A graduate of MIT in electrical engineering and computer science, Owen is an entrepeneur focused on connecting people. Early tinkering with computers led him to MIT, programmable LEGOs, virtual spaces, and ultimately the early World Wide Web. A founder of Interdimensions web-conusltancy, the Webmasters' Guild, and a mentor for entrepeneurs, Owen began conceptualizing Making Progress in 2002. Owen is currently President of Investment Instruments Corporation and remains active in his local community through Connect Providence.

Jon brings to Making Progress a deep understanding of technology gained through more than fifteen years of professional experience. He currently works as the senior systems architect at Investment Instruments Corporation. Previously he co-founded Digital LightCircuits, a venture-funded optical component startup. He has consulted for the BrookHaven National Laboratory and a number of technology start-ups, and worked for Sycamore Networks and the MIT Lincoln laboratory. While at at Lincoln Laboratory, he was instrumental in the Air Force securing over one billion dollars in funding for the Airborne Laser program and was the principal investigator for a number of successful defense-community-sponsored research projects. He is an expert in spectroscopy, chemical and biological sensors, statistical and numerical analysis, optical turbulence, optical telecommunications, and web development. Jon received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT and his B.A. from Cornell University. He holds several patents and has published over ten peer-reviewed journal articles. He recently served on the Gainsborough Neighborhood Association and is a director of Concerned Citizen's Group in Watertown, MA.

Joost studies Innovation Everywhere, from invention in research labs through action in entrepreneurial startups and innovation ecosystems. He is a graduate of the Management of Technology program at MIT Sloan with his thesis "The Innovation Institute: From Creative Inquiry Through Real-World Impact at MIT". Prior to MIT Sloan, Bonsen ran the MIT Founders Project which quantified the economic impact of MIT-related entrepreneurs, findings ultimately published by BankBoston as "MIT: Impact of Innovation". Formerly an entrant, mentor, judge, and Lead Organizer of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, he was instrumental in the growth of and recent doubling of the prize fund to include a Development and Social Impact Track. Joost is co-founder of the Howtoons Project, distributing educational cartoons showing kids everywhere "How To" build things using everyday materials and tools. He is co-founder of the MIT Innovation Club, TechLink and numerous entrepreneurial events and gatherings, including the MIT Chairmannars, including the IAP Nuts & Bolts of Business Plans with Joe Hadzima and Developmental Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovations with Sandy Pentland, and most recently Neurotechnology Ventures with Ed Boyden & Rutledge Ellis-Behnke. He has hosted a weekly television show HighTechFever since 1999 (over 250 unique interviews with inventors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, professional service providers, and more) and has run entrepreneurial networking VentureNights at the MIT Muddy Charles Pub since the mid-1990s, as noted in The Venture Cafe, Joost also received his Bachelor's in Bio-Electrical Engineering at MIT.

A devotee of Modernist poetry and prose, Jake Furbush holds a B.A. in English from Boston College, a master's degree in professional writing from Emerson College, and secondary school teaching certification from the State of Massachusetts. Jake began his professional career in the bookstore community as a seller and buyer at Waterstone's Booksellers' flagship US store in Boston's Back Bay, a position which led him to academic publishing at Harvard University Press. As Associate Sales Director for the Press, he was responsible for the sales and marketing of HUP's list to national wholesale and retail accounts and for operational support for the then-fledgling Internet bookselling accounts that now dominate the industry. Subsequently, Jake spent five years as a content specialist at Interdimensions Corporation. After two years of teaching English literature and composition at Waltham High School in Massachusetts, he returned to academic publishing and is now Electronic Marketing Manager at MIT Press, a job which marries his interest in literature and publishing with his abiding passion for technology as a means to facilitate positive change and disseminate the best, most reliable information to the widest possible audience.

Nick is a creative systems engineer who finds innovative ways to help businesses and organizations perform better. He is currently the Manager of Operations at Investment Instruments Corporation, a provider of online residential real estate services iiProperty and The Rentometer. In the past, Nick has designed and built infrastructure for a diverse array of companies. At SeaWave, he engineered communications systems for the maritime industry used on thousands of vessels world-wide. In addition to managing SeaWave's vast customer networks, Nick also designed an imbedded Linux device that facilitated the remote management of equipment on vessels from the shore. He has managed logistics and technical operations in a variety of industries in North America, Europe, and Asia. He tries to approach situations with a beginner's mind believing that the most elegant solutions to problems are often found that way. Nick received a B.S. from the New England Institute of Technology where he studied Network Engineering. He is an active member of his community, investing time and resources in community building and improvement projects.

Steve is the VP of User Experience for PROTRADE. He joined PROTRADE from Interdimensions, a company he co-founded with Owen Johnson where he designed and architected a range of advanced products including online game engines, web publishing systems, web site registration systems, and personalization engines. Steve received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and biomedical engineering from Duke University.

Training language instructors from multiple cultures while studying psycholinguistics at Compania Linguistica in Mexico City sparked Mike's ongoing field research in what has become his lifelong interest--human behavior and the art of persuasion. Over the past 15 years Mike served as a Tri-lingual interrogator in the United States Army, established his own corporation by the age of 25, motivated people to excel at his fitness Boot Camp in Boston and Philadelphia, and served as the New England Regional Manager for an international health care company. Experiencing first-hand the powerful influence media has over public opinion, political action and financial success, Mike pro-actively embraces the media to promote his personal opinions, non-profit fund raising, and business ventures. An on-call analyst for CNN, Mike has been interviewed hundreds of times for TV, radio, newspapers and magazines. He has completed six documentaries in the past eight years; the last two received praise from Al Gore and the New York Times. In addition to presenting annually at Roger Williams University School of Law, he's participated in panel discussions at Brown, Georgetown, MIT and NYU.

After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Graphic Design in 2002, Sally has practiced design independently and in collaboration with other artists and designers. Her interests and professional experience extend well beyond the traditional realm of design into economic development, smart growth, public art, the craft movement, activism, and philanthropy. Her design work is focused in print media, including identity design, brochures, stationary, books, catalogues and cards. She also has experience in web design, interface design, textile design, signage design and many other media. She has managed design projects for organizations and businesses including W Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The South Side Community Land Trust, Jack Richter Studios, PUENTE, The Steel Yard, and the Portland Arts & Cultural Alliance. In 2002 she co-founded PUENTE, a non-profit real estate and economic development organization based in Providence, Rhode Island.