What is Industry Forward?
Industry Forward is a program facilitated by Business Engagement in conjunction with other industry-facing units to empower faculty and staff to engage productively with industry partners. This program is comprised of different types of professional opportunities, each of which focus on the following core competencies: industry culture, UGA processes and procedures, communication, networking, and relationship management.
Who is this for?
Faculty and staff who want to build productive university-industry partnerships to advance their work at UGA.
What will I learn?
CORE COMPETENCIES
1. Industry Culture
Develop a strong understanding of an industry partner’s business model, funding cycles, and market needs, along with a working knowledge of intellectual property and licensing to create mutually beneficial agreements in alignment with faculty member’s strengths and UGA’s competitive advantages.
2. UGA Processes & Procedures
Effectively navigate UGA’s internal infrastructure for establishing industry partnerships, including the processes for research agreements, intellectual property management, and technology transfer.
3. Communication
Learn to articulate the value and impact of research to industry audiences in an easily digestible manner, while proactively managing expectations and reporting outcomes to demonstrate the partnership’s tangible value.
4. Networking
Develop the skills to strategically identify and build initial connections with potential industry partners, laying the groundwork for deeper, more collaborative relationships.
5. Relationship Management
Create a working relationship with an industry partner that facilitates mutual, long-term engagement and impact because of consistent communication, transparency, and stakeholder management.
How will the program be facilitated?
The Industry Forward Symposium
The symposium is a conference-style, 1-day, annual event for faculty to develop basic knowledge and skills around all five core competencies. The symposium will include a mix of large group presentations, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and networking activities.
Cohort-based Training
This program, aimed at faculty, will provide a deep dive into all five core competencies. The program will take place over a semester and include three 2-hour sessions. Each participant will have a faculty mentor and will develop an industry engagement plan.
Lunch and Learns
Lunch and learns are open to all faculty and staff and are designed to facilitate networking and skill building to support industry engagement.
Thematic Partnering Workshops
These workshops bring faculty and industry partners together to explore collaboration around a specific business challenge, industry sectors, or research focus.
Industry Forward Symposium
University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel
February 23, 2026
The symposium is a conference-style, 1-day, annual event for faculty to develop basic knowledge and skills around all five core competencies. The symposium will include a mix of large group presentations, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and networking activities.
This year, the symposium will be organized around UIDP’s Pitch Perfect curriculum and also will include an industry partner panel, along with breakout sessions dedicated to best practices and emerging trends.
Networking is a key component of the symposium. In order to encourage this type of engagement, bios of panelists will be shared prior to the event, and faculty will be connected throughout the day to colleagues with similar research interests.
The general schedule is as follows and attendance will be limited to the first 75 faculty members who register.
| Start Time | End Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30am | 9:00am | Check-In |
| 9:00am | 9:30am | Welcome |
| 9:30am | 11:00am | Pitch Perfect |
| 11:15am | 12:00pm | Breakout Sessions: Round 1 |
| 12:00pm | 12:45pm | Lunch |
| 12:45pm | 1:30pm | Industry Panel |
| 1:45pm | 2:30pm | Breakout Sessions: Round 2 |
| 2:30pm | 2:45pm | Break & Networking |
| 2:45pm | 3:30pm | Breakout Sessions: Round 3 |
| 3:40pm | 4:00pm | Closing |
Pitch Perfect Presenters
Anthony Boccanfuso
Chief Executive Officer
UIDP
Anthony M. (Tony) Boccanfuso is the chief executive officer of UIDP, leading the organization since 2007 in its mission to strengthen collaboration among companies, universities, government, and nonprofit organizations. He has over 30 years of experience in research, commercialization, and strategic program management, working with organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He spearheaded the Strengthen and Modernize University-Industry Partnerships Initiative (SAMI) to expand the impact of collaborative innovation and later launched UI Collab, UIDP’s consulting practice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science, as well as a doctorate in inorganic chemistry.
Todd Cleland
Senior Fellow
UIDP
Todd Cleland has more than 20 years of practical corporate experience in developing technology strategy, incubating new businesses, and managing strategic engagements with outside companies. He most recently served as senior director for corporate relations at the University of Washington, where he led the central corporate relations team, managing some of the university’s most important corporate relationships while driving strategic projects to enhance industry engagements. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree and a doctoral degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in technology management.
Industry Panel
MODERATOR
Nate Nibbelink
Spatial Ecology and Geographic Information Science Professor and Associate Vice President for Research
University of Georgia
Nate Nibbelink serves as the Associate Vice President for Strategic Research Growth in UGA’s Office of Research. Nate has an M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in Zoology & Physiology from the University of Wyoming. Nate joined UGA in 2005 as a faculty member in the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources where his research focuses on geospatial models to support sustainable socio-environmental systems.
Nate has held positions of increasing leadership at UGA, serving as the Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research from 2014-2021, the Associate Dean for Research in Forestry & Natural Resources from 2021-2024, and Interim Dean in 2024, and finally accepting his current position in the Office of Research in January 2025.
PANELIST
Mason Ailstock
President & CEO
Rowen Foundation
Mason is a trusted leader in the formation and stewardship of innovation districts, research parks, and mission-driven real estate developments. With 20 years’ experience working with higher education institutions, governments and industry, Mason has a track record of converging real estate, academia, and business to advance communities of innovation.
In his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Rowen, Mason is responsible for the real estate development, public-private-university partnerships, and investment activities of the 2,000-acre multi-use knowledge community ultimately comprising over 50 million square feet of space and housing over 80,000 employees. Mason is the Past President of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP), Co-Chairman of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) University Development & Innovation Council, Board Member of the University of Utah Research Foundation, Young Life International Partner, and Eisenhower Fellow to Sweden and Saudi Arabia.
PANELIST
Tom Fox
Vice President, Forest Productivity and Sustainability
Rayonier
Tom coordinates Rayonier’s’ research and technology transfer programs in silviculture, tree improvement, and sustainable forestry. Prior to joining Rayonier, Tom was the Honorable Garland Gray Distinguished Professor of Forestry at Virginia Tech. He was also the Co-Director of the Forest Productivity Cooperative and the Site Director for the NSF Center for Advanced Forestry Systems. Dr. Fox was a Fulbright Scholar at Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica de Chile in Santiago, Chile.
Tom received a B.S. in Forestry and Wood Products, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Pulp and Paper Science from the University of Maine, a M.S. in Forest Soils from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Florida. He is a Registered Professional Forester in Georgia, a SAF Certified Forester, and a Certified Professional Soil Scientist. He received the Barrington Moore Award for Research from the Society of American Foresters (SAF), the Stephen Spurr award for research from Florida SAF, and the Research Award from Southeastern SAF. He served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Forestry Association, NCASI Foundation, and SAF. Tom is currently the Vice-President of Society of American Foresters and will serve as the President in 2027. He is a Fellow in the Soil Science Society of America and the Society of American Foresters.
PANELIST
Jay Henry
Head of Sustainability and Innovation
Tarkett
Jay Henry is a senior innovation and sustainability leader with 30+ years of experience aligning people, products, and strategy to drive growth in the manufacturing sector. He focuses on building customer-driven solutions that perform better, last longer, and reduce environmental impact – believing innovation fuels growth and sustainability ensures it’s done right.
Jay holds a bachelor’s degree from the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia and has led operations, engineering, technical development, sustainability, supply chain and R&D functions. He has served on multiple boards supporting education, sustainability, and innovation leadership. Jay lives in Rock Spring, Georgia with his wife in an almost-empty nest. Outside of work, he has been a small business owner, an active church volunteer, and a superfan of the Georgia Bulldogs.
PANELIST
Yovany Moreno
Senior Associate Director, Discovery Screening – Parasitology
Boehringer Ingelheim
Yovany Moreno is a Senior Associate Director at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, where he leads a team dedicated to antiparasitic drug discovery. With over a decade of experience spanning academia, biotech, and global pharmaceutical R&D, Dr. Moreno specializes in high-throughput and phenotypic screening, assay development, and early-stage drug discovery for parasitic diseases.
At Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Moreno established and leads a whole-organism phenotypic screening platform that supports the identification and profiling of novel antiparasitic compounds. He has guided investments in laboratory automation, infrastructure, and technology, and leads multidisciplinary teams and external collaborations across academia and contract research organizations. His work contributes directly to advancing innovative therapies and strengthening discovery pipelines in animal health.
Contact: Nic Laconico, nic.laconico@uga.edu
