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About the Center

Entrepreneurship Faculty

Dennis Kessler

M.A., Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
M.S.L., Yale University Law School
Career Highlights: Co-Owner of Kessler Restaurants LLC. a Rochester, New York based owner and operator of twenty-one Burger King and forty-six Friendly’s restaurants. He has twenty-seven years experience in restaurant ownership, real estate and human resource development. The company is one of the largest employers in the upstate New York region and is the 71st largest restaurant company nation- wide ranked by annual sales.

Duncan T. Moore

M.S., Optics, University of Rochester
Ph.D., Optics, University of Rochester
Career Highlights: Former director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton Administration, where he worked on the Next Generation Internet, elder tech, crime tech, and nanotechnology. Also served as president and chief executive officer of Infotonics Technology Center Inc., and currently Vice Provost and area coordinator for Entrepreneurship.

David Oliveiri

J.D., University of Buffalo
M.B.A., University of Rochester
Career Highlights: Held several executive positions over a thirty year career in publishing and law. He has held positions as senior vice president and publisher, vice president of business development, vice president of product systems, and general manager/ chief operating officer for various "Thomson Corporation" companies and groups.

David Hessler

M.S., Engineering,  University of Michigan
M.B.A., (with honors), University of Michigan
Career Highlights: Entrepreneurial business executive experienced in both operating management and in private equity financing. He has management experience in both large and small technology businesses, including as CEO and business owner. In addition, he has financing transactional experience as a principal of a small venture capital fund and as Managing Director of two middle market investment banking firms.

Jack Fraser

A.B., Physics, Hamilton College
Ph.D., Physics, Yale University
PMD , Harvard Business School
Career Highlights: Currently is Deputy Director of the University's Office of Technology Transfer with responsibility for engineering and physical science technologies. Before coming to the University of Rochester, he directed patent management within the corporate Intellectual Property organization at Xerox and held management positions in research, engineering, and technology strategy within Xerox.

Bob Tobin

B.A., Sociology, Seton University  
Career Highlights: Co-Founder, Former President and CEO of Tobin & Associates, Inc., an Information Technology Services firm which was established in 1987. Over the next twenty years the company grew from six employees to over 120, while extending its core competencies and capabilities to better meet the evolving technical requirements of its clients. Also played a key role in the funding and development of three additional for profit and two non-profit ventures.

Mark W. Wilson

M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnics Institute
Career Highlights: Founded Initiatives in 1997; a consulting company that crafts and implements commercialization strategies for ideas that wish to become new products and companies. Creator of PSW-an intense pre-seed company-building workshop. Formerly with Baxter Healthcare and Bausch Lomb in engineering and management roles that launched new medical device and pharmaceutical platforms now totaling over $1 billion in revenues.