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Palo Alto Businesswoman and Incubator Expert Elected to Board of International Association
June 10, 2008
PALO ALTO, Calif. - Carol Lauffer, a partner with Business Cluster Development, has been elected to the board of directors of the National Business Incubation Association. Her three-year term begins Oct. 1.
Lauffer managed a grant program for incubators in Philadelphia in the late 1980s and later was managing director of the Panasonic Incubator in Silicon Valley. In 2002, she became a partner in Business Cluster Development, a consulting firm based in Menlo Park, Calif. She has since played a management role in several incubation programs, including the Chesapeake Innovation Center in Annapolis, Md., and the Marina Technology Cluster in Marina, Calif. Lauffer also has consulted on many incubator development projects.
Business incubation programs catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. NBIA estimates that in 2005 alone, North American incubators assisted more than 27,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenue of more than $17 billion.
Lauffer hopes to draw on her incubation experiences to help promote NBIA and the business incubation industry. "I'd like to help drive the direction of NBIA and help to ensure that it continues as an industry leader," Lauffer said. "Providing valuable programs and services to members is my key goal as a board member. I also look forward to participating in the strategic planning process to set a course for NBIA over the next 20 years or so."
Lauffer was appointed to the NBIA board in 2006 and then selected by the board to replace a retiring board member in 2007. She currently serves as board secretary.
Based in Athens, Ohio, the National Business Incubation Association is the world's leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Since 1985, NBIA has provided industry professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.
NBIA's board of directors, made up of representatives from leading business incubation programs, governs the organization. The group meets three times a year to discuss association business, including educational programming, finances, member recruitment/services and publications.
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