UEDA’s Board of Director’s is a group of committed individuals who work at all levels of higher education, including chancellors, presidents, directors, managers and professors. Each member brings their unique perspective and experience to round out our leadership and inform the direction of the organization. Those institutions and organizations who currently allow their employees to serve on the Board comprise the UEDA Leadership Council.

Executive Committee

Lenore VanderZee is the Vice President for Strategic Relations & Communications at the State University of New York at Canton, where she works on economic development, workforce, and innovation/entrepreneurship initiatives, including oversight of the Center for Community, Workforce, & Industry Partnerships, the Small Business Development Center, and the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs. In addition, she also serves as the chief public relations & government relations officer for the college. She is passionate about rural economic development and placemaking in her beloved North Country New York region. In addition to her day job, she serves on several community boards and committees, including the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, the Canton Community Fund, the St. Lawrence County Small Business Group, and the Canton Economic Development Steering Committee. In her spare time, she also loves to hike in the beautiful Adirondack mountains, play board games with her family, and perform with her folk/Americana band, Uprooted.

Carol Stewart, a long-standing authority on research parks, is the Vice President for Tech Parks Arizona at the University of Arizona. Carol Stewart leads the UA Tech Park at Rita Road and is developing the UA Tech Park at the Bridges. She is also president of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation, a technology business incubator network serving the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the international community.

Stewart’s expertise in university research parks spans decades and nations with more than 20 years of experience working with research parks, technology commercialization, business incubation, governmental relations and business development.

As a pioneer in the research parks world, she has driven national policy, standardized programs, created national and international networks, built technology clusters, engaged stakeholders, and assisted countries with the development of their national science and technology policies.

Stewart is passionate about her community and serves as a champion in university-based economic development. She is a member of Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Flinn Foundation Steering Committee, a member of the Canadian Global Mentor Program and she also serves on the Board of Directors for Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, Pima County’s Workforce Investment Board, Sun Corridor Inc., Arizona Technology Council, Desert Angels, and is a member of the City of Tucson Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Council.

Juli is the Director of EI² Global at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), where she brings more than two decades of experience working at the intersection of economic development, innovation, and higher education. She is recognized for her ability to translate complex data into clear strategies that drive decision-making and deliver ambitious outcomes.

In her current role, Juli leads EI² Global in advancing Georgia Tech’s strategic priority to Connect Globally, by supporting international communities and partner universities in developing innovation-led economic growth and innovation ecosystem building strategies. She was instrumental in launching Georgia Tech’s first international innovation and entrepreneurship center in Medellín, Colombia, where she also serves as Executive Director.

Juli also led the creation of Georgia Tech’s Soft Landings Program— currently the only INBIA-certified program of its kind in Georgia— designed to guide international companies through a comprehensive evaluation of key market-entry factors as they explore expansion into the U.S.

Before joining Georgia Tech, she served as Director and Economist at the Economic Strategy Center, where she worked closely with economic development leaders to shape long-term development strategies through data-driven insights.

Juli’s leadership extends to service on multiple boards, including a term on Georgia Tech’s Faculty Executive Board, the Inhlanyelo Hub (University of South Africa) Board and three terms on the Board of Directors for the University Economic Development Association (UEDA), where she continues to stay engaged in national conversations around innovation, education, and economic growth.

Sandra D. Marin Ruiz, Ed.D. is the Assistant Vice President for Innovation and Business Development, the Regional Director of the Florida Apex Accelerator and Florida SBDC at FAU.

Her broad background also encompasses expertise and credentials as a Florida Small Business Development Center consultant, university professor, and certified program director for Kauffman FastTrac, SBDC Global, and Lean LaunchPad, and extensive experience as an entrepreneur and business owner. She is passionate about linking local needs to national and international policy. She is well recognized for being part of a positive force to support organizations in implementing entrepreneurship and social innovation programs.

Margo leads facilitation, strategic planning, and client services for CED. Previously, she served as CED’s Lead Analyst and worked in the education sector for numerous school districts and universities in California and Alaska, as well as served as a VISTA volunteer with UCLA BruinCorps.

Dr. Teresa Merriweather Orok is an expert on economic and business innovation. While her career spans more than 30 years of experience across grants, government contract management, economic development, government, and higher education, she currently serves as the inaugural Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development at Alabama A&M University.

Members-At-Large

Rob DeCleene serves as the Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Advancement at Indiana University South Bend, the largest regional campus in the IU network. In this role, Rob oversees donor, alumni, government and community relations as well as all marketing and communications efforts for the campus. In late fall 2025, Rob added oversight of the new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at IU South Bend to his responsibilities. The CIE aims to be a new front door for campus community and strategic partners while introducing the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship to the students in a more deliberate, impactful and collaborative way. Prior to joining IU South Bend in June 2022, Rob was executive director of Visit South Bend Mishawaka for 12 years, with the last 4 ½ years serving in a dual role as EVP of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. Rob is a proud graduate of Indiana University’s flagship campus in Bloomington.

Dr. Faison is a champion for faculty development and institutional capacity building. He has developed comprehensive grants training programs and played a key role in two University wide strategic planning efforts. His funded projects span data science, biomedical research, STEM education, and regional resilience.

A neuroscientist by training, Dr. Faison earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and completed postdoctoral research at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is an alumnus of the American Council on Education Fellows Program and serves on multiple national and regional advisory boards focused on research impact, economic development, and innovation in higher education.

Melody Flowers has engaged in strategic and financial planning, project management, and policy work for over twenty years in fields as varied as transportation, the environment, community and economic development, emergency preparedness, homeland security, healthcare, and higher education.

She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Economic Development & Real Estate at the University of Kentucky (UK), leading efforts across campus including community and business engagement, creative space and place making, and development of campus innovation spaces and economic impact programs. Melody co-Chairs UK’s Economic Development Collaborative.

Prior, Melody led integrated academic and financial planning at Harvard University and brings many years of experience from the non-profit and government sectors. She serves on the boards of CivicLex, Experience Learning, Fayette Alliance, the Downtown Lexington Partnership, the UK Art Museum, and the Gaines Center for the Humanities, regularly lectures on the economics of higher education, and mentors nationally competitive scholarship candidates.

She earned a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and her B.A. from UK, where she was a Singletary Scholar, National Merit Scholar, Gaines Fellow, and Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Carolyn leads NCGrowth’s economic development research and client projects across North Carolina. She works with local government and community clients to develop and pursue strategies addressing downtown revitalization, business retention and expansion, and economic development planning. Prior to graduate school Carolyn worked 2.5 years in local government for a small North Carolina town.

Carolyn holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from UNC Chapel Hill with a specialization in Economic Development.

Jessica Gnad serves as the director of economic development in the Office of External Engagement at Kansas State University, where she leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive universitywide strategy for economic development. In this role, she connects and supports stakeholders across campuses, communities, government and educational sectors to advance strategic partnerships that drive meaningful growth and innovation.

Working in a universitywide capacity with K-State Extension as a key partner, Gnad excels at connecting people, ideas and institutions to K-State’s extensive assets and resources. Her collaborative approach focuses on leveraging the university’s strengths to drive community and economic development initiatives that benefit the institution and the broader region.

Gnad’s expertise lies in identifying opportunities for strategic partnerships and translating academic resources into practical applications that support economic growth. Her work bridges the gap between university capabilities and community needs, ensuring that K-State’s knowledge and resources contribute meaningfully to regional development efforts.

Throughout her leadership, Gnad helps position K-State as a catalyst for economic development, fostering relationships that create lasting value for communities throughout Kansas and beyond.

Mary Frances Postupack, is the Vice President for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (EDE) at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) in Pennsylvania. The (EDE) division  includes Career and Workforce Development, Business Accelerator, Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, Conference Services and University Center Operations, Schisler Museum of Wildlife and Natural History and McMunn Planetarium, The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, Office of Advancement-under the management of the ESU Foundation, and the ESU Center for Research and Economic Development, a private non-profit 501(c)3 affiliate organization, that manages the Pocono Mountains Keystone Innovation Zone (PMKIZ).

While at ESU, she secured and managed in excess of $8M in federal and state grants to support economic development and entrepreneurial initiatives including: Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP);  Economic Development Administration (EDA); Local Share Account (LSA); U.S. Department of Education; Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA); and Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

She serves on the Executive Board of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), the regional Local Development District (LDD); and has been a member of UEDA since 2007. Mary Frances is a past president of the UEDA Board of Directors and currently serves on the Board. She received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and completed the Corporate Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at Lehigh University.

Dr. Frederick Steinmann is currently the Director of the University Center for Economic Development, part of The College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is the Principal Investigator for the Nevada Lithium Battery and Other EV Materials Loop Regional Technology and Innovation Hub, designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration in October 2023.  He began his professional economic development career with the Reno Redevelopment Agency in the City of Reno, Nevada.  Since then, he has worked for the Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and for the Carson Economic Development Services Department in the City of Carson, California.  Frederick has also worked as a Senior Associate for David Paul Rosen & Associates, one of the elite economic development and public policy consulting firms in California.  Frederick earned his Doctorate in Policy, Planning, and Development, with areas of study including economic development, public policy, public finance, and real estate development, from the University of Southern California with the successful defense of his dissertation titled, “The Twilight of the Local Redevelopment Era:  The Past, Present, and Future of Urban Revitalization and Urban Economic Development in Nevada and California.”  As a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, Frederick also received the William A. Carlson Fellowship from the California Redevelopment Association in 2008.  He also earned a Bachelor’s of Science and Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno.  He is currently a member of the International Economic Development Council, the American Society for Public Administration, and the American Planning Association.

As the Associate Director for Impact and Evaluation at CECE, I inspire communities to envision their best, most prosperous future. I help make that vision a reality through high-impact research methods as well as connecting communities and businesses to resources within the university. My passion is working alongside organizations to plan and evaluate their work in a way that is consistent with their mission and goals, especially in the areas of agricultural and community development.

Examples of my work include economic impact analyses, strategic planning for non-profit organizations and economic development authorities, as well as visioning and feasibility studies. Additionally, I am the lead evaluator of Catalyst, a program that connects VT faculty and students with regional business owners around technology commercialization and proof of concept services.

As a dedicated qualitative researcher and analyzer, I also facilitate workshops that challenge assumptions and provide a deeper understanding of decision-making processes. Attendees are guided through ways to measure the holistic impact of programs and learn how certain values, like jobs, investments, and equity, will affect the community long term.

A native of Washington, DC, I hold a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Agricultural and Applied Economics and dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Russian, from Indiana University, Bloomington.

I earned my Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education with a focus on program impact evaluation in April 2025. I further support my community by sitting on the board for Downtown Christiansburg, Inc. and frequenting local restaurants, shops, and farmers markets.

Greg Wilson works with communities and organizations to help them achieve their workforce and economic development goals. He is an Associate Director at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government where he leads the Institute’s workforce development, applied demography, economic analysis, and economic development technical assistance programs. He assists state agencies, local workforce development boards, economic development organizations, and educational institutions with workforce development, economic development, strategy, and public engagement projects. He developed and continues to the lead the Institute of Government’s PROPEL program which is a nationally recognized model for advancing rural community and economic development efforts. Greg helps communities and organizations use labor market, census, and education data to make decisions.

Prior to joining the Institute of Government in 2014, he served as a financial management analyst for the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, DC. He has a BA in Political Science and International Affairs, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Workforce Education, all from the University of Georgia.