About

Michelle Bolas joins NCI after serving as chief innovation officer at UNC-Chapel Hill and executive director of Innovate Carolina, where she led the University’s innovation strategy. She brings 25 years of experience working with higher education, business and industry, and government leaders to design and develop comprehensive environments for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive. For the past ten years she also led UNC’s Innovation Roadmap, working closely with leaders, faculty and students to imagine and implement new programs and initiatives that have significantly increased the impact of Carolina innovations. At NCI, Michelle is responsible for developing and enhancing university partnerships and research commercialization activities. She works with partner universities in four regions of the state to optimize their applied research portfolios and to support NCI’s work to commercialize research outputs.

Ms. Bourne has master’s degrees in Higher Education Administration and in Integrated Science & Technology. For over 18 years she held senior leadership roles at James Madison University, first as Director of Technology Transfer and then as Director of Technology Innovation & Economic Development. Ms. Bourne also founded and led James Madison Innovations, a 501(c)(3) corporation to manage intellectual property. In those roles, Ms. Bourne supported commercialization efforts for JMU researchers. She also led initiatives to create a regional angel investor network and strengthen the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ms. Bourne leads NCI’s work in the Charlotte region, anchored by UNC Charlotte.

Mrs. Coneybeer has more than 15 years of experience navigating complex research and innovation efforts for the UNC System, community colleges, and corporate partners. She holds a master’s degree in Horticulture Science from NC State University. She most recently served as Director of Mentorship and Research for the NC School of Science and Math’s western campus. Before that, she worked in the biosciences industry and academia. Ms. Coneybeer leads NCI’s work in the West region, anchored by WCU.

A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Emily oversees NCInnovation’s office operations. She joined NCInnovation after multiple client-facing roles at Triangle financial institutions, and is completing her Bachelor of Science in Finance.

Elise Fisher earned her bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University and her master’s degree in public policy from Drexel University. She has a breadth of experience in managing projects both in the private sector and at national nonprofit organizations. After earning her master’s degree, Elise supported the world-renowned Penn Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania. At NCInnovation, Elise is on the organization’s research programs team as the project coordinator.

Dr. LaKeya Hardy serves as the NC A&T Hub Director at NCInnovation, where she collaborates with research faculty and leadership across North Carolina’s public universities in the Piedmont Triangle and Triad regions to advance the commercialization of academic research. With a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology, Dr. Hardy brings extensive experience in securing, managing, and leveraging federal and foundation grants to support research translation, educational programming, and workforce development. She has successfully led multi-million dollar grant procurement efforts, including NIH R25 awards and foundation partnerships, while designing and managing complex training and professional development programs for scientists at all career stages. A published researcher and experienced program director, Dr. Hardy is passionate about building sustainable innovation pipelines that connect scientific discovery with real-world impact, while fostering inclusive access to STEM careers.

A native North Carolinian, Carly earned her bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill studying organizational development and information systems, and her master’s degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia. Carly has worked with companies large and small on brand management, marketing, and advertising campaigns. She’s an entrepreneur herself, co-founding a North Carolina-based business. As Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at NCI, Carly provides day-to-day project and program management to optimize the organization’s performance. With a hand in everything from policymaking to strategic planning to operations, Carly is the team’s utility player and makes sure the trains run on time. Carly enjoys traveling and spending time with animals at Chatham Animal Rescue & Education, where she helps oversee foster placement.

Dr. Hopper holds a PhD from Duke University in bioanalytical chemistry. She served as Director for Programs and Grants at the Institute for Convergent Science at UNC-Chapel Hill in her immediate past role, where she helped plan and establish the institute, assembled research teams, and developed proposals to secure funding for research, innovation, and other programs. Before that, Dr. Hopper held a variety of roles in higher education research administration, program development, and graduate education, including serving as Research Director for the UNC System. Dr. Hopper leads the design and oversight of asset and technology mapping in each of NCI’s four regions. Her work is critical to a statewide understanding of university capabilities in technology development and commercialization.

Josh Howard has more than 20 years of experience as a defense attorney, corporate ethics officer, in-house counsel, and senior federal prosecutor. As a private litigator, Mr. Howard represented clients ranging from the indigent to a President of the United States, Members of Congress, and senior corporate executives. He was a federal prosecutor in the Western District of North Carolina before serving as Deputy Criminal Chief for Economic Crime in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Mr. Howard worked on a DOJ-White House team in support of three nominations to the Supreme Court. He was also Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer at RTI International and is a former Chairman of the North Carolina Board of Elections.

Mr. Judge has over 20 years of economic development, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, strategic management, and workforce development experience. He holds an MBA and Six Sigma Black Belt from Winston-Salem State University and most recently led the Division of Business and Industry as the Associate Vice President of Corporate Education and Economic Development at Alamance Community College. Before that, Mr. Judge spent 13 years as a Senior Licensing Associate and Director of Outreach and Technology Transfer at N.C. A&T State University. Mr. Judge leads NCI’s work in the Piedmont region, anchored by N.C. A&T State University.

Erica Shrader has nearly two decades of experience in public policy, economic development, and partnership engagement. Since 2011, Ms. Shrader has worked for the Office of President Pro Tempore Phil Berger in multiple roles, including Senior Policy Advisor, Chief Budget Advisor, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, and Director of Strategic Initiatives, where she helped develop some of North Carolina’s most impactful policy measures. Before that, Ms. Shrader worked on Capitol Hill as Senior Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

Ms. Stowe oversees NCInnovation’s grant management operations, ensuring the organization properly tracks grant performance and timelines. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in higher education administration from NC State University. Ms. Stowe has worked in higher education for more than a decade, most recently serving as a business analyst at Northwestern University.

Mr. Umba brings a strong foundation in financial operations, account reconciliations, and full-cycle accounts payable & receivable management. He is committed to enhancing financial reporting processes and contributing to the long-term success of NCInnovation. Jemik holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from ECU, and actively pursues professional development to stay current with the evolving industry.

Mr. Walsh has nearly a decade of experience as an accountant in the financial services, commercial insurance, and nonprofit industries. Before joining NCInnovation, he was a senior accountant at the Research Triangle Foundation overseeing property accounting, financial reporting, and audit support. At NCInnovation, Shane maintains the organization’s systems of accounting, financial control, budgeting, and other key business functions.

Mr. Welch, who holds a master’s degree in public administration and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation, has spent nearly two decades in leadership roles in higher education and state government. Mr. Welch previously served as the Senior Director of Business Strategy at Central New Mexico Community College, where he led the implementation of strategic initiatives focused on bridging the divide between academia and workforce. He later served as Chief of Staff at the New Mexico Higher Education Department. After relocating to North Carolina, Mr. Welch served as Program Director at an award-winning economic development and startup accelerator at ECU and most recently led the North Carolina Senate’s oversight activities as the Senate Majority Staff Director. Mr. Welch leads NCI’s work in the East region, anchored by ECU.

Dr. Wyrick has spent much of his accomplished career at UNC Greensboro, where he most recently served as Chief Innovation Officer. Dr Wyrick has deep experience in applied research and innovation, and he’s a national leader in public health education, specifically the development and optimization of behavioral interventions. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and has been a principal investigator on dozens of applied research projects spanning eight countries. At NCInnovation, Dr. Wyrick grows university partnerships, oversees faculty outreach, and strengthens NCInnovation’s regional ecosystem support for university technologies.