Our Team

Erin Holden has 20 years’ experience in leadership, business development, communications, program management, and policy and procurement within the DoD, U.S. Air Force and Air Force Research Laboratory and in industry and academia. Erin is a Dayton native, graduating from Wright State University with a  Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership. 

Dr. Kathleen Gilpin has 20 years of experience in leadership and scientific research.  She was an applied research scientist within the 711th Human Performance Wing at the Air Force Research Laboratory and a research scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory where she conducted research to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury. She served five years in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer navigating amphibious ships and remains a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Mr. Michael Bianco has a strong background in mechanical engineering with years of research and experience in additive manufacturing. His relevant expertise includes program management and proffering engineering judgement on both state and federally funded projects.

Dave has over 25 years’ experience with technology company formation, incubation and development and technology economic development. He has held marketing, sales and business development positions in diverse technology fields such as DNA probe technology, medical electronics, engineering and manufacturing automation, molecular biology, IoT communications and more. In addition, Dave held the position of Entrepreneur-In-Residence for Advanced Energy for a venture development organization.  Mr. Nestic also gained valuable insight into government research funding as Director of an SBIR assistance center for the State of Ohio and as Director of Business Development and New Technology Initiatives for a defense and industrial R&D and manufacturing firm. As part of this engagement Dave assisted in the development and management of the company’s SBIR and government R&D proposal efforts which gained the company awards from NIH, DARPA and the Air Force and spawned the creation of a new bio-sensor technology division for the firm.   

Brendan Thoreson has experience in project management, engineering, and research in the aerospace and defense industries. He is passionate about technology commercialization, small business development, and fostering partnerships that drive innovation. Brendan has a Bachelor of Engineering from Youngstown State University, where he double majored in mechanical and manufacturing engineering.

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Devon Whetstone is a scientometrician and data scientist. She has fifteen years of experience in academia and expertise in scientometrics, research evaluation, science and technology studies, quantitative research, and statistics. Dr. Whetstone holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science and Learning Technologies from the University of Missouri iSchool, a Master of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Quantitative Applied Research from James Madison University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Purdue University.

Mr. Daniel Foose is a data scientist with a background in a variety of areas of data analytics, including chemometrics, research intelligence and natural language processing. Mr. Foose holds Masters of Science in Chemistry and Computer Science.

Dana Moore is a technical information specialist and expert patent searcher. In the past, she has provided insights into patent landscapes and potential partners as well as helped inventors articulate and protect their inventions and patent attorneys write better patents. She has >20 years of experience in university, mid- to large-size corporate, and non-profit settings and extensive capability searching and analyzing the data from numerous databases using a variety of methods.

Scott has over 30 years of experience working for such organizations as The Walt Disney Company, The Orlando Sentinel Newspaper, SunTrust and CIBC Banks, The US Government, Thomson Learning, Community Trust Bank, Indiana State University, Quest Management Group, Inc., Entergy and most recently at the Veteran's Administration (VAMC). 

Bio coming soon.

Sue Cumbers has over 20 years' experience in operations management across entrepreneurial and international business sectors. She is skilled in customer service, communications, financial operations, human resources and project coordination. Ms. Cumbers has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Studies.

Devon Stinson is a passionate marketing professional with over 9 years of experience in various industries including DoD, healthcare, and nonprofits. Devon manages and supports APEX’s marketing and communication efforts. Devon is a Dayton native having graduated from Wright State University with a bachelor's degree in business marketing and an associate degree in visual communications from Sinclair Community College.