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Oregon InC

In 2005, the Governor and Legislature brought together more than 40 leaders from the private sector, the state's four research universities, and government to create a new way to build innovation into the DNA of how Oregon does business. The result was the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC).

How We Help Oregonians Thrive

Oregon InC guides the implementation of Oregon’s 10-Year Innovation Plan, which is our state’s roadmap to build a resilient, inclusive economy. Through the Plan, Oregon InC drives sustainable, diverse economic growth, creates high wage jobs and retains people and businesses in the state. Learn more about how Oregon InC and the 10-Year Innovation Plan create economic prosperity for all Oregonians.

Council Programs

Oregon InC is a public-private partnership that helps create new jobs and new companies, diversifying Oregon's economy and bringing federal research dollars back to the state. The council provides funding to accomplish its goals via a series of programs. Those programs are:

  • Centers of Innovation Excellence (CIE) support the growth and development of Oregon's key industries by catalyzing the commercialization and deployment of new products.
  • Commercialization Gap Fund provides investments in companies to commercialize their science and research-based innovations.
  • Regional Innovation Hubs are partnerships that deliver programs, strategies, and connections to innovation-based entrepreneurs to support and grow a regional innovation ecosystem.
  • SBIR Support Program helps small businesses access federal non-dilutive, but very competitive, funding. The program has two types of grants to assist companies: application support grants and matching grants.
  • University Innovation Research Fund (UIRF) enables Oregon’s public universities to better compete at the national level for federal research funds aimed at economic innovation that require a local match.

Council Members

Oregon InC is responsible for developing a state plan for innovation and economic competitiveness. The plan is updated every biennium with a report to the Governor and Legislature every year. Council membership consists of 15 voting members appointed by the Governor and 5 non-voting members appointed by the Governor, Legislative leadership or prescribed in statute. Each voting member serves a three-year term, with the possibility of reappointment for two additional terms.

Voting Members

Jenn Lynch

Jenn Lynch

Council Chair

Term: Apr 2019 - Jun 2021

Managing Director, Portland Seed Fund

Jenn Lynch is Managing Director at Portland Seed Fund, a pre-seed venture capital fund, where, alongside her two partners, champions traded sector startups based in the Pacific Northwest with a combination of investment capital, governance, and mentorship. Since 2011, Portland Seed Fund has invested in more than 100 high-growth businesses in industries including software, clean energy technology, medical devices, food & beverage, apparel, and more. Prior to Portland Seed Fund, Jenn spent a decade in software as a service as a product designer, product manager, and product marketer. She serves on a number of community boards including Oregon Public Broadcasting, Schoolhouse Supplies, and Business for a Better Portland. Jenn holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the Medil School at Northwestern University.

Bill Berg

Bill Berg

Term: July 2022 - June 2024

Business Development Liaison,, City of Beaverton

Bill Berg has over 35 years of business management experience ranging from startups to large international firms. In his current role as Business Development Liasion for the city of Beaverton, Bill is responsible for business retention, expansion, and recruitment assistance. He also serves on the board of OTBC, a non-profit incubator that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses in Beaverton. Prior to joining city staff, Bill was the Americas Director of Consulting for Mentor Graphics, an Oregon-based high-tech company headquartered in Wilsonville. Bill has been involved in the local community as a member of numerous boards, commissions, and committees. Bill has been a member of the OR InC Audit Committee since January 2019 and currently serves as Chair of that committee.


Ann Bunnenberg

Ann Bunnenberg

Term: Jul 2020 - Jun 2023

President, Synergic Medical Technologies Inc.; CtyoImage

Ann Bunnenberg has twenty-five years of experience in founding, leading, and exiting medical device, healthcare, and bioscience companies. Currently, she leads two companies in the biodmedical device space: Synergic Medical Technologies Inc. and CytoImage Inc. Synergic Medical Technologies Inc. provides non-invasive neuromodulation therapy for Parkinson's disease and Cytolmage Inc. focuses on single cell functional imaging for drug development and personalized medicine applications in cancer. Previously, Ann co-founded, made public, and successfully exited Electrical Geodesics Inc. (now Phillips Neuro), the company that pioneered the use of high resolution EEG systems in medical research applications. Ann serves as a board member for a variety of private and non-profit companies including WellRythms, InVivo Biosciences, and Accel. Ann is also a trained lawyer with a background in corporate, transactional, and commercial litigation.
Ben Cannon

Ben Cannon

Higher Education Coordinating Commission

Ben Cannon is the Executive Director of Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) where he oversees state funding allocations, policy-setting, and coordination for Oregon's higher education system, including community colleges and public universities. Ben is a former teacher, state representative and education policy advisor to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. He earned his BA from Washington University, St. Louis, and attended Oxford University, England, on a Rhodes Scholarship, earning graduate degrees in comparative and international education and philosophy, politics, and economics.


Sophorn Cheang

Sophorn Cheang

Director, Business Oregon

Sophorn Cheang (so-POHRN j-ay-ng) took the reigns as Director of Business Oregon in March 2021. Sophorn leads the agency in its work to help businesses and communities prosper in Oregon and see that economic opportunity is reaching each corner of the state. Prior to joining the agency, Sophorn served as the Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Governor Kate Brown since 2018. In this role she oversaw the development of state business policies to eliminate bias and barriers, and provided economic opportunities for all Oregon businesses through equity practices in state procurement and community economic development. Prior to her work with the Governor's Office, she served as Senior Community Development Manager and Director of the Asian Family Center for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization. Sophorn has an MBA from Willamette University and a bachelor's degree in finance from Portland State University.

Piper Crowell

Piper Crowell

Term: Apr 2019 - Jun 2020

Global Director of Digital and Innovation Policy, Nike

 At Nike Inc., Piper is the Global Senior Director of Digital and Innovation Policy as part of the Government and Public Affairs department. At the state, federal, and global level, Piper engages in the quickly evolving environment of online privacy, e-commerce, intellectual property, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity regulations. Piper is also a Co-Chair of the Nike Pride Employee Network. Prior to joining Nike Inc., Piper worked at Pandora Media leading outreach to Congress and federal agencies on issues relating to streaming media platforms and online advertising and sales. Before Pandora, Piper was Campaign Manager for Congressman Jared Huffman’s 2012 campaign and subsequently, Piper served as the Congressman’s Legislative Director.  She currently lives in Portland, OR.
Corey Frazier

Corey Frazier

Term: Oct 2020 - Jun 2023

Senior Technical Business Development and Operations, Intel

Corey Frazier is a technologist and philanthropist whose career trajectory spans engineering and leadership roles in space, supercomputing, and vision AI. He is a senior technical business development and operations leader at Intel focusing on delivering AI products at the edge. Prior to Intel, he worked in NASA's Space Shuttle Program for seven years as a lead engineer on 13 successful missions—including frequent missions to the International Space Station and the last mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. He has also done assignments in Intel Capital as a portfolio manager and as an associate Entrepreneur-in-Residence in ICAP's incubation program. Corey has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida, a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas.


Gina Maria Bonini

Gina Maria Bonini

Term: Jul 2022 - Jun 2025

Vice President and General Manager, Modine

Gina Maria Bonini is the Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Thermal Systems for Modine, an over 100-year old thermal management company with a long legacy in the automotive, and industrial heating and cooling markets.  In this role, she is responsible for leading the company's Electric Vehicle initiative and driving global revenue in the Automotive market.  Previously, Gina served Tektronix as the General Manager of the Component Solutions Organization (CSO) and Technology Solutions Organization (TSO). Prior to joining Tektronix, Gina worked for Hewlett Packard and Agilent for 12 years in business development, product marketing and management roles for the Semiconductor Test market. Gina holds a BS in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Kalpana Merchant, PhD

Kalpana Merchant, PhD

Term: October 2020 - June 2022

Founder President, TransThera Consulting Co.

Kalpana Merchant, PhD, is a neurobiologist who has led and contributed to the discovery and development of drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders at start-ups and international pharmaceutical companies for nearly 30 years. She is the founder President of TransThera Consulting Co., which provides strategic and scientific guidance on drug discovery and translational strategies to biotech start-ups. Kalpana is also an adjunct professor of neurology at Northwestern University, a senior advisor to the Michael J Fox Foundation, and serves on several advisory boards and working groups at National Institutes of Health. She joined Oregon InC in 2020 and also serves on the board of OTRADI/OBI. Dr. Merchant received her PhD in neuropharmacology from the University of Utah, and completed postdoctoral training at University of Washington.

Dr. Nagi Naganathan

Dr. Nagi Naganathan

Term: Jul 2018 - Jun 2020

President, Oregon Tech

Dr. Naganathan is the President of Oregon Tech. During his time there, Dr. Naganathan has focused to extend the reach, recognition, and influence of the state's only polytechnic university. His leadership helped Oregon Tech secure a new engineering and technology facility for Oregon Tech. Several new partnerships and efforts have begun or expanded, including new corporate and higher education collaborations in Oregon and across regional borders. Prior to joining Oregon Tech, Dr. Naganathan served as the dean of the College of Engineering at The University of Toledo (UT) for more than 15 years and was the founding chairperson of the Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering department. He also spearheaded industry partnership work that led to a mandatory co-op program for students to work within the private sector while earning their engineering degrees.

Soundharya Nagasubramanian

Soundharya Nagasubramanian

Welch Allyn

Soundharya Nagasubramanian is the Beaverton Site executive for Welch Allyn—a Hill Rom company. She is a Director in R&D and a strong technical leader in software architecture and cybersecurity. She has a track record in building and retaining high performance teams and bringing new products to market efficiently. As a site lead, she has worked to create strategic alliances between Welch Allyn and other organizations including OHSU to provide innovative solutions for healthcare. As an Oregon Bioscience association board member and a board member of Oregon's Workforce and Talent Development Board, she is happy to contribute towards building and retaining talent in Oregon.


Tobias Read

Tobias Read

Treasurer, State of Oregon

Tobias Read was elected Oregon's 29th State Treasurer in 2016. Prior to that, Read served in the Oregon House of Representatives where he championed legislation to invest in public education, improve state financial management, finance critical infrastructure improvements, and worked to help Oregonians save for a more secure future. He earned his bachelor's degree from Willamette University and his MBA from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.


Irem Tumer

Irem Tumer

Term: July 2022 - June 2024

Vice President for Research, Oregon State University

Dr. Irem Y. Tumer is the Vice President for Research at Oregon State University. Irem brings leadership to a research environment that promotes creativity, entrepreneurship and collaboration; provides support for university-wide research efforts; and maximizes the benefits of research for the economic and social advancement of Oregon, the nation and the world. As an accomplished researcher, a former associate dean for research in OSU’s College of Engineering and a former research scientist and program manager at NASA, Irem’s experience covers all aspects of the research enterprise. In her role, she is responsible for developing strategy and advocating for research while leading and managing the core functions of the research enterprise. Irem received her undergraduate, master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Brent Wilder

Brent Wilder

Term: Jun 2019 - Jun 2022

Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities

Brent Wilder is currently the interim president of The Alliance (Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges & Universities). Prior to his appointment in October 2019, he served as vice president of The Alliance. Wilder joined The Alliance after working with the Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF), most recently as interim president and vice president. Prior to his arrival at the OICF, Brent served as the Associate Director of Athletics for External Relations at Portland State University. His previous professional experience also includes serving as an Assistant Director of Athletic Development and Athletic Annual Fund Director at Oregon State University, and Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Oregon State. A native Oregonian, Brent has been actively involved in professional and civic activities at the local and national level throughout his career. Brent received his bachelor's degree and M.A. from Oregon State University.


Non-voting Members

Sen. Chris Gorsek, Senate Democrat
Sen. Dick Anderson, Senate Republican
Rep. David Gomberg, House Democrat
Rep. Daniel Nguyen, House Democrat
Kanth Gopalpur, Business Oregon Commission Chair

Technical Advisors

Sucheta Bal, Prosper Portland
Dan Dorsa, Oregon Health & Science University
Gordon Hoffman, Northwest Technology Ventures
Joe Janda, Portland State University
Andrea Klaas, Port of the Dalles
David McFeeters-Krone, Intellectual Assets Corp
Cass Moseley, University of Oregon
Bill Newman, Northwest Technology Ventures