Management

R. Mark Van Allen
President

Mr. Van Allen has been the President of the UConn R & D Corporation since January 2003. Prior to that, he held financial and operating positions in early stage investor-owned partnerships and companies. For the past ten years, Mr. Van Allen was the Managing Director of Morgan Pacific Company, Inc., a firm involved in technology transfer opportunities and investment and market analysis in Asia for U.S. based technology companies. Morgan Pacific also develops distribution and sales networks for U.S. technology firms selling products in China.

Prior to Morgan Pacific, he worked for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Rotan Mosle, Inc., two full-service investment banking houses in New York. He was part of the initial team charged with the development of Science Park (a Yale-initiated business incubator) in New Haven and also developed and served as President of the Bridgeport Innovation Center (a for-profit business incubator) for eight years. He has served as Chairman and President of the Connecticut Venture Group.

Mr. Van Allen graduated from the Stanford University School of Business in 1981 with an emphasis in finance and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Biology from Stanford University in 1976.

Eleanor L. Tandler
Director of Venture Development

Ellie Tandler joined the UConn R & D Corporation in January 2005. Prior to that, she spent five years as a venture capital investor with Radius Ventures, LLC, a health and life sciences focused, early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City with approximately $100 million under management. While at Radius, Ms. Tandler focused on investments in the healthcare services, information technology, and medical device sectors. Prior to Radius, Ms. Tandler worked for Ernst & Young LLP (now Cap Gemini Ernst & Young) in their healthcare consulting group, providing strategic and operational advisory services, primarily to healthcare and life sciences clients. Her experience includes development and implementation of business models for start-up companies and integration strategies for healthcare provider organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to Ernst & Young LLP, she worked as an analyst with Medimetrix Group, a healthcare strategy consulting firm.

Ms. Tandler received a Master’s in Business Administration from the New York University’s Stern School of Business in 2002 with a concentration in finance and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1994.

Lisa Pichnarcik
Research/Administrative Assistant

Lisa Pichnarcik joined the UConn R & D Corporation in August 2003. Ms. Pichnarcik has over fourteen years of experience in the fields of research and education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Connecticut in 1988, and a Master of Library Science and a Master of Science in History from Southern Connecticut State University in 1996.

Most recently, Ms. Pichnarcik worked as a Library Consultant and Video Instructor for Miss Porter’s School, a prominent women’s boarding school in Farmington, CT. Concurrently, she was an Archival Consultant for the Otis Elevator Company in Farmington, employed through the Winthrop Group, Inc., a history-based consulting firm. Prior to that, she was Branch Librarian and Children's Librarian at the Fairchild Nichols Memorial Library in Trumbull, CT, where she was responsible for carrying out all operations, programs, and policies of the Branch Library. Her background also includes volunteer development and public programming at the Noah Webster House/Museum of West Hartford History in West Hartford, CT, and several years as a research assistant at the University of Connecticut Health Center.