Roseann Bentley, Greene County Commissioner, Greene County
Roseann Bentley served in the Missouri State Senate for eight years, the maximum allowed under term limits.  She served from 1995 to 2003 and was the first  woman elected to the State Senate from Southwest Missouri.  She was also the first woman asked to serve on the Senate Finance committee which handled the 19 billion dollar state budget.  Prior to her service in the Senate, she served on the Springfield  school  board, the Missouri State Board of Education and the National Association of State Boards of Education.  She served as president of all three.  While serving at the national level she was honored to be asked to meet with President George H. W. Bush to consult about the National Education Goals.  Roseann has served as chairman of many local boards including the United Way of the Ozarks, the Community Foundation and the Mayor’s Commission for Children and  presently chairs the Community Partnership of the Ozarks.  She is now serving on two statewide boards–the FACT board (Families and Children Together) and the Coordinating Board for Early Childhood.  Among her many awards she is very proud of receiving the Springfieldian award in 2003.  She has received the state-wide Hero for Kids award, the International Junior League award, the life-time achievement award from the Missouri Arts Council and most recently  the Missouri Woman of Distinction award.  She presently serves as a Greene County Commissioner.

Gary E. Clapp, Ph.D.  President / CEO , Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences located at MWSU
Dr. Clapp received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry and mathematics from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1984 and his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1990.  Gary was a non-traditional student not starting his higher education until he was 25.  He worked construction, expanded metal and pre-stressed concrete products for the greater part of 7 years before deciding it was smarter to work with his head than his back. For the past 19 years Dr Clapp has been involved with many operational activities of growing independent businesses performing laboratory testing as well as research and development in support of human and animal pharmaceutical drug development.   Dr. Clapp has been an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for 25 years and and has served as an officer in the Kansas City section for the past 11 years acting as Treasurer, Vice-Chairman and Chairamn.  Dr. Clapp now serves on the St Joseph Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors as well as the Heartland Foundation Board of Directors.

Keith A. Gary, Ph.D., Director of Program Development, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute
Keith is responsible for building regional scientific collaboration to compete more effectively for federal research dollars, ensuring the availability of a competent workforce well-trained in math and science, and advocating for life sciences research and commercialization at the local, state and federal levels.  Prior to joining the Life Sciences Institute, Dr. Gary was an Assistant Professor and Director of Basic Science Laboratories in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. Dr. Gary positioned his research program at the preclinical/clinical interface, allowing new discoveries in the laboratory to quickly impact clinical care and to bring clinical observations back to the lab for analysis in appropriate animal models. His research interests were focused on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) as a neurotransmitter in the brain and what role TRH played in mechanisms underlying mood disorders (bipolar disorder, depression). His research aimed at understanding neurochemical changes in specific brain regions and their relationship to psychiatric disorders has led to Dr. Gary’s interest in supporting patient advocacy groups focused on neurological and psychiatric disorders. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Gary was actively engaged in medical, graduate and postgraduate education. He served as Co-director of the Psychopharmacology Didactic Courses for Psychiatry Residents (PGYII/III), and was a member of the faculty in the Neuroscience and Pharmacology Graduate Programs.  Dr. Gary received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1993 under the direction of Dr. Bibie Chronwall. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania in neuropsychopharmacology. Dr. Gary is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Society for Neuroscience. He has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and was a contributing author to Basic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications of Bipolar Disorder.

Roderick Nunn, Vice Chancellor, Workforce and Community Development Cosand Center St. Louis Community College

Mr. Nunn provides strategic direction for the development and management of workforce and professional education and training programs, grants and contracts in response to the economic development needs of business, industry and community agencies. He also directs departments and services such as the customized training division, the Center for Business, Industry and Labor; Community Services, which serves specialized populations such as laid-off workers; and Institutional Development, which coordinates grants and contracts. Mr. Nunn previously served as Missouri’s first director of education and workforce innovation and as director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development. He has extensive background in leading multi-million dollar business/industry-based education and training programs in Missouri and Illinois. He also has earned national and state recognition for creating and implementing innovative workforce solutions. Mr. Nunn holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a bachelor’s degree in music from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He also completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and local Government at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Dr. Robert Stein, Commissioner, Missouri Department of Higher Education
Dr. Robert Stein received a B.A. in Sociology and Philosophy from Beloit College in 1964; he earned his Master’s and his Ph.D. in Sociology from Vanderbilt University. Stein has over 40 years experience in higher education, half of which have been at the Missouri Department of Higher Education.  Stein currently works as Missouri’s Commissioner of Higher Education, a post held since 2006. Prior to joining the MDHE, Stein served in faculty and administrative roles including department chair, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Stein is Professor Emeritus from the University of Northern Colorado and is actively involved in local, state, and national groups championing the benefits of higher education, providing leadership in Missouri for the development of state policies, and promoting initiatives designed to improve student learning and success in post secondary education.

Patrick C. Woolley,Practice Group Chair, Pollsinelli Shughart

Mr. Woolley helped grow the Science and Technology Practice Group from its inception to over 30 lawyers and scientists.  His areas of practice include: patents, trademarks, copyright, licensing, litigation, trade secret, and business advice and guidance.  His practice has included both domestic and foreign issues, with  significant work in Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan.  Mr. Woolley has worked with startup companies, federal agencies, individual inventors and university/research institutions.  In particular, Mr. Woolley has managed the entire intellectual property portfolio for a Fortune 500 company, as well as for a major research institution.  His duties have included patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, patentability secrets, freedom to operate opinions, licensing and asset management, product design around and development, business guidance for new products, and development of a portfolio to promote UC investment or sale of assets.  Overall areas of experience and expertise include biotechnology and life sciences, medical devices and products, software, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and process development and food chemistry and processing.  Mr. Woolley’s expertise benefits a variety of clients ranging from a world class molecular and cell biology research center to newly established, entrepreneurial technology companies and extends to chemical, food, mechanical and software inventions. As part of his broad proficiencies, Mr. Woolley has applied his intellectual property skills to genetically modified organisms, genes, proteins, biochemical pathways, bioinformatics, iron oxide compositions, sulfur removal processes, fungicides and fertilizers, organic resins for forming coatings, bioremediation, and various food processes and products. In addition to his patent work, Mr. Woolley also provides counsel in strategic planning, unfair competition, the preparation and prosecution of trademark applications, copyright applications, technology agreements and licenses, confidentiality agreements and other related issues.