2026 Semifinalist Judges

Randy Case

President, Recently Retired, Healthrecord Solutions, LLC

Dr. Case is a physician-executive who addresses complex healthcare challenges with actionable, data-driven solutions. Equally comfortable at the bedside, in front of an analytics dashboard, or in the boardroom, he integrates medicine, engineering, and management into practical innovations. His consulting engagements span health systems, federal agencies, and technology businesses seeking to align enterprise performance with clinical requirements to create measurable improvements.

Michael Lyon

Chief Executive Officer, Lyon Capital Group

Mike has been a mentor, adviser and lawyer for startups in the US and globally. He has been a mentor in startup accelerators the last ten years, including with the Creative Destruction Lab. He specializes in working with technology companies in the space, ocean, defense, and AI sectors providing strategic, commercialization, and legal advice. He is a leader in the commercial space sector, including organizing the first space tourist flights (Tito/Shuttleworth). He served as the Special Assistant to the Chairman of the FDIC/RTC in the U.S. federal government during the Savings and Loan Crisis, and worked on some of the largest bank failures in US history. He has worked as general counsel for five companies in the technology and real estate finance sectors. 

Mike is the author of a new book, Accelerating Startups-Lessons From Mentors, which includes contributions from a dozen other startup mentors, and with a Foreword from Creative Destruction Lab founder Professor Ajay Agrawal. 

He completed his JD at Harvard Law school, BA from Brandeis, and attended the London School of Economics.

Marshall Kregg

Founder & CEO, Leviathan International

Marshall Kregg is the Founder & CEO of Leviathan International, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business building AI-powered risk quantification solutions that predict the financial impact of cyber and operational risk. A proud U.S. Army combat veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in Psychological Operations, Marshall brings over 20 years of federal technology and cybersecurity leadership experience spanning government and commercial enterprises. He holds an MBA and a Master of Information Technology from Virginia Tech, and is a proud alumnus of George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Arjun Wadwalkar

Group Product Manager, Global Payments Inc.

Arjun Wadwalkar is a Group Product Manager at Global Payments, where he leads payment strategy and embedded hardware innovation for the Genius platform, powering billions in annual transaction volume. His work focuses on AI-enabled POS ecosystems at the intersection of payments, risk, and intelligent edge infrastructure. He has led hardware and software platform strategy across countertop, handheld, and integrated commerce environments, enabling scalable global payment architectures for regulated and high-volume merchant segments. Arjun was named to the 2026 ETA 40 Under 40 for his contributions to the payments industry and is a joint patent holder on multiple innovations in digital ordering and commerce workflows. Beyond his corporate role, he mentors early-stage founders through startup accelerators and speaks at industry conferences on AI-driven commerce, programmable payments, and next-generation POS infrastructure.

Lisbeth Guerrero-Vasquez

Former Vice President of Commercial and Asset Management, ENGIE Renewables North America

Lisbeth is a business leader with an extensive and dynamic career in renewables, liquefied natural gas, and wholesale & retail energy. She held leadership roles in commodity risk, asset management, and commercial operations where she and her teams maximized value of complex energy portfolios. Most recently, Lisbeth was the VP of Commercial & Asset Management, and a member of the executive team for ENGIE Renewables North America. Lisbeth was a member of the Business for a Better World Center Advisory Board at George Mason University, and a recipient of the Class of 2022 Prominent Patriot Award. She is a member of the Women Renewable Industries & Sustainability and passionate about mentoring young professionals.

Karen Smaw

Director of Diversity Business Investment and Entrepreneurship, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

Karen Smaw serves as the Director of Diversity Business Investment and Entrepreneurship at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). In this role, she leads the development and execution of programs that support the attraction, retention, and growth of startups and small businesses, with a particular focus on minority-, women-, and veteran-owned enterprises. 

A passionate advocate for entrepreneurial education, Smaw has created several impactful initiatives, including the widely acclaimed “Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County” workshop, which has engaged thousands of participants since its inception. 

Beyond her professional duties, Ms. Smaw is deeply committed to civic and community service. She currently serves on the boards of the Community Business Partnership and Virginia Career Works, Northern Region, and is a dedicated Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is also a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians and an alumna of Leadership Fairfax; among other organizations she actively supports. 

Smaw holds both a BS and MBA in Marketing and was recently honored as a 2025 recipient of the US Black Chambers, Incorporated Power 50 Women of Influence award.

Sina Faridimehr

Founder, Enerytics

With over a decade of experience, currently serve as Founder and CEO at Enerytics, leveraging a PhD in Industrial Engineering to drive innovation in resource scheduling and optimization. Collaborate with teams to harness AI, statistical modeling, and machine learning for actionable insights. Also contributing as an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, teaching probability and statistical modeling. Passionate about integrating advanced data-driven solutions to optimize processes and empower organizations to achieve their goals. Aiming to foster innovation and sustainable growth by merging technical expertise with strategic vision.

Gisele Stolz

Senior Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact, George Mason University

Senior Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship with expertise in technology commercialization, startup acceleration, program management, ecosystem development, research translation, workforce development, and cross‑institutional partnerships. Proven success leading NSF I‑Corps, cybersecurity workforce programs, university incubators, and makerspace operations. Skilled in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, grant management, faculty training, and innovation ecosystem leadership.

Stephanie Zimmermann

Fractional COO, ARTriculate

Stephanie Zimmermann serves as the George Mason University Alumni Association Vice President for Student Engagement. She is enthusiastic about engaging with fellow alumni and students, fostering connections that support the university community. 

Stephanie graduated from the Costello College of Business in 1993 with a BS in Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems and was honored as a Prominent Patriot in 2017, and has been a volunteer for the university for 7 years. She and her husband, Russ, are avid Mason basketball fans —season ticket holders for the men’s and women’s basketball team and proud supporters of the Patriot Club. 

Beyond the university, Stephanie is the fractional COO for ARTriculate, a Washington, DC-based college admissions consulting firm. With over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business strategist, Stephanie has a proven track record of transforming ideas into successful ventures. Her expertise spans business planning, operations, marketing, team management, and customer experience design.

Michele Joseph

Chief Executive Officer | President | SGAP Leaders | NEXT GENERATION INC

Prior to founding SGAP Leaders, Michele held several senior and entrepreneurial positions. She secured roles as the Senior Vice President of a boutique marketing firm in New York City, and the Director of Brand Strategy, Training and Execution for Klick Consultants LLC – her brand marketing consultancy – where she aligned teams through clear messaging. Michele lead teams within the information technology, engineering, e-recycling, nonprofit, federal government (DOD, HHS), and small business sectors. Ms. Joseph also partnered with the corporate brand management team at Verizon Communications as the manager of merger issues. She also worked as the strategic marketing representative for the Government Systems division of Silicon Graphics, Inc where she developed successful target marketing initiatives for DIA, DISA, NSA and Lockheed Martin. 

Michele completed her MBA in strategy and marketing from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, and her BSc in Biology/Environmental Sciences from Catholic University of America. She taught marketing, public relations, and entrepreneurship to high school, undergraduate and graduate students. She was a runway model for Wilhelmina Modelling Agency and the house model for Liz Claiborne – Sports. 

At present, she is a board member of Nonprofit Montgomery and co-leads the Advocacy Committee. She is an Amber Fellow with the Montgomery County Black Collective as well as a member of the Downtown Silver Spring Rotary. She launched the for-profit arm of SGAP Leader entitled NEXT GENERATION INC, and mentors young adults affiliated with her Alma Mater. She resides in Silver Spring, Maryland and enjoys museums, travel, tandem sky-diving and acrylic painting.

Eboni Borden

WISH, Program Director, Melwood Community Services

Yolonda Earl-Thompson

Founder and Executive Director, LAZERA Ministries

She is the Founder and Executive Director of LAZERA Ministries, a community-based organization dedicated to providing human-centered programs that foster healing, leadership development, and restoration for individuals and families facing hardship. Through her leadership, LAZERA has developed initiatives such as youth leadership programs and community resource efforts that strengthen communities along the Route 1 corridor. 

Yolonda is widely recognized as a trusted community convener and sought-after facilitator, supporting regional institutions, foundations, and nonprofit coalitions in integrating lived experience into decision-making and systems change. She has partnered with organizations including the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Northern Virginia Health Foundation, Melwood, and Fairfax County initiatives to guide community engagement, strategy development, and collaborative problem solving. 

In addition to her organizational leadership, Yolonda frequently speaks and facilitates regional conversations on community wealth building, health equity, and collective impact, including presenting at the George Mason University’s DNova Summit. 

She holds a BA in Communications from George Washington University and an MA in Family and Marriage Counseling from Liberty University, and she is a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Yolonda leads through a servant leadership philosophy and her **4 Ps Model—Power, Privilege, Proximity, and Purpose—**which encourages leaders to remain accountable to community voice while advancing equitable change.

Timm Johnson

Director, Mason Small Business Development Center

Timm Johnson is the Director of the Mason Small Business Development Center, which services Northern Virginia.

Vineet Chhabra

Adjunct Faculty, Marketing, George Mason University

Vineet Chhabra is a senior global product, innovation and marketing strategy executive with over 25 years of experience in the EdTech, Consumer FinTech, Non-Profit, and Consumer Products industries. 

He has deep expertise in developing and scaling new products and creating compelling consumer experiences, from concept to market, in internal and external start-ups. Vineet specializes in new product development, innovation, digital strategy, and market entry strategy, aimed at growing and transforming businesses through technology and digital solutions. 

Vineet holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi, India. He earned an MBA in Marketing from the University of Delhi, India, and has another MBA, majoring in Strategy, from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. 

Vineet has been an Adjunct Professor in Marketing at George Mason since 2018. He is a recent empty-nester and lives in Fairfax County with his wife.

Sampson Addo

Program Manager; I-Corps Program, George Mason University

Sampson Addo is currently the Program Manager for the George Mason University NSF I-Corps, NIH REACH, and Commonwealth Cybersecurity Initiative - Accelerator (CCI+A) Programs. With a fervent dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, Sampson supports and empowers researchers and innovators in higher education as they navigate the rigorous technology commercialization process, ensuring their technological advancements have a tangible impact on society. 

Sampson's expertise and passion have led him to present at numerous conferences, where he showcases his commitment to technological innovation and commercialization and their profound effects on human life. A significant achievement marks his journey: alongside two colleagues from the University of Ghana, Accra, Sampson developed a proposal that secured a World Bank grant. This grant helped establish a Technology Development and Transfer Center at the University. Driven by a relentless pursuit of progress, Sampson Addo continues to inspire and lead the charge in bridging the gap between academic research and practical, life-changing applications.

Jody Keenan

Director, Virginia SBDC - George Mason University

I lead the Virginia SBDC Network of 25 offices with a team of 70+ who are small business advisors, trainers, cheerleaders and advocates. This remarkable team supports over 11,000 business every year helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses all across Virginia. Our clients include retail, tech, hospitality, life science, professional services, manufacturing, craft beverage, IT, AI, cyber, agriculture in rural, urban, suburban, coastal and mountain communities. Let us know how we can help you and your community -- VirginiaSBDC.org. 

I am a proud member of Mason Nation at George Mason University. The Virginia SBDC is part of Mason Enterprise that connects business advisory programs, incubators, entrepreneurial spaces, and tech transfer services to support entrepreneurs at any stage. Learn more at the Mason Enterprise website.