Ideas Over Lunch forum explores possibilities
A black pebble graced the seat of every attendee at the Ideas Over Lunch Forum. While the small stones may have seemed out of place initially, their importance would soon be understood as Dr. Carlyle Rogers, director of Licensing & Commercialization, explained the symbolism of the small stones in his opening remarks at the inaugural event.
“Today’s theme is centered on the ripples of innovation,” he said. “At ECU, we know that a single idea – like a single pebble dropped into the water – can create ripples that extend outward in ways we may never fully predict. I’d like for you to take a moment, pick up your pebble and think of the ripples you can generate.”
ECU provost Chris Buddo, left, stands with Ideas Over Lunch panelists Dr. Stella Vnook, Spencer Snedecor, Deanna Meador, ECU Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer and Interim Chief Research Officer Dr. Sharon Paynter and Dr. Carlyle Rogers, director of Licensing and Commercialization. (contributed photo)
The forum, hosted by ECU’s Office of Licensing & Commercialization on Nov. 18 as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, celebrated innovation and explored how creative thinking can shape the future of ECU’s campus region and broader community.
Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer and Interim Chief Research Officer Dr. Sharon Paynter gave a recap of ECU’s innovation history and how it is embedded in the institution’s DNA, beginning in 1907 and continuing to a recent football game when two fans in the student section took their shirts off and started a movement that reached over 1,000 individuals to reinvigorate the team and fans in a comeback victory. Among the highlights are ECU’s development as a teacher’s training school, granting four-year degrees in 1920, televised courses for credit in 1954 and launching fully online degree programs in the 1990s.
“Innovation doesn’t stop at education. It extends into research, health care and beyond. Innovation at ECU is not just about ideas, it’s what happens when curiosity meets opportunity,” she said.
Paynter highlighted the three principles that have guided how innovation takes root and provided ECU examples.
- Innovation begins with curiosity but becomes transformative when a key insight or resource reframes what’s possible.
- Faculty-led innovation creates impact that strengthens communities and economies.
- A thriving innovation ecosystem depends on reciprocal value exchange.
She concluded her remarks by reminding attendees that ECU’s innovation story began with a simple but powerful idea: to serve.
“Our mission is not to innovate for innovation’s sake but to ensure that every breakthrough, every partnership and every idea strengthens the people and places we call home,” she said.
This idea of how innovation strengthens the fabric of our campus and region was echoed in the inspiring remarks and video messages from national leaders, including Dr. Paul Sandberg, president and founder of the National Academy of Inventors, and Dr. Stephen Susalka, CEO of AUTM. Both organizations play a pivotal role in elevating the importance of innovation and supporting the advancement of discoveries from universities, research institutions and hospitals into the marketplace.
The forum concluded with a dynamic panel discussion featuring Spencer Snedecor of TenX Consulting, Deanna Meador of Couture Technologies, and Dr. Stella Vnook of Likarda. With Snedecor serving as moderator, they explored the mindset and mechanics behind successful innovation, which included everything from scaling companies and building resilient teams to navigating investment, dealing with failure and the lessons it taught, commercialization pathways and real-world deployment.
Snedecor closed the discussion by taking questions from the audience. In their answers, Meador highlighted the importance of doing customer discovery and learning soft skills while Vnook discussed mission driven entrepreneurship. Their stories demonstrated how wide-ranging ideas, from AI-driven apparel fitting to advanced cell-therapy manufacturing, are shaping industries and creating new opportunities.
Attendees left with a reminder that innovation does not begin and end in a single room, event, or discovery. It is a continuous process that relies on collaboration, courage, and the willingness to nurture the ripples that ideas create.