Our EEC Team Expands: Welcome John Knific and EbaNee Bond

EEC is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to our team. Welcome John Knific and EbaNee Bond!

John Knific

We are excited to have John Knific join EEC as our Entrepreneur-in-Residence and lead implementation of the Tech Side Hustle Program. He is a 2009 graduate of Case Western Reserve University where he studied biology and simultaneously pursued his interest in music at Cleveland Institute of Music. John Knific is a serial entrepreneur who has built two venture-backed SaaS companies. He co-founded Wisr.io, which was acquired by Education Advisory Board (EAB) in 2021. Now serving as Managing Director of Product for EAB, he oversees solutions that serve 2,500 universities and interacts with the majority of all high school and college students in the US.
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Knific shared observations on his career with Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship: He believes both his classes at CWRU and other students inspired him on his entrepreneurial journey. “If I hadn't gone to CWRU I wouldn't have been around such a diverse number of smart kids. Regardless of what classes I was taking, those relationships shaped what I ended up doing,” Knific shared. Knific added, “I snuck in an entrepreneurship minor at the end of my college career because I realized I was really into it. Those classes really helped to solidify my passion for entrepreneurship and prepared me for the real world.”

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EbaNee Bond

EbaNee Bond began her new role as EEC Program Manager in September. She is a proud University of Akron alumna who received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Professional Sales Engineering Certificate in 2018. Recently, EbaNee received the 2022 University of Akron "5 Under 35 Award", the 2021 Women’s Network "Impacting Change" Award, and the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce "30 for the Future" Award.

In 2021, EbaNee shared these thoughts with the Akron Beacon Journal: EbaNee Bond’s favorite mechanical engineering class at the University of Akron was Fundamentals of Mechanical Vibration. It explored the theory that every material or system has its own natural frequency and that when a system meets an external force with a similar frequency, there will be unbounded growth. Bond translates that theory to life, her own and to those who live in Greater Akron.
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EbaNee has previously worked at University of Akron Research Foundation and Bounce Innovation Hub. Her specialty is assisting entrepreneurs and innovators with searching for and communicating their value propositions for specific target markets and learning fundamental business concepts. EbaNee currently hosts Diverse Engineering, a podcast honoring and celebrating diverse voices and stories in engineering. EbaNee is focused on operating and growing EEC’s Tech Side Hustle and Tech Internship programs.

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Welcome John and EbaNee, joining team members CEO Deb Hoover and Chief Relationship Officer Reka Barabas!