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Foster School of Business


Contact Us – Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship

We welcome community, alumni, faculty and student participation in our programs and center. Please contact us (below) for more information or learn how to get involved with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship.

Mission

The Buerk Center integrates entrepreneurship into the fabric of the University of Washington, and invests in the students who want to shape the future.

Vision

The Buerk Center is a dynamic, top-ranked entrepreneurship center, offering students robust experiential and educational resources, teaching entre as a life skill to support their growth as entrepreneurs and change-makers in throughout their careers. We reach across campus and the region to engage students in our classes, programs, and activities. The Buerk Center is the primary resource for entrepreneurship for students and faculty across campus and is an indispensable part of both the UW and Seattle entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Values

We are inclusive, supporting entrepreneurship/entrepreneurial thinking for all. We embrace the passionate risk-takers with a vision, but we also provide a framework for those who are entrepreneurially curious.

  • We believe entrepreneurial skills are the necessary tools to help students become successful in their future endeavors, whether as a startup founder, working for an existing company, starting a lifestyle business, or going into the family business.
  • We are the collaborative partner and resource for entrepreneurship support to faculty and staff across campus.
  • We play off the strengths of the University of Washington and Seattle. And we fully engage the entrepreneurial community in what we do.
  • We experiment with new courses, programs, and activities, and build on those that resonate.
  • We make entrepreneurship as real as possible within a university environment.

Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship

Amy Sallin
Amy Sallin
Director
206-685-9868
Lauren Brohawn, M.ED
Lauren Brohawn, M.ED
Associate Director, Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge
206-685-3813
Jessica Roberto, PH.D
Jessica Roberto, PH.D
Assistant Director, Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge & Graduate Programs
206-685-5538
Yuko Oaku
Yuko Oaku
Assistant Director, Dempsey Startup Competition & Jones + Foster Accelerator
Alex Eli
Alex Eli
Assistant Director, Undergraduate Programs
206-685-5669
Winona Kantamaneni
Winona Kantamaneni
Assistant Director, Women's Entrepreneurship Leadership
206-221-7094
Katherine Wu
Katherine Wu
Operations Manager
206-685-8612
Charles Trillingham
Charles Trillingham
Assistant Director, Communication, Marketing and Public Relations
206-616-3691
Emer Dooley, MBA/PH.D
Emer Dooley, MBA/PH.D
Arthur Buerk Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Site Lead Creative Destruction Lab Seattle
Website
Suresh Kotha, Ph.D
Suresh Kotha, Ph.D
Research Director
206-543-4466
Website

Buerk Center Office Hours

UW students can book a virtual office hours session with Lauren, Alex, Jessica, or Yuko below.

Lauren Brohawn
Book Office Hours Session

Alex Eli
Book Office Hours Session

Jessica Roberto
Book Office Hours Session

Yuko Oaku
Book Office Hours Session

Buerk Center Student Staff

Jake Rhyner
Jake Rhyner
Dempsey Startup Student Lead
Morgan Schiebel
Morgan Schiebel
HIC & EIC Student Lead
Madeline Siu
Madeline Siu
Student Assistant
Abhinav Adhikari
Abhinav Adhikari
Marketing Student Assistant
Kira Dudsic
Kira Dudsic
Marketing Student Assistant

Buerk Center Advisory Board

The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board connects students, faculty, and staff to Seattle’s thriving entrepreneurial community. Board members offer vital support to the Buerk Center’s programs and curriculum—judging competitions, mentoring, strategic planning, offering financial support, and facilitating opportunities for idea-driven students to build networks that will help them achieve their start-up goals.

See our board members

Farah Ali, Electronic Arts
François Baneyx, UW CoMotion
Chuck Barbo, Catalyst Storage
Andrina Bigelow, Fran’s Chocolates
Bill Bromfield, Fenwick & West
Arthur Buerk, The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
Sarah Buhayar, Gates Foundation
Troy Cichos, Madrona Venture Group
David Coven, Scholarship Junkies
Ralph Derrickson, Bsquare Corporation
Emer Dooley, Foster School of Business
Jeff Dossett, Impinj
Terry Drayton, WayForth
Geoff Entress, Pioneer Square Labs
Mike Fridgen, Madrona Venture Labs
Kristen Hamilton, Multi-time Tech Founder & CEO
Lisa Hjorten, Pacific Edge Properties
Ron Howell, retired WRF
Frederick Huntsberry, Growthpoints Invest LLC
Craig Kinzer, Kinzer Partners
Suresh Kotha, Foster School of Business
Loretta Little, Washington Research Foundation & WRF Capital
Adina Mangubat, Spiral Genetics
Bill McAleer, Voyager Capital
T.A. McCann, Pioneer Square Labs
Elizabeth Morgan, Slalom
Liz Pearce, Fresh Chalk
Jesse Proudman, Makara
Amber Ratcliffe, Arbor Health Inc
Jeff Roh, IntuitiveX
Craig Sherman, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Tom Seery, RealSelf
Adrian Smith, ATN Ventures
Tama Smith, Brighton Jones
David Smukowski, Whidbey Equity Group
Ben Straughan, Perkins Coie
Sara Weaver, IAGL
Kelci Zile, AWS Data Exchange

Emeritus Board Members

Neal Dempsey, Bay Partners
Steve Singh, Madrona Venture Group

General Contact Info

University of Washington
Michael G. Foster School of Business
4th Floor, Founders Hall 406, Box 353200
Seattle, WA 98195
Tel: 206-616-0734
[email protected]
Map / Directions