Keith Strassner, Director, TTED
B.S. Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla; M.A., Webster University

Keith is responsible for the identification, analysis and development of licensing and academic entrepreneurship opportunities on the Campus. In this activity he works with the individual researcher, the various Research Centers, and the Office of Sponsored Research to promote the Economic Development mission of the University. Prior to this he served as Assistant Director for Alliances at Brewer Science, Inc., focused on the identification and development of strategic alliances and partnerships leading to the creation of new business and technical opportunities. This included a key role in the formation of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center at Missouri State University designed to commercialize university and industrial technology. He also served as Brewer's key liaison with Missouri's congressional offices and DOD contracting agencies. He is a 25-year member of the American Chemical Society and has served on the Semiconductor Industry Trade Association Strategic Material Conference planning board. Prior to joining Brewer Science, Inc. in 1998, he spent 16 years with Petrolite Corporation, a specialty chemical company, in St. Louis and Tulsa, holding a variety of technical, business development, and marketing positions including Manager of New Business Development and Research and Development Manager.

Eric Anderson, License and Patent Specialist
J.D., M.B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia

Eric reviews invention disclosures for the likelihood of intellectual property protection and technology commercialization. He is the advisor of the Technical Innovators and Entrepreneurs Society (TIES) student group at Missouri S&T and is an adjunct faculty teaching Business Law and Cyberethics. Prior to joining the University, he represented the Missouri Public Service Commission in utility company regulation and litigation, as well as analyzed proposed state legislation for recommendation to the Department of Economic Development, Governor, and General Assembly. At the Missouri Department of Revenue, Anderson conducted fiscal and impact analysis of tax and small business legislation as well as enforcement of the state's income tax laws. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, he is a licensed Missouri attorney with Bachelor's degrees in Business Administration and Economics and a Master's degree in Business Administration.

Barry White, Program Manager, Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach
B.S. Business and Public Administration, University of Arizona

Barry manages the operation and administration of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (CEO) in areas of research, education and public information. Daily activities include program management, client facilitation, communication and marketing of CEO's other activities. He conducts secondary research for clients in entrepreneurship as well as establishing policy for Outreach and Extension business development. Prior to accepting this position, Barry worked as the Business Manager/Deputy Project Manager for American Eagle Communities Midwest, as a consultant for such firms as Actus Lend Lease, Fluor, Patriot Homes and Hogan Construction. During his 25 year career with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Barry was the General Manager of the Fort Leonard Wood Exchange (PX), Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Directors in the Pentagon, Area Services Manager (contracting) at Offutt AFB, and Technical Representative at AAFES-Pacific in Hawaii. He has an extensive background in customer service, leadership, strategic planning, marketing, contracting, business planning, budgeting, human resources, retailing, and service operations.

Malcolm S. Townes,  Business Development Specialist
MBA, Indiana University; BSME, University of Missouri-Rolla

Before joining the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, Malcolm worked as a management consultant for the Proudfoot Consulting Company. In this role he helped clients implement continuous improvement initiatives, which included developing and installing management operating systems. Prior to his position as a management consultant, Malcolm worked in the field of product management with General Cable Corporation, Hubbell Power Systems, Inc., and Tubular Steel, Inc., where his responsibilities included new product development. Malcolm is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He also has a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. While attending Indiana University, he interned with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Advanced Research and Technology Institute.

Kathy Volz,SBIR/STTR Program Specialist
MBA and BS in Engineering, University of Illinois

Kathy joined the Technology Transfer Office in July of 2008.  She is responsible for connecting and developing partnerships between University and private sector researchers, particularly in support of federally funded small business research via SBIR/STTR grants as well as LWI and MoTIP funding opportunities.  She is responsible for matching University research expertise to private sector needs, assisting in the pursuit of small business funding opportunities, and providing training and support throughout the funding lifecycle.  Kathy has an engineering background, university sponsored research experience, and industry experience in marketing and contracting.  As a negotiator of grants and contracts at Penn State, Kathy supported engineering faculty responsible for more than four million dollars of research annually.  Kathy also has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and proposal writing, including serving as the Marketing and Communications Manager for an ENR Top 100 consulting engineering firm.

Patricia Kapila, Administrative Assistant
BA Psychology, University of Missouri-Rolla

Pat has been with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach since 2003 and manages the administrative support functions of the office. For 10 years prior to joining CEO, she worked in the Center for Environmental Science and Technology with similar responsibilities. Her pre-UMR stints included customer service, product management, technical writing, and sales for the telecommunications division of Rockwell International (formerly Wescom, Inc.) in Chicago and Seattle, as well as sales and proposals management for ADC Telecommunications in Chicago and Minneapolis. Earlier in her career, she was a personnel clerk for the US Geological Survey.

Kimberly Arnold, Administrative Assistant
BS Economics, University of Missouri-Rolla

Kim joined the Technology Transfer Office in January of 2008.  She is responsible for the administrative functions associated with the tech transfer process.  Kim gained over 7 years experience in marketing, product and project management while working at Brewer Science from 1999-2007.  

Student Laboratory

Tyler Cobb - Junior - Engineering Management
Daniel Clark - Senior - Electrical Engineering

The student assistants engage in a variety of projects, including (but not limited to): business plan development, marketing research, patent and licensing research, data transfer, file management, advertising, event planning, and publication development.