Faculty Innovation Fellowship
About the Faculty Innovation Fellowship
The Business-Higher Education Forum’s (BHEF) Faculty Innovation Fellowship provides the tools, experts, and space to design, develop, and lead innovations that establish equitable talent pipelines and expand pathways to student success.
Collaboration between business and higher education is vital to ensure that higher education experiences pave the way for rewarding employment. Faculty fellows are leaders empowered to drive positive change that position students for success and enables their institutions to be leaders in employer engagement.
Fellows pursue new employer partnerships and gain the leadership and change-management skills necessary to successfully implement innovative practices within and beyond their classroom. Fellows regularly meet over 9 months to learn, build a strong network, and develop capstone projects which are vetted and tested by their cohort peers, BHEF staff, and national experts.
Learn more about the 2025 cohort.
BHEF is grateful to the ECMC Foundation and our members for the support of the fellowship.
The 2025 Fellows
BHEF’s 2025 cohort welcomed 28 new fellows, a 47 percent increase from its inaugural cohort, selected through a competitive national search among BHEF members. The cohort represents 18 institutions across 11 states. The 2025 cohort also welcomes eight new BHEF members institutions to the fellows network spanning a diverse range of higher education organizations—five MSIs, eight public universities, six R1 institutions, two community colleges, and four independent colleges—and welcomes back new fellows from all of its 2024 institutions.
Fellows’ proposed capstone projects span a wide range of program, course, and research innovations designed to align education with industry needs, grow the innovation and leadership skills for faculty, and ultimately enhance student success outcomes. Highlights of the 2025 cohort include launching advisory boards for semiconductor and nanoscience roles, developing agrotech courses, integrating GenAI into curricula, expanding accessibility to cybersecurity credentials, and creating renewable energy training programs. Other initiatives include establishing mentorship networks for liberal arts students, embedding industry experiences into biotech and fintech training, and connecting regional makerspaces for experiential STEM and manufacturing education.
The 2025 cohort is:
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)
Ben Hawkins, Associate Professor
Project: Nanoscale Education, Science, and Technology Industry Advisory Board
Lucy McGowan, Assistant Professor
Project: Integrating Agribusiness Strategy into Curriculum
Clark University (Worcester, MA)
Jas Singh, Director, Master of Science in Information Technology Program
Project: Accelerating Generative AI Adoption in Higher Education
Paul Case, Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, School of Business
Project: Building Clark University's Center for Entrepreneurship
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities
Brooke Palkie, Chair, Health Sciences and Technology Department, Charter Oak State College
Project: Innovative Initiatives for Career Readiness
Caleb Bragg, Associate Professor and Psychological Science Leadership Fellow, Central Connecticut State University
Project: Building Industry Connections for Liberal Arts Students
Drake University
Leah Huizar, Assistant Professor
Project: Advancing OER Adoption and Infrastructure at Drake
Georgetown University
Shadi Abouzeid, Assistant Professor of the Practice and Associate Faculty Director
Project: Deploying GenAI for Experiential Learning
Stephanie Kim, Associate Professor of the Practice
Project: Developing an AI Framework for Teaching and Learning at SCS
Hudson County Community College
Daniel M. Ondieki, Instructor of Mathematics
Project: Honors Math: Real-World Modeling and Mentorship
Mohammad Qasem, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Project: Renewable Energy Curriculum with Research and Mentorship
Miami Dade College
Diego Tibaquirá, Professor of Computer Science
Project: Expanding CISSP Certification for Faculty and Students
Varun Ramberran, Assistant Professor
Project: Creating Industry-Integrated Learning Frameworks in Business & Logistics Sector
North Carolina State University
Ali Hajbabaie, Associate Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Project: Transforming Labs into Interdisciplinary Innovation Hubs
Pooneh Lari, Assistant Teaching Professor
Project: E²TPES: Bridging Academia and Workforce Success
Northeastern University
Alper Koparan, Assistant Teaching Professor
Project: FintecHub: Bridging Academia and the FinTech Industry
Jamie Henzy, Associate Teaching Professor
Project: Building a Bioinformatics-Industry Curriculum Model
San Diego State University
Carlos Paternina, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems
Project: AI-Enhanced Learning for Transportation and Logistics Education
Yin Yu, Assistant Professor, School of Art & Design
Project: Bridging Academia, Industry, and Innovation in Multisensory Design
State University of New York (SUNY)
Ganesh Walunj, Assistant Professor, Engineering Technology, Buffalo State University
Project: Bridging Material Science and Industry 4.0
Kathleen Burke, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Economics, Cortland
Project: Establishing a Business Assistance Internship Program
Lorenz Neuwirth, Professor of Psychology, Old Westbury
Project: Error-Based Learning through Virtual Reality
University System of Maryland
Supriyo Ray, Assistant Professor, Natural Sciences, Bowie State University
Project: Biomedical Research Collaborative Accelerator at Bowie State University
Camelia Fawzy, Professor, Business Management, University of Maryland Global Campus
Project: Building a Sustainable Online Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
University of New Haven
Mehdi Mekni, Professor of Computer Science
Project: Bridging Education and Industry Through Emerging Tech Pathways
Virginia Tech
Anne Brown, Associate Professor, Research and Informatics
Project: Designing and Sustaining a Multidisciplinary STEM Makerspace
Stephanie Smith, Associate Professor of Public Relations & Internship Director
Project: Building Digital Credibility for Career Success
Wake Tech Community College
Chad McKenzie, Professor, Information Technology
Project: Reimagining Employer Engagement for Workforce Alignment
*All summary titles were developed by BHEF staff and may evolve over the course of the experience.
The 2024 Fellows
The inaugural cohort of 19 fellows represents seven disciplines ranging from business and hospitality to nursing, geosciences, and social sciences. Sponsoring institutions include public state systems, community colleges, independent universities, and public research universities, with nearly half being minority-serving institutions.
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities
Benjamin A. Abugri, MBA Director & Professor of Finance – Southern CT State University
Thomas J. Barron, Jr., Department Chair, Faculty, Business & Technology – Charter Oak State College
Michelle M. Kusaila, Professor, Accounting – Central CT State University
Drake University
Stacy Gnacinski, Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Associate Dean of Bright College
Georgetown University
Ifedapo Adeleye, Professor of the Practice of Human Resources Management, Vice Dean of Faculty
Yianna Vovides, Senior Director, Learning Design and Research, Professor of the Practice
Hudson County Community College
Elana Winslow, Associate Professor of Business
Peter Cronrath, Associate Professor of Business
Miami Dade College
Eric Cornish, Associate Senior Professor
Tommy Demos, Associate Professor, Film, TV & Digital Production
North Carolina State University
Huiling Ding, Professor of Technical Communication and Director of Labor Analytics
Scott Ferguson, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
San Diego State University
Alvin Henry, Associate Professor and Director of Asian American Studies
Byron Purse, Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
University System of Maryland: Coppin State University
Lori Harvin, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, BSN Nursing Education
Virginia Tech
John Alan Chermak, Collegiate Associate Professor, Environmental Geochemist
David Knight, Professor and Special Assistant to the Dean for Strategic Plan Implementation
Wake Tech Community College
Lorraine Powers, Associate Professor, Business Administration
Barry J. Tracey, Instructor, Hospitality Management
Point of Contact
For more information on the Fellowship, please contact Frank Avery, Managing Director, at frank.avery@bhef.com.
Special thanks to the following members of the initiative's advisory committee:
Terrence Cheng, Chancellor, Connecticut State Colleges & UniversitiesMarty Martin, President, Drake University
Michele Masucci, Vice Chancellor, University System of Maryland
Christopher Reber, President, Hudson County Community College
Jennifer Thornton, Senior Vice President & Chief Programs Officer, Business-Higher Education Forum