Dr. Emily Fehrman Cory
Defense Technology Industry Advisor
Experience: 9 years of experience in management; planning; commercialization and technology transfer; small business development; workforce development; and advanced manufacturing. Government, academia and small business leadership experience.
Prior Work Snapshot: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Chief Technology Advisor for the America Makes: the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Founder and Director of the AFRL Maker Hub, the first Air Force public-private makerspace. Founding Director of the University of Dayton School of Engineering Leonardo Enterprises Business Incubator and Technology Accelerator.
• Conceived, proposed and established the AFRL Maker Hub, in partnership with the Wright Brothers Institute, to promote workforce development and technology transfer through hands-on rapid prototyping in a low-barrier environment.
• Co-led the development of the AFRL-Wright Brothers Institute innovation district in downtown Dayton, piloting new programming, including hackathons, co-working, and rapid prototyping to drive AFRL collaborations with cutting-edge non-traditional partners.
• Established the Leonardo Enterprises business incubator program at the University of Dayton, including grant award process, strategic plan, charter, and establishing the Board of Directors. Mentored 11 startup companies through ideation, prototyping and pre-seed funding, with over 25 student, faculty and alumni members.
• Led the America Makes Institute as part of a two-person government leadership team to build relationships with senior policymakers, including the Secretary of Commerce, congressional staffers, and state and local government officials to create a sustainable model for Manufacturing Innovation Institute governance and continuation of government funding.
Education:
• Ph.D., Electro-Optics, University of Dayton
• M.S. Electro-Optics, University of Dayton
Professorship:
University of Dayton School of Engineering Faculty of Practice for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Taught design, manufacturing, innovation methods, and project management from 2017-2020.
Boards and Committees:
• Launch Dayton Mentor Network small business mentor• Dayton Collaboratory Community of Well-Being Initiative board member
• Make It Dayton chair
• Former CO-OP Dayton West Dayton Makerspace project mentor
• Former University of Dayton Flyer Pitch Competition Judge, Engineering Expert
• Former Chair, Marketing and Outreach Committee for the Engineers Club of Dayton
• Former member of the City of Dayton Manufacturing Task Force
• Former AFRL representative to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Interagency Working Group on Making