Announcing changes to our board of directors is always bittersweet. On one hand, we’re thrilled to welcome our new board members and to benefit from their fresh perspectives, professional wisdom, and enthusiasm as we work toward The Mill’s future. On the other hand, however, we’re also saying goodbye to leaders and friends who have contributed so much to where we are today.
It’s especially bittersweet to say goodbye to board members like Brad Wisler, Ellie Symes, and Erin Predmore. As founder and CEO of Periodic, Brad is a long-time leader and pioneer in our tech startup ecosystem. He’s been instrumental in creating our Mill member community. Whether he’s building a business or assembling a puzzle in the café at The Mill, Brad is expert at putting pieces together to make something new.
Ellie is the co-founder and CEO of The Bee Corp, the first company to graduate from The Mill. We’re thrilled at her success in agritech! We often cite The Bee Corp’s journey as a model for other startups, and we’re still watching their growth and taking notes.
And of course Erin Predmore has served as a leader not just for The Mill, but for our whole community, as President and CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. She’s always been a strong supporter of The Mill and made a huge impact on our success as a member of the executive committee.
To Brad, Ellie, and Erin: thank you. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you.
And to our new board members Ravi Bhatt, Anne McCombe, and Derek Whitley: welcome! Ravi Bhatt is co-founder and CEO of folia (formerly known as Branchfire), one of our newest Mill member companies. Since moving his company from Chicago to Bloomington earlier this year, Ravi has already forged strong connections in our ecosystem. He brings a unique perspective as a software entrepreneur with a background in law. We know he can help us move The Mill forward.
Anne McCombe is the Business Relationship Manager for Mill member MetroStar and a very familiar face in tech circles around here. We’ve partnered with MetroStar many times, including on our upcoming Sprint Week, and have already learned so much from Anne. We trust both her insight and her ability to make things happen.
Finally, Derek Whitley’s level of expertise in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and robotics is, frankly, a little intimidating. He’s CEO of ThinkerLabs at Warrant Technologies. And that’s exactly what makes Derek an invaluable addition to our board: after all, we’re working together to build our tech ecosystem and our economic future. And that future? It’s now. Robots and AI are already here. We need Derek!
With so much talent leaving and joining our board, we’re feeling impressed and grateful for the depth of knowledge and experience in our community. Thank you to all our board members for donating their time and expertise!
See the full list of board members, officers, and executive committee members.