Meet your Instructors

Deborah Arnold has a B.S. degree with a major in Business, is a Paralegal, and recently passed the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) “IP Awards Compliance Professional Certification” exam. Debbie is the Senior Manager of License and Government Compliance at PIVOT, the Technology Transfer Center at the University of Utah.  She joined PIVOT in 2015 and was a member of the IP, Operations, and Contracts Teams. She is now solely responsible for all compliance at PIVOT including license agreements, Bayh Dole reporting and foundation funding requirements. She has attended the NIH iEdison training and began attending the AUTM compliance course in 2016.  After attending every year since she says, “I learn something new every year”. Debbie was very excited when asked to join the Compliance Committee and is looking forward to becoming a mentor to others in compliance. She has a Business Degree, completed Paralegal training in 2019, and is a Notary.

Katie Butcher joined the INVO team in October 2018. In her current role as Assistant Director of Contracts and License Strategy she oversees IIA negotiations, license template content and structure, agreement compliance issues, patent expense reimbursement management and license amendment strategy. She also works closely with the Invention Management team to implement and manage materials licenses. Katie spent over a decade at Viacom Media Networks working in contract management, post-contract rights analysis and licensing. She has also managed licensed accounts, account research and accounts receivable collection for Broadcast Music, Inc. Katie holds a BA from Belmont University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. She will complete a Master of Science in Law degree at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law in May 2022.

Khera Douglass joined Skysong Innovations (SI) (formerly AzTE), the Technology Transfer Office at Arizona State University (ASU), in July 2008, as a temporary IP Paralegal. The week-long assignment quickly turned into a permanent position. During her 4 years of service, she affected many positive process changes, including the implementation of both the ASU Inventor Portal and the SI Technology Publisher. She was eventually promoted to the Director of Operations. Khera eagerly joined the planning committee after attending her first AUTM TOOLS course in September of 2008. In 2011 and 2012, she served as the co-chair of the TOOLS course along with her good friend Laura McKnight. They, along with a core group of very dedicated TTO administrative professionals, were integral in the development of the addition of the Operations track and Administrators Special Interest Group (SIG) at the annual meeting. Both women were presented with the AUTM 2012 Volunteer Service Award at the AUTM Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. She now has her own consulting business assisting with process integration and data management at several Universities, Hospitals, and Research Institutions.

Jen Folger was named Intellectual Property (IP) Finance Coordinator at MSU Technologies in 2012. She oversees the finance tasks related to patenting and licensing MSU’s intellectual property, including accounts receivable and royalty distribution. Jen first joined MSUT in 2007 to work on special projects. Over the years, her responsibilities evolved and expanded to include a leadership role in the record-cleaning activities in the finance area. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Drew Grier is a Contracts Specialist with the University of Georgia’s Innovation Gateway, located in the Office of Research. He graduated from UGA with a B.A. in Speech Communications in 2008, took brief forays into ESL in Seoul, Korea, and banking, and graduated with his M.S. in Environmental Science from Troy University in 2017. He interned with the City of Atlanta on a Controlled Environment Agriculture task force in 2016, and after working as a lab assistant at his undergraduate alma mater, he accepted a position with Innovation Gateway in May of 2018. After attending the AUTM Tools course in 2019, Drew joined the Operations and Compliance Committee for 2020 to engage with peers in the technology transfer world.

Kyle Hanna serves as the data and compliance administrator at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He works closely with colleagues from the tech commercialization, science ventures, and operations teams to develop data-driven innovation strategy, analyze assets in Polsky’s IP and investment portfolio, and monitor compliance risk related to invention disclosures, patents, and contracts. Prior to joining Polsky, Kyle served as the assistant director, data management in UChicago’s Development office, developing engagement data strategy for fundraisers. Before coming to UChicago, he worked in Washington DC as an operation auditor and in various levels of government, including the DC Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Obama White House. While working for the White House, he became interested in science and technology policy and the application of data science to solve social issues. Kyle is interested in how technology, venture capital, and economic development can drive social innovation. In his spare time, Kyle is the Founder and Principal Data Scientist for his data strategy and analytics firm, Groundgame AI. Kyle earned a BA in international economics from the George Washington University and a certificate in data analytics from the University of Chicago.

Becky Hernandez is Manager, Patents and Compliance Administration in Caltech’s Office of Technology Transfer and Corporate Partnerships (OTTCP). She is responsible for ensuring Caltech’s compliance with regulations under the Bayh-Dole Act, which pertain to the management of inventions and patents arising from federally funded research at Caltech and JPL. Beyond just Caltech, Becky has taken an active role with the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), including helping organize and speaking at AUTM’s “TOOLS” and “Compliance” courses for technology transfer professionals from across the nation. She was also instrumental in designing and continuing to maintain and improve OTTCP’s internal database for the management of inventions, patents and patent applications, licenses, and other agr.eements, which is integral to the smooth functioning of the office. She supervises OTTCP personnel responsible for compliance support, provisional patent filing, docketing of patent prosecution activity, hosting events, and general administrative support. Prior to joining OTTCP, she worked for Caltech’s Office of the General Counsel administrative team and before that, many years as a paralegal.

Julie Kelley joined Augusta University’s Office of Technology Transfer & Economic Development in 2007 with an undergrad degree in business administration and no clue that technology transfer existed, much less what it was about. After 14 years with AU’s OIC, she recently accepted a position as the Intellectual Property & Contracts Administrator at The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Over the years, Julie has been responsible for managing departmental and intellectual property-related financials, database management, and federal reporting as well as negotiating Material Transfer Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, Data Use Agreements, and Inter-Institutional Agreements. She joined AUTM in 2011 and credits many of the speakers of this Operations and Compliance course for sharing knowledge and tools that allowed her to be where she is in the tech transfer field. Julie currently serves as a member of both the AUTM Operations and Compliance Planning Committee as well as the AUTM Online Professional Development Committee.

Linda Kesselring is Operations Director at Emory University’s Office of Technology Transfer and a Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP™). She has been with the tech transfer office for the past 15 years and has spent more than 25 years in working in higher education. Linda is responsible for assisting the Executive Director and team leaders in all operational activities and manages the finance & marketing team. Key activities include business process, finances, marketing & social media, information technology, and data reporting. She also manages a group of outside contractors and 4-7 undergraduate students that support marketing and communications efforts through research, writing, graphic design, and video. Linda is an active AUTM volunteer serving as the chair of the website committee and a member of the operations & compliance course committee. She received her master’s in business administration from Syracuse University.

Nicholas LeBlanc serves as the License Maintenance & Compliance Manager at NC State University's Office of Research Commercialization (ORC), where he manages Bayh-Dole compliance; agreement, disclosure, and patent data integrity; and reporting to both external and internal stakeholders. He is also the database administrator for the ORC’s knowledge management system (Sophia) and is responsible for the design, implementation, and improvement of office data management procedures & automations. Prior to joining tech transfer, Nicholas worked in university administration and was a lecturer in Russian. He has experience in database management and development in educational, non-profit, and commercial settings.

Jessica Mandl is the Director of Operations and IP Paralegal at Skysong Innovations (SI), the Technology Transfer Office at Arizona State University. She joined the SI ten years ago and works closely with SI’s team ensuring that the day-to-day process run efficiently and effectively. In addition, in her role as the IP Paralegal for the Life Sciences Team, Jessica makes sure that IP matters are managed in a timely manner with no missed deadlines. Jessica has been a member of AUTM since 2011, attending most meetings and volunteering to speak at several AUTM courses.

Lisa Nolan joined Skysong Innovations (then Arizona Technology Enterprises) in 2012 and serves as the Senior Accountant for the Finance Team. Prior to working on the Skysong Innovations team, Lisa held various accounting roles in multiple industries, such as civil engineering and construction management, dental groups, wholesale and retail clothing, and wholesale jewelry distribution. Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an accounting emphasis from Humboldt State University and is currently working on a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.

Michele O’Shea is currently the Manager of the Division of Government Compliance Reporting and Patent Administration at Borman & Co., an innovation management company in the Boston area. Michele was the Senior Invention Administrator in the Department of Innovation at Partners Healthcare from 2003-2015, where she was responsible for processing disclosures, reporting inventions to federal sponsors, managing patent data, and paying patent annuities. Previously, Michele worked for ten years as the Government Compliance Administrator at the M.I.T. Technology Licensing Office. She also worked as a Patent Paralegal at Ropes & Gray and as a Patent Administrator at Curis, a biotech company in Lexington, Massachusetts .

Alexandra Parero is the IP Coordinator/Principal Paralegal for Intellectual Property at Savannah River National Laboratory. Previously, she had around five years of experience in academic tech transfer. She currently handles all IP data management, correspondence with outside counsel, and federal reporting at SRNL. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration. This is her fourth year presenting at the Operations Course.

Eric See is the Manager of Operations for the Technology Ventures Office at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In this capacity, he assists with managing the intellectual property data, financials, and database system for the Technology Ventures Office. Eric was formerly an elementary school teacher, he pivoted away from the classroom the TTO. Eric received his Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Master of Art in Teaching both from the University of Southern California.

Gina Smutz is Compliance Manager at Washington University in St. Louis - Office of Technology Management

Sherrie Williams joined CTTC in August of 2013 and is responsible for assisting with the management of the financial affairs of the department. Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Sherrie was a Tax Accountant for Osborne and Co. in Brentwood as well as a part time accounting specialist for OI, Inc. in Franklin. She also spent seven years with Nissan North America in various financial and systems analyst roles. Sherrie received both her Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Tennessee and is a CPA (Inactive).