The Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is dedicated to developing best practices in entrepreneurship education and community engagement that enhance and impact the creation of new ventures and opportunities.

John Burmeister

Senior Vice President | Business Banking Market Manager - Huntington National Bank

John Burmeister is the Senior Vice President and Business Banking Market Manager for Huntington National Bank in the Greater Grand Rapids Area. John has been in the banking industry for over 20 years, holding various positions in the Bank. A graduate of Central Michigan University, John lives and plays in Holland, Michigan with his three kids and wife Kim. Professionally he has experience in the Consumer and Business Banking segments. He specializes in commercial lending and helping business owners with their financial needs and goals.  Personally, he is an active member of his church and enjoys volunteering in the Greater Grand Rapids Community.

Shannon Cohen

Owner and Founder - Shannon Cohen Inc.

Shannon Cohen is the founder and principal of Shannon Cohen, Inc. She is an award-winning industry leader and sought-after strategist, innovator, and inspirational leader. Shannon has been an active member of philanthropic and community development efforts for the past eighteen years. Shannon is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellowship alumnus and Encore Innovation Fellow alumnus of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. She has received several awards for her work and service including the 2018 ‘50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan’ Award from the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Shannon is an adjunct faculty member for the College of Education and Community Innovation and the School of Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration at Grand Valley State University. She is passionate about empowering emerging and existing leaders to be transformative in the communities they serve. Most recently, Shannon birthed ‘Tough Skin, Soft Heart’. Tough Skin, Soft Heart is a movement specializing in empowering today’s overextended leader to navigate the emotional, mental, and, physical strain that that often accompanies a life committed to being a difference-maker.

Erik Daly

Attorney at Law - Miller Johnson

Erik Daly is a corporate attorney and a member of Miller Johnson’s business section.  He has been practicing corporate law since 2007 and focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate financing, restructurings and securities law matters. Mr. Daly has been recognized by Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A since 2014 and was identified as a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers from 2014-2017. Mr. Daly is also recognized by Best Lawyers for Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law and was named as Best Lawyers 2020 Grand Rapids Lawyer of the Year for Mergers and Acquisitions Law.  He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Minnesota, the State Bar of Illinois and the American Bar Association (ABA). In addition to legal practice, Mr. Daly is a member of the Boards of Directors of Special Olympics Michigan, the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and the Friends of the East Grand Rapids Library.

Carla Hendon

Director, Supplier Diversity & Indirect Procurement - Meijer

Carla Hendon is the Supplier Diversity & Indirect Procurement Director at Meijer. She has over 30 years of experience as a Supply Chain professional.  From 2009 to 2020, Carla has been devoted to developing and sustaining an indirect procurement organization that is indispensable to Meijer. This has involved leading two Procurement organization restructures, including a March 2017 launch of SAP Ariba, a transformation of supplier management practices, best-in-class procurement, and sourcing processes, and the ongoing focus on growing and sustaining talent. As a result of these efforts, Carla’s team is relied upon for sourcing 80% of the company's indirect spending. Carla’s latest challenge is to develop a centralized effective and sustainable Supplier Diversity program for all of Meijer’s purchasing organizations – Merchants and Indirect Spend, inclusive of Marketing, IT, Construction, Logistics, HR, MRO, Supplies, Packaging, and Manufacturing goods and services. Prior to Meijer, Carla held various roles at Chrysler Corporation in their Finance and Supply Chain organizations. Her roles included leadership and individual contributor positions in global sourcing of direct and indirect categories, logistics, production planning, supplier development, project management, trainer/curriculum development, community relations, organizational design, and strategy development. Carla has had the pleasure of collaborating with various companies and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and small business organizations, non-profits, and various federal, state, and local agencies on various Supply Chain topics. Carla holds a BA in Production Operations/Supply Chain Management from Eastern Michigan University and an MS in Economics and Finance from the University of Detroit. She lives in Grand Rapids, MI, with her handsome husband, amazing daughters, and dog. She and her family enjoy swimming, biking, laughing, and spending lots of time together.

Luciano Hernandez

CEO, Spirit Fire Lights

Luciano is a West-Michigan entrepreneur and graduated from Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University. He worked at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as a student and was on the leadership team for CEO Club. After graduating he worked at Corewell Health Innovations/Ventures (formerly Spectrum Health Innovations) as an intrapreneur and has since been running his company, Spirit Fire Lights. 

Ravi Patel

President of GVSU C.E.O. Club

Ravi Patel is a sophomore at the Seidman College of Business, where he is pursuing a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics. His journey in entrepreneurship began in high school through (DECA), where he discovered his passion for innovation and business creation. Since then, Ravi has been on a mission to expand his entrepreneurial endeavors through various competitions, including placing 1st in the 2023 GVSU CEO Club Idea Pitch Competition. As the President of the GVSU CEO Club, Ravi is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation on campus, providing opportunities for fellow students to develop their business ideas and skills. His immediate goal is to increase the club's size and engage more students in the vibrant entrepreneurial community at GVSU and its surround community.

Donald Paton

Partner - Retired, Datacomp Corp

Donald J. Paton was part of the first class to graduate from Grand Valley in 1967, known as the Pioneer Class. He was elected the first class president and has continued to stay involved after graduation, and has served on countless alumni boards and committees, including serving as the Alumni Association President for 5 years.  He and his wife Diane, also a Pioneer Class alum, wanted to leave their legacy at the university and establish the importance of giving back. They have initiated three scholarships at GVSU.   

After graduating from Grand Valley, Don attended Western Michigan University for graduate classes in education.  He taught American History, Government, and Economics at Coopersville High School for 10 years. 

In 1992, Don and his business partner established a web-based company called Datacomp Appraisal Systems.  Datacomp is the nation’s largest internet provider of manufactured and mobile home value reports, price information, appraisal reports and inspections.  Don retired as Executive Vice President in 2004.  He has also been involved in the insurance, medical, real estate, eldercare, and manufactured housing industries.

Meagan Malm

Principal - Michigan Capital Network Ventures

Meagan Malm is a Principal at Michigan Capital Network Ventures (MCN), a venture capital firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meagan holds a business degree from the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, with a concentration in Strategy and Entrepreneurial Studies. Upon graduating in 2018, Meagan was selected as the sole recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg Fellowship, a two-year program to self-direct a research project in Tanzania, where she studied the application of mobile micro-financial tools. She joined MCN in 2020, where she currently helps oversee investment operations, portfolio management, and fundraising. Currently, Meagan serves on the Michigan Venture Capital Association Talent Committee and the Photonicare Board of Directors (observer). Meagan is a University of Michigan Hopwood Award Winner, Ross School of Business Carson Scholar, and a Fulbright Scholar. 

Kim Pasquino

Partner - Wakestream Ventures

Kim Pasquino is a Partner at Wakestream Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Currently, Kim sits on the board of the Michigan Venture Capital Association. She sits on the boards of the following companies: Shoulder Innovations, Inductive Intelligence and Allie Burke, and is a board observer for Modalyst and Work Truck Solutions. Kim has a background is marketing, sales and business development, and has strong relationship development skills.  Prior to her seven years of experience in venture investing, she operated a business she launched and later sold.

Ryan Vaughn

Leadership Coach, Inside Out 

Ryan Vaughn is an executive and leadership coach for entrepreneurs. His mission is to help entrepreneurs develop into their full potential as leaders and human beings. Prior to serving as a coach, Ryan founded and served as CEO of three companies over 15 years, the third of which he scaled into a market leader with 11 million users across 45 states. Ryan has raised over $20m from leading VCs, built teams of over 100 world-class employees, and acquired or integrated nearly a dozen companies as part of market roll-ups. He’s an avid writer, meditator, reader, athlete, father to two boys, husband, and adventurer. Ryan holds a MA in Communications from Grand Valley State University and a BFA in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University.

Jill Hinton Wolfe

Founder - Combat Canines, LLC
US Army vet Jill Hinton Wolfe is a writer, entrepreneur, activist & avid outdoorswoman who is also visually impaired. She was named the 2022 Student Veterans of America’s Advisor of the Year as the founding director of Grand Valley State University’s Secchia Military & Veterans Resource Center. She was also awarded a prestigious 2022 Mira fellowship, and in 2021 she received the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency’s Veteran Educational Advocate of the Year award and also served as GVSU’s Veteran Entrepreneur in Residence. Previously Wolfe has worked in corporate marketing, as a PR professor, an entrepreneur & as an Army military intelligence analyst. She currently serves as Kent County Veterans Services Advisory Board’s Vice Chair and is a lifetime member of the American Legion, VFW and Women Veterans Alliance and lives in Grand Rapids, MI with her family & guide dog Hannah.