Search Announcement

August 4, 2025

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:

I am pleased to officially announce a global search for a new executive director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. As was recently announced, Dave Mawhinney stepped down from his role as founding executive director of the Swartz Center on July 1, 2025, and has returned to his full-time faculty position in the Tepper School of Business.

The Swartz Center launched in 2016, thanks to a transformative $31M gift from alumnus and distinguished venture capitalist and entrepreneur James R. Swartz (MSIA ’66). Today, it is a nationally recognized engine for entrepreneurship education, supporting Carnegie Mellon University startups through an array of programs including the Gebhardt Sandbox Fund, the McGinnis Venture competition, Venture Bridge pre-seed accelerator program, a robust EIR and mentor program, and the Tartan Entrepreneurs Fund. These programs have helped anchor CMU as a leading producer of startups among academic institutions, a primary driver of Pittsburgh’s growing dominance in emerging technologies and an incubator for innovation.

The executive director will accelerate the next phase of growth of CMU’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and advance our long-standing commitment to innovation and impact in the region, country and the world. I look forward to welcoming the center’s next leader, who will help us shape the next chapter of entrepreneurial excellence and impact by translating transformative ideas and research to power progress.

To guide this important search, I have assembled a search advisory committee that includes faculty, alumni and leaders from across the university and broader entrepreneurial community. I will co-chair the committee with Ron Bianchini, serial entrepreneur, trustee, alumnus and former engineering faculty member. Other members include:

  • Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, Dean and Richard P. Simmons Professor of Finance, Tepper School of Business
  • Lane Bess (DC 1983), CEO of Deep Instinct, Principal/ Founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory, CMU Trustee
  • Jeanne Cunicelli (DC 1988), President of UPMC Enterprises, CMU Trustee
  • Mary Jo Dively, Vice President and General Counsel, and Secretary of the Corporation
  • Michael Donohue (SCS 2001), Technology Investor
  • David Bennett, Vice President of University Advancement
  • Martial Hebert, Dean and University Professor of Robotics, School of Computer Science
  • Reeja Jayan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Founder and CEO of SeaLion Energy
  • Ashwini Karanth, Graduate Student, Tepper School of Business, Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Charles Kennedy, Chief Investment Officer
  • Brandon Lucia, Kavčić-Moura Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Co-founder and CEO of Efficient Computer
  • Jorgen Pedersen (ENG 1995, SCS 1998), CEO of the ARM Institute and Robotics Entrepreneur
  • Sam Reiman (HNZ 2004), Director and Trustee at Richard King Mellon Foundation, CMU Trustee
  • Matt Rogers (ENG 2004, 2005), Co-Founder of NEST and CEO of Mill
  • Dug Song, Co-Founder and Former CEO, Duo Security

In partnership with the executive search firm Spencer Stuart, the committee will encourage nominations and applications to build a robust and highly qualified applicant pool. Throughout the fall semester, the committee will engage with stakeholders inside and outside of the university to gather input on the role and candidates, with the goal of filling the role by the end of the calendar year. To learn more about the role and the search process, as well as to submit confidential inquiries, nominations or applications, please visit the search website.

I am deeply grateful for Dave Mawhinney’s leadership in shaping the success of the Swartz Center, and a celebration to honor his legacy of impact will take place in the fall. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship team for their collaboration and guidance during this transitional period, with special thanks to Meredith Grelli, the managing director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, assistant dean for entrepreneurial initiatives and director of Project Olympus in the School of Computer Science, and associate teaching professor in the Tepper School of Business, for serving as interim executive director of the Swartz Center throughout the search process.

Sincerely,

Theresa Mayer
Vice President for Research