Faculty & Staff
Christoph Winkler, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor and Founding Program Director
Phone: (914) 633-2041
Email: cwinkler@iona.edu
Degrees: Ph.D., Educational Psychology, The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Christoph Winkler is the endowed professor and founding program director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which immerses students in an interdisciplinary community of creativity, innovation and personal growth. His work emphasizes the creation of a learning environment that fosters an entrepreneurial mindset through experiential learning opportunities for all students across the College.
As a well-respected leader in entrepreneurship education, Dr. Winkler has been pushing boundaries and re-envisioning traditional academic practices in higher education. He presently serves as vice president of Pedagogy and Learning at The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship® (USASBE), as well as the co-executive editor of the journal Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy (EE&P), playing a pivotal role in advancing the field of entrepreneurship education.
Dr. Winkler received his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and currently holds a joint faculty appointment at Iona College's School of Arts & Science (Psychology) and the LaPenta School of Business (Management). Before joining Iona College, he served on the entrepreneurship faculty at Long Island University (LIU) and Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business. During his time at CUNY, he also served as the associate director of the CUNY Institute for Virtual Enterprise and director for Technology, Innovation and Research at the CUNY Center for Student Entrepreneurship.
Lendynette Pacheco-Jorge
Assistant Director
Phone: (914) 633-2198
Email: lpachecojorge@iona.edu
Degrees: MS, Industrial and Labor Relations, Baruch College
BBA, Human Resource Management, Baruch College.
Lendynette Pacheco-Jorge comes to Iona College with over 15 years of experience in educational services specializing in entrepreneurship. Lendynette also teaches the Introduction to Entrepreneurship & Innovation course at Iona College.
Prior to Iona, she led the Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College, and has several years of experience working with hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs ranging from lawyers and fabric designers to restaurateurs and public relations firms. She specializes in basic HRM practices for small businesses and general business start-ups, and has extensive experience recruiting and managing employees, as well as developing training programs for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Jarlyne Batista Monzon '20MBA
Community Manager
Phone: (914) 633-2047
Email: jbatista@iona.edu
Degrees: MBA with Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Iona College
BBA with a concentration in Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship, Baruch College
Jarlyne's background stems from building alongside local startup companies and working within higher education institutions. Over the past 7 years, she has worked closely with startups – establishing branding, coordinating events, building community, and designing and implementing digital campaigns.
Before joining the Hynes Institute, Jarlyne developed creative content and outreach strategies for several programs within student engagement initiatives at the City College of New York (CUNY). Jarlyne also led graphic communication and marketing efforts at the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College and prior to this, was a part of their undergraduate admissions team supporting the recruitment and engagement of incoming freshman.
Rasheda L. Weaver, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Phone: (914) 633-2187
Email: rweaver@iona.edu
Degrees: Ph.D., Public Affairs-Community Development, Rutgers University
MS, Public Affairs, Rutgers University
MA, Applied Psychology, New York University
BA, Psychology, Lehman College of the City University of New York
Dr. Rasheda L. Weaver is the creator of Weaver’s Social Enterprise Directory, a national, public directory for social enterprises operating in the United States. Dr. Weaver also conducted the first large-scale study of the social, economic, and legal activities of social enterprises in the nation. Her award-winning research has been published in academic journals such as the Social Enterprise Journal, the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, and the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership.
In addition to research, civic and community engagement is a major part of Dr. Weaver’s work. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Environmental Transformation and helped the organization start South Camden Farms, a youth-run social enterprise that sells hot sauce and honey in Camden, N.J.
Danny Potocki '06
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Email: dpotocki@iona.edu
Degree: Master's, International Relations and Affairs, Harvard University
BA, International Economics and Philosophy, Iona College
Danny Potocki is managing director of Accel7, an accelerator that invests in and advises founders and teams building environmental, social and governance (ESG) companies. While in the role of EIR, he will work as a student mentor, helping to build out the Hynes Institute’s mentor and community engagement network. He also will teach undergraduate and graduate capstone courses.
Prior to launching Accel7, Potocki founded Finis Ventures to advise pre-seed technology startups on business development, and was head of strategic initiatives at Praescient Analytics, with projects on six continents in over 40 countries.
He has served as an adviser and consultant on projects at the White House, the United States Congress, the Pentagon, Fortune 100 companies and major nonprofit organizations. Potocki serves on the Board of Trustees of Salesian High School in New Rochelle and is a board member of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC).
Marisol Chappell
Administrative Assistant
Email: mchapelle@iona.edu
Degrees: BS, Education, Dominican College
Marisol Chappell comes to Iona with over 20 years of experience spanning areas in Online Entrepreneurship/Startup, Special Education/Early Childhood Intervention, Hedge Fund/Private Equity and Corporate Law.
Prior to joining Iona, Marisol created an innovative online artisan care package business for natural products Love-in-a-Box, Inc. Before starting her business, Marisol worked as a Special Educator/ABA Therapist at New York Child Resource Center working with families and children with special needs impacting their early lives of development.
She was an executive assistant at Barr Pharmaceuticals and has a managing paralegal background working in corporate bank debt settings at Centerbridge Partners, Esbin & Alter, LLC and Mandel, Katz & Brosnan LLP.
Ivan Reynolds
Graduate Assistant
Email: ireynolds1@gaels.iona.edu
Degrees: BA, Environmental Studies, Connecticut College
Ivan is currently an MBA student at Iona, also studying to receive the advanced certificate in Entrepreneurship.
Ivan is a serial entrepreneur who brings years of event production and leadership to the team. He currently owns and operates a firm that does product sourcing & business consulting for both domestic and international clients. His background includes work in the entertainment and hospitality industries, and higher education. As he moves through the certificate program, he will be launching a new venture in media.