Laura Murphree
Managing Editor & Communications Director
Laura oversees all editorial and communication details for Smart Cities Connect, building on more than four years as Assistant Marketing Director with the Southwest Region at Whole Foods Market. Prior to Whole Foods, Laura served as Executive Director at CleanTX Foundation in Austin and supported clean tech marketing efforts at Austin Technology Incubator. Now, at Smart Cities Connect, she combines her passion for social impact with her love of societal enrichment at the local level.
Chelsea Collier
Editor-at-Large & Managing Partner
Chelsea facilitates partnerships and encourages collaboration within the Smart Cities Connect community. She is an avid evangelist for uniting technologists, entrepreneurs, government leaders and elected officials for the civic and social good. She is Co-Founder of Impact Hub Austin, Founder of Digi.City, a Principal at Intercambio Group and an Eisenhower Fellow focused on Smart Cities in the US and China. Chelsea brings her experience as a Senior Advisor to Texans for Economic Progress, a statewide technology coalition, to the broader global community.
Rich Erb
Executive Director, City Programs and Events
Richard is the Executive Director of the Smart Cities Innovation Summit global event series. Rich’s career has focused on building partnerships and business development opportunities in the information communications technology (ICT) and robotics industries. In his role as Executive Director, Rich is building content programs, managing partner relationships and establishing a global series of Smart City programs as premier global events for internet of things (IoT) technologies for public applications. Rich has an M.S. in business management from Lesley University, and a B.A. from Colby College.
Regina Ramazzini
Community & Partnership Director
Regina specializes in smart cities, innovation community development and networking programs, with prior experience in venture capital events. Regina’s 15+ years managing conferences provides her with expertise in onsite conference and trade show management, content development, speaker recruitment, and sales. Her experience ranges from private equity and VC investment programs to nanotech, cleantech, and city/island communities. Regina holds a B.A in Political Science and a minor in Spanish from the New York State University at Albany.
Matthew Laudon
Vice President, TechConnect Division
Matt has spent his career supporting entrepreneurs, corporates, and federal agencies accelerate innovation into industry and society. Matt has co-founded multiple technology accelerator companies and non-profits ranging from nanotech to cleantech, from start-up advisor to funding vehicle management; vetting thousands of innovations annually. Matt has an engineering Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and has developed a keen interest in supporting cities, islands, and resilient communities through innovation.
Bart Romanowicz
Vice President, TechConnect Division
Bart is an expert in matching technology capabilities with industrial needs and has developed all process algorithms behind the TechConnect commercialization partnering programs, matching thousands of emerging technologies with corporate and investment commercialization interests from around the globe. He has served as a visiting scientist at the MIT, and as a technology development lead with numerous start-ups and technology commercialization firms. Bart has an M.S. and Sc.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, with over 40 publications and patents.
Katie Bornfleth
Marketing Specialist
Katherine Bornfleth brings 17 years of experience to the role of marketing specialist at TechConnect. She is an expert information driver with past experience in sales coordination and marketing analysis. Prior to TechConnect Katherine worked at Coastal Beverage Company where she oversaw the sales incentive program. She earned her bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and continues to call Wilmington home today.
Susan Stewart Morgan
Database Management & Analyst
Susan is responsible for market research and database development and management. She has a Master's in Biology from Colorado State University and an M.B.A. in International Economics and Marketing from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Susan has worked in market research, sales management, and as a college instructor. Susan is based in Mexico, where she additionally manages an education support program in Telchac Puerto Yucatan.
Michael Suarez
Marketing Communications Specialist
Michael is the Marketing Communication Specialist for TechConnect. In his role, he supports TechConnect's external marketing communications, partnerships, and innovations services. With over 6 years of experience in marketing, communications, and direct sales, he brings expertise in email marketing, social media and website management, as well as data analytics. Michael holds a B.A. in Interpersonal Communications and an M.A. in Strategic Communications from Michigan State University. He is currently based in McAllen, Texas.