Our Team
Leadership
Michelle Cote
Interim Director
A two-time UConn alumna with a B.A. and M.B.A., Michelle brings extensive experience in entrepreneurship education and innovation ecosystem development. She joined the School of Business in 2017 to help re-invent the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). And, in the ten years since then led the development and growth of several of the center’s signature programs including: Accelerate UConn (part of the NSF’s National I-Corps program network); the CCEI Summer Fellowship Accelerator, and the Wolff New Venture Competition.
In 2018, Michelle was also appointed to lead the development of Launc[H], a public-private partnership between the State of Connecticut and over 30 corporations, colleges and universities, and community organizations, working together to create a visible and vibrant innovation ecosystem in Hartford. Under her leadership, over $15M was invested in programs which have cemented Hartford’s reputation as a key center of InsurTech and digital health innovation, and set the groundwork for the city’s current strategy to become a center of excellence in applied AI.
Michelle has been widely recognized for her contributions to entrepreneurship and innovation in each of these capacities. She was named one of the Hartford Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business (2022) and as a startup founder, was recognized by O, The Oprah Magazine as one of 80 entrepreneurs nationwide with “Ideas That Could Change the World.” Across her work at UConn and beyond, she has mentored more than 250 startup teams, helping students faculty and alumni transform creative ideas into viable ventures that are improving lives.
Previous to her experience at UConn, Michelle provided coaching and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in South America and Afghanistan in partnership with USAID and the Department of State; founded and led a social enterprise called The Purpose Project; and designed and launched an accelerator, focused on social enterprise for reSET, in Hartford, Connecticut.
Kathy F. Rocha
Associate Director
Werth Institute Operations, Signature Programs and Events
Kathy F. Rocha is Associate Director of the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The Institute guides students through the ecosystem of programs and resources that help them identify and develop their ideas, potentially leading to entrepreneurship. It also provides targeted programs that foster curiosity, ideation, and innovation. Her leadership includes Director of the Innovation House Learning Community which brings together like-minded students with an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship. She also teaches a class for students interested in using their entrepreneurial skills to get a job or start a business.
Prior positions at UConn include entrepreneur-in-residence for the School of Engineering including the Third Bridge Grant and Quiet Corner Innovation Cluster (QCIC) programs. She was involved with the creation of UConn’s entrepreneurship consortium which was the precursor to the Werth Institute.
Kathy has a passion for business and mentoring students, startups and established organizations. Her background includes an impactful career as an executive in the computer networking industry with positions in venture-backed startups and F100 companies including Bytex, 3Com, and Cisco Systems. Kathy is an angel investor, initially with Golden Seeds in Boston and a judge for many notable business plan competitions in MA and CT. She is a board member of Day Kimball Hospital and trustee of the KeepSmilin4Abbie Foundation. Kathy holds a bachelor's in political science and MBA degrees from Providence College in Providence, RI.
Staff
Katie Britt
Director of Leadership Development
Werth Innovators Program
About Katie
As the Director of Leadership Development at The Werth Institute, Katie empowers the next generation of innovators. She oversees the Werth Innovators program, guiding undergraduate students as they transform their ideas into tangible realities. With a passion for creativity and mentorship and a keen eye for talent, Katie fosters a supportive environment where students can thrive through collaborative learning.
Before joining the Werth Institute, Katie worked in regional government and education. She holds degrees from the University of Connecticut - a BA in Sociology and an MA in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development. Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and pets, gardening, and exploring her creative side through floral design.
Julie Gehring
Director of Mentorship & Student Development
NetWerx Program
About Julie
Julie is the Director of Mentorship and Student Development at the Werth Institute, where she helps students develop an entrepreneurial mindset. For more than five years, she has been a key part of the Institute’s mission to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the university.
Her leadership includes facilitating initiatives designed to connect students with alumni mentors and resources. In addition to her role at the Institute, she is a Ph.D. candidate at UConn, focusing on how emerging entrepreneurs can develop opportunity recognition skills.
With over a decade of experience as an entrepreneur, educator, and consultant, Julie has advised a range of organizations on workforce and talent development strategies. She has taught courses on communication and entrepreneurship at several colleges, including UConn.
Julie holds a master's degree from Emerson College and a bachelor's degree from Towson University. She is passionate about building communities and cultivating meaningful relationships that help people grow both personally and professionally.
Dr. Zeljko Mirkovic
Associate Research Professor at Werth Institute
Award winning film director/ producer with 133 international awards and 2 Oscars qualified documentaries.
About Zeljko Mirkovic
Contact: zeljko.mirkovic@uconn.edu
Dr. Mirkovic is award winning film director/ producer with 133 international awards and 2 Oscars qualified documentaries.
He has PhD in documentary field with thesis "Documentary Through the History of War and Peace.
He is teaching Entrepreneurial Approaches (how to make short films on smartphone) at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.
For the University of Connecticut, he directed awarded documentaries “Innovation in Connecticut”, “He is UCONN- Big Red” and created and still running social media video story telling campaign “Welcome to UConn”.
Currently, Dr. Mirkovic working on several documentaries for UConn about science and athletics achievements.
Dr. Zeljko Mirkovic is the founder, owner and CEO award winning production company Optimistic since 2007. He is a creative and innovative developer of feature films, television series, documentaries, promotional films, media campaigns, and commercials.
His feature documentaries “The Second Meeting” and “Tesla Nation” were an Oscars qualified Nominee by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has cinema distribution New York and Los Angeles and was screened over 100 times in the US and included in more than 30 the most important world’s archives and libraries.
Created, directed and produced 50 episodes of documentary series My Dear Friend Science (2020-2022) about today’s science projects at Columbia University, MIT, Harvard University, NYU and Wentworth University, Basel University.
Script wrote, directed and produced all feature documentaries and documentary series, corporate films and promotional campaigns. More about his work: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2455958/
Judy Reilly
Director, Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation (CNDEI)
About Judy
Judy joined The Werth Institute in 2021 to design and direct a national academic center to address barriers that block bright, professionally capable autistic and neurodivergent individuals from meaningful, successful employment outcomes. UConn’s center educates employers in practice change and better connects neurodiverse college students and alumni with opportunities.
Judy is trained in special education law and spent two decades securing services, supports, interventions, and strengths-based approaches to enable neurodivergent children and adults to thrive.
She earned her MBA and bachelor's degree from University of Michigan and is the parent of four adult children, two of whom live with neurodivergent conditions that have significantly impacted their educational and employment journeys.
Aaron Rosman
Operations Manager & Fiscal Officer, Werth Institute; Assistant Director, Innovation House
Operations, Finances, & Events; Innovation House
About Aaron
Passionate about the student experience, mentorship, and sustainability, Aaron looks to blend the experiences he had as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Connecticut into the work he does for the Werth Institute. Aaron seeks to build connections with and mentor students who are interested in sustainability, natural resources, or just looking to navigate UConn. He’d be the first to tell you that most routes in life are “unconventional” but that does not make them any less meaningful!
Aaron holds an MBA and BS in natural resources, both from UConn .
