Speakers

Erika Swift, MBA, MHA, serves as a Professor of Practice with a joint appointment at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Harrisburg. She is also the director of the Center for Medical Innovation at Penn State College of Medicine, where she leads efforts to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem. The Center provides essential education and resources to drive medical innovation, ultimately generating both economic and social impact.

With over 25 years of experience in economic development, technology commercialization, and new business development across various industries-including medical devices, consumer goods, and dental equipment-Erika joined Penn State College of Medicine in 2015 to spearhead technology development initiatives. She was pivotal in establishing the Center for Medical Innovation, officially launched in February 2017, aligning with the College of Medicine's broader mission of cultivating a culture of innovation.

Beyond her role at Penn State, Erika served as President of BioStrategy Partners, Inc., a nonprofit consortium dedicated to advancing academic research into the marketplace, from 2018 to 2024. She continues to contribute as an officer and board member.

Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in business with a concentration in international business from Bloomsburg University, an MBA from York College of Pennsylvania, and an MHA from Penn State University.

Jen Gilburg has decades-long experience working in both technology and manufacturing in the private sector. She has been on the forefront of such high growth technologies as data security and artificial intelligence, and has worked in advanced technologies for the automotive, medical and robotics industries. Most recently, Jen served as Vice President of Business Development for a developer of AI-driven technology for use in autonomous vehicles and robotics.

As Deputy Secretary of Technology and Entrepreneurship, she focuses implementing the Shapiro Administration's and DCED's vision of attracting, fostering, and investing in people and companies focused on technology and innovation across multiple sectors, and throughout the state.

Kathleen M. Shay concentrates her practice in the areas of business law and finance, securities regulation, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies.

Ms. Shay serves as outside counsel to a significant number of emerging growth companies in the life science and technology fields and represents venture capital investors in their investments in these emerging companies. Ms. Shay's representation ranges from structuring and organizing start-up companies through structuring and negotiating venture capital and other financings, licensing transactions and strategic alliances, and representing companies in mergers and acquisitions and public offerings.

Ms. Shay works proactively and collaboratively with clients' managements and boards of directors to coordinate and oversee clients' legal needs and their integration with operations and business initiatives.

Ms. Shay serves on the Boards of Directors of University City Science Center and Life Sciences PA (formerly Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association) and the Board of Consultors of Villanova Law School, and she is a Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) and a Trustee Emeritus of the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. Ms. Shay previously served as a director of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and she is a past-Chair of the Securities Regulation Committee. Ms. Shay is an Advisory Board member and former director of the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and has served as AWE's counsel since its inception.

A frequent lecturer, she is a 1977 graduate of Villanova University School of Law and a graduate of Villanova University.

Areas of Practice

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• Venture Capital

• Licensing/Strategic Alliances

• Corporations

• Partnerships

• Limited Liability Companies

• Business Law and Finance

• Securities Regulation

Victoria Virasingh serves as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances at the NobleReach Foundation, a non-profit with the mission is to get better technical talent and innovation in and around government. She most recently ran for US Congress in Northern Virginia. Prior to that, she was at Palantir Technologies, where she led Public-Private Partnerships and founded the Innovation & Jobs team. She built relationships with external stakeholders and partnered with them to address issues related to policy, innovation, and the future of work. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in International Relations and an MA in Latin American Studies

Steve Carpenter serves as Director, Research Startups at Penn State University's Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization providing guidance and support to scientists pursuing commercialization of their technology. Mr. Carpenter also serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Penn State's Smeal College of Business teaching Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Funding and as the Program Administrator for the Garber Fund providing venture investment experiences for Smeal graduate students.

Mr. Carpenter has served as a director or board observer on more than ten company boards since 2008. Mr. Carpenter has 19 years of experience with Life Sciences Greenhouse Investments providing seed- and early-stage investments in promising life sciences companies in Pennsylvania. In his most recent role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Carpenter provided guidance and support to portfolio companies, evaluated early-stage companies for prospective investments, and managed the organization's accounting and finances. Prior to joining LSG Investments, Mr. Carpenter served more than 20 years in a variety of management and engineering positions, primarily leading operation start-ups and new product launches.

Mr. Carpenter earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Penn State University's Smeal College of Business where his academic concentration was on venture capital, entrepreneurship, and finance.