Industry Relations

Presented on November 1, 2016 from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at the Student Center, Room 301 on the Georgia Tech campus.ADVANCE Program Presentation on “Demystifying Georgia Tech”.Sophia Herbert-Peterson is the Director of Industry Contracting for Georgia Tech Research Corporation, the contracting entity for sponsored research activities at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In her role as Director, Sophia is responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures in support of the research collaboration process as well as strategic initiatives for continued growth in industry engagement. Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 2006, Sophia served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Earl B. Gilliam in the Southern District of California. She also practiced at a law firm in Atlanta prior to serving as in-house counsel for two Fortune 500 corporations. Sophia holds a BA in international studies and Spanish literature from Manhattan College and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.Don McConnell serves as Georgia Tech’s Vice President of Industry Collaboration with responsibility for the Institute’s engagement with industry through strategic research collaborations and in the commercial deployment of innovations arising from Tech’s research. He also serves as the Executive Director for industry collaboration and commercialization at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. The Office of Industry Collaboration reports to Steve Cross, the Georgia Tech’s Executive Vice President for Research.Caroline Wood has led the Corporate Relations office since April, 2010. Prior to this appointment, she served as Director of Corporate Development from 2006-2010. In her current role, Wood is responsible for providing leadership and a strategic framework to the corporate development effort of the Institute, with the objective of increasing corporate engagement and philanthropic support to the Georgia Institute of Technology and its affiliated organizations. Wood and her team work with companies to help develop and maintain strong relationships at Georgia Tech, including coordinating faculty research collaboration, student outreach, recruiting initiatives, continuing/professional education, and economic interests. Prior to joining the Central Corporate Relations office, Wood was the Director of Development for the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech where she served for eight years. She has been at Georgia Tech since 1991 and has worked in the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and the Georgia Tech Financial Aid office. Ms. Wood has an undergraduate degree in communication from Vanderbilt University.Runtime: 45:19 minute