Christine Langley, Chief Operating Officer of the Wyoming Technology Business Center
at the University of Wyoming, recently completed the National Business Incubation
Association's Incubator Management Certificate Program.
NBIA's certificate program provides incubator executives with a comprehensive and
practical overview of the tasks and responsibilities of managing a business incubation
program. The program is designed to enhance managers' skills and to provide them with
opportunities to gain ideas for building stronger relationships with key constituents,
providing effective client services, ensuring incubator sustainability and more.
Although the certificate program is not a professional designation, NBIA officials
say that receiving a certificate is a mark of distinction verifying mastery of incubator
governance, services and policies.
Langley completed a total of 24 hours of training, including three full-day workshops
designed specifically for the program and five elective 75-minute sessions offered
at NBIA's annual conference.
Business incubation programs, such as WTBC, catalyze the process of starting and growing
companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need
to make their ventures successful.
The WTBC looks for high growth companies with an emphasis on technology-related firms.
While a few clients are still in the development phase, the emphasis is on finding
good entrepreneurs who have the potential to grow and develop their own companies
and who are close to taking a product or service to market.
Langley started with the WTBC as an independent contractor and in January 2009, was
hired full time to work with incubator and outreach clients. She was promoted to WTBC
Chief Operating Officer in August.
Before joining the WTBC, she was vice president of a California educational publishing
company specializing in English language development and was part owner of a trade
printing company. She holds a B.A. degree in speech communication with an emphasis
in interpersonal communication from California State University, Fresno.
NBIA is the world's leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship.
It provides thousands of professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking
resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.