Jeff Johnson
Founder + CEO
our team
At STEMComm Ventures, our team is composed of passionate and experienced professionals dedicated to advancing innovation and bridging the gap between ideas and impactful solutions. We bring our diverse backgrounds and experiences to provide comprehensive support and guidance to startups and established businesses alike. With a commitment to fostering creativity and collaboration, we work tirelessly to turn visionary concepts into reality, driving progress and making a difference in the world. Together, we are STEMComm Ventures!
Jeffrey Johnson, MBA, is a distinguished executive and an entrepreneurial force behind several transformative ventures. As the founder of STEMCOMM Ventures, he champions the advancement of high-tech innovations and supports underrepresented tech entrepreneurs in tackling global sustainability challenges. Johnson's collaboration with prestigious entities like NASA reflects his adeptness in navigating complex projects that make a lasting impact, affirming his role as a catalyst for change and growth in the high-tech entrepreneurial landscape. His strategic acumen and entrepreneurial spirit has helped catalyze the transformation of a mere concept into the 100-acre Tech Center Research Park, establishing a beacon for technological research and development. With a storied career that includes leadership roles at Goodyear and Armstrong World Industries, Johnson has a strong record for driving growth and fostering key relationships. A Tulane MBA graduate with a foundation in Chemistry from Virginia Tech, his credentials are further solidified by a Six Sigma Champion certification. Johnson's zest for jazz, sports, and exploration speaks to his multifaceted approach to life and leadership.
Ralph Sampson
Partner
As the Founder and CEO of TSG, Ralph Sampson, a basketball legend and Hall of Famer, is renowned for his college and NBA career and business savvy. Standing at 7 feet 4 inches, his unmatched versatility and skill earned him multiple college Player of the Year awards, All-Star titles, and the NBA Rookie of the Year, revolutionizing the center position. Beyond basketball, Sampson has excelled as an entrepreneur, applying his strategic insight across various industries and emerging as a formidable figure in the business world.
Transitioning his leadership from sports to business, Sampson has made significant strides in investments and innovation, demonstrating a keen understanding of market trends. His entrepreneurial ventures highlight his adaptability and forward-thinking approach to navigating the corporate landscape.
Sampson's commitment extends to community involvement and philanthropy, focusing on youth empowerment, education, and health. He has made a lasting impact through his charitable efforts, showcasing the power of giving back. Ralph Sampson's legacy embodies excellence in athletics, business acumen, and community service, serving as an enduring inspiration across multiple spheres.
Jose Vasquez
Strategic Advisor – Marketing
In addition to his accomplishments in tech and marketing, José’s role as Chief Marketing Officer at Growth Opportunity Partners, Inc (a community financial institution). exemplifies his commitment to driving positive social change through economic empowerment. At Growth Opps, he champions community development, small business lending, advisory services, and clean energy solutions, significantly impacting small businesses in underserved communities. His efforts in supporting the GO Green Energy Fund underscore his dedication to sustainable development and his capability to lead groundbreaking initiatives addressing economic and environmental challenges.
As a co-founder and CEO of Amnestydebts.com, José introduced a creative solution to alleviate financial burdens on millions of Americans, showcasing his innovative approach to societal problems. His work with this platform highlights both his entrepreneurial spirit and his deep compassion for those in need. His foundational role in seeing through and supporting the strategic exit of Kinko’s to FedEx, and similarly guiding Flozio.com from its inception to a successful exit, underlines José’s adeptness at steering companies not just to market leadership but also through significant corporate milestones.
A dedicated community leader, José has invested over seven years on the Board of Directors for JumpStart Inc. (an early stage investment fund and community development organization), including most recently serving as Vice Chair. Here, he has been instrumental in catalyzing economic impact, fostering inclusive entrepreneurship, and innovation within Ohio, with JumpStart managing over $140 million in investment funds and contributing to over $1 billion in economic impact returns.
José’s broad expertise encompasses business planning, digital technology development, creative design, financial analysis, and more. His passion for promoting equity and inclusion is evident across all his endeavors, making him not only a formidable force in technology and marketing but also a respected advocate for community development and sustainability.
A paragon of multidisciplinary leadership, José embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence, innovation, and societal uplift. His overarching commitment to generating tangible impacts, combined with a profound dedication to equity and inclusion, positions him as an indelible force for good in today’s dynamic global landscape.
Beyond the boardrooms and strategic developments, José is a devoted father to three wonderful children. This role brings him immense joy and pride, and grounds his professional ambitions in a deep and personal commitment to nurturing the next generation.
Joe Meredith
Strategic Advisor - Research and Innovation
Damon House
Advisor - Innovation Partner - TechnologyMedia and PR
Ellis Jones
Strategic Advisor - Operations Excellence
M Von Nkosi
Innovation Partner - Community
M. Von Nkosi directs operations and project implementation specializing in strategies to renew and revive communities. He provides oversight and leadership in collaboration with diverse stakeholder groups and consultants to achieve common goals.His leadership has allowed him to support the completion of real-estate development projects, task management, financial tracking, public policy, public health, equity, entrepreneurship business development, technology transfer and disaster recovery efforts. Hiscommunity revitalization work has included urban design and safety (CPTED) projects, including schools, multi-family mixed-income housing, mixed-use developments, and municipal buildings. Through his extensive work with diverse teams and communities on issues of redevelopment, diversity, and equity, he came to design and bring the smartphone platform, Mi Rialiti [my reality] to market with private investment (mirialiti.com).Von led the initiative and business case for mixed-income and affordable housing in metro Atlanta through ANDP, Inc. He established a diverse group of 70+ representatives from public and private sector developers, lenders, land/transportation planners, architects and public officials, private companies and philanthropy to help shape public policy and address regional issues of housing affordability making it easier for developers and municipalities to build mixed-income and sustainable developments. He founded ILI to help build organizational stability and capacity building for CBOs, knowledge capture and transfer of leadership experiences across generations (i.e., Next Gen, Mid-Career, Bridge, Encore and Emeritus) and the uplift of innovative projects/programs for funding/financing. His extensive leadership and contracting background allowed him to successfully negotiate and enter ILI into a five-year agreement with the NASA GSFC to help move patented NASA technology into the marketplace.
Cory Thompson
Strategic Advisor – Media + PR
Development & Fundraising Administrator Journalist and Humanitarian.
Cory Thompson has had a varied career as a Marketing and Fundraising professional for 15 years working with the Technical College System of Georgia. Before that he was a respected and Emmy award winning broadcast journalist for more than 25 years.
Thompson currently is the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and serves as the Executive Director of the TCSG Foundation and the Technical College Foundation Association. In recent years he also has done various freelance broadcast projects, including working for Media Miracles Inc., Fulton County Government TV, Home Depot Security video projects, Pro Video Talent and others. Prior to that, Thompson was an anchor/reporter for WAGA-TV FOX 5 in Atlanta. He also held news anchoring/producing and reporting positions in Cleveland Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, California and his home town of Des Moines Iowa.
During his career, Thompson has been active in a variety of community programs, including the American Cancer Society and Neighboring Mental Health Services, the Alzheimer's Associataion and most recently sits on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chapter of the Parkinson Disease Association. He has also been honored for his reporting and community involvement.
In his spare time Thompson enjoys traveling, photography and bike riding. He is also a tour guide for Bike Tours Atlanta. Thompson is a graduate of Grand View University in Des Moines Iowa where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Journalism. He currently lives in metro Atlanta and is the father of two adult children.
Dr. Rich Antcliff
Strategic Advisor - Innovation
Greg Garrett
Strategic Advisor - Real Estate
Greg Garrett has been in the real estate business since he was 19 years old, starting his own company in 1984. Early in his real estate career, Greg became the #1 agent on the Virginia Peninsula. In 2005, Greg became the #1 agent throughout all of the Hampton Roads, Virginia region. He was recognized by REALTOR® Magazine for leading one of the Top 50 Real Estate Teams in the United States.
Greg has received numerous Outstanding Salesmanship Awards from the Virginia Peninsula Association of REALTORS® and has remained the #1 overall agent in Hampton Roads and the Virginia Peninsula. Greg was also one of 4 brokers selected out of 6,000 nationwide to participate in a 16-city speaking tour across America called, “Recruiting Centerstage”.
Throughout his career, Greg has been recognized in Realtor Magazine as one of the Top 50 Realtors® in the United States. He was the 2005 Recipient of The Good Neighbor Award, which recognizes Realtors who have made an extraordinary impact on their community, or on the national or world stage, through volunteer work. Greg is also the former President of the Virginia Peninsula Homebuilders Association.
Greg is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Virginia and North Carolina, has his Certified Residential Specialist designation (CRS), and is a Graduate of the Realtors Institute (GRI).
Vikram Rajan
Strategic Advisor – Legal, Intellectual Property
Vikram Rajan is Founder & Managing Partner at Stratospheric, a boutique consulting firm that offers a customized blend of strategy, finance, and intellectual property services for innovation-focused organizations. Vikram brings experience from Goldman Sachs as an investment banker where he advised C-suite clients to strategically transform their high tech operations through M&A, partnerships, and financings. He worked at Deloitte as a management consultant, where he helped found and scale a consulting practice for digital manufacturing strategy and intellectual property management. Vikram earned an MBA and JD from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Pritzker School of Law, and a BS and MSE in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Mark Honecker
Strategic Advisor - Government