The Spring 2026 Great Plains Hub Regional I-Corps Cohort Will Run From Tuesday, January 20th to Monday, March 9th
Spring 2026 Cohort Instructors
Chris Broberg
Chris is the Interim Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and brings a combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial insight, and institutional leadership to the role. Since joining Wichita State in 2008, Dr. Broberg has played a pivotal role in advancing the Barton School’s entrepreneurial mission. From advising WSU’s student entrepreneurship group to leading the small business consulting program, he has consistently championed innovation and venture creation. He served as lead instructor for the WSU NSF I-Corps Site from 2016 to 2020, guiding both campus and community teams through the commercialization process.
Heidi VanRavenhorst-Bell
Heidi is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Human Performance Studies, and Manager of the Human Performance Laboratory at Wichita State University. Over the past 30+ years she has developed a systematic and interdisciplinary network conducting collaborative research focused on exercise physiology, orofacial myology, neurocognition, biomechanics and functional performance. Her entrepreneurial background has further led to three start-up companies, development of several products, and established a platform to mentor aspiring researchers.
Gary Brooking
Gary is the inaugural Chair and Professor of the Applied Engineering program, where
he provides hands-on learning experience. Gary thrives in startup environments and has successfully established new academic
programs, departments, and several for-profit startup companies. He has a background
in electrical and biomedical engineering, which is the lens through which he views
most problems.
