Commercializing an idea or a business takes a lot of time, resources and people. The Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation is familiar with the process. Established in 2023 through a $10 million gift from the Brock family, the Center works with innovators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University to accelerate the commercialization of their discoveries through collaboration with industry partners.
There’s one local and familiar partner that’s making an impact on innovators and students.
Through collaboration with Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, students in two different courses— the full-time MBA Strategy & Operations Consulting Course and the Weekend Executive MBA Capstone Strategy Project Course— work directly with founders and innovators from the Brock Family Center to help them get closer to reaching their goal of commercialization. On top of courses working on projects with innovators, the Center fields students to complete internships with them as well.
The Brock Family Center began working with the Owen Graduate School of Management when it was established in January 2023. The partnership strengthens the Brock family’s relationship with the Owen Graduate School of Management, too. John F. Brock III and Mary Brock have been strong supporters of the school for many years as members of the Owen Century Partners and John previously served on the Board of Visitors.
According to Jon Lehman, adjunct professor of management and faculty director of executive education, the collaboration is a great fit.
“Our business-oriented teams bring a valued perspective and complimentary skills to a technical or scientific-oriented founder,” Lehman said. “The issues they are facing are a fantastic way to apply the skills they have learned over the course of the MBA curriculum.”
Lehman’s goals for projects between students and founders goes beyond applying coursework to a real-life situation.
“They are not only focused on solving the client’s needs but they are also learning a process that they can use for other team problem-solving for the rest of their careers,” Lehman said. “The framework consists of a team development approach, a problem-solving process and a set of structured communication skills. We evaluate them primarily on client feedback and whether they delivered in my assessment, ‘commercial quality’ consulting work product.”
Lehman’s most recent executive MBA class worked with Brock Family Center innovator Blythe Corbett, PhD and SENSE Theatre®.
Dr. Corbett is an associate professor at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology and Investigator with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and Center for Cognitive Medicine. She is the Director of the Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) lab, a translational research program focused on reciprocal social functioning and stress response of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). SENSE Theatre ® is a peer-mediated, theater-based, intervention research program designed to improve the social and emotional abilities of children, adolescents and adults with ASD and with its success, Dr. Corbett is looking to commercialize and reach more people across the country.
“While I have a foundational understanding of business, working with the EMBA class and the Brock Family Center has been illuminating and instructive,” Dr. Corbett said. “The team provided me with clearly articulated business models, strategic goals, price sensitivity analysis and budgetary considerations.”
Now, Dr. Corbett feels more prepared for the next steps in the commercialization process.
“The collaboration with the Owen Graduate School and the Brock Family Center has been transformative by providing a roadmap for SENSE Theatre® based on rigorous market analysis and broad business expertise,” she said. “It is allowing me to think not only as a scientist, but also as an entrepreneur in order to create, build and set higher goals.”
Lehman’s students also found the collaboration to be beneficial to them.
“The project was a seamless blend of creativity and clinical application, aiming to make a real impact on the lives of participants,” said Misty Leitsch, a student in the executive MBA course. “Blythe’s passion and dedication to the project were truly inspiring, and the collaborative environment fostered innovation and growth.”
Leitsch, a non-profit executive, said her professional experience helped her throughout the project with Dr. Corbett.
“My professional experience as a nonprofit executive significantly shaped my contributions to the SENSE Theatre® project,” Leitsch said. “Leveraging leadership skills honed through years of guiding non-profit initiatives, I was able to bring a strategic perspective to the project. I utilized skills in strategic planning and resource management to ensure that our efforts were both efficient and effective. Additionally, my experience in securing funding and building partnerships was invaluable in supporting the project's goals and ensuring its long-term viability.”
Addison Cheek, another student in the executive MBA course, noted Dr. Corbett’s passion for her research and project as well.
“Dr. Corbett is so passionate about her research and improving the lives of people with ASD,” Cheek said. “She has years of impactful programming, so our team had to capture an incredible amount of information in a very short period to make sure we understood her research, the ASD therapy industry, and Dr. Corbett’s vision for SENSE Theatre®.”
While Cheek doesn’t have a background in non-profit work like his classmate Leitsch does, his professional experience in business development went a long way in the project.
“Coming from the construction materials industry, I was initially worried about how much I could bring to the table for a theater,” Cheek said. “My experience in sales and business development seems to be applicable to a wider range of needs than I realized, and I was pleasantly surprised to see my thoughts and feedback being considered throughout the process and utilized in our final presentation.”
The project was mutually beneficial, with students providing their expertise to Dr. Corbett and while learning to apply their knowledge to help a budding nonprofit grow.
“The experience working with the EMBA class has been remarkably informative and enlightening,” Dr. Corbett said. “I was not expecting the depth of knowledge and expertise shared with me to assist in planning next steps.”
Leitsch credits her education for giving her the tools and skills necessary to successfully navigate the nonprofit world in her career and with the SENSE Theatre® project.
“My education at the Owen Graduate School of Management further enhanced my ability to apply business principles to nonprofit work, focusing on sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and impact measurement,” she said.
Working with the Brock Family Center and Dr. Corbett also gave the class a way to positively impact an organization that’s changing the lives of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder, as well as their families.
“The opportunity to support SENSE Theatre’s® mission through Vanderbilt’s EMBA program allowed us to understand the inner workings of a nonprofit and overlay the skills we have learned in our courses to create a roadmap that will hopefully open a world of opportunity for people with ASD to improve their social and emotional functions based on Dr. Corbett’s extensive research,” Cheek said.
The Brock Family Center looks forward to continuing their partnership with the Owen Graduate School of Management to provide students and founders with a way to collaborate and accelerate the commercialization of their innovations and businesses.
