Anderson Center names five Entrepreneurs-in-Residence
Their role is to provide coaching and mentoring services to students wherever they are in the development of their business or idea.
The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business has announced five individuals who have agreed to serve as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR). The five are Melissa Centers, Mark Huber, Jake Livesay, Chuck West, and Lia Winter. The EIR program connects UT student entrepreneurs with a rotating team of experts who are currently in the workforce and have a proven track record of entrepreneurial success.
“One of our goals at [ACEI] is to help every student interested in entrepreneurship and innovation thrive,” said Lindsay Mahony, Interim Executive Director. “Our EIR program provides coaching and mentoring services to students wherever they are in the development of their business or idea so they can build a strong foundation for their future success.”
- Centers is a board member, consultant, and attorney who provides integrated strategic advice and support to boards of directors, company founders, and institutions of all sizes. Before entering private practice, she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at State Auto Insurance, a $2 billion publicly traded insurance company that also operates a venture capital fund, State Auto Labs (where Centers was the legal advisor and served on the board of directors).
- Huber is an award-winning business development expert who specializes in waste and recycling management. He holds an MBA and a degree in chemical engineering. Huber has founded four start-ups, with his most recent venture being iSustain, where he serves as the business development executive.
- Livesay began his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in accelerator-based nuclear physics and nuclear non-proliferation. His interest in commercializing intellectual property developed by his project team led him into the private sector. Livesay is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of IB3 Global Solutions, a nuclear security firm based in Oak Ridge.
- West’s experience spans finance and management, from private companies to publicly traded companies, and from manufacturing and distribution to service and software businesses. He was a Certified Public Accountant in the early phase of his career, before progressing into business ownership where he served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer roles.
- Winter co-founded Winter Innovations while she was a dual Master’s student at the university. The company has developed an innovative medical device called EasyWhip, which is now being used in surgeries.
