Our People

Jeff has spent more than half of his career working in institutions of higher education. He currently holds the position of Director of Strategic Procurement at Harvard Medical School where he has worked since 2014. Prior to joining Harvard, he was the Senior Director of Purchasing at the University of Massachusetts Medical School for over 10 years. He began his career as a procurement professional over 30 years ago starting in the booming high tech industry. He moved to lead the purchasing team for an insurance/financial services company, from there went on to work for an international call center company.

Cynthia is Director of Entrepreneurship, W. R. Berkley Innovation Labs at NYU Stern School of Business. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship. For the past 5 years, she has been an instructor for Strategic Steps for Growth (M/WBE) in New York City. Cynthia co-founded KIP Communications and was a former editor for the award-winning KIP Business Report newspaper.

Ashley is a Senior Manager at Moss Adams LLP in Seattle, Washington where she helps clients navigate their financial, accounting and business challenges. While she currently specializes in manufacturing, distribution and retail clients, Ashley has extensive experience with not-for-profit entities, professional services, real estate, technology and many others. Having lived and worked in cities across the country including Seattle, Cleveland and Boston, Ashley has worked with small and mid-sized companies in different economic environments and appreciates how impactful the local economy can be for individuals and businesses. The daughter of a small business owner, she has experienced firsthand the struggles and risks of owning a business as well as the rewards and benefits of contributing to job creation and local economic development.

Alvaro Lima is the Director of Research at the Boston Planning and Development Agency (bpda). He recently served as Senior Vice President, Director of Research of the Initiative for Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a non-profit organization founded by Harvard Professor Michael Porter.  An economist by training, he is the former chief of the Economic Department of the Ministry of Industry and Energy in Mozambique and coordinator of Regional Development Projects at the Institute for Social and Economic Research—IPARDES, in his home country Brazil. Alvaro holds a Master’s degree in Political Economy and Economics from the New School for Social Research.

Nick is a Senior Partner at Boston-based ad agency, Zozimus. Having founded the agency in 2004, he is acutely tuned in to the unique challenges and rewards of nurturing and growing a business. Since its founding, Zozimus has grown to be an 85-person agency with offices in three major cities. Prior to Zozimus, he worked at other agencies and also spent some time working in government for the U.S. House of Representatives. He has served a variety of non-profits as a board member or advisor. Nick became acquainted with Interise and its mission in 2014 and was immediately taken by the importance and breadth of the organization's impact. Currently in his second term as a board member, he now serves as the Governance Chair for the board, playing a large role in board recruitment and succession.

Manjari supports co-chairs Professor Michael E. Porter and Professor Jan W. Rivkin on all U.S. Competitiveness Project priorities such as the Young American Leaders Program and the HBS worldwide survey on U.S. competitiveness. Her research efforts focus on location choices by global companies, the role of business in making cities and regions more competitive, shared prosperity, and cross-sector collaboration.

A member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, Ellen had three decades of experience in the Legislative and Executives Branches of government, including fourteen years on the personal staff of Senator Barry Goldwater. During her most recent tenure as Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship Education, U.S. Small Business Administration, (SBA) she led the National SCORE program, the largest network of volunteer expert business mentors in the country as well as the SBA’s online virtual Learning Center and young entrepreneur initiative. Of particular note is the highly successful Emerging Leaders Program now in its tenth year, an intensive executive-level training for small, poised for growth companies.

Joe runs business strategy for Commercial and Business Banking at People's United Bank.  These businesses are focused on helping clients succeed through tools that help clients grow, manage costs and manage risk.  Joe’s career spans 33 years as a sales and strategy executive in banking. Having grown up at the hip of a small business owner from an old mill-town in Massachusetts, Joe has a passion for business success and a deep sensitivity to the role businesses play in the health and vibrancy of their communities.  Working with a great team at Interise for the last 10 years has been a blast.

In January 2018, Virginia’s current Governor, Ralph S. Northam, reappointed Wiley after having served in the previous administration under Virginia’s 72 nd  Governor Terence R. McAuliffe. Under this administration and in response to several new legislative initiatives, Wiley is expanding the agency’s outreach efforts in the private sector and non-profit arena. Now that the organization’s foundation has grounded, the focus has shifted on increased collaboration aligned with the mission of inclusion, equity and supplier diversity efforts.   Wiley joined the previous administration as Agency Director, to lead the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (DSBSD) in August of 2014. The agency is the result of a legislative decision by the General Assembly to merge the former Department of Minority Business Enterprise (DMBE) and Department of Business Assistance (DBA). This is Wiley’s third business merger and she was tapped to execute the reorganization of the two agencies to provide a one-stop resource for the small business community. In addition, she was charged to elevate the Governor’s initiative to advance procurement opportunities and the utilization of Small, Women and Minority (SWaM) Owned Businesses in the Commonwealth during his administration.  McAuliffe’s Executive Order 20, signed in July of 2014, established a 42% goal in procuring of the state contracts. Annual discretionary spend for the Commonwealth is 6 billion.