Advisory Board

Chief Executive Officer, Ceres Nanosciences

Ross Dunlap is the CEO and founder of Ceres Nanosciences, a life sciences technology company advancing innovative products for diagnostics and research applications. For more than 15 years, he has guided the company’s vision, strategy, and growth.

Before founding Ceres, Ross held senior management roles in the business consulting practices of Arthur Andersen and Washington Consulting, advising technology startups on scaling operations and driving efficiency.

An engaged leader in Virginia’s life sciences sector and the wider BioHealth Capital Region, Ross has served on several boards dedicated to advancing the industry in Virginia, including the George Mason Research Foundation, the Prince William County Science Advisory Board, the Innovation District Steering Committee, and the Virginia Catalyst Review Panel. He is currently chairman of VirginiaBio, the Commonwealth’s leading life sciences association. A Virginia native, Ross is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

Founding Partner, Blazar Ventures

Bio coming soon.

Executive Chairperson

Cohava Gelber, PhD, MBA, is an executive with over 25 years of experience in the discovery and development of immune therapeutics and diagnostics for cancer, autoimmune disease, allergies, and infectious diseases. Dr. Gelber held various executive positions in academia (Duke University) and biopharmaceutical companies (ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation, Molecular Discoveries, and MannKind Corporation).

Dr. Gelber has recently launched Caerus Discovery, LLC (CDL) with support from Biowa/Kyowa Hakko Kirin. CDL’s mission is to discover and develop new antibody-based therapeutics and diagnostics.  Before founding CDL, Dr. Gelber served as the Chief Scientific & Technology Officer of ATCC, VP of R&D for MannKind Corp- a public company developing therapeutics for diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune diseases and was responsible for non-clinical development and clinical immune safety of drugs from pre-IND through phase III clinical trials. Dr. Gelber received her Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute, her MBA degree from Cornell University, and post-doctorate training at Stanford University.

Dr. Gelber published numerous scientific manuscripts and textbook chapters and she is the inventor of 16 granted patents and 57 patent applications.

Deputy Director, Corporate Business Systems, U.S. Department of Energy
Adjunct Professor, George Mason University
Alumni Leader, George Mason University

Scott serves as a member of the executive leadership team within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where he is the Deputy Director of Corporate Business Systems. He brings more than 35 years of experience leading portfolios, programs, and projects that advance organizational effectiveness and operational excellence.

A United States Army veteran, Scott was appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission, where he served as a Commissioner from 2007 to 2021.

At George Mason University, Scott is actively engaged in both academic and alumni initiatives. He is an Adjunct Professor at the College of Engineering and Computing and in the Costello College of Business. He also contributes to the university’s strategic growth through his roles as an Advisory Board Member for the Department of Information Sciences and Technology and the Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

A proud George Mason alumnus, Scott currently serves as President of the George Mason University Alumni Association (2024–present). His prior leadership roles include President-Elect (2022–2024), President of the Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter (2020–2022). Scott has actively supported numerous other alumni-related initiatives and volunteer leadership roles that strengthen engagement across the George Mason alumni community.

Founder & Principal, Misener Innovation LLC

Paul Misener is the Founder and Principal of Misener Innovation LLC, a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations innovate, advocate, and communicate.

Paul is an engineer/scientist (Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Princeton University, 1985; senior research in the Department of Physics). He is also an attorney (Juris Doctor, George Mason University, 1993; GMU Distinguished Achievement Award, 2001). In 2023, GMU awarded Paul the degree of Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

A global vice president at Amazon.com for 23 years, most recently Vice President for Global Innovation Policy and Communications, Paul represented Amazon to external organizations and internal colleagues worldwide. The founder of Amazon’s global public policy organization, Paul built and led this team and served as the company’s Vice President for Global Public Policy from February 2000 to May 2016. Paul has testified before the United States Congress over 30 times and many dozens of times before other policymaking bodies around the world. He has delivered hundreds of speeches and media interviews.

Paul has met hundreds of times with political leaders around the world, including heads of state, cabinet ministers, and legislators. In the US, Paul has met with hundreds of Representatives and Senators, as well as dozens of times with the governors of US states. Paul successfully negotiated policy agreements with many of these governors. Paul also established and for several years oversaw Amazon’s economic development incentives program. For the two years (2015-16) that Amazon’s CEO chaired The Business Council (a CEO-only group), Paul was his sole staffer.

In 2013, Paul chaired the technical subcommittee of the US Federal Aviation Administration’s advisory committee that recommended allowing commercial airline passengers to use portable electronics during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Prior to the recommendation from Paul’s subcommittee, airline passengers around the world were barred from using electronic devices during taxi, takeoff, and landing; today electronic devices may be used gate to gate. Paul is an inventor named in three patents.

Formerly a partner in the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding, Paul previously served as the Senior Legal Advisor to a commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission, and as Intel’s Manager of Telecommunications and Computer Technology Policy. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded and led the computer industry’s Internet Access Coalition, which included Intel, Microsoft, and IBM, and which successfully blocked the imposition of telecom access charges on Internet access. In the early 1990s, he was the assistant to the chairman of the Emmy Award-winning FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service, which established the system that underlies modern TV and computer displays.

Paul serves on the Board of Trustees of the Inova Health System; George Mason’s President’s Innovation Advisory Council; and the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. For three years ending in mid-2024, Paul chaired the Board of the foundation known as the Partnership Fund for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), a nationally top-ranked STEM-focused public school in Northern Virginia. Paul also previously served on the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (where he co-chaired the Board’s Advancement Committee); on the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council; on the Advisory Board of Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy; on the Board and Executive Committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council; and on the Board of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

Paul loves to read, and his physical book library holds well over 1500 volumes, including hundreds of antiquarian books on 18th/19th Century history, politics, natural philosophy, and methods of science. He established and co-leads The Misener Foundation, which supports organizations that foster and promote science and history education. Paul is an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator at the highest level (Amateur Extra Class, Call Sign KO4EUR). He also is a keel sailboat skipper certified by both the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing) and the American Sailing Association (ASA). He and his family live in the United States near Washington, DC.

Trustee, George Mason University Foundation
Member/Past President, College of Science Alumni Board

Starting his career as a laboratory technician for Fairfax County government, Mark is retired from Virginia state government in Richmond after nearly 40 years of service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.  While in Richmond, he served many state agencies where his responsibilities included all aspects of administrative, finance, and support services, ranging from training to budgeting and accounting to strategic planning and disaster recovery to procurement and contracting to human resources and information systems to fleet and physical plant management to the operation of state government offices in foreign countries.  Mark retired from the Department of Health Professions in 2014 where he served as Deputy Director, responsible for the agency’s administration, finance, licensing, and support services.  Mark served 2 terms (2015-2022) as a citizen member of the Virginia Board of Nursing, first appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and then reappointed by Governor Ralph Northam.  In addition to receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from George Mason University’s College of Science, Mark is a recipient of the Patrick Henry Award for Distinguished Service to the Commonwealth, given by Governor James Gilmore.

Mark received his BS in Biology from George Mason University in 1974, an MSA with a concentration in Public Administration from The George Washington University in 1977, and a certificate in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1990.  Mark is also a graduate of the Commonwealth Management Institute, the Virginia Collaborative Leaders Program, and the Virginia Executive Institute. 

Mark is a very active Mason alumni, currently serving on the College of Science alumni chapter and was the alumni representative on Mason’s Master Plan Steering Committee.  As a donor, Mark has established 3 endowments through the GMU Foundation.  A firm believer in life-long learning, he takes classes at Mason each semester through the Senior Citizens Tuition Waiver program. 

Mark is the first of 8 of his extended family who are Mason alumni, including his brother, his 2 children, his son-in-law, and his stepdaughter.  Mark lives in Fairfax with his partner Alice and has two grandchildren (whom he hopes will both be Mason alumni one day).

President, Decision-gates

Richard G. Morris is the President of Decision-gates and a retired federal official who worked in support of the United States Department of Labor’s Division of Youth Services in Washington, D.C.

As a Workforce Development Specialist Richard was in the labor resource and youth development fields for over twenty years. He has worked with such organizations as the National Job Corps Coalition, the Home Builders Institute, members of Congress, the National Office of Job Corps, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention/ Coordinating Council.

Mr. Morris provided extensive oversight, technical assistance, and analysis on behalf of a wide variety of partners and stakeholder groups involved in youth programming. Government investments in both formula-funded and discretionary grant programs fostered the Labor Department’s highly regarded Youth Opportunity grants; a $1 billion, five-year initiative. More recently focus shifted to reentry-based programming for at-risk, justice-involved youth, and adults following a period of out-of-home placement or incarceration.

The combined strategies and partnerships developed by such efforts helped to identify a growing number of effective workforce models and practices at state and local levels that in turn served to improve labor resource outcomes for targeted populations.

Prior to his work in youth development Richard spent 20 years in the Information Technology industries. Here Richard supported front and back-office banking functions along with city management of data processing services at various senior level positions for cities, major national companies, and government contracts. He resides in Annandale, Virginia and in his spare time enjoys supporting local service-based organizations, playing golf and practicing, Tai Chi Chuan.

Chief Technology Officer, BlackSky

Dr. Patrick O’Neil is the Chief Data Scientist at BlackSky, a global monitoring firm leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery and advanced artificial intelligence to map global activity in real-time. In this role at BlackSky, he is responsible for building BlackSky's analytics business and developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems.

With extensive technical expertise in statistical modeling, deep learning, and mathematical modeling, Patrick has spent his career building artificial intelligence solutions in the remote sensing domain. A strong proponent of STEM education, Patrick teaches university courses on machine learning for remote sensing and is an advisor to the Virginia Department of Education's data science initiative. Prior to working at BlackSky, Patrick worked as a research scientist for geospatial intelligence companies including SPADAC, GeoEye, and OpenWhere.

In 2017, Dr. O’Neil received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from George Mason University where his research concerned analyzing point clouds using methods in topological data analysis. While at George Mason, Patrick led industry outreach efforts for the Mathematics department and worked alongside researchers at Berkeley National Laboratory developing high-performance computing solutions for materials science research. Prior to his Ph.D. work, Patrick received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Tech.

Partner, Chap Peterson & Associates
Former representative, Virginia State Senate

The Honorable John Chapman “Chap” Petersen was a former representative of the Virginia State Senate, representing central and western Fairfax.

Chap has been an attorney in private practice since 1994, successfully representing thousands of local people and businesses. In 2011, his peers selected him as one of thirty “Leaders of the Law” in Virginia.  His law firm, Chap Petersen & Associates, PLC, is located in downtown Fairfax, near the historic Fairfax County courthouse.

Chap began his career in politics by serving on the Fairfax City Council (1998-2002) and as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2002-2006).  In 2007, the voters of the 34th Senate District elected Chap as their State Senator. As a Democratic challenger, he defeated the incumbent in one of the most expensive legislative races in Virginia history. In doing so, he walked the entire district and wore out several pairs of shoes.

Chap is a student of Virginia history, authoring his college thesis on economics and politics in antebellum Virginia. He enjoys traveling the Commonwealth with his family.
Chap’s other love is competitive sports and the outdoors. He is a long-time member of the Northern Virginia Rugby Football Club “Old Boys.”  He has completed the Marine Corps Marathon three times and the Richmond Marathon twice.

Chap’s family has a long history in the Fairfax and Chap is a graduate of Fairfax High School (1986), Williams College (1990), and the University of Virginia Law School (1994).

Rice Family Foundation

Bio coming soon.

President, College of Science Alumni Chapter
Environmental Program Manager, Tetra Tech

Michelle Ryan, PhD (GMU 2015), is an environmental program manager and national practice leader with Tetra Tech, Inc., a global firm providing consulting and engineering services in water, environment and sustainable infrastructure.  In her role, she works with her Tetra Tech colleagues to solve some of the most pressing issues relating to water, from coastal erosion challenges to safe drinking water delivery.  Her background includes more than 25 years working with a variety of federal clients, including most recently the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies focused on resource management.  After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College with a bachelor's degree in economics and government, she started her environmental career working as a legal researcher specializing in federal environmental statutes and regulations reviews.  She also has experience in the information technology industry where she worked for several decades leading teams engaged in large-scale business systems modernization efforts for a variety of federal agencies.  In her spare time, she kept her environmental roots active through her volunteer work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and other volunteer organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region.   She returned to graduate school work as a mid-career pivot, first with a master's degree in natural resources from Virginia Tech followed by a PhD in environmental science and policy from George Mason University where she has also taught both undergraduate and graduate students in the environmental sciences. 

Ryan is serving her second term on the College of Science alumni board, her first as president. She is a co-founder of the Mason Science Mentorship program, which aims to connect CoS alumni with current CoS students interested in career development and life skills mentorship opportunities. 

In her own words, "I would like to continue contributing to the CoS Alumni Board and represent our alumni group within the George Mason community to provide more meaningful opportunities for our alumni to stay engaged or re-engage with George Mason." 

CEO, Stonestreet Technical Services, Inc.
Chief Growth Officer, OST. Inc.

Bio coming soon.

Principal, Nancy Rose and Associates

Bio coming soon.

President; Unissant 
Representative; George Mason University Alumni Association

Sumeet is an accomplished executive, philanthropist, and civic leader with more than 30 years of experience in the government IT industry and a deep commitment to George Mason University and the Commonwealth of Virginia. A proud Northern Virginian and product of the Commonwealth’s public education system, he believes that when individuals have access to education and opportunity within their own communities, both people and regions thrive.

Sumeet currently serves as President and CEO of Unissant, where he focuses on delivering trusted, secure, and mission-critical data and technology solutions for federal healthcare and national security agencies. Previously, he served as Chairman and CEO of ARRAY, guiding the company through its graduation from federal small business programs, a successful management buyout, and ultimately its acquisition by CGI Federal.

Earlier in his career, Sumeet was Executive Vice President and COO of ANSTEC, facilitating its sale to Keane (now NTT DATA), where he later served as Senior Vice President for Public Sector and SVP for North American Commercial Sales and Marketing. His experience spans the full lifecycle of growth – from early-stage enterprises to competitive mid-tier organizations, with a consistent focus on workforce development, innovation, and operational excellence.

A 1994 graduate of George Mason University’s Costello College of Business, Sumeet has remained deeply engaged with George Mason throughout his career. He is Past Chair of the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees and is a past President of the George Mason Alumni Association. His university service also includes membership on George Mason's Board of Visitors, the President’s Innovation Advisory Council, the Innovation Advisory Council, and advisory roles supporting the Costello College of Business, including the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Business School Building Campaign Steering Committee. He has been instrumental in launching the Baroni Center for Government Contracting and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, advancing Mason’s role as a driver of economic opportunity and entrepreneurship in the region.

Beyond George Mason, Sumeet serves as Past Chair of the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation, where he has helped advance the creation of a world-class science center focused on inspiring STEM learning, particularly for students from Title I schools. This initiative is a $120M public-private partnership between the private Foundation, the Commonwealth (through the Science Museum of Virginia) and Loudoun County – a wonderful example of all parts of a community contributing to much-needed asset for the region. The Shrivastava Family is a Title Partner of the Science Center, including the Helios immersive gallery designed to engage young learners in science and discovery. He also serves as a Trustee of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, supporting arts education and community engagement, and is a longtime supporter and board member of CRi, which empowers individuals with disabilities and mental health needs to live independently and with dignity.

Sumeet is also Chair of the GO Virginia Region 7 Council, a bipartisan, business-led initiative focused on workforce development, economic growth, and innovation across Northern Virginia. Through this role along with his involvement in the 123 Club and broader civic leadership including as a Board member of NVC, he works to strengthen the alignment between higher education, industry, and regional economic needs.

A resident of Fairfax County since 1974, Sumeet lives in Chantilly, Virginia, with his wife, Joya (BS ’96). They are the proud parents of four children, three of whom are George Mason students or alumni.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, George Mason University
College of Science Campaign Ambassador

Dr. Jagadish Shukla, born in 1944 in the rural village of Middha in Uttar Pradesh, India, overcame significant early-life challenges, including limited access to education and infrastructure. He pursued his academic journey at Banaras Hindu University, earning a B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics, Mathematics, and Geology at age 18, followed by an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Geophysics. Shukla further advanced his studies with an Sc.D. in Meteorology from MIT in 1976.

Professionally, Shukla is a Distinguished Professor at George Mason University, where he founded the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences and the Climate Dynamics PhD Program. His pioneering research in climate predictability has led to the development of scientific methods for seasonal climate forecasting, significantly impacting global agricultural and economic planning. Shukla has authored over 250 scientific papers and contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Vice President Al Gore. He has been honored with numerous awards, including the Padma Shri from India in 2012 and the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal from NASA. Beyond his academic and scientific achievements, Shukla has been actively involved in rural development initiatives, such as founding Gandhi Degree College in his native village to promote education, particularly for women.

President & CEO, Connected DMV

George is co-founder, President & CEO of Connected DMV, an initiatives-based non-profit building next-generation industry clusters in the national interest, headquartered in Greater Washington.

He leads the Regional Innovation & Strategy Engine (RISE) for Greater Washington, serves as Executive Director of the Potomac Quantum Innovation Center (PQIC) and the Quantum World Congress (QWC), and launched the Potomac Center for New Space Economy and spaceNEXT conference series. Through these platforms, George convenes government, industry, academia, and international partners to accelerate commercialization and regional economic competitiveness.

George also founded New Urban Informatics, a boutique advisory firm serving innovative companies and governments on infrastructure, engineering, and smart cities. He served as Global Director, Smart Infrastructure, at Hatch Ltd., leading efforts to help clients maximize value across complex infrastructure portfolios.

His earlier career includes Partner at IBM and executive roles at Metamor and Mott MacDonald, where he directed multi-million-dollar engagements spanning smart cities, technology commercialization, critical infrastructure, and enterprise systems. He is a mentor, board member, and coach to multiple startups and growth-stage companies.

A recognized expert at the intersection of emerging technology, economic development, and industry, George speaks regularly at forums including C40 Mayors Conferences, TEDx, the Deshpande Symposium, the World Bank, and the United Nations.

He holds a master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Principal, Yale House Ventures
Chairman, American Geographical Society

Dr. Christopher Tucker manages Yale House Ventures, a portfolio of social ventures and technology companies, and public entrepreneurship initiatives that span the worlds of energy, geospatial, sensor, cyber-security, open source, and social media technologies, across the domains of defense/intelligence, international affairs, civilian government, commercial industry, NGOs, and academe.  He is also currently serving as the Chairman of the American Geographical Society.

Chris was previously President and CEO of a geospatial intelligence technology company that he took from start-up to its acquisition by ERDAS, where he served as Senior Vice President for the Americas and National Programs.

Chris is Chairman-elect of the American Geographical Society. As the creator of MapStory.org, the atlas of change that everyone can edit, Tucker serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MapStory Foundation. Tucker is also on the Board of Directors for the Open Geospatial Consortium. Tucker has served on the Defense Science Board’s Intelligence Task Force, the National Research Council’s Committee on NGA’s GEOINTResearch Priorities, and the Secretary of the Interior’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee.

Chris was the founding Chief Strategic Officer of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital fund, focusing his efforts on developing In-Q-Tel’s overall strategy for tackling the Agency’s priority technology problems. Before that, he served as Special Advisor to the Executive Vice Provost of Columbia University, where he was responsible for a range of issues having to do with strategic institutional development, R&D portfolio management, federal science and technology policy and the organization of interdisciplinary research. While at Columbia University, Chris co-founded the Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes.