Presidential Panel Discussion: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Stony Brook University, Main Campus
Student Activities Center, Sidney Gelber Auditorium 3 pm–4 pm
This panel moderated by President Andrea Goldsmith will feature student and alumni entrepreneurs discussing their experience in translating bold ideas into real-world impact. The conversation will celebrate innovation along with the power of the university ecosystem to inspire entrepreneurs and support them in their startup journeys.
Panelists
Kelly Kaon
Kelly Kaon graduated from UCLA in 2024, and is a current third year medical student at the Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine. While at UCLA, she founded Dermatological, a public health organization with the mission of “building skin health and hygiene skills from the ground up today, so young adults have the foundation required to make informed decisions tomorrow.”
Since its establishment in 2021, Dermatological has expanded nationally with 15 branches across academic institutions in the U.S. and 300+ members all united by their passion for skin health education. Dermatological has been awarded the highest community service honor by UCLA in 2022, recognized by the Tylenol Scholars Foundation in 2024, and awarded first place at Stony Brook’s “WolfieTank” Business Pitch Competition in 2025.
Laurie Olson
Laurie Olson is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 30 years of commercial and corporate strategy experience, most recently serving as the executive vice president, strategy and commercial operations at Pfizer Inc. until 2018. In this role, Olson led a global organization accountable for corporate strategic planning, portfolio management, and commercial support functions. Olson was accountable for informing therapeutic area strategies and the utilization of new technologies and analytic methods to drive R&D and commercial productivity. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut.
Olson received a BA in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an MBA in marketing from Hofstra University. She is a supporter of Stony Brook's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences as well as a Women’s Leadership Council mentor emerita and executive board member.
Derek Peterson
Derek Peterson is the founder and chief executive officer of Soter Technologies, an engineering and manufacturing company focused on addressing global challenges through innovative technology solutions. A two-time Stony Brook University alumnus, he holds an undergraduate degree in computer science and is currently pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering. An accomplished inventor, Peterson holds more than 80 patents, including the world’s first vape detector (2017) and the first medical gateway capable of detecting COVID-related symptoms. In 2020, Peterson won the prestigious Roy L. Clayton Technology award and was considered one of the top 50 most influential African Americans in Technology.
Peterson is also a published author on school vaping and a nationally recognized subject matter expert, with media appearances on Today, Good Morning America, CNN, and MSNBC.
At Stony Brook University, Peterson has demonstrated significant philanthropic leadership by establishing the Lewis M. Peterson Endowed Scholarship, co-creating and supporting Wolfie Tank and the SUNY Long Island PitchFest, engaging with local high schools to encourage low-income students to pursue engineering education, and most recently establishing the Peterson-Sanabria Family Endowed Chair in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Loren Skeist
Loren Skeist, MD, a native of New York, received his BA from Harvard, his MD from
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and his psychiatric training at Mt. Sinai Hospital,
becoming board certified in psychiatry in 1977. In addition to private practice, Skeist
served as chief of psychiatric education and chief of consultation – liaison psychiatry
at Lenox Hill Hospital, graduated from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute in 1992,
and was an associate professor of psychiatry with New York University’s Department
of Psychiatry until 1996.
In 1993, Skeist began working at Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp., a family-owned business in Hauppauge, New York established in 1947. His focus was initially on human resources, quality management, continuous improvement, and strategic planning. He was appointed vice president in 1996, promoted to president in 1998 and CEO in 2005. Throughout his career at Spellman, Skeist has focused on organizational development, international growth, and environmental sustainability. He has been a member of the Mid-Market CEO Council of the Conference Board since 2007 and is currently on the Executive Committee. In 2021, Skeist partnered with Stony Brook University to establish the Spellman High Voltage Electronics Laboratory, the first lab of its kind, to encourage interest in voltage power conversion design and foster collaboration in high voltage research.
Spellman encompasses worldwide facilities devoted to the design, production, service, and support of high voltage power supplies for the medical, industrial, security, communications, and materials science industries. The leading strategic partner and preferred provider of advanced high voltage power conversion solutions for original equipment manufacturers in North America, Europe, and Asia, Spellman is positioned to deliver strong results today while ensuring long-term growth.