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Kathryn Neeley is Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society in the Engineering & Society Department of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She is a past chair of the Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division of ASEE and is particularly interested in the role of liberal education in developing engineering leaders.

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Douglas Muir is an authority in business strategy, having successfully built several multimillion-dollar enterprises from the ground up. He is considered the start-up guru and speaks internationally on topics of entrepreneurship, innovation, and business growth.

Muir teaches Entrepreneurship at the prestigious University of Virginia, both in the School of Engineering and in the Darden School of Business’s MBA program. As well as being a professor, he is the Assistant Director of the Business Minor Program in the School of Engineering. He is an expert in the Business Model Canvas theory of building businesses, and teaches this methodology to undergraduate students thirsty for entrepreneurship and eager to start their own companies.

Muir has been interviewed by Gerri Willis of CNN and by Bloomberg Radio, and has been published and quoted in numerous publications including Business Week and The Scotsman Guide, a prestigious magazine for the banking, mortgage, and investor industry. Douglas was the host of The Doug and Eric Show on ABC, “Exposing the Hidden Truths about the Three Credit Bureaus and the Banking and Finance System”. He was featured in Kaihan Krippendorff's business tactics book, Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile, which described how Muir infiltrated the insurance industry and locked out his competition.

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Elizabeth P. Pyle serves as Associate Director for Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS). Her focus is on developing and expanding the SEAS Technology Entrepreneurship Program beyond the classroom and across the university. Her responsibilities include, but not limited to developing student facing entrepreneurship programming, mentoring students as they shape their ideas into products and businesses; coordinate internal and external information and resources to facilitate the growth of a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem and maintain communication and support for key stakeholders in the SEAS community.

Ms. Pyle is also the founder and President of Pyle & Associates, LLC, an Interim Executive Management firm providing management and business consulting services across diversified industries. Her extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, marketing, operations, and leadership have left a lasting impact on overall business performance from start-up to turn-around situations. Ms. Pyle is recognized for her unusual ability to quickly create clarity around key issues to ensure that strategic plans are developed, executed and monitored for success. This clarity of vision is informed by her highly diverse career, starting as an exploration/development petroleum geologist, including a brief stint in education when she lived in Venezuela, and to the present day when her clients have ranged from a heavy equipment manufacturer to a discount brokerage and a biotech firm.

Ms. Pyle holds a MBA degree from Averett University, a MEd. from the University of Houston, and a BA in Geology from Cedar Crest College. She has served on various boards including the Board of Directors for the Charlottesville Venture Group where she chaired the Business Plan Review and Annual Business Forum Committees. In addition, she has served on the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council and as a founding Director for the Business Growth Network. She also served on the board of the Division of Professional Affairs Advisory Council for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Known for her candor and high ethical standards, positive energy and astute people skills, she has become a valued resource for business incubator programs throughout Virginia and her success as a business consultant is reflected in the successful outcomes of her clients.

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