The UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center uses a multidisciplinary approach that pairs forward-thinking instructors with unique programming to help students, faculty, and staff nurture their ideas, build confidence, and succeed as entrepreneurs, innovators, and change-makers.

Growing UWM’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Lubar Entrepreneurship Center programming is designed to engage UWM students and faculty across disciplines – giving them skills in innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking to enhance their success. These programs build on UWM’s foundation in research and education to engage faculty, students, and the community in entrepreneurship. The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center also serves as a pillar of Milwaukee’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem – as a home to key programs that create a pipeline of talent and a resource for growing businesses.

Innovation Spaces

Our center features signature spaces for working, meeting, and exploring new ideas. The Innovation Commons will provide an informal meeting space for students, entrepreneurs, and advisers in varied spaces where a group can pull up a whiteboard for a huddle or working session. The center will also offer the following:

  • Co-Working and Collaboration – allowing students, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to meet informally to share ideas in a collaborative environment
  • Flexible Instruction – providing a home for “Ideas Challenge Courses” that accommodate experiential and engaged learning through entrepreneurship
  • Innovation Labs and “Maker” Spaces – providing resources for students to experiment and to prototype products and software
  • Touchdown and Launch Space – providing a home for student entrepreneurs, faculty, community business partners and others to work on building new enterprises

LEC Staff

profile photoAvdeev, IlyaLEC Director of Innovation and Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow, Director, NSF I-Corps™ Site of Southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee I-Corps™), Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department: Mechanical Engineering / Lubar Entrepreneurship CenterMechanical Engineering / Lubar Entrepreneurship Center(414) 510-3631avdeev@uwm.eduEng & Math Sciences 1181

Director of Innovation - Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
Associate Professor - Mechanical Engineering
Director (PI) - Milwaukee I-Corps™ Program
Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow

profile photoChamberlin, GillianSenior Director, Transformational InitiativesUniversity Advancement(414) 229-2388chamberl@uwm.eduLubar Entrepreneurship Center
Senior Director, Transformational Initiatives - UWM University Advancement
profile photoCoffaro, AmeliaWell Entrepreneur-In-Residenceameliacoffaro@gmail.com

Well Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center

profile photoFlanner, ColinOperations ManagerLubar Entrepreneurship Centerflanner@uwm.eduLubar Entrepreneurship Center

Operations Manager, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center

profile photoJanezic, MitchellInnovation InternLubar Entrepreneurship Centermjanezic@uwm.eduLubar Entrepreneurship Center 204

Innovation Intern, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center

profile photoPeterson, LorenEntrepreneur-in-Residence, Milwaukee I-Corps™ Core Teamlgp@eas-mke.comUWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
Core Team, Milwaukee I-Corps™ Program

profile photoStern, NathanielProfessor // DirectorPSOA Art & Design // Student Startup Challengesternn@uwm.eduUWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center 201

Professor, Art & Design / Mechanical Engineering
Director, Startup Challenge

profile photoThompson, BrianPresident / DirectorUWMRF / LECbriant@uwmrf.orgUWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center 210

President, UWMRF
Director,
UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center
Core Team, Milwaukee I-Corps™ Program

profile photoTrammell, TieraProgram ManagerLubar Entrepreneurship Centertrammel4@uwm.eduLubar Entrepreneurship Center Room 201

Program Manager, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center