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As CEO, Duane Roth has lead CONNECT through a successful transition to become an independent organization, while maintaining its presence in San Diego’s high tech, life science and business communities. Under Mr. Roth, CONNECT continues to grow, expanding into new industries of science and technology as well as making an impact in both Southern California and the international science and innovation community.

Prior to joining CONNECT, Mr. Roth founded Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. where he still serves as chairman of the board. Mr. Roth has also held senior management positions at American Home Products (now Wyeth) and Johnson & Johnson 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), and BIOCOM (past chair). Mr. Roth also serves on a number of advisory committees and boards of the University of California, including the President’s Board on Science and Innovation, the UCSD Cardiovascular Center (past chair), the San Diego Science and Technology Council, the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the UCSD Rady School of Management, the Preuss Charter School (chair), and the UC San Diego Foundation Board (past chair).

Mr. Roth is active in the San Diego community, serving on the board of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (past chair), the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Club of San Diego (past chair), the San Diego State University College of Business (past chair), and as co-chair of the Regional Housing Task Force on Affordable Housing. Mr. Roth is also a member of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth. He is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, where he serves as a trustee.

» 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

Camille oversees CONNECT’s full range of programs, including: Springboard, Venture Roundtable, Frontiers in Science and Technology, FrameWorks Workshops, CEO Strategy Forum, Connect with CONNECT, Entrepreneur Hall of Fame 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.

Camille is a board member of CleanTECH San Diego, vice chair of CommNexus San Diego (formerly the San Diego Telecom Council) and chair of the CommNexus Clean Tech Special Interest Group and co-founder and president of the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance.  She is chair of UC San Diego Athena's 2007 Pinnacle Awards Nominating Committee, partner with San Diego Social Venture Partners, and a member of their Environmental Accelerator Fund, a board member of the La Jolla Music Society from 1999 to 2007 and chair of their 2007 “Summerfest Gala.”

» Contact Camille Sobrian

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

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

Connect’s commercialization programs have experienced continued improvement under Ruprecht’s guidance.  Ruprecht directs the execution and development of programs, including: Springboard, Springboard Spotlights, Early Business Assessments, Venture Roundtables and CONNECT-track, as well as industry cluster definition initiatives, including Action & Sport Innovators and the Aerospace and Aviation Forum.

Ruprecht is a member of the board of directors of the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) and a member of the advisory board of the Triton Innovations Network, a UCSD student organization. Previously, Ruprecht held global chief executive and general management positions in the internet and communications industries.  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

As Program Manager within the Commercialization Program team, Dea strategically manages the program organization of CONNECT’s Venture Roundtable, Action & Sport Innovators and Springboard Spotlight programs.

Before coming to CONNECT, Dea spent 15 years in San Diego’s life science community as a consultant and has assisted start-up companies in the areas of operations, sales and marketing and administrative processes.  Dea is a graduate of Olivet College.

» Contact Dea Simon

As director, Holli guides the execution of CONNECT’s awards and recognition programs Most Innovative New Products Awards and Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as well as CONNECT’s educational and community workshops and symposiums including: Frontiers in Science and Technology, Peptide Therapeutics, Stem Cell on the Mesa Venture Days,  CEO Strategy Forum and Entrepreneurial Frameworks Workshops.

Holli brings 10 years of experience in the energy industry, which included researching new techniques to meet the EPA’s regulations for clean fuel. Her career experience includes working in Brussels, Belgium where she managed projects for Total Petrochemicals. Holli has a BS in Chemistry from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin and a MBA from Solvay Business School, Brussels, Belgium.

» Contact Holli Garrett

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 manger, Meghan is responsible for the implementation and coordination of events for CONNECT's Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, Connect with CONNECT and Tech Transfer Roundtable. She is also directs, manages and is the point of contact for the San Diego Tech Coast Angels, a CONNECT affiliate program.

Meghan previously worked in the Biological Sciences Division at UC San Diego. She also spent several years at the Nature Conservancy in Washington, DC. Meghan has a BA in History from the University of Scranton.

» Contact Meghan Hope

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