New Hires
Nicole Colbath
Licensing Administrator
Nicole Colbath joined UNHI in 2019 as the licensing administrator providing administrative and operational support for the Technology Transfer unit of UNHI. Prior to UNHI, Nicole worked in finance for nearly a decade at several business service centers within UNH, most recently at the Office of Business Affairs. A New Hampshire native, Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from UNH and is currently working toward a Bachelor of Science in digital media with a minor in marketing though Granite State College. Away from the office, Nicole manages the finances and marketing for her husband’s local tree service company.
Heather Gordon
Administrative Assistant, Corporate Engagement
Heather Gordon is the administrative assistant for the Corporate Engagement unit at UNHI. She provides event coordination, research support, scheduling, communication, and task coordination for the director of corporate engagement. Prior to joining UNHI, Heather served thirteen years in the United States Air Force in positions including personnel, military equal opportunity, force support and protocol. She has served on the board of several Air Force spouse groups that raised money for college scholarships for military children and spouses and to support families and communities. Additionally, she works as a team leader and travel agent specializing in family vacations.
Sherard Harrington
Graduate Licensing Assistant
Sherard Harrington is a graduate licensing assistant at UNHI where he assists Dr. Sheckler, licensing manager of creative and digital works, in intellectual property related work; he also digitizes UNHI’s archival materials.Prior to joining the team, Sherard was a client services coordinator at New Directions, a Boston-based executive employment firm, and a wholesale coordinator at a bakery. He has taught creative writing at the University of Central Florida, and English composition and women’s studies at UNH. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Central Florida, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Florida. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at UNH and his dissertation examines the conflation of villainy and homosexuality in 20th century American literature.
Jenna Matheny
Director of Technology Transfer
Jenna Matheny has been hired as the director of technology transfer at UNHI and brings over a decade of experience in licensing, intellectual property management, business development, and technology commercialization in multiple sectors. Jenna advises and educates the UNH community on relevant intellectual property and technology transfer issues; encourages and facilitates activities in support of the development, disclosure, protection, and commercialization of UNH's intellectual property; and represents UNH's interest in these matters to external organizations including state agencies, relevant professional organizations, and private business and industry. Jenna works with innovators across the university and has particular responsibility for innovations originating from the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.Before joining UNH, Jenna worked in the Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. She was the innovation and licensing lead for the team managing innovations relating to immunology and virology; software, data sciences, and computational biology; prevention and early detection; population sciences; molecular biology; and cellular therapies.Previously, Jenna was a licensing associate at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, where she managed the protection and commercialization of intellectual property developed across the university ranging from life sciences to clean energy. Prior to joining Tulane, Jenna worked with the New Orleans BioInnovation Center to support the development of startups based on technologies licensed from New Orleans-area universities.Jenna received her Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School and her Bachelor of Science in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT. She is active with the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and is a member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee. She served as a member of the Board of Directors of LouisianaBio from 2013-2019. Jenna is a frequent speaker on intellectual property, contracts, and technology commercialization
Maithili Shroff, Ph.D.
Licensing Associate
Maithili Shroff, Ph.D., is a licensing associate in the Technology Transfer unit of UNHI, with specific interest in the College of Life Science and Agriculture. She is involved in helping explore, evaluate, and protect UNH’s intellectual assets to maximize their social and economic impact. Dr. Shroff graduated with 1st class (Honors) in biological sciences (genetics) from the University of Leicester, UK. During her time there, she spent a year doing a placement at GlaxoSmithKline (Ware, UK). She then moved to the Middle East, working as a research assistant and quality assurance manager in a molecular biology laboratory. She moved onto the role of a medical technologist and quality assurance manager at a government hospital prior to pursuing postgraduate studies. She earned her doctorate in life sciences in 2019 from the University of Dundee, UK. Dr. Shroff is a recipient of the prestigious LifeArc-AUTM Technology Transfer Fellowship (18-19 cohort).
Recent Promotions
Chelsey DiGiuseppe
Marketing, Communication, and Engagement Director
Chelsey was recently promoted to the role of marketing, communication, and engagement director. Her role includes all general marketing and communications for UNHI, as well as development and implementation of industry engagement programs. Chelsey hosts the Wildcatalyst Seminar Series designed to connect industry experts and innovators with the campus community around the ideas of IP protection, innovation, and entrepreneurship. She also plans and executes the successful UNH Industry Sandpits which are opportunities for industry experts to learn about specific areas of UNH research and to engage with members of the UNH community working on issues relevant to their businesses. She is responsible for strategic marketing development and planning for the future direction and voice of UNHI. Chelsey has worked for UNHI for over six years and recently earned her Master of Business Administration degree from UNH.
Heather MacNeill
Senior Program Manager, ECenter
Heather was recently promoted to the role of senior program manager of the Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter). Heather leads the planning, delivery, and evaluation of the i2 Passport Program, Paid Student Internship at Start-ups Program, and the Summer Seed Grant. She also manages outreach efforts with UNH students and faculty and has recently started outreach to high schools as well. Heather is the advisor to the Makerspace at the ECenter and manages the ECenter Student Ebassadors (our fun word for ambassadors). Heather has worked for the ECenter for four years, coming to UNH after five years of program planning and delivery at Harvard Business School. Heather is working towards her Master of Public Administration degree from UNH and is scheduled to graduate in May 2020.
Paige Smith
Business Director
Paige Smith was recently promoted to business director. In this expanded role, Paige provides financial oversight of the units, facilitates strategic planning, and manages the day-to-day operations for UNHI. She draws from over two decades of administration experience in government, corporate, and nonprofit settings to help plan, resource, and monitor UNHI activities and programs. She serves as the primary interface for external vendors and consultants and collaborates with various USNH departments to implement UNHI initiatives and projects. Paige joined UNHI in 2011 and recently earned both her Master of Public Administration degree and Project Management Certificate from UNH.
