What is your favorite food and why?
This very much depends on my mood, but my typical go-to is comfort food and Tex/Mex. Typical fall back is Tex/mex. Comfort food for me.

What’s the best advice you ever received?
Listen more, talk less.In our office, we focus on service to our faculty and staff. Listen to their wants and needs and incorporate those into your daily activities.

Do you have any hobbies? 
I like to build things. I am not very discriminate as I get board easily.Woodworking, metalworking, automotive, construction, etc., all keep my hands busy.

How did you get involved in tech transfer?
I learned about the tech transfer field after submitting a couple of invention disclosures while a junior faculty member. The process of deciding whether to move forward with an invention and why intrigued me. So much so that I left my lab and returned some grant funding I had to pursue this as a career. I have never looked back at that decision.

What’s something that surprised you from your career path?
The changes that I have seen in the activity that the tech transfer office is being asked to do. When I got into this field, all we really did was patenting and licensing activity. I think that is the reason I am looking forward to the Tuesday plenary discussion at the Annual Meeting on the future of tech transfer. It will feature Chase Kasper talking abut “Reimagining the TTO: From Technology Transfer to Knowledge Transfer.” 

What’s something you’re working on right now that really excites you?
Two projects that really excite me in my portfolio right now are 1) a chemistry/device project and 2) an immunotherapy project. Both have very broad applications which is why I really like them. They both can go in so many different directions from a market application standpoint.

What advice would you give to someone new to the tech transfer space?
Explore all the available options. The breadth of tech transfer activities has expanded tremendously since I got into this career field. Find what fits your personality and try to make a difference.

What are you most looking forward to at the Annual Meeting?
The committee is really trying hard to diversify the topics at the Annual Meeting. This can be difficult as we must work with the submitted abstracts, but we do work with the panel moderators to suggest ideas or modify the topics to keep the subject matter relevant.

What is something at the event people shouldn’t miss?
I encourage everyone to broaden their network. The Annual Meeting is the place to meet and get to know the thought leaders in our field. Learn from others.Discover best practices and how to implement them in your organization.

What’s your favorite memory from a past AUTM event?
I have a lot of fond memories from past AUTM events. They are all centered around networking with friends that I have made during my 20+ years as an AUTM member. The Annual Meeting is a wonderful place to catch up with old friends and even make new ones.