CORE STAFF
Sarah Lubik - Academic Director
Dr. Sarah Lubik is SFU's first Director of Entrepreneurship. She is the Academic Director of the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship, the National Academic Director for invention to Innovation (i2I), and a senior lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Innovation at SFU Beedie.
Sarah's responsibilities help catalyze the entrepreneurial mindset at SFU include aligning, supporting and building Canada's most comprehensive and interdisciplinary continuum of entrepreneurial support, from engagement with the K-12 system, across all faculties and levels of university education, through to early stage incubation.
She is also actively involved in entrepreneurship, as a mentor and a certified expert business coach, and was co-founder and Marketing Director of a technology-based startup: Lungfish Dive Systems. Dr. Lubik holds a BBA (honours) from SFU, concentrating in International Business and Marketing, as well as a masters and PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she was also NanoForum Fellow.
Sarah’s favourite construct within the entrepreneurial mindset is resilience because it allows us to feel confident and thrive in the midst of the constant changes the world throws at us.
Janice OBriain - Executive Director
Janice OBriain has been at the forefront of engaged entrepreneurship at SFU for almost two decades. She is particularly proud of her work establishing the Institute’s signature incubator program (formerly Venture Connection), which has provided incubation services to 300+ startup teams since 2008 and has helped to launch such impactful ventures as Buyatab, Moment Energy, Employ to Empower and Ionomr.
In her current role, Janice provides strategic leadership for entrepreneurship and innovation at the Chang Institute, leading a multidisciplinary team and working collaboratively across SFU and with external partners to strengthen the university’s innovation ecosystem and expand pathways for students, researchers, and founders.
Janice holds both an MBA in Arts & Media Management and a Diploma in Non-Profit Management from the Schulich School of Business (York University), a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from UVic and was the recipient of the 2020 SFU Staff Achievement Award for Innovation.
Thomas Partridge - Associate Director, Incubator Programs
Thomas Partridge is the Associate Director of Incubator Programs within the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. He manages the mentorship network, early stage Incubator, Science Entrepreneur Accelerator stream, and the Entrepreneurship Co-op, Entrepreneurship Grad, and Post-doctoral curriculum tester programs. He loves working with driven entrepreneurs and mentors and is proud to see the thriving businesses that result.
Thomas has a PMP designation and a BBA with a specialization in Marketing from Capilano University. His background is program and project management in the energy, tech, incubator, and accelerator space. He has worked for BC Hydro, FortisBC, Innovate BC, and Foresight (Canada’s Cleantech Accelerator) among others, and utilizes this diversity of experience to advise, position, and support ventures on their journeys of scaling and growth.
Fiona Li - Coordinator, Incubator Programs AND Communications
Fiona Li is the Incubator Programs Coordinator at the Chang Institute. She works with pre-incubation programs (Spark, Mentor Meet), incubation programs (Venture Connection incubator, SEA stream, eCoop), and supports general day-to-day operations.
Being a recent SFU alumna, she brings to the role a student perspective as well as a wide range of skillsets, including communications, graphic design, digital marketing, event management, data analytics, and project planning.
Bhavika Bhanot - Communications and Events Coordinator (Co-op)
Bhavika Bhanot is the Communications and Events Coordinator at the Charles Chang Institute. With a background in Psychology and a passion for storytelling, she supports the institute’s initiatives by communicating ideas clearly and fostering a strong sense of community.
Bhavika is especially passionate about digital engagement and contributing to meaningful initiatives, thriving at the intersection of innovation and collaboration. She brings curiosity and a creative spirit to her work, helping to amplify the voices and experiences of student innovators within SFU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Outside of work, Bhavika enjoys writing, exploring local cafés, and going on nature walks 🌻✍🏽
Krysta Pallone Helm - Manager, Events and Community Engagement
Krysta Pallone Helm is the Events and Engagement Manager at the Chang Institute. Where there is detailed information and complex ideas needing to be simplified, you’ll find her right at home developing it into messages that resonate and connect our community together.
Krysta’s passion for bringing people together extends to event planning where she thrives off of seeing her plans result in positive, engaging human connections. Previously, Krysta worked in events at nonprofit organizations and different golf courses in the area. She also has experience in sales and public relations during her time at a biotech company. Krysta is also an SFU alumna.
Phoebe Bu - Manager, Communications and Student Recruitment
Dr. Yuehui (Phoebe) Bu is the Communications and Student Recruitment Manager at the Chang Institute, where she leads curricular marketing and recruitment strategies, supports curricular growth and faculty engagement, and oversees institutional communications and data analysis. With a strong background in educational program development and student recruitment, she brings innovative, high-impact programs to the community that cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and connect learners with meaningful, real-world opportunities through strategic partnerships.
Phoebe holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and has previously served at the University of Ottawa and Texas A&M University. She is passionate about expanding experiential learning beyond the classroom and supporting learners’ academic, professional, and personal growth.
EXTENDED TEAM
Ben Chow - i2I Liaison
Formerly Operations Director at the Chang Institute, Ben Chow is the Director of Ecosystem Development & Operations at SFU's i2I Research & Innovation Institute.