MARY O'REILLY, Ph.D.

A track record of successfully driving value creation through new project development in hi-tech fields cutting across sectors defined by academe, industry, government, and philanthropy. Entrepreneurial leadership style combined with commercial acumen and a strategic approach to problem-solving ensures that diverse groups and their programs are guided to achieve impact on time and on budget.

• Utilizing highly effective program selection, management processes and stakeholder engagement refined the Flinn Foundation's annual grants portfolio, a highlight being the recent Flinn Foundation Bio Capital Conference (https://www.flinn.org/bioscience/arizonas-bioscience-roadmap/steering-committee/2025-flinn-foundation-bio-captial-conference/).
• Developed and managed a portfolio of research investments for Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz), CEO, and Board. Including, 26 awards to early career faculty and post-docs utilizing $5 million of philanthropic funds.
• Technical Advisor to Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the state's leading economic development organization in the preparation of state's response to the FAA.
• P&L and strategic planning responsibility for $50 million product portfolio working with a multinational corporation in Ireland, USA, and Asia - drove annual revenue growth of 20%.
• Developed a strong informal network of people from sales to marketing to R&D and supply chain to identify and rapidly respond to customer-specific new product opportunities. Example - development of lead-free SMT fuse for Apple Inc, generating $3 million in first six months after launch.
• Successfully directed the design, build, and launch of a novel optical system for a concentrated solar power (CSP) system with a solar energy start-up. Bringing together and guiding a strong team of collaborators from in-house engineers and scientists at Sandia National Labs to industrial partners and consultants. With a budget was $24 million, the system was validated in 1.5MW solar power plant build.

REVIEWER - National Science Foundation, Governor's Innovation Awards, ASU/Mayo MedTech Accelerator. MENTOR - UA Research Leadership Institute, INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER -, GCU College of Engineering, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AzAMI), Mesa Community College

• Traveling
• Golf
• Hiking