Selection Committee
Andrew Maas
Associate Vice President for Research, Director, LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development
Andrew J. Maas (Andy) joined LSU in June 2014 as the Assistant Vice President for
Research and Director of the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization.
Andy is an engineer by training with a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Brigham
Young University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively. He is a licensed
professional engineer in the state of Texas where he worked for several years and
grew a start-up engineering company from two individuals to 14 employees in 18 months.
Andy also has a JD from the University of Akron School of Law, as well as a LLM with
a focus on intellectual property. His research focus for his LLM degree was “early
stage patent valuation under the new America Invents Act.” He has been published in
the Journal of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as well as in Cement
and Concrete Research.
Robert Brown
Assistant Director, LSU Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization
Robert currently serves as the Assistant Director in the LSU Office of Innovation
& Technology Commercialization, primarily responsible for transferring life science
technologies and innovations developed at LSU’s College of Science and School of Veterinary
Medicine to private enterprise. Prior to his current position, Robert served as the
Director of Technology Transfer at Cleveland State University, Assistant Director
of the Cleveland State University Research Corporation, and Assistant Attorney General
for the State of Ohio. He is a Registered Patent Attorney licensed to practice law
in the States of Ohio and Florida. Throughout his years in academic technology transfer,
Robert has assisted faculty and students alike in protecting their innovations and
advising on the various legal and business implications involved in bringing a product
to market. He has extensive knowledge and experience in contract law and negotiation,
intellectual property law and protection, finding access to funding for early stage
ventures, research compliance, human resources, policy development and interpretation,
and university administration. Robert is a proponent of the Lean LaunchPad and Customer
Development techniques currently embraced by the NSF I-Corps program, to which LSU
is a designated I-Corps Site. Robert received his bachelor of science (BS) in biology
from the University of Miami, his law degree (JD) from Florida International University
and an Executive MBA from Cleveland State University (MBA).
Arthur Cooper
CEO, LSU Research & Technology Foundation
Arthur R. Cooper is the CEO of the LSU Research and Technology Foundation. For more than a decade he has been one of the leaders in Louisiana’s efforts to advance technology-lead economic development. Much of his effort is around assisting research universities commercialize their faculty developed technology and he manages the intellectual property assets of the research campuses of LSU and Southern University. He serves as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center which provides space for chemical, environmental and life science startup companies. The Center has worked on access to capital issues for early stage technology companies, including helping organize a venture capital fund, managing a commercialization grant program for LSU researchers and providing initial drafts of legislation to provide assistance for research & development and investment in technology companies. Prior to his work at the LSU Research and Technology Foundation, he was the director of Business Retention for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and lead Louisiana's efforts to retain and expand its existing business. He was the lead on a number of projects, including the expansion of Proctor and Gamble's facility in Pineville, La. He drafted the Modernization Tax Credit program, which was the first program in Louisiana to recognize the importance of modernization of Louisiana's existing manufacturing base even without an increase in employment which is the bases for most economic development programs. He also had a focus on small business as such he worked closely with the Small Business Development Centers, local chambers of commerce, micro enterprise development centers, and local economic developers. During his work career, he has been a design engineer, attorney and startup CEO of early stage technology companies.
Jason Boudreaux
Associate Director of Entrepreneurial Services, LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development
Jason Boudreaux is Manager of the Pennington Biotech Initiate (PBI), an incubator
affiliated with LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and a Technology Business
Consultant at the Louisiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC). Boudreaux is responsible
for interviewing and recommending approving of potential tenant companies to PBI,
and providing consulting services to those companies and LBTC clientele. Prior to
receiving an MBA, with a concentration in Finance, Boudreaux attended LSU School of
Medicine in New Orleans and received his Doctor of Medicine. As a business consultant
Boudreaux has worked directly with over 400 entrepreneurs. His responsibilities have
included supporting business owners in areas such as management, sources and uses
of capital and market research. He has guided entrepreneurs through the process of
business planning and fundraising.
Ed Watson
Department Chair and Professor, Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems, E. J. Ourso College of Business, LSU
Ed Watson is Professor and Chair of the Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship
& Information Systems. Besides his traditional responsibilities he is leading the
development and delivery of a new B.S. in Entrepreneurship program and a new LSU Online
Certificate in Analytics program for the department. Previously he served as Associate
Dean and Flores MBA Director and managed the delivery of a nationally ranked MBA program
across four formats: traditional, professional, executive and online. He led the faculty
team that developed and rolled out the online MBA program, the first of its kind in
Louisiana. Prior to working in the MBA office he founded and managed the SAP University
Hosting Program at LSU and brought over a million dollars in funding to support teaching,
research and outreach activities. Prior to joining LSU in 1994 he worked as a simulation
consultant building models and analyzing performance of complex systems for many organizations
including General Motors, Xerox, Whirlpool, PPG, Tennant, Coca-Cola, the Washington
Post, and Gates Rubber. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Management
Systems Engineering from Penn State, and his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering
from Syracuse University. He has published over 50 articles and book chapters in Technology
and Operations Management outlets. He is a member of various professional organizations
and has been a regular contributor, speaker, and organizer at several conferences
and workshops.
James Davis
Professional in Residence, Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, E. J. Ourso College of Business, LSU
Dr. James Davis is an instructor in the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute at Louisiana State University. He is an experienced entrepreneur, software developer, combat veteran, and angel investor. Before returning to academics, Dr. Davis was the technology lead (CTO) in multiple successful startup companies. He has a PhD in Information Systems & Decision Science along with an MS in computer science and a BS in mathematics. Dr. Davis is skilled at building ecosystems for entrepreneurs, advising startup companies, and encouraging entrepreneurship in veteran, women, and other underrepresented communities. Dr. Davis volunteers as the senior digital instructor in Louisiana’s Futures Fund (a STEM initiative to teach kids how to develop software) and has been recognized as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in Louisiana (SiliconBayou100 2014 & 2015).