Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board
Elizabeth Elting ’87
Liz Elting, a Trinity trustee since 2016, is founder and CEO of the Elizabeth Elting Foundation. After living, studying, and working in five countries across the globe, she founded TransPerfect—now the world’s largest language solutions company, with more than $1.1 billion in revenue and offices in more than 100 cities worldwide—out of a New York University dorm room in 1992 and served as co-CEO until 2018. Elting has received numerous honors, including Trinity’s Alumni Medal for Excellence in 2007, the Gary McQuaid Award in 2017, and the Kathleen O’Connor Boelhouwer ’85 Alumni Initiative Award in 2022. She also was named to Trinity’s 50 for the Next 50, an initiative honoring 50 women who will have a lasting impact on the future of the College. Elting also is the author of Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business.
Eric R. Fossum ’79, H’14
Eric Fossum earned a B.S. in physics and engineering at Trinity and went on to earn an M.S. and a Ph.D. in engineering and applied science from Yale University. He serves as professor of engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, director of Thayer’s Ph.D. Innovation Program, and associate provost for entrepreneurship and technology transfer at Dartmouth. Fossum invented the camera-on-a-chip technology used in billions of smartphone cameras and other applications. The member of the National Academy of Engineering has co-founded and led several successful start-ups and has published more than 330 technical papers. He also holds 180 U.S. patents. In 2017, Fossum won the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, considered by many as engineering’s Nobel Prize. A Trinity trustee from 2014 to 2022, Fossum has served on the College’s Board of Fellows, STEM Advisory Board, and Engineering Advisory Council. He was honored with Trinity’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2004, an honorary doctor of science degree in 2014, and the Alumni Medal for Excellence in 2017.
Steve Hafner P’23
Steve Hafner serves as CEO of KAYAK, the online travel company he co-founded in 2004. Booking Holdings acquired KAYAK for $2.1 billion in 2013. Hafner also oversees OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations, and sits on the board of SeatGeek. Prior to KAYAK, he helped launch Orbitz, the online travel agency, in 1999 and left after its $1.3 billion IPO in 2003. Hafner earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
John D. Howard ’74, P’27
John Howard, co-managing partner of Irving Place Capital, has more than 30 years of private equity investing experience in the consumer products, retail, and industrial industries. Prior to founding Irving Place Capital in 1997, he served as co-CEO of Vestar Capital Partners, a private investment firm specializing in management buyouts. Previously, Howard was a senior vice president and partner of Wesray Capital Corporation, one of the foremost private equity sponsors and a pioneer in the leveraged buyout business. Howard earned a B.A. in English from Trinity and went on to earn an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management. He is a member of the boards of Bendon, Frame, Good American, rag & bone, SKIMS, and Wolf & Shepherd and previously served on the boards of several companies, including Aéropostale, Safety 1st, Stuart Weitzman, and The Vitamin Shoppe.
Thomas J. Lazay ’95
Tom Lazay is co-founder and general partner at Companyon Ventures in Boston, an early-stage venture capital firm. He previously was a technology entrepreneur, building and selling two technology start-ups in Boston: VoiceSignal, which he co-founded his senior year with a Trinity classmate, and Shaser BioScience, where he served as COO. Lazay earned a B.A. in computer science from Trinity. He was honored with the Alumni Medal for Excellence in 2010.
William K. Luby ’81
Bill Luby, a founding partner of Seaport Capital and co-chairman of the Seaport Investment Committee, has more than 30 years of private equity and merchant banking experience. He is actively involved in formulating the investment process, originating investments and managing the investment activities of Seaport. In addition, Luby works closely with Seaport portfolio companies. Prior to co-founding Seaport in 1997, he was a managing director of Chase Capital, the equity-investing arm of Chase Manhattan Bank. In that position, Luby was responsible for the firm’s investments in media and telecommunications, with a particular emphasis on wireless communications. Prior to joining Chase Capital, he was a managing director in Chase’s Merchant Banking Group. Luby earned a B.A. in economics from Trinity and an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He has served on the Board of Directors at Equinix and on the Board of Visitors at Fuqua.
Daniel Meyer ’80, P’20
Danny Meyer is co-founder and managing partner of Enlightened Hospitality Investments. He also is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and the founder and chairman of Shake Shack. USHG comprises some of New York’s most beloved restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Ci Siamo, and Daily Provisions. Meyer and his team have earned an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards. His New York Times bestseller, Setting the Table, examines the power of hospitality in restaurants, business, and life. A sought-after speaker and educator, Meyer has set industry standards for innovative hiring practices, building culture, and corporate responsibility. He serves on the board of Olo and formerly served on the boards of Sotheby’s, The Container Store, and OpenTable through its sale to Priceline. Meyer, who served as a Trinity trustee from 2015 to 2021, earned a B.A. in political science from the College and was honored with the 175th Anniversary Award in 1999 and the Gary McQuaid Award in 2000.
N. Louis Shipley ’85
Lou Shipley is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he teaches classes in entrepreneurship. As CEO of Black Duck Software from 2013 through 2017, he led the company’s transformation into a global software security leader. In 2017, the firm was acquired by Synopsys, the world’s 13th-largest software company. Earlier in his career, Shipley was CEO of Reflectant Software (acquired by Citrix Systems) and Turbonomic (acquired by IBM). He serves on the boards of Wasabi Technologies, Fairmarkit, CustomerGauge, Leapwork, and Alyce. Shipley earned a B.A. with honors in economics from Trinity, where he was a member of the men’s ice hockey team. As an undergraduate, he studied abroad at the London School of Economics. Shipley went on to earn an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In addition to his role as a Trinity trustee since 2018, he served as a founding member of the Entrepreneurship Center and on the Campaign for Trinity’s Future, chaired the Annual Fund Committee, and advised the Career and Life Design Center.
Gordon Singer P’27
Gordon Singer is an equity partner and a managing partner at Elliott Investment Management, supporting the co-CEOs and co-COOs in overseeing the global situational investing teams. He has been the head of Elliott’s London office since 2009 and a member of Elliott’s Management Committee since 2007.
Kathryn George Tyree ’86
Kathryn George Tyree graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in economics from Trinity. While an undergraduate, she served as president of the Student Government Association. Tyree is a partner of Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), where she oversees the Center for Family Business and Family Office, where she advises business owners and their families. During her nearly 38 years at BBH, she has served as chief administrative officer and, headed Merchant Banking and Sales, Research, and Trading; she currently serves as chair of the Private Banking Investment Oversight Committee and as a member of the Capital Partners private equity Investment Committee. Tyree served as a Trinity trustee from 2014 through 2023 and as co-chair of the quiet phase of the All In campaign. She was honored with the Alumni Medal for Excellence in 2011. Tyree also serves as chair of the board of the Gillen Brewer School.
