Regional and Deputy Regional Coordinators

Amanda Corbel is the partnership alliance manager at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR), the only federal laboratory focused solely on biomedical research. Within the Center for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Amanda supports the FNLCR’s mission to accelerate progress against cancer and AIDS by creating partnerships between the lab’s scientists and external research communities. She also manages programs that aim to advance scientific discoveries and inventions through the development pipeline to de-risk and attract technologies for both partnering and licensing.

Amanda has been an active member of the FLC since 2020, and she is deeply involved in the Mid-Atlantic Region activities. She has supported the current Mid-Atlantic Regional and Deputy Regional Coordinators in surveying and meeting various laboratories in the region to learn more about their technology transfer, licensing and business development activities. By engaging the labs, they identified common problems across the agencies. This process led to a pilot program, the Federal Lab Education Accelerator (FLEX), to address a common lack necessary resources for active marketing, licensing and general technology assessment FLEX fosters long-term collaborations between federal labs and academic institutions by connecting entrepreneurial students with federal labs’ technology portfolios. Amanda has led FLEX since its launch in 2021, and as the FLEX program manager, she maintains close relationships with the participating federal laboratories' tech transfer staff and inventors. FLEX has now expanded to all FLC regions, and all federal labs are invited to join. Currently, more than 20 federal labs and 10 universities are participating in FLEX, and the FLEX portfolio includes more than 100 federal technologies.

In addition to her role in the FLEX program, Amanda is a member of the FLC Facilitate Committee. As a member of the Facilitate Committee, she works with committee members on ways to increase engagement and partnerships that connect the private sector with federal laboratories. She also helped plan and organize the 2021 Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Regional Meeting, 2022 Mid-Atlantic Partnering for Economic Development Meeting and FLC FLEX Program Member Connect.

She holds a BS in biology from Shepherd University and an MS in biotechnology and business management from Mount Saint Mary’s University. She is also a certified project management professional through the Project Management Institute. She is currently pursuing her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Stephen Crutchfield is the deputy of the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific Technology Transfer (T2) office. In this role, he promotes, facilitates and expands T2 activities for the lab utilizing CRADAs, licensing and partnerships. He also assesses lab research while promoting and marketing the lab’s technologies and innovations that may have commercial appeal.  

Stephen began his tech transfer career in 2009 by developing marketing materials to promote NIWC Pacific technologies available for commercialization. His responsibilities grew to encompass all things T2, including agreement facilitation (CRADAs, license agreements, education partnership agreements and partnership intermediary agreements), innovation ecosystem engagement, invention assessment, marketing and T2 training for NIWC Pacific employees. He has facilitated over 150 T2 agreements covering a broad range of topics.  

Stephen holds a double BA in communications and religion from Vanguard University and an MA in television, film and new media production from San Diego State University. 

Sidney Dills has served as the Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) within the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) since July 2025. In this role, she serves as the principal advisor for technology transfer (T2) and builds strategic partnerships with federal laboratories, industry, and universities to advance meteorology and oceanography (METOC) capabilities.

Sidney has revitalized the command's Tech Transfer program, executing over 40 agreements and securing nearly $35 million in external R&D and transition capital. Under her leadership, she re-established the Gulf Coast Tech Bridge, established two Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs) with regional accelerators, and built strong ties to fleet experimentation across two fleets. She also brought the program to 100% compliance, created a command-wide T2 dashboard, and hosted an EPA Innovation Day at Stennis for over 70 students. Nationally, she represents CNMOC within the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC), participating in Lab Showcases, the FLC national meeting, and serving as an annual calendar judge.

Before joining CNMOC, Sidney worked in scientific public outreach and education, then joined the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO)'s Navigation Support Division in 2018, traveling as lead scientist aboard hydrographic survey vessels. From 2021 to 2025, she worked in CNMOC's International Programs department, re-establishing the Foreign Military Sales portfolio, launching the first reciprocal Partner Exchange Program by USN METOC, leading seven R&D agreements, and supporting flag-level engagements with Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and Taiwan. She also served as lead Foreign Disclosure Officer for USN METOC information and briefly stepped into the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff N5 role.

Sidney holds a B.S. in Physics from Furman University and an M.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Calgary. She was named 2023 CNMOC Junior Employee of the Year and received the 2025 CAPT James Stagg METOC Efficiency Award on behalf of the UK Royal Navy.

Dr. Sarah Hibbs-Shipp is the Technology Transfer Manager and leader of the Regulatory Support Services Unit at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC). Prior to joining the NWRC, she was the Director of Communications for Colorado State University’s (CSU) STRATA, the technology transfer unit supporting the CSU system.

During this time, Sarah ran and facilitated numerous educational initiatives, outreach programs, and symposia about intellectual property, technology transfer, and company startup activities. She worked with faculty and student inventors to effectively showcase and market their innovations and managed external communications to include press releases, social media, and the CSU STRATA website. Sarah’s technology transfer experience built upon 14 years of work in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic research world, managing dermatology-focused Phase I-IV human clinical trials and numerous efficacy/claim substantiation cosmetic studies.

Zarpheen Jinnah is a technology transfer manager within the National Cancer Institute’s Technology Transfer Center. Zarpheen provides technology transfer (T2) support to labs within the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development. She works with mission-oriented labs in ensuring their research and development is transferred appropriately through the drafting and negotiating of various agreements, such as CRADAs and other T2 vehicles. She also works closely with researchers to review invention disclosures, pioneering patent protection where appropriate and facilitating licensing of NIH inventions to industry partners and stakeholders in the marketplace. Additionally, Zarpheen works on T2 policy and procedure reviews in the Department of Health and Human Services’s Public Health Service Technology Transfer Policy Manual.  

Zarpheen received a bachelor's degree in biology from Emory University. Soon after graduation, she joined the Emory National Primate Research Center’s Division of Pathology, working in a research lab focused on modeling human infectious diseases in relevant nonhuman primate models, primarily HIV/SIV. In 2016, she began her T2 career in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Technology and Innovation. 

Zarpheen has participated in FLC in working groups to assist in the review and updates of both the FLC Desk Reference and the Green Book.

Joshua Laravie is the Lead Technology Transfer Specialist, Office of Research and Technology Applications, for the Aerospace Systems Directorate in the Air Force Research Laboratory. He collaborates with stakeholders to provide mission support for the Directorate in the areas of technology transfer (T2), intellectual property (IP), and domestic partnering. He explores, recommends, and supports new and existing T2 and partnering program initiatives. Joshua also acts as Subject Matter Expert to solve T2 problems and evolving mission requirements, provides patent portfolio management for license applications and commercialization plans, negotiates patent license agreements, and manages technical and financial compliance. This includes advising on, developing, negotiating, modifying, and managing intellectual property and T2 instruments, such as Patent License Agreements, Software Licenses, Educational Partnerships, Commercial Test Agreements, Information Transfer Agreements, and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. He also handles the process of capturing and protecting IP, helping to identify and transition technical solutions, and enabling partnerships in support of the Directorate’s mission.

Joshua holds an MBA and has 10 years of program and laboratory management experience. He has more than 10 years of experience in customer relationship management and general business experience. He has co-facilitated T2 IP commercialization and marketing trainings at two FLC National Meetings.

Kimberly Minafra is the program specialist for Technology Transfer (Software Release, Licensing) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center. In this role, she orchestrates licensing agreements for NASA’s technology transfer and commercialization efforts by building relationships with partners and stakeholders. She also leads the NASA Ames Software Release Authority (SRA) by ensuring the application of NASA software and technology to private industry while providing guidance to NASA inventors. In addition, Kimberly leads the review of candidates for NASA’s Invention of the Year and Software of the Year competitions, and she works with universities that participate in NASA Technology Transfer University, which allows students to assess NASA technology and software for their projects and degree programs. 

Kimberly has more than 25 years of project management and communications experience largely focused on aerospace, science and technology programs. She builds communities by maintaining strong relationships with partners and other NASA centers. Kimberly has been active with the FLC as the Promote Communications subcommittee Chair for the past two years. She received her BA in communications from Lynchburg College.

Jordan Mizerak is a Senior Technology Manager at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he leads the IP and Technology Valuation team within the Technology Transfer Office. He oversees invention disclosures, patent strategy, and licensing efforts for a $1.5 billion research portfolio and chairs the lab’s Patent Committee.

Jordan also manages data systems integration and supports government transfers and external collaborations. He has contributed to multiple FLC award-winning submissions, helping MIT LL earn several Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards.

Kristine Moes is a VA Field Technology Transfer Specialist based in Tampa, Florida serving the VA medical centers in the state of Florida. She is responsible for negotiating technology and research-related agreements with private sector companies, Universities and other public and private entities and directs the prosecution of patent portfolios arising from the efforts of VA inventors within the state. She also manages VA-University relations related to technology transfer occurring at the VA research centers in Florida. 

Kristine has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida, and a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. It was during her final year of law school that her love for technology transfer became apparent, she interned with the University of South Florida (USF) Technology Transfer Office. 

Prior to arriving at the VA, Kristine was a Licensing Associate at USF for five years. At USF Kristine started as part of the Physical Sciences team but quickly showed that she had knowledge useful in medical device technologies. Her docket became a combination of physical and life sciences. She was responsible for managing her portfolio of technologies from initial disclosure through licensing and the maintenance of the licenses. She has also worked with start-up companies formed at the University that leveraged the Florida High Tech Corridor Matching grants program and the ICORPs program. 

Meghan Sheehan is a technology transfer professional with over 15 years of experience, currently serving as Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA) specialist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Before joining the EPA, Meghan held positions in academic and nonprofit technology transfer offices and led a technology transitions team at an Air Force Research Laboratory Partner Intermediary and Innovation Institute. Meghan is passionate about finding the right partner to move innovations forward on the development pathway to becoming fielded products and services that make a difference for the public good.

At the EPA, Meghan is part of a team that performs Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) functions for the entire agency. Her main roles include invention mining, marketing and sourcing strategic partners for invention development. Additionally, she assists in the creation and negotiation of technology transfer agreements including CRADAs, data use agreements, material transfer agreements, and non-disclosure agreements. Meghan is an active member of FLC’s Awards Subcommittee, and she previously served on the Lab-to-Market Tech Transfer Tools and Services Subcommittee.

Meghan has a BS from Calvin College and a JD from School of Law at Case Western Reserve University. She registered as a patent agent in 2007 and Certified Licensing Professional in 2020.

Nick Velasquez is the Manager of Global & Nuclear Security Partnerships at Sandia National Laboratories, where he leads strategic business development for national security programs. Since joining Sandia in 2018, he’s helped build impactful partnerships across the Department of Defense, delivering mission-aligned outcomes and new funding opportunities.

Nick’s prior roles include leadership positions at Delta Dental of New Mexico and Hewlett-Packard, where he drove major growth in both the healthcare and technology sectors. He holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of New Mexico and remains active in his community through youth sports and leadership nonprofits.

David Zimmerman is the Strategic Partnership Officer at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), where he builds collaborations with industry in fusion energy, microelectronics, clean energy, and quantum. His career spans roles as a scientist, startup leader, IP attorney, and technology transfer professional across national labs, law firms, and universities.

David holds a PhD in experimental high-energy physics and a JD. He has taught the Intellectual Property course at the FLC National Meeting for the past three years and is a committed advocate for strengthening the federal tech transfer community.