MEMS Distinguished Seminar: Kristina Johnson, "The Intentional Entrepreneur"

The Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science welcomes Kristina Johnson to present the MEMS Distinguished Seminar, "The Intentional Entrepreneur" on Wed. September 9, 2026.

ABSTRACT: Entrepreneurship is not confined to startups; it is a disciplined way of identifying consequential problems, mobilizing people and resources, and turning promising ideas into lasting impact. This talk draws on lessons learned across academia, government, industry, and venture capital. At Duke University, I co-founded Southeast TechInventures with Karen LeVert to help faculty and students secure nondilutive SBIR and STTR funding, supporting dozens of companies and several successful exits. At the U.S. Department of Energy, I helped launch ARPA-E, the Technology Commercialization Office, and the SBIR Xcelerator, while advancing the STEP energy strategy. I later co-founded Cube Hydro Partners, a clean-energy platform sold to Ontario Power Generation for $1.12 billion.
That same entrepreneurial approach informed the creation of a systemwide entrepreneurship certificate for more than one million SUNY students, the President's Buckeye Accelerator at The Ohio State University, and now Catalyzer Ventures, a deep-tech firm investing in the energy transition, the built environment, and industrial systems. Through these experiences, The Intentional Entrepreneur offers candid, tough-love lessons about choosing problems that matter, building the right team, navigating resistance, aligning capital with purpose, and knowing when to persist, pivot, or let go-including what I wish I had known at the outset, but am grateful to have learned along the way.

BIO:DR. JOHNSON has a distinguished record of achievement in higher education, government, and private industry, serving as President of The Ohio State University and Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY). Before joining SUNY, Dr. Johnson was founding CEO of Cube Hydro Partners, LLC, a clean-energy infrastructure company focused on building, upgrading, and operating hydropower plants in North America.
Prior to Cube Hydro, Dr. Johnson was appointed by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Johnson was senior vice-president and provost at Johns Hopkins University and dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.