
Our Team
Leadership
Van Truskett, Executive Director

Dr. Van N. Truskett has a track record of innovation, leadership and attainment of business results in nanoimprint lithography addressing its introduction and use in the semiconductor, hard disk drive and emerging market (bio, solar, LED, display) applications. She has over 14 years of technical, operations and strategic leadership experience related to semiconductor equipment manufacturing and inkjet printhead R&D and product release. Her work has taken jetting technology from scholarship to practice in the U.S. and Asia, enabling a novel path for lower production costs for the semiconductor industry. Read more
Ashley Jennings, Managing Director

Ashley Jennings is an award-winning entrepreneur and skilled operator with 10+ years of experience in project management, investor relations, portfolio operations, media, fundraising, sales, event management, community engagement, strategic partnerships, and curriculum creation. She currently sits on the new venture and technology commercialization team at The University of Texas at Austin, where she manages day-to-day operations and supports strategic goals of the Texas Innovation Center, helping researchers navigate their commercialization journey; taking their discoveries from the lab and classroom into the market. Read more
Executive-in-Residence
Rush Bartlett

Rush Bartlett is a serial entrepreneur who has previously started multiple healthcare technology companies, two have been acquired, one failed, and one is growing with 20 plus employees. He is currently Chief Product Officer at Lansinoh Laboratories, a women’s health company, and also serves as the associate director for corporate education at Stanford’s Byers Center for Biodesign. He was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award in 2019 and Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40 in 2017. Read more
Texas Innovation Center Staff

Tracy Hatfield
Administrative Manager

Nicole Jones
Marketing Manager
Innovation Fellows
The Texas Innovation Center Fellows program gives undergraduate, graduate and MBA students an immersive introduction to technology commercialization, providing hands-on experience to translate research into viable opportunities for the market.
Current Innovation Fellows

Safah Javed
Economics & Finance
Spring 2022 – Spring 2023 Fellow

Utsavi Manglik
Economics
Spring 2022 Fellow

Christian McWilliams
Environmental Science and French
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 Fellow

Benjamin Stormer
Mechanical Engineering
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022 Fellow

Ann Vu
Biology and Informatics
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 Fellow
Past Innovation Fellows

Joanne Allen-Taylor, Fall 2020 Fellow

Destin Douglas, Summer/Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Fellow

Caroline Garcia
Chemical Engineering
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022 Fellow

Elora Ghosh, Fall 2020 Fellow

Axel Jeconiah, Summer/Fall 2021 Fellow

Karthik Shetty, Summer 2020 Fellow

Anna Tappan, Fall 2021 Fellow

Melody Zhou, Summer/Fall 2021 Fellow