Members Categories: Leadership

Mrs. Rosenthal serves as the Managing Director for the First Fund at the Innovation Space. She gained national, regional, and local recognition for her years of work in economic development and particularly in technology-based economic development. These include the 2008 Founders Award from Delaware’s Early-Stage East fund for her work in support of investment and entrepreneurship across state lines. She recently transitioned, after 25 years, from her role as President, CEO, and Board member of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeast PA where she remains a Senior Advisor and Board Emeritus.

At Ben Franklin, Mrs. Rosenthal introduced the investment approach now used by the BFTPs statewide, enabling the state support to evergreen and build over time. At Ben Franklin, she oversaw the design and implementation of the first round of SSBCI funds for early- stage investment as well as other federal investment and technical assistance programs. She has provided input to the US Treasury on the current SSBCI program via her participation with SSTI and NVCA.

Mrs. Rosenthal has served on many advisory committees at the national level, through multiple administrations, has testified before Congress on issues of regional economic development, and was one of the initial members of the National Advisory Committee for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has been recognized for her work to advance women and minorities in areas of entrepreneurship. She was key to the recent launch of the JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women and has advised the minority-led Plain Sight Ventures. She has served on both public and non-profit boards and remains active with several non-profit organizations advancing issues including the impact economy and global trade.

She is also active in the angel investment community. In 2017, Mrs. Rosenthal co-founded and remains Chair of Broad Street Angels, a 120+ member angel group based at the Union League of Philadelphia. 

Alex currently serves as the Director of Operations for the Innovation Space. In this role, Alex is responsible for all aspects of the Innovation Space’s facilities and laboratory operations including ongoing scientific operations, building/ facility maintenance, and capital improvement projects. Prior to accepting this role, Alex received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and joined ExxonMobil Research & Engineering upon graduation. In seven years with ExxonMobil, Alex held a variety of roles within R&D Engineering, Laboratory Operations, & Process Research functions across multiple US research facilities. Most recently, Alex held assignments as the Laboratory Operations Engineering Team Lead for the Upstream Research Company in Houston, TX, followed by an assignment as a Process Development researcher located at the ExxonMobil R&D headquarters in Clinton, NJ. Over the years, Alex has worked on a variety of R&D programs, most recently supporting a portfolio of CO2 reduction initiatives in the carbon capture/storage & biofuels markets.

Hattie currently serves as our Director of Learning Experience & Impact Measurement, facilitating startup programming and other training initiatives at the Innovation Space. She has over 10 years of experience leading education and professional development. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Hattie led incubator programming focused on innovation and social entrepreneurship for a global network of colleges and universities. Hattie holds an M.Ed. in International Education from Vanderbilt University and dual B.A. degrees in Communication Studies and English from Clemson University.

Marcie Reilly currently serves as the Director of External Engagement & Partnerships for the Innovation Space. In this role, Marcie leads the Innovation Space’s strategic engagement with universities and other partners. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Marcie co-founded a tech startup in the events industry after several years of commercializing technologies across the healthcare continuum. Notably, she held multiple roles at Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the commercialization arm of the #2 Health Care system in the US. Most recently, she served as Director, Global Healthcare Innovation Alliance, where she supported innovation efforts within the organization and across its global network of industry and academic partners. Prior to that, Marcie brought biomaterial and cardiovascular products to market in several product development engineering roles at Kensey Nash Corporation, now part of DSM Biomedical. Marcie holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Mike currently serves as the Manager of Laboratory Operations at the Innovation Space. In this role, Mike is responsible for lab safety, chemical hygiene, and facility maintenance. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Mike spent several years working at the Experimental Station for Bayshore Transportation in a variety of operational roles. In prior roles, Mike maintained databases for Bayshore Records Management, and held a facility maintenance position with Chase Bank. Mike’s expertise includes all aspects of laboratory operations including building and laboratory equipment maintenance and IT system development and optimization.

Grace is a recent early graduate from the University of Delaware as of December 2021. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in English, as well as minors in Advertising and Human Development. Grace first began at the Innovation Space as the Program intern during the first Science  Inc. cohort in the Spring of 2021. Post-graduation, she has now moved into the role of Program Manager where she facilitates and assists with program operations, communications, content creation, and resource collection. 

Prior to joining the team at the Innovation Space, Carter attended University of California, Davis where he received a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Toxicology. After which Carter earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His doctoral work involved the chemical and electronic characterization of thin films using advanced x-ray & electron-based spectroscopies.

Carter currently serves as the Laboratory Manager within the Innovation Space. In this role, Carter manages a dynamic array of analytical equipment available to all our clients and interfaces with each company to better understand any challenges they might be facing with regards to the characterization of their materials.

Nyheir currently serves as the Client experience manager at the Innovation Space. In this role Nyheir leads the Innovation Space’s engagement with current clients. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Nyheir received her B.S. in Forensic Biology from Delaware State University. Upon graduating Nyheir joined QPS as an Associate Scientist where she contributed to their bioanalytical department. Nyheir also served as a Forensic Scientist for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, where her lab work contributed to the identification of 100+ fallen soldiers.

Emanuel Ortiz (Manny) is an experienced life sciences professional with over 15 years in laboratory operations and management. He began his career as a teenager at the University of Pennsylvania, where he developed a deep passion for managing lab environments and ensuring the highest standards of safety and compliance. Today, Manny is the founder of Pristinology, Philadelphia’s first Latino-owned scientific cleaning company, and continues to apply his expertise at The Innovation Space, where he is committed to fostering a collaborative and efficient laboratory space that drives scientific advancement.