Center for Innovation and Change Leadership (CICL)

Are companies investing in AI the right way? Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership gained valuable insights from The Kendall Project. Faculty members, students, and guests explored how to cut through the AI hype by uncovering high-fidelity problem data through interactive workshops and data-driven insights—equipping organizations with practical AI strategies.

About the Panelists

Brendan McSheffrey, Founder of The Kendall Project, is a seasoned C-suite leader and serial entrepreneur specializing in AI-driven problem-solving. He has a strong track record of developing and commercializing cutting-edge solutions across industries.

Kevin Gulley, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Kendall Project, is a tech entrepreneur and product leader. He has built and scaled AI-driven software solutions, successfully launching and selling ventures in gaming, B2B media, and FinTech.

Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership recently hosted a Fireside Chat on the impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Finance and Accounting sectors. Faculty members from the Sawyer Business School, along with guests, had the opportunity to engage in an open conversation with our featured speakers: Brian Thopsey from Adobe Experience Cloud and Robert Babine, CPA, from EisnerAmper. The discussion explored how AI is transforming their respective industries.

About the Panelists

Brian Thopsey is an Account Executive at Adobe, managing top global strategic accounts for Adobe Experience Cloud. He also leads Fund Wisdom, focusing on venture capital.

Robert Babine is a partner at EisnerAmper's Assurance Services Group, specializing in private companies across industries such as manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, and technology.

Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership, in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship, hosted "Cleantech and its Nexus with Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship" on November 14, 2024. This event brought together cleantech innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs from around the globe to explore strategies for accelerating cleantech adoption.

About the Panelists

Special thanks to CICL's guest speakers Maria Markidou Georgiadou, Managing Director of Cyprus Seeds, and George Georghiou, Professor and Director of the FOSS Research Centre for Sustainable Energy at the University of Cyprus, for sharing their expertise and valuable insights.

We also extend our gratitude to the other distinguished panelists: Kenneth J. Mooney, Investor at Launchpad Venture Group, Chain Reaction Boston, and Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University; Shiv Bhakta, founder of Active Surfaces; Joe Hastry, founder of florrent; and Leslie Nash, Tech-to-Market Program Director at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership (CICL) was honored to host the annual "Meet-the-Editor" research workshop on October 11, 2024. This year’s event featured Prof. Billur Akdeniz Talay from the University of New Hampshire and Prof. Michael Obal from UMass Lowell, both distinguished editors, who provided invaluable insights into academic publishing in the Journal of Business Research and Research-Technology Management (RTM). The workshop offered participants a unique opportunity to present their research and engage directly with the editors, fostering productive discussions and potential future collaborations.

About the Panelists

Prof. Billur Akdeniz Talay from the University of New Hampshire specializes in marketing strategy, and her research focuses on new product innovation, brand management, and international marketing, with work published in top journals like the Academy of Management Journal and the Journal of Product Innovation Management. She serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Business Research and has received several awards for her contributions as a reviewer and educator. Billur is an award-winning teacher in marketing analytics and strategy and was a Fall 2023 visiting scholar at NEOMA Business School.

Prof. Michael Obal is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He currently teaches Marketing Analytics at UMass Lowell and has previously taught at Temple University and Rutgers University Camden. Broadly, Mike's research focuses on technology marketing, innovation, e-commerce, and business-to-business. Specifically, his research interests include the diffusion of disruptive innovations, the role of inter-organizational relationships in technology adoption and development, and the impact of interpersonal ties in online marketplaces. His research has been published in various business journals, including the Journal of Product Innovation Management, Industrial Marketing Management, the Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Service Management.

The Center for Innovation and Change Leadership collaborated with the National Center for Public Performance to host a virtual panel on the impact of AI on government operations last Spring 2024.

The discussion highlighted AI’s role in enhancing governance and public service through operational efficiency and how it can be leveraged for data-driven decision-making in strategic planning and performance management. The topic on ethical AI was also touched on and how fairness, equity, and inclusivity in AI development should be emphasized for a human-centered approach.

About the Panelists

Alan Shark is an Associate Professor at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. He is renowned for his expertise in technology leadership, governance, and civic engagement. As a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society of Association Executives, he co-chairs the NAPA Standing Panel on Technology Leadership.

Ram Dhan Yadav Katamaraja is a visionary tech entrepreneur known for founding Colaberry in 2012, a pioneering initiative aimed at aiding U.S. veterans' transition into civilian careers. His acclaimed talent training platform, Refactored.ai, garnered recognition from MIT Solve and Course Report for its innovative approach to shaping the future workforce.

From generating customized learning materials to creating immersive educational experiences, it's opening new doors for educators and learners alike. Suffolk University Center for Innovation and Change Leadership explores the possibilities and challenges of this AI frontier.

About the Panelists

The research and teaching interests of Mark Lehrer fall at the intersection of high technology, strategy and international business. As a Fulbright scholar to Germany and Israel in 2020 (extended to 2021 due to the pandemic), Professor Lehrer shuttled back and forth between Potsdam/Berlin and Tel Aviv/Jerusalem to study the construction of high-tech media hub around film studios and other cultural institutions. Professor Lehrer has developed a unique MBA course, MBA 710 Understanding World Class Clusters, which focuses on the special economics and social relations of large metropolitan areas like Boston. He has circa 50 peer-reviewed publications covering a wide variety of subjects around the topics of R&D, innovation, German business, family firms, and multinational corporations. He is also the author of the weekly Wall Street Journal Instructor’s Review in Strategic Management, accessible and delivered online to hundreds of management educators who adopt the Wall Street Journal in their classes.

Dr. Pelin Bicen’s research focuses on intra- and inter-firm marketing and innovation strategy, global supply chain strategies, and inter-organizational governance issues. Her most recent research focuses on the agrifood supply chains and how Geographical Indications (GIs) help small players take stage in the global marketplace and increase regional/national economic growth and create wealth and social welfare. She has authored several articles in marketing and innovation journals some of which are Journal of Business Research, Creativity and Innovation Management, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, Innovation: Management, Policy, and Organization, and Management Research Review among others. She has presented her research at national and international marketing strategy and innovation conferences. She is currently in the editorial review board of Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice.

The center’s last event for Spring 2023 was a panel on the changing landscape of creative industries due to spikes in technological advancements. Moderated by Suffolk’s Marketing professor, Li Chen, “Digitalization in Creative Industries," allowed three panelists to open up about their experience with the widespread innovation that is changing the landscape of their work. They touched on hot topics such as NFTs, virtual reality, and animation. While the industry continues to change, it is important to remain flexible, not letting opportunities of growth and learning to be passed up.

About the Panelists

Professor Robert DeFillippi brought his academic perspective as an expert in innovation and strategy with numerous articles published on how firms can successfully navigate disruptive technologies. Previously, he was a Strategy and International Business professor at Suffolk University. Now, he is working on his recent publication, International Perspectives on Business Innovation and Disruption in Design, which focuses on the role of design innovation in transforming industry practice.

As director of animation at Richard Lewis Media Group, Alyssa F. provided insightful information as to how the museum industry is shifting with the introduction of interactive media. Alyssa manages a team of animators who create digital media experiences for museums and other venues, ranging from large-scale immersive projection videos to interactive phone apps.

Finally, Jay Salois is an entrepreneur and the founder of VRtical Media, a virtual reality company that specializes in immersive and inclusive virtual tours. His business venture allows him to witness the advancements that virtual reality has offered to industries such as hospitality and retail.

Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 Suffolk University and the Center for Innovation and Change Leadership were delighted to welcome Joel Pedlikin of Greensight, Keydell Fuller of Southie Autonomy, and Mike Bearman of Vecna Robotics to discuss the obstacles of getting a tech startup off the ground in our event presented by MassRobotics, “Securing a Paying Customer.”

Moderated by Joyce Sidopoulos, CEO of MassRobotics, panelists were asked to describe their experience in finding their first paying customer, the evolution of their company since then, and the biggest tips they learned along the way. One stand out point was the notion of “creating a chain” or building a client base through the network of already established customers. Sometimes this takes a little bit of luck and a lot of grit, and often we just have to fake it until we make it!

About the Panelists

Joel Pedlikin is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of GreenSight, a small Boston tech startup developing fully autonomous robotic systems that integrate drones, ground robots, and cloud software. Before GreenSight, Joel spent 17 years in the aerospace industry developing small spacecraft, rocket engines, and unmanned airplanes, gathering extensive experience in aerospace engineering, project management, and executive leadership. He has an MBA from Babson College, MS in aeronautics from Caltech, and a BS in mechanical engineering from Brown University.

As head of sales at Southie Autonomy, Keydell Fuller oversees the complete sales cycle. Currently, he handles the cold and warm leads that enter the pipeline, and then takes each customer through the multi-step process until there is a signed contract. Keydell studied business and technology at Babson College, and he has also held leadership positions, playing a key role in 5 tech-based startups over the past 5 years.

Mike Bearman has been with Vecna Robotics from the beginning as part of the founding team. Mike is a graduate of Georgetown Law School. After working in Big Law, he joined Vecna Technologies and later Vecna Robotics. He has held a broad range of roles within the company with deep involvement in business development, sales support, and a variety of operation areas. In addition, Mike has worked closely with investors to help raise $135 million in funding for Vecna Robotics.

Suffolk University and CICL were honored to host Professor Akrom Omonov, chair of the Banking Department at Tashkent Institute of Finance, this Monday, November 28th, 2022. Faculty and students engaged in an enlightening lecture on the banking system of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation. Professor Omonov explained the present state of Uzbekistan from the perspective of an insider, its current banking system, and the previous operations before the communist collapse. He also answered questions regarding the government's tough regulations, the potential for digital currency, and the future of banking in Uzbekistan. This event was a valuable opportunity for Finance and Global Business majors to learn about the systems of a part of the world that is often regarded with a question mark.

Professor Akrom Omonov has previous experience in banking for over ten years. He promptly left his position in the industry to pursue his love for teaching and constant learning. His recent research explores the idea of digital banking and how it was affected by the cultural shift of the pandemic. Read his publication here.

On Monday, November 7th, 2022, Suffolk University and CICL was honored to host Dr. George Kassinis for a discussion on sustainability while looking at the culture and history of Cyprus. Dr. Kassinis is a professor in the School of Economics and Management at the University of Cyprus. This conversation was mainly fueled by his research in Corporate Social Responsibility to touch on topics such as stakeholder pressure, the influence of the board of directors, and the consequences of corruption in a company's country of origin. The faculty in attendance were able to expand their perspective on their own research with the power of collaborative discussion while gaining insight on the opportunities that Cyprus has to offer.

About Dr. George Kassinis

Teacher, researcher, and practitioner, Dr. George Kassinis has been a professor at the University of Cyprus for over 24 years while also contributing as a member of the Board of Management at The English School. He got his PhD in Public Policy, Environmental Economics and Management, and Regional Economics and Development at Princeton University. Currently, his research focuses on the strategic choices organizations make in dynamic environments and the implications of these choices for competitiveness and performance. Dr. Kassinis’s work has been published in Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Business Ethics. Learn more about Dr. George Kassinis.

Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership (CICL) was honored to host a two-day research presentation and paper development workshop with Dr. Charles Noble, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM), on September 28-29th, 2022. Dr. Noble shared insights on how to get published in JPIM, along with the journal’s scope and mission. He also served as a panelist for research presentation from Suffolk faculty and external professionals. This workshop encouraged interactions between researchers as they develop potential submissions to JPIM.

About Dr. Charles Noble

Dr. Charles Nobles is a Henry Distinguished Professor of Business at Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee.

His research interests focus generally on design and development processes, as applied to both products and services. He has published in many leading journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Product Innovation Management, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and many others. Dr. Noble has consulted for many organizations, primarily in the airline, retailing, consumer goods and commercial real estate sectors. He has won several awards for both research and teaching. Learn more about our guest.

From digital transformation to widespread AI integration, companies across industries are actively exploring how to implement AI solutions. But what challenges do they face along the way?

Suffolk University's Center for Innovation and Change Leadership recently hosted another edition of its AI Fireside Chat series, featuring Kirsten Hansen, Senior Sales Executive at Ridgeline, and Jordi Albo-Canals, Chief Scientific Officer at Lighthouse DIG.

Sawyer Business School faculty and attendees participated in an engaging conversation that surfaced some of the most pressing challenges in AI adoption today, including how prepared clients really are, the quality and accessibility of data, and growing concerns around privacy and security. The speakers also touched on the importance of introducing AI into existing workflows.