Did you know that since its inception, Startup Champions Network (SCN) has been a volunteer led organization? We are able to stay true to our mission of supporting entrepreneur ecosystem builders by having very few paid staff members and a Board with diverse experience and networks, ensuring our mission and vision are led and implemented by practicing entrepreneur ecosystem builders who truly believe in the work.
As we enter into our 10th year as an organization, we’d like to introduce you to the leaders behind the scenes, and extend an invitation to join us as a member of our Board of Directors.
Mark Lawrence: Board Chair
Mark Lawrence is our Board Chair and was the host for our Policy Summit in DC. He has also served as Board Treasurer and the Chair of the Finance Committee. He is currently leading SCN’s strategic plan in addition to ensuring that SCN standardizes operations to continue to produce amazing summits and support entrepreneur ecosystem builders in their local communities.
Mark is the Founder/Managing Partner of Inncuvate, a full stack entrepreneurship led economic empowerment platform based in Largo, Maryland. He has been leading inclusive entrepreneur ecosystem building projects for 10+ years.
Mark’s challenges as a entrepreneur ecosystem builder are what fuels his vision for and commitment to SCN. His main focus over the next five years is sustainability of entrpreneurial ecosystem building as a profession that transforms all communities.
“SCN is leaning into culture development, and improving the member experience so that we can better serve members and continue to partner with members to produce great summits that showcases and amplify’s our members’ work in their local communities. We will also offer more opportunities for member connection within our peer to peer learning network so that members can continue to learn from each other. To increase membership we’ve revamped our membership committee to be a six month volunteer commitment, asking committee members to leverage their relationships to identify and recruit local entrepreneur ecosystem builders to strengthen our network and help with our direct connection to the amazing work being done across the country. Read more about his work and vision here.
Toni Eberhart: Board Vice Chair
Toni Eberhart is our Board Vice Chair and a Communications Strategist and Innovation Program Integrator at Booz Allen Hamilton supporting NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Technology Demonstrations Missions. She is passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship and serves national and local non-profit organizations aligned to advancing opportunities for entrepreneurs in roles including Chair of Urban Engine, Launch2035 Entrepreneurship Pillar Co-Chair, Main Street Alabama Board Member and Right to Start Ambassador.
“I joined the board because I am inspired by the SCN mission to provide professional development and networking opportunities for entreprenuerial ecosystem builders across the country. Serving as a board member has given me broader insight into the best practices, needs and opportunities for entrepreneur ecosystem builders across the country. The experience has allowed me to give back to a mission I am passionate about which is supporting entrepreneur ecosystem builders and equipping them to succeed in their work supporting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. There have been many learnings and connections I've been able to bring back to my local entrepreneur ecosystem. The connections I have made have subtantially enriched my professional and personal network.”
Chris Cain: Board Treasurer
Chris Cain is our current Board Treasurer and has also served on our Sponsorship and Communications Committees. Her goal is to democratize the way that money flows into and around our communities and create entrepreneur ecosystems. She believes that equalizing the playing field for the itty bitty businesses makes our neighborhoods amazing places to live.
For more than a decade, she has been on the front lines empowering people to open businesses by educating them on business planning, navigating the process of getting a business loan, and lending an ear of support and empathy. As the Chief Lending Officer for Peoples Advantage Credit Union, Chris is leading the team to discover new ways for growing the entrepreneur ecosystem in Petersburg, Virginia.
Rick Turoczy: Board Secretary
Rick Turoczy is our current Board Secretary and a past Summit Host (Portland, Oregon Spring 2019). Rick is the Cofounder and General Manager at PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment), Co-founder of Built Oregon, writer of all things Portland at Silicon Florist, among other things focused on buidling community. Rick is engaged in supporting a number of projects around the Portland startup community, as well as working with other accelerators, incubators, and founders around the world.
“I’ve long been a fan of the work that SCN does. So when the opportunity to join the board arose, I jumped at the chance. Unlike my peers, I’m not an entrepreneur ecosystem builder. But I rely heavily on the amazing foundational work of entrepreneur ecosystem builders to engage in the work that I do in the community. Serving on the SCN board is an opportunity to give back to the community that has provided so much support for me. And a small way to show my appreciation for the individuals in any number of cities and towns throughout our nation that serve and support entrepreneurs.”
Tom Chapman: Past Board Chair, Co-Chair Membership Committee
Tom Chapman is one of the founding members of SCN and has served in many positions to advance our mission. He is most recently our past Board Chair and is currently serving as the Co-Chair of our Membership Committee. He is also the Instructor and designer of our Ecosystem Health Challenge, through which he has helped ecosystems across the country get a better handle on the health of their ecosystem and determine metrics most helpful for tracking growth.
Tom wears many hats as a serial entreprenuer. He is the founder and principal at Chapman & Company, one of the premier organizations for measuring early-stage ecosystem metrics. He has helped hundreds of early-stage companies grow and has worked on product validation in healthcare, software, government, e-commerce, and other fields. He is also the CEO of Peeq Industries, a health and beauty platform, and the creator of Mug.News, a Nebraska-based storytelling blog that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Paulo Gregory: Chair, Intercultural Unity (ICU) Committee
Paulo Gregory supports our Board culture and community development and serves as Chair of our Intercultural Unity (ICU) committee. He is the inventor and President of Cohado®, a flexible design-thinking structure and tools to support collaborative entrepreneur ecosystem development and sustainable design. Cohado is alsoa social enterprise dedicated to leveling the economic game through developing models and vehicles for economic ascension of economically starved communities. Paulo stewarded the launch and growth of the Black Butterfly Network and Exchange in Baltimore (more about that here) utilizing the Cohado® emergent strategic design process to create a thriving ecosystem of Black entrepreneurs and businesses in Baltimore to support ground-up economic development.
“I joined the SCN Board of Directors to foster the diversification and resulting innovation within the organization that holds the greatest capacity to support inclusive entrepreneur ecosystem development in the nation. The primary goal I have for SCN is to deepen local and regional ecosystem activation through partnership and leveraging resources to support the critical, yet vastly under-resourced, work of entrepreneur ecosystem builders.”
Christina Oldfather: Membership Committee Co-Chair
Christina Oldfather is a Board member and the Chair of our Membership Committee. Christina is a entrepreneur community builder in Lincoln, Nebraska. She helps chart the path of the membership committee to faciliate connection between members and opportunities to learn about various entrepreneur ecosystems.
She is the founder of the LaunchLNK initiative and has been an organizer and leader of many programs and events to help build entrepreneurial infrastructure in her community. She currently works as the Workforce Development Director for Rabble Mill and is focused on creating opportunities for youth to go to college, start a career, or start a business. Learn more about her work on Season 1 of Ecosystems for Change here.
Jenny Poon: 2023 Fall Summit Host
Jenny Poon is a Board member and our 2023 Fall Summit Host in Phoenix, Arizona! She is the Founder and CEO of CO+HOOTS, a coworking space, incubation and ecosystem development hub for entrepreneurs in Phoenix, Arizona. She is also the founder of HUUB, an entrepreneur/small business platform that brings all your city’s resources together in one place to create more equitable entrepreneur communities. Read more about her work here.
Cecilia Wessinger
Cecilia Wessinger is a Board Member that has served as our Board Secretary and Chair of the Metrics Committee. She is the Director for Global Community at the Global Entrepreneurship Network where she serves as the primary interface between GEN and its leadership teams in nations around the world as they seek to nurture more robust ecosystems and build GEN’s brand and presence in those economies. Learn more about her work on Season 4 of Ecosystems for Change here.
As we enter into our 10th year as an organization, we’re looking for passionate entrepreneur ecosystem builders and leaders that operate in one or multiple intersections of the profession. We need systems thinkers who want to help us grow the entrepreneur ecosystem building profession and continue to evolve SCN to better support entrepreneur ecosystem builders across the country. Want to join us?
As a board member, you’re required to:
Remain informed about SCN mission, policies, and services
Lend you talent, expertise, and network to help advance SCN
Serve a two year term (at minimum).
Promote SCN and support the organization by representing the organization in the community and at Summits.
Attend at least 80% of the scheduled monthly scheduled virtual Board meetings
Support/Serve on committees and take on special assignments as needed.
Personally and financially contribute to SCN.
Complete other duties as required
Ready to join us? Fill out the interest form below to start the conversation and learn more.