Team Members

Ji Eun Kim Assistant Director of the Illinois FAST Center Email: jkim622@illinois.eduPhone : 217-333-4168  Ji Eun Kim, Assistant Director at the Illinois FAST Center, plays a pivotal role in driving the commercialization of innovative ideas and technologies by providing strategic support to startups and small businesses. She leads initiatives to help entrepreneurs secure SBIR/STTR funding, guiding them through the development of competitive proposals that bridge the gap between academic research and market applications. Dr. Kim also organizes training sessions with internal and external experts and collaborates with other incubators and university partners to refine and support commercialization strategies that meet their needs. Additionally, she connects entrepreneurs with relevant subject matter experts and services to accelerate business growth and commercialization efforts. Before joining the FAST Center, Dr. Kim served as a commercialization manager at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she led comprehensive due diligence and market analysis efforts, supporting the translation of research discoveries and scientific findings into commercial opportunities. She played a key role in helping university startups secure funding and form strategic partnerships, fostering innovation across various life science sectors. Dr. Kim earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where her research focused on cancer biology and cell stress response mechanisms. Her scientific expertise, combined with her commercialization experience, uniquely positions her to support the FAST Center’s mission of advancing groundbreaking technologies and nurturing a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Kaleb Medina Marketing and Communications Specialist Email: kmedin22@illinois.eduPhone : 217-300-7501 Kaleb Medina develops content for the Research Park’s digital, and print communications. In his role, he captures stories of events, programming, innovation, and workforce excellence. Through strategic communications, he helps execute Research Park’s position as a community of talent development and entrepreneurial cultivation. Kaleb is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a dual B.S. in Marketing and Strategic Business Development. His experience covers entrepreneurship, education, technology manufacturing, and the nonprofit sectors. In these roles, he applied his skills in data analytics, marketing, and communication strategy to strengthen brands. Kaleb is a Danville, Illinois native. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and puppy Kash, collecting vinyl records, studying meteorology, and taking care of his plants.

Sheri Wilson Administrative Aide Email : swilsn@illinois.eduPhone : 217-300-2580  Sheri Wilson is often the first person people meet when they come to the Research Park, as you walk into EnterpriseWorks.  She also assists all staff, tenants, and student interns at EnterpriseWorks. She is also the first point of contact for Laura Appenzeller, Executive Director of Research Park. Sheri Wilson joined the EnterpriseWorks team as the Receptionist in the fall of 2014.   Prior to coming to EnterpriseWorks, she had more than 25 years of customer service experience in the manufacturing and wireless phone industry.  Sheri is a Central Illinois native with one daughter and three sons. She’s a fan of Illini sports, the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago Bears and Cubs.  She enjoys shopping, antiquing, spoiling her grandchildren, and vacationing with her husband.

SARAH DOHERTY Accounting AssociateEmail : Sarahmd3@Illinois.EduPhone : 217-300-6217 Sarah Doherty joined the EnterpriseWorks team as an Accounting Associate in July 2023, bringing 14 years of experience in accounting including government and real estate knowledge. Sarah completed her master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois, her honors certificate in accounting from Parkland College, as well as a graduate of the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She is an Ohio native and has made Champaign her home with her husband and three daughters.

Roger West Associate Director of Operations and Finance Email :rwest@illinois.edu   Phone: 217-244-7745 Roger West oversees the financial aspects of our organization, including accounting, budgets, grant oversight, and contracts for EnterpriseWorks and UIRP LLC.  Roger is a CPA with a background that includes a mix of entrepreneurship, technology, construction, and University financial audits. Before joining the Research Park staff in 2011, he worked as the Director of Accounts at Common Ground Publishing, a graduate of the EnterpriseWorks incubator which has its offices in the Research Park. He also worked as a Controller at Broeren Russo Construction and Vogel Bros. Construction learning about the construction business, and began his career as an accountant at two small accounting firms.  Roger and his family live in Savoy.

Laura Bleill Director of External Engagement Email : lwbleill@illinois.edu  Phone: 217-244-7744 Laura Bleill manages the community building portfolio of the Research Park. She develops strategy behind the Research Park’s events, programming, communications, branding and marketing efforts; and directs its strategy to attract, grow, retain and train its workforce. Bleill and the Research Park team work very intentionally to create a vibrant, dynamic community that drives innovation. She is active with the entrepreneurial ecosystem across campus, as a founding member of the iVenture Accelerator team, a Cozad New Venture Challenge mentor/trainer,  and a former instructor with National Science Foundation I-Corps at Illinois team. She was the co-PI and co-founder of the AWARE entrepreneurship inclusion effort (originally funded by NSF,) which now has been replicated at other universities. An entrepreneur herself, Bleill is CEO and co-founder of a hyperlocal media company, chambanamoms.com. She is very active in the Champaign-Urbana community, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Experience Champaign-Urbana and the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois. She is also on the board of Leadership Illinois. A native of the Chicago suburbs, she has a master’s and bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Laura Appenzeller Executive Director and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Innovation Email: lfrerich@illinois.edu  Phone: 217-333-8323   Laura Appenzeller is the Executive Director of the University of Illinois Research Park and the Chief Operating Officer of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Associated with both roles, she is also the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to support research commercialization and industry partnerships. The Research Park provides an on-campus vibrant business ecosystem that creates long-term value for the university’s intellectual assets, its students, participant companies, and the economy. The Research Park is located on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with mixed-use development of more than 800K square feet of constructed buildings, 120 companies (large corporations and startup companies), 2,000 employees including 700 students working year-round in internships. The Research Park hosts numerous programs and events to support its companies through collaboration, peer sharing, and technology programs to elevate skills and innovation outcomes. Corporate R&D centers at the Research Park include ADM, AGCO, Bayer, Caterpillar, John Deere, Mondelez, Motorola, Nvidia, State Farm, Synchrony and Yahoo as examples of industry leaders that Laura has developed through business attraction and corporate engagement. EnterpriseWorks incubator startup companies have raised more than $1.4 Billion in venture capital and $200 Million in SBIR/STTR awards since the incubator opened. Laura led the creation of the U.S. SBA Illinois FAST Center at the Research Park, which provides small business assistance across Illinois for SBIR and STTR programs. Laura is on the leadership team of the EDA iFAB Tech Hub, which was awarded $51 Million for the growth of precision fermentation and bioprocessing in Central Illinois. Laura has been active in the formation of the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) located at the former U.S. Steel South Works site on Chicago’s far South Side. IQMP is designed to support the full ecosystem of companies, researchers, suppliers, end users and other partners working to facilitate the development and commercialization of quantum technologies. In her role with IQMP, she leads site and infrastructure planning, financial and operational oversight, and real estate projects. Laura is active in numerous regional organizations including serving as the board of the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition; the board of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation; the board of the Illinois Clean Energy and Resilience Fund; past board member of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP); and she is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Gerald Wilson Director of Entrepreneurship Email : gwilson@illinois.edu  Phone: 217-300-5745 Dr. Gerald Wilson, inaugural Director of Entrepreneurship at EnterpriseWorks and the University of Illinois Research Park. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of a vision and infrastructure to establish and accelerate a cross-campus culture of entrepreneurship that spans research institutes, colleges, and departments. His focus includes anticipating mechanisms to secure and grow entrepreneurship programs and resources to assist ecosystem members with company creation, funding, management, and growth beyond the incubation phase. Dr. Wilson leads the staff in supporting entrepreneurship programming and business development of clients of the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park, which provides technology commercialization support for researchers and entrepreneurs, supports new venture creation, and catalyzes promising startup companies. Prior to joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Wilson was President and CEO of Autonomic Materials, Inc. (AMI), an advanced materials company based in Champaign, IL. AMI commercialized technology developed at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science, and is a graduate of the EnterpriseWorks incubator. As CEO, he led the development of the company’s AMP-UPTM protective coatings product lines aimed at eliminating traditional tradeoffs between high performance corrosion protection and environmental responsibility. The company’s technology platform was recognized as the Materials Performance Corrosion Innovation of the Year by NACE International (now AMPP), the Worldwide Authority on corrosion and as a Solar Impulse Efficient Solution. For over two decades, Dr. Wilson has worked on developing new chemistries for self-healing coating, adhesive, sealant, composite, and biomedical applications. He has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings and invited lectures in a variety of professional national and international forums and is an inventor on over 30 issued and pending patents. Dr. Wilson is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Technology Entrepreneur Center in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a leadership coach and workshop facilitator for the Illinois Leadership Center. He earned a BA in Chemistry from Macalester College, a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dustin Mayfield-Jones Laboratory and Facilities Manager Email : dustinm2@illinois.eduPhone : 217-300-5803 Dustin Mayfield-Jones joined the team in May 2024 as the Laboratory and Facilities Manager at EnterpriseWorks. His role includes management of operational functions of the EnterpriseWorks technology and business incubator building, laboratory services, shared facilities, and MakerSpace. He is passionate about helping deep tech startup clients with their tenant service needs during critical periods of the incubation phase. Dustin is also responsible for safety and equipment operations and assists with general administration. Dustin is an alumnus of the University of Illinois and the Graduate College’s Illinois Distinguished Fellowship program. He was laboratory manager and safety officer of a former startup tenant at EnterpriseWorks and has more than 15 years of experience in scientific research. Dustin completed his master’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia after earning his bachelor’s degree in biology at Truman State University. Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Dustin actively participated in the Saint Louis maker and tech startup communities. Dustin was a member of The Maker Group, Arch Reactor, TechShop, and co-founder of HAB.education, a STEAM education organization that partnered internationally to teach and inspire children using high altitude balloons. His formative experience making, managing, and pitching tech with others in these communities via GatewayVMS, VentureCafe, and 3DayStartup continues to frame his philosophy of innovation and entrepreneurship and informs his understanding of client needs. Dustin enjoys spending time with his spouse breeding and showing Great Danes from 7Sisters farm with the Illini Great Dane Club, flying airplanes with EnginAires, technical scuba diving, and fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Cynthia Faullin Associate Director of Operations Email: cfaullin@illinois.eduPhone : 217-300-5803  Cynthia Faullin brings more than 10 years of intensive experience working with deep tech startups to her role as Associate Director of Operations at the EnterpriseWorks incubator in Research Park. She serves as the primary touchpoint for EnterpriseWorks tenants and affiliated entrepreneurs, ensuring that the facility meets the needs of its entrepreneurs and startups, both physical and programmatic. She is responsible for overseeing leasing and property management for the building and its grounds. Faullin first joined EnterpriseWorks in 2014. She is well known for her customer-centric, engaging approach to everyone from accomplished CEOs to the entrepreneurial curious alike. From 2021-23 Faullin was the Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois-Chicago. There, she oversaw the Technology Innovation Lab which provides laboratory and office space to University of Illinois: Chicago early-stage startups as well as programming and consulting for entrepreneurs who are commercializing research-based technologies. Cynthia also has experience in commercial real estate and development in downtown Champaign. She previously worked on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in undergraduate academic affairs and career services. Cynthia is a proud Canadian, and has Bachelor degrees in English Literature and Women’s Studies from Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario.