Sherri Dente, Esq. has been named Director of the Bauer Hall Innovation Center, continuing its mission to provide resources and collaboration to assist in the creation and growth of businesses founded by students and others in the community.
Made possible by a gift from George and Carol Bauer, the 9,600-square-foot Bauer Hall serves as an economic incubator for entrepreneurship and innovation for UB students and the Greater Bridgeport Community. It includes the Student Entrepreneur Center, where experienced mentors help turn ideas into sustainable companies and the Technology Transfer office, where students from UB and partner institutions get help with patents, commercialization, and invention evaluation. The Bridgeport Accelerator also provides lectures, workshops, and offices for local entrepreneurs.
Sherri Dente comes to the director role with a wealth of knowledge gained from her previous position as UB’s Director of Technology Transfer and Venture Creation, overseeing the Technology Commercialization Group. In that role, she facilitated the transformation of UB and UB partner discoveries into products and services that benefits industry, society, and the Connecticut economy.
“I am thrilled to be part of this team and to have the opportunity to help fulfill the vision of the Bauer Innovation Center,” says Dente. “We have a year ahead packed with events and programs, and I can’t wait to see the impact our center has on the UB and Bridgeport communities.”
Previously, Dente worked as the Intellectual Property Manager at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and as a patent attorney from Wiggin and Dana, LLP. She graduated from Rensselaer with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and from Quinnipiac University School of Law with a Doctor of Law (J.D.). Her experiences and education will serve her well in a job facilitating the creation of new products and services.
“I am delighted to have Sherri serving in this crucially important role at University of Bridgeport,” says Elena Cahill, Vice President of Innovation, Strategy, and Advancement. “Her skills will help take our commitment to economic development to the next level.”
Sherri Dente can be reached directly at sdente@bridgeport.edu.
Eric D. Lehman is the director of publications and associate professor of English at University of Bridgeport. He is the author or editor of 22 books, including “New England Nature, A History of Connecticut Food,” and “Bridgeport: Tales from the Park City.” His biography of Charles Stratton, “Becoming Tom Thumb,” won the Henry Russell Hitchcock Award from the Victorian Society of America and was chosen as one of the American Library Association’s outstanding university press books of the year. His novella “Shadows of Paris” and novel “9 Lupine Road” were finalists for the Connecticut Book Award. He has been consulted on diverse subjects and quoted by The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, the BBC, the History Channel, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and The Wall Street Journal.