Welcome our FORGE Ambassadors!
As part of our mission to cultivate entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinking at the University of Arizona, we are excited to introduce our FORGE Ambassadors!
The four chosen individuals are all students passionate about innovation and entrepreneurial thinking ready to represent FORGE across campus. Through meeting with students, presenting to student groups and organizations, and other activities, they will increase FORGE's visibility on campus and expose more students at the university to entrepreneurial concepts.
Get to know our first FORGE ambassadors!
Anne Zlatow
Anne joins the FORGE team as a member of the inaugural class at the University of Arizona's College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Anne graduated high school at BASIS Oro Valley, located across the street from what is now the CVM. She studied at Yale University and pursued a variety of study abroad and work experiences before coming back home to Tucson for vet school.
Anne holds a B.A. in East Asian Languages & Literatures from Yale University and M.S. in Laboratory Animal Science from Stanford University. Anne enjoys drawing and photography and she hopes that her role at FORGE will help others creatively, while also facilitating an entrepreneurial aspect to her art projects. Examples of Anne's art specific to the University of Arizona can be found here.
What are you looking forward to in your role as a FORGE Ambassador?
As a FORGE Ambassador, I look forward to learning from/with diverse thinkers and developing a collaborative FORGE community. My aim is for students to move forward with their entrepreneurial goals and for Tucson to be a vibrantly creative hub.
Nathan Yenerich
Nathan is a junior at the University of Arizona studying biomedical engineering. He is a lab assistant in Dr. Kim’s biomaterials lab at the BIO5 Institute and hopes to start his own company one day. Nathan was born and raised in Chandler, Arizona, before coming to the University of Arizona.
What are you looking forward to in your role as a FORGE Ambassador?
I am looking forward to meeting new people who share an interest in entrepreneurial endeavors. I am also excited to learn more about Arizona FORGE.
Lady Dorothy Elli
Lady Dorothy Elli is a junior at the University of Arizona studying Pre-Public Health and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. As a first-generation immigrant and college student, she hopes to make an impact in global health and international humanitarian law after she finishes her undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Aside from her experience as a research assistant for the College of Public Health, Lady Elli has also been involved in various offices at the University of Arizona. Her professional involvements have allowed her to become a mentor for first-generation students, improve marketing and communication, and learn more about health policy.
Among her fellow undergraduate students, Lady Elli is known for her involvement in numerous organizations that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has held various roles in the Asian American community at the University of Arizona as current vice president for the Pan Asian Council, project director for the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, and former vice president for the Filipino American Student Association. She is a student senator for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, and she served as a peer mentor for programs like TRIO ASEMS and PATH.
One fact about Lady is that she also has entrepreneurial endeavors in food ventures and likes to bake and cook during her free time.
What are you looking forward to in your role as a FORGE Ambassador?
At the University of Arizona, there are students who may not necessarily major in business or anything related to entrepreneurship, but the spirit of innovation and change has driven them to become risk-takers and entrepreneurs in their own way. For instance, my background has helped me to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship through actions such as maximizing networks and resources in college, being actively involved as a student leader in various clubs and organizations on campus, serving as a brand ambassador for local and international brands, and discovering my talents in media and marketing aside from my own field of study.
Moving forward, I hope to serve as a FORGE ambassador to continue to empower others to discover the inner entrepreneur in their identities and involvements.
Adam Ledford
Adam comes to the student Ambassador role via an atypical route. After spending nearly 15 years in retail management roles for companies including Restoration Hardware, Inc. and REI, Adam found an opportunity to start his entrepreneurial voyage in the most fantastic of vehicles: beer!
When Adam and his wife moved to Arizona in 2015, he was able to continue that career as a managing partner at Borderlands Brewing Company here in Tucson. After surpassing sales and growth targets for more than three years as the GM, Adam made the decision to leave the Borderlands brand in capable hands and transition to a silent partner. The reason? To fulfill a lifelong dream of finishing his undergraduate education.
Adam has always been fascinated by the differences between our individual and collective tendencies, and he has found revisiting the academic fundamentals to complement his experiential knowledge to be a humbling and deeply fulfilling journey. His passion for systems-level thinking and organizational optimization lend themselves well to the Business Economics program. His goals for the future include pursuing an MS in Business Analytics through the University of Arizona’s MIS Department and ultimately working in a role rooted in analysis, presentation, and leadership.
What are you looking forward to in your role as a FORGE Ambassador?
I'm excited to connect people and resources. Helping people fast-track their success is a major motivator for me.
Interested in joining the team?
We are still accepting applications for the FORGE Ambassador position on a rolling basis. This is a volunteer position with an average commitment of 3 hours/week with the primary mission of cultivating entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinking at the University of Arizona. Learn more and apply today through the link below!
We are so excited to work with these incredible individuals and can't wait to see their progress over the year. We are certain that their diverse experiences will assist us in reaching a broader student population and expose more students at the university to entrepreneurial concepts.