Dingman Center Fellows

Dan Goodman, Senior Fellow for Renewable Energy

Dan Goodman is a serial entrepreneur with over thirty years of experience in starting and running product, service and consulting businesses. He has extensive experience in bootstrapping start-ups, product development, technology transfer and business development. Dan was the founding Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Maryland’s Office of Technology Commercialization, where he promoted the licensing of University-owned inventions to business and industry. He served as the CEO of Zernike USA, Inc., the U.S. arm of the Zernike Group, a science park and venture fund management firm based in The Netherlands with offices in 12 countries.

Dan is the Senior Fellow for Renewable Energy at The University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business and an Entrepreneur in Residence at the nationally recognized Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, where he focuses on social venturing and assisting startups. He is the faculty advisor for the Smith School’s NetImpact Board Fellows program, which places MBA candidates on the boards of nonprofit organizations in mutually beneficial pro-bono engagements.

Dan served as Acting Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the U.S.-China Science Park, the People’s Republic of China’s first science park outside of mainland China, and served on the Advisory Committee of the Chesapeake Innovation Center, the nation’s first Homeland Security incubator. Dan is a member of the Board of Directors of HandsOn Toys (a specialty toy company), Eneractive Solutions (an energy services firm), and Volante (an automotive-focused TV production company), as well as a member of the Board of Advisors of Hook and Ladder Brewing Company, Goozex (video game trading) and several other companies and venture funds. Dan is a Scientific Advisor to the University of Maryland’s New Markets Growth Fund. He is a frequent moderator, panelist, and lecturer on the topics of new venture creation, entrepreneurship, and renewable energy.

Dan has been interested in renewable energy since he built his first methane digester in 1977 using canine waste. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Biodiesel University, a not-for-profit organization focused on educating middle school through college students, teachers and the public on environmental stewardship and renewable energy topics, and inspiring students to choose careers in science and technology.

Dan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland and has studied Technology Transfer at the National Institutes of Health’s Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences. His profile appears on LinkedIn.

Mark Walsh, Smith Senior Fellow

Mark L. Walsh is the managing partner of Ruxton Ventures, LLC, a private equity and investment firm he founded in early 2001. Ruxton has made investments in a number of technology and service companies, including Blackboard (NASDAQ:BBBB), Half.com (Acquired by eBay), Day Corporation (SWX:DAYN), IndustryBrains, Transactis, Visual Systems Group, Inc., Phocuswright, and many others.

He served as Chairman of the VerticalNet (NASDAQ:VERT) Board of Directors from July 2000, until February 2002. Prior to that, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from August 1997, to July 2000. Before joining VerticalNet, he was a Senior Vice President and corporate officer at America Online, Inc. from 1995 to 1997. He founded and managed AOL Enterprise, the business-to-business division of AOL. Prior to his position with AOL, Mr. Walsh was the President of GEnie, General Electric's online service. He currently serves on a number of private company and non-profit boards of directors and advisors. He was a board member and chairman of a number of interactive and technology trade associations.

He has been active in many political causes: as CEO and co-founder of Air America Radio in early 2004; as head of internet operations for the John Kerry Presidential Campaign in 2003; and as Chief Technology Advisor to the Democratic National Committee in 2002. He was named man of the year by the Maryland State Democratic Party in 2001.

He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and B.A. from Union College, where he serves as a trustee.

Dr. Brent Goldfarb, Research Fellow

Dr. Brent Goldfarb is Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship in the M&O Department at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Goldfarb’s research focuses on how the production and exchange of technology differs from more traditional economic goods, with a focus on the implications on the role of startups in the economy. He focuses on such questions as how do markets and employer policies affect incentives to discover new commercially valuable technologies and when is it best to commercialize them through new technology-based firms? Why do radical technologies appear to be the domain of startups? And how big was the dot.com boom? Copies of Dr. Goldfarb’s publications and working papers have been downloaded over 1200 times.