuable perspective to members of the Georgetown community.”

While welcoming two new faces to the EIR cohort, Georgetown Entrepreneurship also recognizes two long-standing EIRs who are stepping down this year. Shye Gilad, an EIR since 2013, has joined the faculty of the McDonough School of Business as a professor of the practice, and Jill Monk, an EIR since 2015, has decided to take a sabbatical from her work at Georgetown as she launches her next business, Tributary Botanicals. 

“Shye and Jill have made an extraordinary impact on our students and the broader entrepreneurship community at Georgetown,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship. “We appreciate the many contributions they have made to our programs and initiatives as dedicated EIRs and we wish them the best in their new roles.”

The 28 EIRs for 2022-2023 are:

Troye Bullock Jr. (C’16) is the founder and CEO of TB Global Impact Strategies, a consulting firm that works with companies, institutions, and nonprofits to create, launch, and magnify their corporate social responsibility and social impact goals while elevating their brand. TB Global Impact Strategies also works with start-up to expansion-stage businesses on web design, social media marketing, and operational strategies. Bullock previously worked with Brevan Howard Asset Management, a leading global macro strategy hedge fund in the investor relations and business development departments. He co-founded GOODProjects and GOODPartners which are nationally known social impact brands based out of Washington D.C. Bullock acted as the chief operating officer and chief marketing officer in his tenure with GOOD. Under his leadership, GOOD impacted over 3,000 families in Washington D.C., while working with local governments and nationally known brands to execute social impact projects throughout the country. Bullock graduated from Georgetown University with his B.A. in Sociology in 2016 and has been an EIR at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business since 2019. Bullock is currently pursuing his MBA at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jessica Carson is currently the head of psychology and curriculum for ZenBusiness and founder of The Magnum Opus Academy. She is the former senior director of venture and entrepreneurship at the American Psychological Association, the largest organization of psychologists in the world. She also is the author of Wired This Way, an exploration of the light and dark of the creative mind, which bears its own TED Talk. With a diverse background in psychology, neuroscience, startups, venture capital, and mindfulness, Carson’s unique approach to wholeness — with its emphasis on the light and dark of creative and entrepreneurial individuals and workplaces — resonates with academic and lay audiences alike. Her work has been featured across diverse institutions including Georgetown University, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, ScaleTech, The Psychiatric Times, Oxford University Press, Thrive Global, StartUp Fest, Society for Psychologists in Management, and many others.

Laura Clark is an experienced entrepreneur and communications executive. Currently, she serves as the innovation and entrepreneurship manager at the Good Food Institute where she works to shift the global food system to options that are better for the planet, people, and animals. 

Brian Cooley (C’94, MBA’01) is the president of The Five Network, an AI-powered mentor technology company based in Georgetown. Cooley previously served as the chief business officer, chief marketing officer, and president of sports and entertainment at Washington, D.C.-based SaaS company EVERFI (acquired by Blackbaud). In his nine years at EVERFI, Cooley served as the organization’s first CMO and helped to grow the company to over $120 million in annual recurring revenue and from 40 employees to over 600. Prior to joining EVERFI, he spent six years expanding Blackboard’s global education impact while overseeing branding, communications, demand generation, and marketing operations practices. Cooley also has led B2C and B2B marketing teams in the sports marketing industry, in the automotive sector with Land Rover North America, and in the educational technology industry with IBM. Brian has developed strong global perspective and experience while growing up in Thailand, Venezuela, and South Africa, and traveling to over 50 countries. He completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Georgetown University and is a big fan of all things Hoya.

Ryan Croft is CEO and cofounder at Pacto, a Mexico City-based integrated ordering and payments platform for restaurants and bars. Previously, Croft was co-founder at ActionFigure.ai (fka TransitScreen), a transportation and real estate tech software company based in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Additionally, he served as board director of ACT (Association for Commuter Transportation), a trustee at Federal City Council (Washington, D.C.), founders fellow at On Deck, founders fellow at Latitud Latin America, and board director at Give and Surf, a non-profit based in Bocas del Toro, Panama. He has previously been a speaker at Finnovista Mexico City, GoogleX, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, Consumer Electronics Show (CES), SXSW, and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad, India. Croft has joined multiple Washington, D.C., mayoral trade delegations to Toronto, San Francisco, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. In 2020, he was appointed to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “ReOpen DC” Committee on Transportation to help with the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ellen Eisenberg gained her experience as an entrepreneur as co-founder of United Sortation Solutions and Eurosort, Inc—both companies in the Material Handling Industry. Eisenberg helped grow these companies from inception in 2003 to 168 employees at exit in 2018. Eisenberg’s strengths lie 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. In addition to the personnel focus, she was responsible for the administration side of running the businesses – accounting, company compliance, taxation, licensing, regulations, and guidelines – all crucial elements of startup challenges. Eisenberg currently holds a position as an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, helping prospective entrepreneurs dip their toes into the exciting world of entrepreneurship. Eisenberg holds a B.S. in Business and International Trade from the University of Buffalo and an M.A. in Instructional Design from the University of Maryland. Working with the Georgetown Entrepreneurship program allows Eisenberg to share her experiences with those just starting out to help make the path of the new entrepreneur a bit easier. In addition to working as an EIR, she also supports entrepreneurs at Halcyon Incubator and is on the advisory board of Hera Hub. Eisenberg lives with her husband and dog in Georgetown. Her other interests include fitness, gardening, and reading. As an advocate for her community, Eisenberg is a board member of the Citizens Association of Georgetown and serves as a volunteer with the Georgetown Village and The Friends of Rose Park.

Howard Eisenberg is the founder of EuroSort Inc. and United Sortation Solutions (USS). Both companies design, manufacture, and install automated material handling equipment for e-commerce, postal, and retail distribution customers. Eisenberg now acts as a consultant to growth companies in the material handling industry. In his high school yearbook, his motto read “only those that attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.” This sentiment has guided him throughout his career as he has been involved in new ventures within large companies and startup companies. After college, Eisenberg worked as a mechanical engineer and advanced through positions of varying responsibility including new product development, manufacturing, operations, and project management in a wide range of industries including microelectronics, electric vehicles, postal automation, and fiber optics. Eisenberg has a breadth of insight and knowledge to be helpful to a wide range of startup opportunities. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo, an M.S. in Financial Management from Johns Hopkins University, and an M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Eisenberg and his wife live in Georgetown. They have successfully launched two sons into adulthood. In his free time, he enjoys photography, hiking, rock climbing, skiing, and travel.

Dave Goldberg (MBA’94) is a senior operating executive with over 30 years of experience leading geographically-distributed service businesses in the education, hospitality, and franchise industries. Goldberg’s specialties include formulating strategy, growing stagnant brands, improving the customer experience, enhancing operations, and launching new concepts. Goldberg currently sits on the board of directors of a number of private-equity backed organizations.  

Dahna Goldstein is committed to increasing access to capital for world-changing organizations. She is the chief investment officer of Halcyon and co-managing director of the Halcyon Fund. Goldstein is a senior fellow in the Digital Impact and Governance Initiative at New America, and co-founder of Resistance by Design. She was the founder and CEO of PhilanTech, which was acquired by Altum in 2014 where she continued to serve as director of Philanthropy Solutions. Prior to starting PhilanTech, Goldstein worked for venture philanthropies, including Ashoka and Blue Ridge Foundation New York. A graduate of Williams College, Goldstein also holds a master of education degree with a concentration in technology, from Harvard University, and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. She has written extensively about social impact, and has taught technology entrepreneurship at Georgetown University and blockchain at American University’s Kogod School of Business. Goldstein was named one of Newsweek’s “13 Women Entrepreneurs to Bet On” and one of BusinessWeek’s “25 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs.”

Payton Iheme is an accomplished public policy leader with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is currently the head of public policy for North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean for Bumble Inc. At Bumble, she lends her expertise to focus on issues overlapping with community building, online safety, diversity and equity, data privacy, the digital economy, small business, and public/private partnerships. Prior to joining Bumble, Iheme led aspects of public policy outreach at Facebook and also served as the senior policy advisor for Communication Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for the Obama Administration. She also has held various roles in the Department of Defense, the State Department, and in Congress as a legislative liaison with specializations in defense, intelligence, humanitarian assistance, and special access programs for members on the Senate Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations Committees. She also is a proud military officer/veteran and continues to serve. Iheme is based in the Washington, D.C., area.

John Jabara is the course designer and lecturer for Introduction to Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation at Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS). He was previously the curriculum adviser for the design phase of the Business and Entrepreneurship Concentration for the SCS Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Program. Jabara has played a leading role in establishing Georgetown Entrepreneurship’s student clubs and the surrounding ecosystems on both Georgetown’s Medical Campus and SCS. Jabara is a member of the advisory board of Georgetown University’s Medical Research Commercial Prioritization Project, and was recognized at the Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards for his contributions to the Georgetown McDonough Entrepreneurship Initiative in 2016 and 2020. In 2021, Jabara was recognized with the Georgetown University Tropaia Outstanding Faculty Award at SCS and the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Faculty Award at the McDonough School of Business. He has authored the books Mastering Customer Interviews for Entrepreneurs: The Fastest Way To Great Customer Feedback and Mastering Social Impact for Entrepreneurs: Transform Your Lean Startup With Social Impact, which are used in startup classrooms and incubators/accelerators nationwide.

Karima Ladhani is a human-centered, impact-oriented social innovator. She is the founder and CEO of Barakat Bundle, a non-profit that creates life saving bundles for mothers and newborns in need in South Asia, and Giving Cradle, a social enterprise that sells safe-sleep bamboo cradles to families that give back in North America. She has over a decade of experience in private and public sector innovation, business development, and project management; most recently serving as director of programs at the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program. While beginning her career in finance with degrees in math and business from the University of Waterloo (Canada), she went on to complete her MPH and PhD from Harvard University and earn entrepreneurship awards from Harvard Business School, Aspen Ideas Festival, LinkedIn For Good, WeWork, and more. She currently serves as a social entrepreneurship mentor at Intrepid Entrepreneurs Next Health Accelerator and on the board of directors of environmental non-profit Eco.Logic Programs. 

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. Additionally, Macaulay is an adjunct professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School for Foreign Service (SFS) and the McDonough School of Business.

Mike Malloy (G’12) is a seasoned professional with more than 10 years of experience as a Deloitte management consultant, sunglasses startup CEO, and startup incubator program director. Malloy possesses a unique blend of technical expertise, interpersonal communication skills, and emotional intelligence. Malloy also serves as an adjunct professor and ultimate frisbee coach at Georgetown University.

Peter Mellen (C’89, MBA’98) is an entrepreneur with more than 25 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. 

Amy Millman is a passionate advocate for women entrepreneurs building Big Businesses Starting Small. In 2000, Millman founded Springboard Enterprises to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. She served as president for 21 years, creating the programming, managing the organization, and building a global network of investors, industry experts, influencers, and innovators all dedicated to scaling high-growth, women-led companies in enterprise technology and life science. During her tenure, the portfolio of companies numbered over 800 that transformed industries and created over $27 billion in value for investors, clients, and customers through revenues generated, equity raised, IPOs, and sales to strategic acquirers. Millman began her career in Washington, D.C., at Congressional Quarterly, the U.S. Department of Labor and served as a lobbyist for corporate and industry groups. 

Miguel Monteverde is a D.C.-based tech and media executive and he currently serves as SVP and general manager of WETA, the leading public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital. He is also the founder and principal at Green Mountain Advisors, a firm that provides consulting services for early-stage companies. Previously, Monteverde was senior vice president of Digital Media at Discovery Communications, the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer. In this capacity, he was general manager of Discovery’s video streaming services for nine U.S. networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Investigation Discovery. Additionally, during his tenure at Discovery, Monteverde oversaw the digital and social media strategy and operations for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Petfinder, and more. He joined Discovery Communications in February 2008 after spending more than 10 years at AOL in a variety of programming and business roles, including general manager of AOL Video. Monteverde is a three-time Webby Award winner and was a finalist for a Primetime Emmy Award for creative achievement in interactive media. A former Army officer, Monteverde is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Neel Premkumar (B’02) is the founder and CEO of Dyla Brands, where he built the #2 drink mix portfolio in America (across Stur, Vita Coco, Crush, 7Up, Canada Dry, A&W, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, and Jelly Belly), and created innovative new brands (Stur natural enhancers, FORTO bottled coffees, Happy Viking protein shakes) in partnership with influential celebrities Shaquille O’Neal and Venus Williams. Premkumar also founded KNOW Beauty (personalized skin care with Vanessa Hudgens), FloraLabs (the Microbiome Company with clinically-studied probiotics), and CreativeHub (a creative agency with clients including Unilever, General Mills, and Samsung).

Rick Robinson is vice president of product and startup engagement at AARP and co-founder of Urgent.ly, the leading on-demand mobility platform. Previously, he served as senior vice president of digital products and content at National Geographic and vice president of product at POLITICO. 

Neil Shah (B’10) is a software developer, tech entrepreneur, and angel investor, and has spent his career working with early-stage technology startups and startup founders. He’s currently the CEO of D.C.-based product studio, ThinkNimble, which serves as the CTO and technical team for startups and socially-focused organizations. Previously, Shah was the co-founder and CEO of Aspire, an employee benefits company that was sold in 2017 to Raffa, P.C. He also was an early product manager at EverFi, designing and managing their entrepreneurship and STEM education platforms. Shah is based in Washington, D.C., where he lives with his wife and his dog, Apollo.

Mark Silverman (B’72, L’75) is an early stage investor, former corporate executive, entrepreneur, and advisor/board member at Westhaven Therapeutics, Wanderly, and Avenue Healthcare. Silverman also serves as vice president for the California Board of Accountancy.

Marc Steren is a former 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) is co-founder and chief operating officer of HipTrain, a marketplace that leverages global talent pools to reduce the cost of live, 1-on-1 consumer health and wellness subscription services. Prior to co-founding HipTrain, Taylor was COO at two early stage startups: Big Health, a company providing automated and evidence-based digital therapeutics, and Fixt, the first on-demand mobile device repair platform for the enterprise. Fixt was acquired by Assurant in 2020. Prior to Fixt, Taylor was regional director at Lyft for New York and the Mid-Atlantic, two of the company’s largest and most complex territories, where he was responsible for growth, retail operations, and community engagement. Taylor served in the U.S. Navy for nine years as a Naval Flight Officer during which he was forward deployed to Atsugi, Japan, with deployments to the Western Pacific, South China Sea, and Iraq. His final tour was at the White House. Taylor earned a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Masters of Policy Management from Georgetown University.

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. Previously  Terzianowned and operated several foodservice companies, including two as a franchisor (Jerry’s Subs and Pizza™, Jacks of Lombard Street™), and two as a multi-unit franchisee (Checkers Burgers ∙Fries∙ Cola™, Bojangles Chicken ‘n Biscuits™). As a real estate investor, he owns and manages a commercial real estate portfolio through Marva Properties, LLC, and a residential real estate portfolio through Boulder Property Group, LLC. 

Barbara White has spent her 25-year career helping Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, startups, 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. He is founder and host of the Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Forum, a community of over 7,000 founders, CEOs, angels, VCs, CXOs, and other business leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Danny Wright (C‘16) is a mentor and former chief operating officer of 1863 Ventures, the #1 national business development nonprofit for New Majority Entrepreneurs and VC Fund. He is also the founder and president of TWW Enterprises, a strategic management consulting firm serving impact driven clients like the Aspen Institute with financial analysis, strategic planning, and organizational development.

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.