Our Team

William D. Provine, Ph.D.

Bill is the founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Innovation Space in addition to a member of its Board of Directors. In this role, Bill oversees all operations and is responsible for its overall performance. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Bill worked for DuPont where he led global operations for science and engineering encompassing DuPont’s open innovation practice that included oversight for DuPont’s innovation centers and regional laboratories around the world. He also has served in a variety of research, marketing, business development, joint venture, and manufacturing leadership roles in DuPont. Bill is very active in cultivating and advancing science across sectors and has served on numerous private company, university, industrial, governmental, and scientific association advisory and management boards and committees.

Alex Dulin

Alex currently serves as the Director of Scientific Operations & Research Facilities 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.

Mona A. Parikh, Esq.

Mona A. Parikh, Esq. currently serves as the Director of Business Development and Marketing for the Innovation Space. She has spent almost eight years in multiple consulting and business development roles for both startups and established companies in the Delaware region and beyond. In 2013, Mona helped galvanize Delaware’s startup ecosystem when she served as Managing Director of Start It Up Delaware, which, among other things, facilitated the opening of Delaware’s first coworking space and hub for entrepreneurs. For the past nine years, she has taught as an Adjunct Professor at University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship. She has served on committees and task forces for several elected officials, served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and in 2020, and sits on a select few boards and advisory boards whose missions are near and dear to her, including Mary Ann’s List, Downtown Visions, UD’s Department of Political Science and International Relations, and DETV. Mona earned her law degree from the Delaware Law School, and most proudly earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware.

Hattie Duplechain, M.Ed.

Hattie currently serves as our Program Manager, Learning Experience, 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.

Brianna Rafferty

Brianna currently serves as Client Experience Manager at the Innovation Space, where she manages client support and community engagement and drives marketing and communications efforts. Brianna has a marketing background, having graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in 2015 with a degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Brianna was the Director of Marketing for a startup company that combined technology with leadership development.

Pedro Amaral, Ph.D.

Pedro currently serves as a Laboratory Manager at the Innovation Space, where he provides training, facility and instrumentation maintenance, safety, and chemical hygiene. Pedro holds a dual BS in Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry/Materials Science. His expertise includes laboratory operations, synthetic chemistry and characterization of crystalline materials.

Mike Braun

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.

Marcie Reilly, MS

Marcie Reilly currently serves as the Program Manager – Partnerships & Special Projects 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’s of Science and Bachelor’s of Science in Materials Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Kyle McLaughlin, MBA

Kyle currently serves as Program Operations Specialist at the Innovation Space, with over a decade of entrepreneurial, management, and hospitality experience. He most recently started a business consulting firm, Refresh Ventures, in order to bridge the gap between economic development and entrepreneurship. Kyle is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship, and he is also involved in a number of consulting projects. Some of these projects include a health-focused beverage company, called The Wedge Beverage Company, and working with the First State Fintech Lab. Kyle spends most of his time as a commercial real estate broker for Patterson-Woods Commercial Properties. Here he focuses on sales and leasing while representing tenants and landlords in transactions. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Business Administration from Providence College. An avid reader and listener of “all things business,” he enjoys brainstorming new ideas and business initiatives. In his spare time, Kyle can be found experiencing new restaurants or getting outdoors to be active with his dog, Jackson.

Gail Ball

Gail serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Innovation Space, where she brings her vast knowledge and networks of investors, investment philosophy, and financial expertise to help assist our startups. Most recently, in her role as Associate Director, Horn Entrepreneurship, University of Delaware, she is leading the creation of a new Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. As employee #23 of venture capital industry disruptor Alumni Ventures Group, she was the Founding Managing Partner of Chestnut Street Ventures and the AVG Women’s Fund and AVG Social Impact Fund for which she raised nearly $20MM and invested in over 75 companies across all sectors and stages. In industry, she served as COO of The Bancorp Bank, the innovative banking solution provider for the most recognizable names in digital banking. She also filled executive roles at PNC, Chase, Capital One, and NCO Financial Systems. In addition, Gail headed the Payments Studies Group at the Richmond Fed and served as Board Member and Risk Committee Chair at Kompanion, Inc., one of Central Asia’s largest microfinance institutions. Gail earned her BS in Economics, Finance, and Statistics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Will Cruz

Will Cruz currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Innovation Space. Will is a proven entrepreneur and global investor committed to accelerating innovation returns and venture funding through corporate and institutional capital. He is recognized for building exceptional founder talent and supporting them as they validate their startup concepts. Will’s experience stems from being a 5x entrepreneur with meaningful exits and as an Entrepreneur in Residence to several notable universities around the globe.

Mike Patterson

Mike currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence for the Innovation Space. Mike is a repeat deep tech entrepreneur who has served as Founder, CEO, and COO for companies in nanotechnology, advanced materials, sensors, and healthcare. Mike has over 20 years of experience across startup companies and multinational corporations leading organizations and teams in Innovation, Business Development, Product Management, Operations, and Change Management. Mike is a TechConnect National Innovation Award winner, holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an A.B. in History of Science from Princeton University, completed the National Science Foundation I-Corps Technology Commercialization program at Stanford University, and is a Certified Patent Valuation Analyst.

Scott Sill

Scott Sill currently serves as an Entrepreneur In Residence for the Innovation Space. He is an experienced leader in the Mid-Atlantic entrepreneurial community having been part of the founding team of tech company that went public, launched the online division at a major financial institution and as a venture capitalist. In addition to being an EIR with the Innovation Space, Scott leads the Entrepreneurial Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and serves on the Board of four startup companies.

Deb Travers

Deb Travers currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Innovation Space. She is an accomplished strategic healthcare executive and entrepreneur with diverse and progressive product development experience in global pharmaceutical and biomedical companies ranging from start-up to Fortune 500. Deb has bridged the worlds of science and commercialization with a 30+ year track record of success in bringing new products which meet customer needs from concept through technical development, launch and life cycle. For the past five and a half years, she was CEO of PolyAurum, a preclinical stage biotechnology company spun out of the University of Pennsylvania which is developing gold nanoparticles to treat difficult cancers.

Todd Wallach

Todd currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Innovation Space. Todd has over 30 years of experience as a successful entrepreneur, consultant, board member, advisor, and seasoned senior executive in Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Devices/Diagnostics, and Spacecraft/Space Systems. He has started and built innovative companies, including raising over $75M in capital and $2M in grant funding. He has led companies from the “earliest signal” – from development through full worldwide commercialization. Todd is a member of the investment committee of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Associate Editor of the Journal of Translational Medicine, member of The Explorer’s Club, and participated in the NIH I-Corp Program. Todd holds a BSME from Purdue University, MBA from Rider University, Masters of Biotechnology from UPenn, and Masters of Science in Engineering from UPenn School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wharton School of Business.

Dennis Assanis, Ph.D.

Dr. Assanis is the 28th President of the University of Delaware. He was elected to the position by the UD Board of Trustees and took office in June, 2016. Dr. Assanis is a distinguished educator, academic leader, scholar and expert in internal combustion engines and energy systems.

Charles Riordan, Ph.D.

Dr. Riordan is responsible for advancing the University of Delaware’s research enterprise, including oversight of six University-wide research institutes. He is an inorganic-organometallic chemist whose research is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Alexa Dembek, Ph.D.

Dr. Dembek joined DuPont in 1991 as a research chemist and currently is the Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer for DuPont. Over her career, Alexa has held a diverse set of roles that have included global business leadership and a broad range of end-to-end innovation experiences.

Jeff Bullock

Jeffrey W. Bullock was sworn in as Delaware’s 80th Secretary of State on January 21, 2009 and re-confirmed by the Delaware Senate on January 18, 2017. As Secretary of the most diverse department in state government overseeing nearly twenty different agencies.

Albert Shields

Albert Shields currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for Governor John Carney. In this role, Albert oversees a team of policy advisors, both within the Office of the Governor and in Delaware’s state agencies, who are responsible for developing and implementing the policy priorities of the Governor.

Alexander Khutorsky

Alex is a Director at DuPont, where he works with the company’s many businesses to help develop and execute on portfolio strategies. Prior to joining DuPont in 2019, Alex was an investment banker and corporate attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Over the course of his career, he has advised business leaders and entrepreneurs pursuing a diverse set of business models across a broad range of industries.

William D. Provine, Ph.D.

Bill is the founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Innovation Space in addition to a member of its Board of Directors. In this role, Bill oversees all operations and is responsible for its overall performance. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Bill worked for DuPont where he led global operations for science and engineering encompassing DuPont’s open innovation practice that included oversight for DuPont’s innovation centers and regional laboratories around the world. He also has served in a variety of research, marketing, business development, joint venture, and manufacturing leadership roles in DuPont. Bill is very active in cultivating and advancing science across sectors and has served on numerous private company, university, industrial, governmental, and scientific association advisory and management boards and committees.