Meet the Team

Gorana Kolar leads the Polsky Center’s alumni and global programming efforts, including the Alumni Growth Forums, Startup Summer, the Entrepreneurial Internship Program, and the Global New Venture Challenge. She enjoys working with students across campus as well as University of Chicago alumni who are aspiring entrepreneurs and growth-stage entrepreneurs.

Prior to the Polsky Center, Gorana Kolar spent four years working at Carnegie Mellon University’s technology transfer office. She worked with faculty and students to help commercialize their research and technology out of the University. She holds a BA, MS, and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mary Kay Loncar organizes and supervises the administrative duties of the Polsky Center, working closely with leadership and staff across the university.

Hannah is responsible for leading and administering the New Venture Challenge, the Polsky Center’s capstone program. This includes oversight of all tracks of the program, including coordination of marketing, fundraising, logistics, and strategic planning.

Nora splits her time supporting the activities of the George Shultz Innovation Fund and Harper Center initiatives, including student awards and fellowships, Booth student-facing conferences, and programs in private equity and venture capital. Additionally, she works closely with Starr Marcello to support the Polsky Center’s key priorities.

Erika Mercer oversees private equity and venture capital programming at Chicago Booth, including the Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab, the Sterling Partners Investment Thesis Challenge, and the Oxford Chicago Global Private Equity Challenge. In addition to advising students on career-related questions, she helps organize the annual student-run private equity and entrepreneurship/venture capital conferences.

Cerise Miller leads the Polsky Center’s global initiatives and international partnership efforts. She is responsible for designing and implementing entrepreneurial programs in Hong Kong and across the globe. She helps drive the international strategy of the Polsky Center, while also serving as a key strategic relationship-builder, particularly in Asia and Europe. Some programs she manages include the CUPP Entrepreneurship Bootcamp – FinTech and BóLè Tech Investor Forum.

Prior to the Polsky Center, Cerise spent two years with the UK Department for International Trade where she was responsible for managing the commercial relationships with financial services and energy firms. She supported British companies entering the US market and worked closely with US firms to develop their international expansion strategy for the UK. She holds dual BA degrees in economics and international studies from American University.

Cerise is based out of the University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong.

Lucas Peralta focuses on  innovation programming including the Polsky I-Corps program, the Collaboratorium,  the Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3), and the New Venture Challenge among others. Lucas has valuable experience coordinating volunteer boards, implementing mentoring programs, managing digital marketing, and recruiting volunteers for key programs.

Crissy Ritter supports the Polsky Accelerator, the Global New Venture Challenge, and additional programs for the Polsky Center. She is a contact and resource for teams, speakers, attendees, and more while managing these events.

E.J. Reedy is the senior director of the Polsky Exchange, the Polsky Center’s 34,000 square foot co-working space on 53rd street in Hyde Park. In addition to his role at the Polsky Exchange, E.J. leads the Polsky Center’s fintech initiatives and the Polsky Accelerator program. He is a global thought leader in entrepreneurship, having spent the last decade working for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest philanthropy devoted to promoting entrepreneurship. E.J.’s research and commentary has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and a host of other global outlets.

Steph Avalos-Bock is a UChicago alumna and hardware entrepreneur. At the Polsky Exchange, she is responsible for the educational workshops and events and the mentorship program. She also runs the Polsky Incubator, a program for ambitious startups working full-time out of the Polsky Exchange. Steph offers weekly office hours to advise entrepreneurs on all aspects of starting a startup, from ideas to testing and building products.

Cindy Domecki is responsible for all visitors’ first impressions of the Polsky Exchange both in person and through telephone. Additionally she assists with various administrative tasks.

Elizabeth Koprucki manages the Polsky Center’s Fab Lab where she works with entrepreneurs and researchers to create prototypes. She oversees the Fab Lab’s programming and connects Polsky Exchange members with the hardware and software resources and expertise they need.