The CONNECT Team
CONNECT is the globally recognized, non-profit organization fostering entrepreneurship in the San Diego region by catalyzing, accelerating, and supporting the growth of the technology and life science businesses. Focused on assisting start-up companies in the San Diego region, CONNECT has been directly involved with over 1000 companies since its inception in 1985.
Duane J. Roth is Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of CONNECT. CONNECT is the globally recognized public benefits organization fostering entrepreneurship in the San Diego region by assisting new business formation of technology and life sciences companies. CONNECT has been directly involved with over 1,500 companies since its inception in 1985 and these companies have secured over $10 billion in funding.
Prior to joining CONNECT; Mr. Roth founded Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp., where he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Prior to Alliance, Mr. Roth held senior management positions at Johnson & Johnson and Wyeth operating companies. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors and executive committees of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the California Healthcare Institute (CHI), BIOCOM (past Chair), Deep Sky Software Inc., and SAIC-Frederick, Inc. at the National Cancer Institute.
Mr. Roth serves on a number of advisory committees and boards of the University of California, including the President’s Board on Science and Innovation, the UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center (past Chair), the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Preuss Charter School (Chair), the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), the Health Sciences advisory board and the UC San Diego Foundation Board of directors (past Chair). He also serves on the San Diego State University College of Business (past Chair), and the Sciences & Engineering Advisory Board. Mr. Roth is a member of the Executive Board for the California State University (CSU) Professional Science Master’s Program.
Mr. Roth is active in the San Diego community serving as co-Chair of the Regional Housing Working Group, and as a member of the Advisory Council for Math for America. Mr. Roth was appointed to the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he also serves as a member on the Governor’s Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth. Mr. Roth is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, where he serves as a trustee.
Mr. Roth has received numerous awards and recognition including Lifetime Achievement Award from San Diego’s Most Admired CEOs, Public Service Award from Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Service to the Biotechnology Community Award from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Outstanding Leadership Award, from American Heart Association, and Herb Klein Civic Entrepreneur Award from San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.
» Contact Duane J. Roth
Stefanie Battaglia is Executive Assistant to Duane Roth. Stefanie’s responsibilities include staffing, office management and human resources as well as serving as liaison with company executives. Stefanie has previously held executive administrative positions at AMN Healthcare, Sony Electronics and Gateway.
» Contact Stefanie Battaglia
As Chief Operating Officer, Camille oversees CONNECT's full range of programs. CONNECT is widely regarded as one of the world's most successful regional programs linking high-technology and life science entrepreneurs with the resources they need for success: technology, money, markets, management, partners, and support services. Under Camille's leadership CONNECT has doubled the number of programs offered to 26 and the CONNECT team organizes 300 programs and events each year that engage 10,000 companies and 1,200 volunteers. More than 200 companies are now enrolled in CONNECT's flagship program Springboard, thanks to an innovative Entrepreneur-in-Residence program where 80 successful CEOs provide hands-on mentoring.
Along with Springboard, CONNECT's programs include: Venture Roundtable, Frontiers in Science and Technology, Entrepreneur FrameWorks Workshops, CEO Strategy Forum, Connect with CONNECT, Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, CONNECT-track and the Most Innovative New Product Awards (MIP), along with CONNECT's affiliate programs such as the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT), the Tech Coast Angels, the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum and the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance. Under Camille's leadership CONNECT has launched a range of cluster acceleration initiatives in Wireless-Life Sciences Convergence, Cyber, Unmanned Systems, Action & Sport Innovation, and Clean Technology.
Camille is a co-founder and board member of CleanTECH San Diego, co-founder and president of the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance and a board member CONNECT Sport Innovators. She was Vice Chair of CommNexus San Diego in 2007 and 2008 (formerly the San Diego Telecom Council), and a board member from 2003 to 2008. She was a board member of: La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) from 2002 to 2007, Social Venture Partners from 2003 to 2006, and on the Founder's Circle of the UCSD Preuss School from 2003 to 2006. She is past co-chair of the CommNexus Clean Tech SIG, chair of UC San Diego Athena's 2007 Pinnacle Awards Nominating Committee, chair of LJMS's 2007 "Summerfest Gala", and past chair of their development and nominating committees. She is a past chair of the CONNECT Springboard program and Steering Committee for Most Innovative New Product Awards.
Camille was a 2008 Athena Pinnacle Award nominee. In 2005 she received a STAR Award from the San Diego Performing Arts League for her volunteer work with LJMS. She is a recipient of the YWCA's Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award and the Women Who Mean Business award from the San Diego Business Journal for achievements in advertising and was awarded Best Marketing Plan by the American Marketing Association's San Diego Chapter. Her San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Welfare-to-Work Campaign was a national finalist for the Public Relations Society of America's Bronze Anvil Award and her advertising agency work gleaned 14 awards from the San Diego Ad Club.
Prior to CONNECT, Camille was Managing Director of Procopio Business Consulting, a subsidiary of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP; Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for matthews/mark; Senior Vice President of Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger, and General Manager of the Agency's advertising division, Third Eye; and led the marketing communications division of the Canadian operations of Transamerica (Transamerica is part of the AEGON Insurance Group - headquartered in the Hague, The Netherlands and is one of the world's leading financial services and life insurance companies.)
» Contact Camille Sobrian
Marketing/Newsletter
As Marketing Communications Coordinator, Joe serves as the webmaster and administrator for the CONNECT website, chief editor for the CONNECT eNewsletter and point of contact for all of CONNECT’s IT needs. Joe recently graduated from UC San Diego with a BS in Biology with a focus in Neuroscience.
» Contact Joe Gram
Affiliate Programs
Karen Winston leads the execution of CONNECT’s affiliate programs, including the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum and the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance. She also serves in the role of executive director for these programs and is responsible for board and committee meetings, all event management, membership, sponsorship, website, marketing, and strategic partnerships.
Karen has more than 20 years experience in marketing and public relations, including 12 years as a marketing consultant. Her clients and past employers were primarily lawyers, accountants, insurance agents and other professional services in San Diego. Karen is presently a member of WITI and Business Network International. She has a BS in Communications and Sociology from UC San Diego.
» Contact Karen Winston
Linda aides in the facilitation of all CONNECT’s programs, but specifically focuses on the implementation of the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum and the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance.
Linda is currently a student at San Diego State University where she studies Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Attractions, Events and Conventions and will graduate in May of 2008.
» Contact Linda Wells
Commercialization Programs
Ruprecht von Buttlar is the Director of CONNECT’s Commercialization and Finance Programs. In this capacity, he directs the execution and development of: Early Business Technology Assessments (EBTA), the Springboard program, Venture Roundtables and Deal Network. EBTA focuses on assisting researchers from universities, research institutions and commercial enterprises with the acceleration of technology transfer from the lab to the market place. Springboard, CONNECT’s flagship program, assists innovators and entrepreneurs with the definition of a compelling commercialization strategy through mentoring by seasoned, C-level executives – CONNECT’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs). The Venture Roundtable program introduces well vetted companies from the technology, life science and clean-technology areas to selected Venture Capitalists. CONNECT’s Deal Network is a confidential database of high net-worth individuals who meet with best-in-class, early stage companies in an exclusive, private setting. Under Ruprecht’s guidance these four programs have experienced continuing and rapid improvement.
Since 2005, 118 companies have completed the Springboard process and 75% of these companies are still in operation as of December 2008. These companies have raised over $ 110 Million in seed-, venture- and debt financing.
Prior to CONNECT, Ruprecht held global chief executive, general management and business development positions in the internet and communications industries with companies including Motorola, DSC Communications (Alcatel), Nortel Networks and Scientific Atlanta. Ruprecht has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Hamburg and a MBA from Loyola College in Maryland.
» Contact Ruprecht von Buttlar
Steve works as a Program Manager in CONNECT’s Commercialization Program team. Steve’s responsibilities include managing the Springboard and Aviation and Aerospace Initiative programs as well as CONNECT-track.
Steve previously worked as a research assistant at the Harvard Business School, examining technological innovation in the semiconductor industry and models of effective senior management decision-making and action planning. Prior to joining CONNECT he served as an engagement manager for Oliver Wyman in New York and Europe. While at Oliver Wyman, he specialized in the financial services industry practice. Steve holds a PhD from UC San Diego and a MBA from Oxford University where he conducted research on emerging business model strategies in the biotech industry.
» Contact Steven Hoey
Taylor Peterson is the Director of New Sector Development for CONNECT. Taylor oversees the CONNECT Sport Innovators program, Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Awards, Connect with CONNECT events and the La Jolla Conference on Innovation Support for National Security. Taylor previously was the Director of Sponsorships and Special Events for the San Diego International Sports Council, working closely with the San Diego Chargers and Padres. Prior to that, Taylor spent several years in the publishing industry, most recently with the San Diego Business Journal. She was a committee chairperson for the National Defense Industrial Association's Annual Gold Coast Conference three years in a row; working closely with the U.S. Navy personnel; and is an active committee member of the annual Taste at the Cove event put on by the San Diego Sports Medicine Foundation. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
» Contact Taylor Peterson
Ilana Brand, Director of Innovation Programs, leads the execution of CONNECT’s programs focused on commercialization and innovation, including the CONNECT Venture Roundtable series, the La Jolla Research & Innovation Summit, the Tech Transfer Roundtable and CONNECT Leadership Dinners. Ilana has eight years of marketing, event management and business development experience. Previously, she worked as a Business Development Manager for an international law firm and specialized in event management for the firm’s corporate, life sciences and emerging technology practices. She also has prior experience at CONNECT working as a Program Manager for both CONNECT and the San Diego Tech Coast Angels. Ilana is an active member of Athena San Diego and has served as Co-Chair of the Auction Committee for the Athena Pinnacle Awards for the past two years. She holds a B.A. in both Economics and Sociology from Brandeis University in Boston, MA.
» Contact Ilana Brand
Community Programs
Bethany is responsible for the overall management and direction of the FrameWorks Workshops and the CEO Strategy Forum. Since joining CONNECT in 2005, she has been involved with several programs, including: the Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Awards, the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, and Connect with CONNECT. Bethany also ran the Tech Coast Angels and the MIT Enterprise Forum, both Affiliate Programs of CONNECT.
Prior to becoming a Program Director, Bethany spent several years working in the hospitality industry, where she was general manager of a restaurant in downtown San Diego. She holds a BA in Studio Art from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
» Contact Bethany Kraynack
As Program Manager within the Community Program team, Nancy strategically manages and executes all facets of CONNECT’s Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Awards.
Nancy brings to CONNECT experience from BioSpace in San Francisco where she held positions as manager of national sales support and product manager, at Volpe, Brown, Whelan and Company, also in San Francisco, where she was department coordinator for mergers and acquisitions, and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla where she worked as a research technician in the department of immunology. Nancy has a BS in Biology from the University of San Diego.
» Contact Nancy van Dillen
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