Meet the Team

Abigail Ingram is executive director of the Polsky Exchange, a 34,000-square-foot incubator space that leads the Polsky Center’s engagement with the South Side community through programs and initiatives that support local business owners and entrepreneurs. Abigail is passionate about the role of entrepreneurship as a pathway to opportunity and the importance of measuring impact.

Prior to joining the Polsky Center, Abigail launched the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, and served as its inaugural director for three years. While at WEI, the nation’s first comprehensive institute for women founders, Abigail designed and proved a model that measurably increases economic empowerment for entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur herself, Abigail also taught courses at Driehaus in Entrepreneurship Law, Entrepreneurship Strategy, and Women Entrepreneurs.

She launched her first venture, a music studio in Denver, Colorado, in 2009, and spent four years exploring sustainable business models for creative entrepreneurs. Abigail is a practicing attorney who founded and runs a boutique law firm that provides legal counsel to entrepreneurs.

Abigail  earned her J.D. and an M.A. in English from DePaul University. She went to undergrad at Eastern Illinois University, where she also studied English.

Vince Beachum is Senior Program Manager and Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Director at Polsky Exchange.  In this role, Vince is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Center, day-to-day operations, including one-on-one advising, strategic business & feasibility planning, business development, financial analysis & modeling, accessing capital, market research and education & training to new and existing business owners.  Vince also focuses on community outreach, works closely with community organizations, businesses and industry leaders in effort to align resources, initiatives and training.

Vince is a Desert Storm Veteran and has over 20 years of experience working for Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric and John Deere, where he led multiple business units in operations optimization, cost reduction, profit maximization and strategic growth.  After leaving the corporate world, Vince spent 12 years as owner of several small businesses, including a mechanical engineering company and logistics & distribution franchise.  Prior to joining Polsky Exchange, Vince worked as an Illinois and Indiana SBDC Business Advisor.  He is also an adjunct professor for the City Colleges of Chicago where he teaches in the Business and Supply Chain Management disciplines.

Vince earned his B.S. in Process Management from Franklin University and an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.  Vince is a golf enthusiast, comedy buff and audio books fanatic.

Barbara Agyapong serves as the Program Manager at Polsky Exchange. She manages community-facing programs and completes research on program effectiveness. She is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, managing and evaluating daily operations of various Polsky Exchange programs.

Barbara advocates for social justice, inclusivity and development, with a passion for social innovation and a commitment to fostering positive economic and social change. Throughout her career, she has worked across sectors, from academia to the non-profit world and corporate environments, consistently delivering impactful results, developing strategies, fostering partnerships and driving community development. As an ENACTUS alumnus, she has been actively involved in empowering communities and fostering collaboration on a global scale.

Prior to joining Polsky, Barbara worked in Social Impact at Wright-Patt Credit Union, Ohio managing the organizations DE&I programs whilst assisting them in achieving their Corporate Social Responsibilities through policies that promote transformation and drives community development. These experiences have equipped her with a global perspective and a deep understanding of effective policy and program implementation.

Barbara holds an MA in International and Comparative Politics from Wright State University, Ohio and a BA in Political Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.