More Paths to Entrepreneurship:
Let’s Talk Tech and the Federal Government
February 16, 2021 at 11:00 AM ET
Hosted by:
U.S. Department of Commerce
Minority Business Development Agency
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Federal Lab Consortium
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More Paths to Entrepreneurship:
Let’s Talk Tech and the Federal Government
The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Federal Lab Consortium hosted an event during National Entrepreneurship Week to discuss how the three agencies work together to empower innovators and entrepreneurs to transform ideas into business successes using federal research and development resources, funding, and technology transfer programs.
MEET THE SPEAKERS:
Elden Hawkes serves as the Partnership and Innovation Specialist, a role that supports the advancement of the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/ STTR) programs. His primary duties include managing the agency’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. Other duties include outreach efforts targeting Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and SBIR Road Tours.
Prior to SBA, Elden spent seven years with USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) where he helped grow the USDA’s SBIR program as its program specialist and program manager. He holds a degree in Environmental Science/Marine Science and a Master’s in Food and Agricultural Science, both from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Elden Hawkes
Partnership and Innovation Specialist, SBIR/STTR
U.S. Small Business Administration
A Noncommissioned Officer, JarMarcus King started his career as a U.S. Army Cargo Specialist at Ft. Bragg, NC, where he was responsible for coordinating and supervising rail, vessel, company statistics, and air operations. He requisitioned, maintained and coordinated shipments of equipment and supplies from manufacturers and vendors to locations worldwide. Mr. King worked as the Logistics/Airfield Manager for three (3) years under AFRICOM in Djibouti, Africa and seven (7) years throughout Iraq and Afghanistan as a Program Manager on various high level technology projects. He served as the Movement Control Team (MCT) supervisor responsible for all ground, rotary, and fixed wing operations at Balad Airbase, Iraq’s largest airfield and one of America’s most important military outposts during its occupation of the country. Mr. King also supported the development, testing, initial fielding and integration of various technology platforms that supported our military in areas of conflict. Currently, Mr. JarMarcus King, is a Creative Technologist with over 5 years of experience in managing, developing, overseeing web projects, mobile apps, and various digital media experiences. During his tenure at Georgia Tech Research Institute and Redstone Arsenal, Mr. King was fortunate enough to work with some of the greatest computer scientists and engineers in the industry. His experiences within the industry motivated him to pursue a deeper understanding of technology trends and their real-world applications and are furthering him to become a leading expert in the field. For more information on JarMarcus King and his innovative work, contact J&F Alliance Group to speak with him directly.
Jarmarcus King
Chief Operations Officer
J&F Alliance Group
Patricia Tomczyszyn, Inclusive Innovation Initiative Program Manager for the Minority Business Development Agency has been a public servant for most her career. Her work includes 18 years as Customer Relations Manager and Special Projects Officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, DC. Shortly after joining the Federal Government in 2012, Ms. Tomczyszyn learned about technology transfer and is now passionate about sharing the “nation’s largest seed fund” with minority-owned businesses, HBCUs, tribal colleges and other minority-serving institutions.
She developed the MBDA InVision Tour, which travels nationwide to demonstrate how minority Industrialists and Innovators can access grant funding for R&D; license government technologies to develop new products; and utilize Federal Government laboratories and equipment to develop new products.
Patricia Tomczyszyn
Inclusive Innovation Program Manager
Minority Business Development Agency
Paul Zielinski, Executive Director of the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC), where he leads high quality support to over 300 federal agencies, laboratories and research centers to accomplish their joint mission to foster commercialization best practices and accelerate federal technologies out of the labs and into the marketplace. Prior to this role, Paul has served for over 30 years as a federal manager, engineer, and scientist. Most recently, Paul served as the Director of the Technology Partnerships Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), leading NIST’s technology transfer activities including patents, licenses, cooperative research, and the NIST Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. He also led interagency technology transfer policy issues including serving as the Co-Chair of the National Science and Technology Council Lab to Market Subcommittee, Chair of the Interagency Workgroup for Technology Transfer and Interagency Workgroup for Bayh-Dole, and two terms as the Chair of the FLC. Mr. Zielinski has also worked at other federal agencies in the development and deployment of technology, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE). He has served on active duty as a commissioned officer in the United States Army including duty in Korea, Panama, Germany, and the US. Mr. Zielinski has an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship from Northcentral University, a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Toledo, and earned a Certificate of Mastery in Leadership from the Federal Executive Institute.
Paul Zielinski
Executive Director
Federal Laboratory Consortium
Hosted in partnership with
Questions?
Contact us at invision@mbda.gov.