Meet the CIE Team
Learn more about leadership, staff, advisory board members, and affiliated faculty.
Center Leadership and Staff
Director of Operations and Engagement, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Rebecca Howick has over 13 years of experience at George Mason and has focused over 6 years of her career on entrepreneurship education at the Center. Rebecca is a proud alumna of George Mason (M.E.d., ‘15). Her educational background in social work and counseling/human development affords her a unique lens into social entrepreneurship. Her approach to entrepreneurship education focuses on inclusive entrepreneurship and experiential learning. She is responsible for the development and execution of strategy, related initiatives, and team management.
Associate Director of Student Programs and Community Initiatives, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Crystal helps implement the Center’s programming for students, alumni and the Mason community. She creates a meaningful impact within innovation and entrepreneurship at Mason.
Professor, Management
Additional Roles: Director of Research for the Center for Innovation and EntrepreneurshipDr. Toyah Miller is a professor within the Management Area in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.
Instructional Associate Professor, Management
Additional Roles: Entrepreneur in ResidenceJames Wolfe is an Entrepreneur in Residence and instructional associate professor within the Management Area in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University. Jim has been involved with over 50 Mason-related startups, such as WorthPoint and FirstGuard. In addition to real world experience, Jim also provides students with legal expertise.
CIE Staff at the 2023 Patriot Pitch Competition
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Council
The Advisory Board was established to support CIE's mission and vision, and plays an instrumental role in expanding the center’s reach and impact.
Co-founder and CEO, Everyone Matters Inc.
Anne Altman is the former general manager of IBM Corporation's U.S Federal Government and Industries sector and the co-founder and CEO of Everyone Matters Inc.
Chief Creative Officer, Curry's Auto Service
Judy Curry has been a creative leader in the auto repair industry for over 30 years. As the Chief Creative Officer and driving force behind the Curry's Auto Service brand, founded by her and her husband Matt, she took Curry’s Auto Service beyond the traditional boundaries of auto service marketing and established a variety of innovative programs that clearly distinguished Curry’s from its competition.
Serial Entrepreneur and Automotive Industry Expert
Matt Curry is a serial entrepreneur and automotive industry expert. He started his flagship company, Curry’s Auto Service, in 1997 with one shop and grew the company to 10 locations.
President, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia
Eileen M. Ellsworth has been the President of the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia since 2005. With $37 million in managed assets, the Community Foundation engages donors to help grow philanthropy in the region.
Executive Chairman, The Stevie® Awards
To honor the millions of business executives and workers worldwide who quietly accomplish innovative and extraordinary things in the workplace every day, Michael Gallagher founded the Stevie® Awards in 2002.
Founder and CEO, Northern Virginia Landscaping
Ibi Pashaei is the founder and CEO of Northern Virginia Landscaping and a Mason alumnus (BS Kinesiology, 2015). As an undergraduate student, he engaged in CIE programming and studied entrepreneurship while earning his minor in Business.
President and CEO, Unissant
Sumeet Shrivastava is an accomplished executive and proven business leader with more than two decades of experience in the government IT industry.
Founder, Aligned2
Immediate Past Chair, Dean's Council
Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting Advisory Board Emeritus MemberAligned2 Founder Dusty Wince weds his real-world business acumen with executive coaching and advisory services to help entrepreneurs excel and their companies grow.
Owner, Founder, and Chief Box Engineer, Lend A Box LLC
Women in Business Initiative Past ChairStephanie Zimmermann is co-owner and co-founder of Lend A Box LLC. Lend A Box offers one of the most innovative, easy, and smart ways to move in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Stephanie Zimmermann, Judy Curry, Provost Mark Ginsberg and CIE Mason’s Entrepreneur In Residence, Jim Wolfe at a CIE Council meeting held at Whitehall Farm in Clifton, Virginia.
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Affiliated Faculty
Our Affiliate Faculty are critical to our ability to offer students compelling education experiences and speak authoritatively on a range of subjects. Affiliates bring a wide range of professional teaching and research experiences and provide input to help shape the future direction of the Center.
Senior Associate Dean, College of Science and Chief Scientific Officer, Center for Infectious Disease Research
Dr. Ali Andalibi has served as the Interim Dean and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Science at George Mason University.
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Research
Additional Roles: Professor, Information Systems and Operations ManagementCheryl Druehl is the senior associate dean for faculty affairs and research and a professor within the information systems and operations management area in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.
Arison Chair in Values Leadership/Associate Professor, School of Integrative Studies
Dr. Gregory C. Unruh is the Arison Professor of Values Leadership at George Mason University and an expert on sustainable business strategy.