UNM Rainforest Innovations

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UNM Rainforest Innovations Staff

At UNM Rainforest Innovations, we work to protect technologies developed at UNM and transferring those technologies to the marketplace, via starting new companies and transferring technologies to established companies; we connect the business community to UNM for access to expertise, facilities, and research activities; and we facilitate UNM’s role as a contributor to New Mexico’s economic development.

Our dedicated staff is business oriented and our full-time job is to understand the potential market applications of the wide range of technologies developed at UNM and to efficiently get them to companies that can commercialize them. UNM Rainforest Innovations is committed to securing the best match between a technology and the market.

Elizabeth (Lisa) J. Kuuttila

CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer

(505) 272-7900

Gregg Banninger, PhD

Innovation Manager, Life Sciences

(505) 272-7900

Cecilia (Pacheco) Becenti

Project Manager - Tribal Entrepreneurship

(505) 272-7900

Larissa Cardenas

Executive Assistant to Board of Directors & Agreements Coordinator

(505) 272-7310

Matthew Davis

Intellectual Property Manager

(505) 272-7890

Sally Frye

Disclosures & Agreements Coordinator

(505) 272-8774

Cara Michaliszyn

Director of Economic Development

(505) 272-7900

H. Brian Mirabal

Chief Financial Officer

(505) 272-7909

Kelli Monnheimer

Accounting Coordinator

(505) 277-0990

Jessica Morgan

Accounting Manager

(505) 272-1589

Amber Ortega

Office Administrator

(505) 272-7900

Alex Roerick

Innovation Manager - Engineering & Physical Sciences

(505) 272-7900

Savanah Romero

Communications & Design Specialist

(505) 272-7250

Hannah Russert

Technology Marketing Manager

(505) 272-7900

Arlene Young

Director of Commercialization

(505) 272-7886

Student Interns

Technology Transfer

Aliah Gibbs

Trung Le

Geneva Stanton

Joshua Zamora-Griego

Intellectual Property & Disclosures

Hannah Smith

Office/Administration

Audrey Lane

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