Mary Nickson

Mary Nickson is an associate director for the Zell Lurie Institute and its Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance where she focuses her time on program initiatives in the venture capital and private equity space. These initiatives build networks among and engage leading members of the global entrepreneurial, venture capital and private equity investment community. Among these initiatives are the annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium, the Michigan Private Equity Conference and the Women Who Fund Forum. In her previous role at the Institute, she managed and executed the Institute's marketing and communications program consistently securing a top spot in the Entrepreneur Magazine and Princeton Review rankings report. After successfully employing her creative approach to her own conference management and event business in the Ann Arbor and Detroit areas that she co-founded, Mary came to the Business School in 2000. Prior to this, she gained several years' worth of rewarding experience driving national regatta sponsorship sales and managing national boat show exhibits at Yachting Magazine in New York. She received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business and earned her Certificate in Management Development through the Executive Education program at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.