Board Members
Renée M. Winsky
MII Board Chair
Renée M. Winsky is the president and founder of Bay One Group, LLC. Formed in 2012, the firm assists clients with a variety of subject matters, including leadership development, non-profit governance and management, economic development, government relations and advocacy, technology transfer and commercialization, university collaborations and partnering, entrepreneurship, and small business start-ups.
From September 2013 to March 2022, Ms. Winsky served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Leadership Maryland, a professional development program dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of the leaders throughout the state.
Prior to joining Leadership Maryland, Ms. Winsky served as the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center, CEO of the Tech Council of Maryland, and as the President and Executive Director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO). She has held positions with the Information Technology Association of America (now TechAmerica), National League of Cities, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, Maryland Municipal League, and City of Greenbelt, Maryland.
Ms. Winsky serves as Chair of the Maryland Innovation Initiative and the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Funding Authorities as Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. appointments. She is a member of the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, a Governor Larry Hogan appointment. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Economic Development Association, where she is Treasurer; The Maryland School for the Blind, where she is Secretary; and Services Coordination, Inc. She has served in volunteer, leadership and governance roles with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee, Chesapeake Innovation Center, Maryland Association of CPAs, Maryland Business Incubation Association, Maryland Health Care Product Development Corporation, State Science and Technology Institute, UMBC Research Park Corporation, West County Chamber Government Contractor’s Guild, Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Winsky is a graduate of the University of Maryland and a graduate of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2005, where she is also a Lifetime Member.
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Christina DeMur
MII Board Member
Christina is a Director of Technology Development at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) with a focus on healthcare and med-tech. She manages a team focused on scouting high-value research and supporting that research thru the commercialization process. She joined JHTV in 2022 coming from GE Healthcare. She supports faculty researchers across the commercialization pathways with the ultimate goals of success through licensing, industry sponsored research or start-ups. She has a diverse career in healthcare product development and product management and has been a Mentor-in-Residence at Johns Hopkins and served on a variety of advisory boards. Christina holds a BS in BME from Boston University and a master’s degree in Management from Lesley College (1998).
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Wendy Martin
MII Board Member
As director of the Office of Technology Development (OTD), Wendy Martin has focused on building a culture conducive to establishing and attracting new companies and strengthening UMBC’s external partnerships throughout the state. Over the past decade, under Martin’s leadership, OTD has developed and implemented several new initiatives that emphasize innovation and commercialization. She established the Technology Catalyst Fund (TCF), which provides $100,000 per year to advance innovations originating from UMBC research toward more commercially viable technologies. Since 2014, a total of $987,000 has been invested, supporting 60 faculty projects and extensions through this fund.
Martin also was responsible for the development and implementation of a new license agreement that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation. The “express” agreement offers fair and reasonable terms for faculty- and graduate-founded startups. Since its inception, UMBC has launched 17 startups, five of which were formed in FY2016.
Martin is an invaluable resource for the campus community. She is often called upon to help faculty members navigate the interface between UMBC and the commercial sector and to identify ways to obtain significant external funding from grants, university partners, and other commercial entities. Her mastery of the challenging and complex world of patents and funding has helped faculty continue their important work.
Martin received her B.S. from UMBC and her M.B.A. from Loyola College of Baltimore.
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Mary Morris
MII Board Member
For over 20 years, Mary has fostered economic development and technology across Maryland at the local, regional, and state levels. She is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in technology development, entrepreneurship, marketing, strategic planning, and public policy. Mary manages the Baltimore Fund, a financial incentive that encourages technology companies affiliated with Maryland public higher education institutions to locate and grow in Baltimore City. She also plans and executes programming to support entrepreneurs and start-ups at UMB and throughout greater Baltimore. Mary actively engages and collaborates with a wide array of innovation ecosystem organizations and serves on boards such as TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative.
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Kenneth Porter, PhD, MBA
MII Board Member
Ken Porter is the Director of UM Ventures, College Park and leads a team of dedicated professionals who serve faculty, staff, and students at the University of Maryland at College Park. UM Ventures, College Park manages the University IP portfolio, engages corporate partners for research, supports faculty startups, and provides experiential learning opportunities for students.
Ken served most recently at Innovate Calgary as VP for IP Management and Director of Social and Clinical Innovations, and where he co-founded the Western Canadian Innovation Offices. WCIO is a consortium of 46 western Canadian academic institutions that together create “Market Pull” opportunities for cross-border industry-academic research partnerships. He has led teams at the Universities of Colorado and Texas, and each team held the aim of building stronger relationships for faculty and students with industry, government, and business communities.
He holds a BS degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel, and Ph.D. (Chemistry) and MBA degrees from Duke University. Ken is an active member of LES and AUTM, and, in 2022, was elected as a Senior Member to the National Academy of Inventors.
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Wayne E. Swann
MII Board Member
As the Director of Technology Transfer, Wayne brings over 45 years of experience as a researcher, technology transfer professional and entrepreneur. He uses his skills and experience to provide strategic vision to position the office to foster innovation, economic development and generate revenue streams from licensing of intellectual property developed by faculty, staff and students at Morgan. Wayne's guidance facilitates and oversees the process of technology transfer at Morgan, including assessment, patent protection, licenses, commercialization of innovations, and start-up companies.
In his 20+ years of university technology transfer experience, he was the founding director of the technology transfer offices at the University of Maryland, College Park (1986-1999) and the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory (1999-2007). During his tenure in the university technology transfer arena he: was responsible for the management of over 1,600 inventions; executed over 500 technology transfer agreements; facilitated 25 university start-up companies; and generated over $40 million in total income.
Prior to 1986, Mr. Swann spent 14 years in the commercial sector as a researcher. As a result of his research in bioreactors, he was awarded ten U.S. patents and is author on various publications. As a partner/investor in two technology based start-up companies, he has secured capital investments; negotiated contract manufacturing and distribution agreements; and developed seven new consumer products sold in U.S. retail stores, and through on-line storefronts including Amazon ®.
Mr. Swann has been a course developer and instructor in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology management for ten years at both the undergraduate and graduate level. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Sciences from Towson University and has been a member of the Association of University Technology Managers and Licensing Executive Society. Mr. Swann has served as a consultant to for-profit and non-profit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution, and served on many councils and boards, including the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).