Anthony Maher

Partner / President

Anthony is well known for his entrepreneurial ecosystem engagement throughout the city of Philadelphia. He is Co-founder and former CEO of Benjamin’s Desk (now 1776), serving as a champion and growth strategist for entrepreneurs. During his tenure at Benjamin’s Desk / 1776, Anthony launched 10 strategic campuses throughout the region, which quickly became the largest network of incubators in the northeast corridor with a mission to strengthen the cities and economies by building a thriving community of entrepreneurs. Anthony also was successful in securing a long term partnership deal for his company to operate and manage UPENN’s premier incubator, The Pennovation Center. The focus at the 58,000sf Pennovation Center is Life Sciences and BioTech but also creates an environment for small tech startups and entrepreneurs to grow within the center.

Anthony Maher joins Scott Mazo as Partner and President of UPA in January 2019. He is a strong advocate for public/private partnerships and will strategically curate every UPA building with the Philadelphia innovation ecosystem in mind. Anthony’s experience curating coworking space as Chief Growth Officer of 1776 is expansive. He looks forward to applying the same knowledge, experience, and zeal throughout the square footage of The Platinum Corridor®.

Anthony was also Partner of Philadelphia’s ‘First Base’ Commercial Office Brokerage for several years, a brokerage that was created to help high growth tech startups secure their first traditional office space outside of incubators and coworking space. Anthony was a First-Team College All-American and 10-year professional soccer player and brings the same focus and discipline that build effective teams to help create long term partnerships and impact.

Marelisa Gibson

LEED AP BD+C

Project Manager & Head of Sustainability

Marelisa was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She began her studies in architecture at the Central University of Venezuela, which allowed her to uncover a passion for improving the built environment and, efficiently utilizing resources. Two years in, Marelisa decided to pause her career when she won the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant in 2009. It was an amazing opportunity for self-improvement; it taught her discipline, dedication, diplomacy, and how to work in a high-pressure and high-stress environment around the clock.

She moved to Philadelphia in 2011 and decided to pursue a B.S. in Interior Design at The Art Institute of Philadelphia where she graduated with high honors as class Valedictorian. After working in a small architecture firm for almost a year, her passion for improving the built environment kept growing and she decided to go back to school in order to learn and eventually apply sustainable practices.

In 2016, Marelisa graduated from the award-winning Master of Science in Sustainable Design at Jefferson University (former Philadelphia University) where she realized that some of the most impactful decisions for a project are made by the real estate developer, therefore, UPA was the perfect fit.

Stu Goodman, Esq.

General Counsel

Stu Goodman serves as University Place Associates’ General Counsel, Stu brings to UPA highly sophisticated experience in commercial real estate and corporate law. After graduating from Fordham Law School in 2004, Stu promptly returned to his native Philadelphia where he honed his skills as an attorney in the corporate and real estate departments of a major Philadelphia-based law firm and as corporate counsel of a large publicly traded national real estate company. In his over 15 years of experience practicing law, Stu has developed a wide range of sophisticated experience representing clients in complex transactional matters including the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of commercial, retail, multi-family, self-storage, and industrial real estate, general corporate matters, and loan and other financing transactions. In addition to serving as UPA’s General Counsel, Stu is the founder and managing member of Capstone Law LLC. Beyond practicing law, Stu is an avid distance runner and ancient history buff. He currently lives in the Fitler Square section of Center City Philadelphia with his wife Allison, their two children Shoshanna and Ari and their dog Simon.

Tom Bell

Formal Advisor + EIR | UPA

CEO | Vertex Laboratories

Tom Bell is the Founder/CEO of Vertex Labs, a custom Artificial Intelligence solutions provider which specializes in Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Automation. Vertex focuses on developing innovative solutions to complex and impactful problems for clients in various industries.

In addition to his role at Vertex, Tom is a board member and advisor to several start-ups in Philadelphia and New York City as well as non-profit organizations including Dream2Career and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

He holds a BS in Business Administration from Drexel University and has been an active member of the Philadelphia startup community since 2007. He has founded, funded, and consulted for several companies over the past 12 years.

Dennis Gross, MS, PhD

Formal Advisor | UPA

CEO & Treasurer | Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute

Dennis M. Gross, MS,PhD is the CEO and Treasurer of the non-profit Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute [PDDI] based at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center. He is also teaching faculty in the Jefferson College of Life Sciences and Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. In addition, he is adjunct Professor of Basic Sciences at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Corporate Faculty at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Dr. Gross spent 29 years at the Merck Research Labs in various roles starting at the bench in drug discovery and moving into roles in computer resources, divisional strategic planning, M&A, research administration and operations oversight at both domestic and overseas lab sites. Before moving to the PDDI, he served for 9 years as the Associate Dean for the Professional Master’s Degree programs at Thomas Jefferson University. In addition to his consulting practice, he is the national co-chair for the Biotechnology Entrepreneur’s Boot Camp held each year in conjunction with the International BIO convention.

Sherryl Kuhlman

Formal Advisor | UPA

Former Managing Director | Wharton Social Impact Initiative

Sherryl Kuhlman, WG’01, is the former Managing Director for the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, where she worked to integrate the Wharton community into a local and global network of social enterprises and impact organizations.

Previously, she held leadership roles coordinating corporate and foundation grant support, partnership development, and strategic initiatives and marketing at the national and local agencies of Big Brothers Big Sisters, in addition to teaching in the Philosophy department at Franklin & Marshall College.

Ms. Kuhlman received her MBA from Wharton in 2001. After years of motivating her students to make a real impact on social causes, she was inspired to create an impact on such causes herself. As an alumna, Ms. Kuhlman has seen the broad development of social impact at Wharton over the last decade and finds inspiration in the work of the Wharton network within the world.

Lee Huang

Formal Advisor | UPA

President | Econsult Solutions, Inc.

Lee Huang has over 20 years of experience in economic development in public, private, institutional, and not-for-profit sectors. From 1995 to 2005 he managed The Enterprise Center, an entrepreneurial center in West Philadelphia. He currently serves as one of the nine Philadelphia Board of Education members appointed by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

Lee holds an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School and a master’s degree from the Fels School of Government of the University of Pennsylvania.

Andy Luber, PharmD

Formal Advisor + EIR | UPA

President & COO | Virion Therapeutics

Virion Therapeutics is committed to developing treatments for cancer and chronic infections using targeted novel T-cell based immunotherapies that couple a checkpoint blockade with disease-specific antigenic stimulation. Our platform technologies, ChiVax and ChiVax-gD induce potent and sustained T cell-mediated immune responses against transformed or infected cells and have shown efficacy in a wide range of preclinical animal models including: animal models of fast and slow growing tumors, with viral or human cancer antigens, in young and older animals, and when inserted failing adenovirus vaccine candidates.

Founded in early 2018 to advance technology licensed from The Wistar Institute, an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in vaccine, cancer and infectious disease research, Virion has built an experienced biotechnology management team, augmented by its advisory board that has extensive domain knowledge in antiviral, vaccine and oncology therapeutic arenas. Virion’s initial development programs are targeted for treatment of human papillomavirus-induced cancers and chronic hepatitis B virus infections.

Shelton Mercer, III

Formal Advisor  | UPA

CIO & Principal, 1776 | CoFounder, TwitCHANGE | CoFounder, AuDigent

A certified leadership and life coach, Shelton follows his “Live on Purpose” mantra through his work as a global impact investor and philanthropist. Shelton is a frequent speaker and media contributor. He has received numerous honors, including, Top 50 Social Good Leaders You Must Follow on Social Media by The Huffington Post, Hero, and Humanitarian Award award from the Pennsylvania Senate and Champion for Haiti from the Haitian Professionals of America.
Shelton’s innovative spirit is an integral part of his work at 1776, where he focuses on strategic partnerships, public, and media relations, and thought leadership. He’s got a rich career history, having consulted for companies like Disney, GE, NBCUniversal, and KPMG.

Ray Milora

Formal Advisor  | UPA

Director, Workplace Experience | Cisco

Before joining Cisco, Ray was the Head of Workplace Design & Change Management at GSK overseeing the roll-out of a new, industry-leading, activity-based lab initiative (called SMART Lab), driving evolution via engagement led change management. He was personally accountable and responsible for the design, construction, and change management of nearly 950,000 sq ft of activity-based offices and labs in the US and UK, now hosting more than 7000 employees.

Ray has a formal background in Graphic Design and over twenty-five years of focused, and passionate experience in applying the principles of User-Centered Design to the creation, development, and management of software, Services, and Workplace Experiences.

In addition, he is the founder of up-cycled home goods company Salvage & Craft.

Experiences.

Keisha Whatley

Artist in Residence | UPA

Lead Artist & Designer | Custom Arts Studio

Raised in West Philadelphia, Keisha Whatley is a Philadelphia artist who graduated from the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. At a very young age, Keisha excelled at the drawing and painting discipline and went on to study at Parsons School of Design (NY), The School of Visual Arts (NY), and The Art Institute of Philadelphia (PA).

Using her creativity as the main ingredient, her work aims to create something aesthetically beautiful while challenging viewers to question beliefs, inherent biases, and the need for compassion in everyday life.

“I am going to make everything around me beautiful; that will be my life.” This quote, by Elise de Wolfe, resonates with Keisha on a very visceral level. When thinking about her work and the various forms it takes, this quote expresses her life’s mission- to make everything around her beautiful. She has expressed this mission through her visual arts work, art workshops for youth, and arts & empowerment events for other creatives.

Brianna Wronko

Formal Advisor + EIR | UPA

Founder & CEO | Group K Diagnostics

Brianna Wronko is the Founder & CEO of Group K Diagnostics (GKD), a biotechnology innovator aiming to overhaul the diagnostic process for both patient and caregiver, where she is responsible for the technological development and vision of the company. A bioengineer by training, Wronko has more than six years of experience in microfluidics and immunology research, startups, and the FDA approval process.

Wronko sits on the Philadelphia Startup Leaders Board, was named a 2018 Philadelphia Business Journal Woman of Distinction and received recognition as the 2018 Spring PACT TiE Top Pitch Event Winner and the 2018 Stellar Startup Awards technology category winner. Wronko has spoken at the National Institute of Health, and is the recipient of other various grants and recognitions. She holds a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dale Corporation

At DALE, our mission is to continue to make DALE the company that thrives on retaining and growing every client relationship by creating a durable foundation. Our company’s sustainability is based on innovation, integrity, accountability, quality, performance, safety and commitment: the principle by which Dale Sr. founded our company in 1959.

CRB

CRB is a global consulting, design and construction services firm that relentlessly pursues and delivers success for our clients in advanced technology industries. CRB’s serves every client with an unrivaled passion for seeking out the right solution on every project; deep technical expertise to tackle the toughest challenges; a network of team members who thrive on collaboratively performing work of the highest caliber; thought leaders who dedicate their expertise to advance our industry and make the world a better place… and individuals committed to developing trusted, longstanding partnerships with our clients.

The Sheward Partnership

As a service-oriented firm, The Sheward Partnership strives to provide design solutions attuned to the specific needs of clients and their projects. Throughout all stages of design, documentation, and construction, our team draws upon their collective expertise to realize their clients’ goals. The firm’s design staff boasts a number of uniquely long-lived, collaborative relationships.

Mark Ulrick Engineers, Inc.

In 1987, Mark Washington and Ulrick Joseph founded Mark Ulrick Engineers Incorporated (MUEI), with the intention of becoming the premier full-service minority consulting engineering firm on the east coast. MUEI’s goal is to design facilities that are safe, energy efficient, environmentally friendly and comfortable. MUEI, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE), provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection, engineering and design for many companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.

MacIntosh Engineering

MacIntosh Engineering is powered by the quality, integrity, and creativity of our people. MacIntosh delivers exceptional structural design solutions to our partners in the architectural and construction industry. We balance a supportive and growth-oriented environment for our employees with personal, responsive relationships with our clients and a desire to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work.

Roofmeadow

Roofmeadow is a full-service landscape architectural design firm with a unique expertise in landscapes on structure and constrained sites. Roofmeadow integrates designs for site-wide landscapes and rooftops alike, providing in-house specialty civil engineering to support your vision.

Bruce E. Brooks & Associates

BBA designs mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and life safety systems to integrate seamlessly into the buildings that they serve. Combining best practices with technical know-how and building information modeling software tools, we engineer systems that support such universal client goals as functionality, cost, aesthetics, context and sustainability. Responsiveness, collaboration and clear communication are the hallmarks of our approach to the design process.

Stantec

Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics for infrastructure and facilities projects. Stantec provides services on projects around the world through over 22,000 employees operating out of more than 410 locations in North America and across offices in 6 continents internationally