Blackstone LaunchPad to Host 2nd Annual CEO Roundtable
Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad is hosting its 2nd annual CEO Roundtable on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 2 pm in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in Bird Library as part of Women's History Month. The event is open to all members of the Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF community to attend. Panelists include:
- Vicki Brackens, President and Financial Planner at Brackens Financial Solutions Network. Brackens also founded The World of Cheddar, LLC, a software development startup that partners with the School of Information Studies on investigating the power of games and simulations.
- Allison Byers ’03, founder and CEO of Scroobious. Byers fosters equitable capital access by connecting diverse entrepreneurs with investors and service providers.
- Brianna Howard ’20, G’21, founder and CEO of Faithful Works Co. Howard specializes in virtual assistant services, grant writing and nonprofit consulting. She has served on the board of the Joe Family Foundation and as a judge for LaunchPad competitions.
- Yvonne Hyland, co-founder of ProceedAI and general partner at Investor Collaborative (NAIC 2). Hyland drives responsible AI adoption and high-growth startup investments. She also mentors innovators at the LaunchPad and serves on the Libraries’ Advisory Board.
- Susie Ippolito, founder and brand strategist, SI Brands. Ippolito specializes in brand development and content strategy.
- Diana Jaramillo Keane ’09, Executive Director of Sustainable Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). Keane overseas capital improvement projects across ESF’s nine campuses. She is an award-winning architect and founder of Kin Studio, as well as a fellow in the 2025 Hispanic Leadership Institute.
- Deana Lenz, Founder of Deana Lenz Interiors. Lenz is an interior design specializing in eclectic, modern aesthetics.
- Yamillet Payano, CEO and co-founder of Sign-Speak. Payano’s company uses AI to enable real-time translation between American Sign Language and English.
- Melissa Richards-Person ’89, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Third Arm Consulting. Richards-Person helps drive growth for restaurants, retail and consumer brands. She also serves on the advisory board for Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and was selected for Bingham Fellows Class of 2024.
- Akhila Satish, CEO of Meseekna. Satish’s background in neuroscience, venture capital, SaaS and biotech is applied to enhancing organizational performance by understanding and improving decision-making for clients. She also serves as Executive Director of The Science Runway.
- Dana Scherzi, CEO of Scherzi Systems. Scherzi founded the IT consulting firm where she specializes in custom software development, IT services and project management consulting. She also serves as a mentor at The Tech Garden.
About the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries:
The Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries is the University’s innovation hub, connecting the entire campus resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors, and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students, and alumni across disciplines who are interested in innovation, invention, entrepreneurship, venture creation, careers, entrepreneurial skills, diversity, equity, inclusion, and taking ideas from concept to commercialization. The program supports a key pillar of Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan to create an innovation ecosystem across the institution that prepares participants to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world.