LEADERSHIP & ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE
CENTER LEADERSHIP
Director
MarySheila E. McDonald,ÌýJohn F. Scarpa Professor of Entrepreneurship
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Affiliated Faculty
Richard Booth,ÌýProfessor of Law & Martin G. McGuinn Chair in Business Law
Jennifer O'Hare,ÌýProfessor of Law
Michael Risch,ÌýProfessor of Law
Komal Vaidya,ÌýDirector, Clinic for Law and Entrepreneurship &ÌýAssistant Professor of Law
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ENTREPRENEUR IN RESIDENCE
The Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) position is key to the Scarpa Center’s vision and mission to focus on the intersection of business and law through cross-disciplinary programming, groundbreaking coursework and real-world learning opportunities. During the semester-long tenure, the EIR holds regular office hours to mentor Â鶹Èë¿Ú Law students and other students across campus, advises on and coaches student competitions and offers guest lectures in courses aligned with their expertise. The Center has an EIR each semester during the academic year.
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Spring 2025
Jeff Benjamin
CEO, Federal Donuts & Chicken
Jeff Benjamin is the CEO, investor and board member at Federal Donuts & Chicken. He launched his professional career working in corporate dining in New York. Since partnering with chef Marc Vetri, Benjamin has opened multiple critically acclaimed restaurants, with concepts ranging from large restaurants like Osteria, intimate trattorias such as Amis and innovative Fiorella Pasta Bar.
Benjamin serves as the COO and co-founder of various concepts under the VB Gruppo umbrella and is the co-founder and a board member of the Vetri Community Partnership, an organization dedicated to bringing approachable and accessible food education to the Philadelphia community.Ìý
Benjamin supports entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industryÌýthrough angel investing and consultation. Currently, he serves on the board of Simply Good Jars, a CPG salad product for the food service and grocery industry.
PAST ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCE
Peter Toolan is the founder and CEO of Benebone, a growing brand of dog toys. Previously, he worked on Wall Street in fixed income derivatives at several banks. Early in his career, after graduating from Â鶹Èë¿Ú, he spent five years as an auditor for Ernst & Young.
Toolan is a 1993 graduate of Â鶹Èë¿Ú with aÌýBS in accountingÌý and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is the father of three children. He and his family reside in Westport, Connecticut. In his free time, you can find him playing tennis or traveling with his family.
Peter Groverman ’10, is co-founder and vice chairman of . Headquartered in Philadelphia, Grovara is the first B2B marketplace for natural and organic brands. Its technology platform connects US healthy consumer brands with international retailers, helping to prepare companies for the global marketplace. His other businesses include Product Search Live, an innovative shopping experience; BFY Media, a media network focusing on global wellness health and food; Stretch Gallery, a virtual and physical art gallery in Miami; and the R.E.L.I.E.F. Foundation, a nonprofit helping those affected by natural disasters. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami and a JD from Â鶹Èë¿Ú Law. Groverman served as Â鶹Èë¿Ú Law's EIR in spring 2023.
Terrence Low is an entrepreneur, strategic thinker and cultural innovator with a decade of experience on intrapreneurial teams at Fortune 500 companies like IBM and LinkedIn. His expertise in brand building, identifying and molding emerging market trends has led him to a significant role at Michael Lavelle Wines. In his role as CEO, he ensures that every aspect of Michael Lavelle Wines' vision is executed to the highest standard, blending strategy, creativity and operational excellence. Under his leadership, the company has grown from one market in 2020 to over 15 in 2023, leveraging partnerships with The Alinea Group, Whole Foods, Soho House, Marriott, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and more.Ìý He served as Â鶹Èë¿Ú's EIR in spring 2024.
Jane Winchester Paradis was born in New England, raised in Georgia, attended to boarding school in Massachusetts, went to college in Florida and then started her career in fashion in New York City.ÌýAfter 12 years at Lilly Pulitzer, she left to pursue a dream to build a brand that would connect with customers across the country, creating quality, chic, coin jewelry with meaning behind each piece.ÌýÌýlaunched in December 2017. Paradis served as Â鶹Èë¿Ú Law's EIR in fall 2023.Ìý
Justin Rosenberg is founder and CEO of the fast-casual restaurant, . Established in 2012 in Philadelphia, honeygrow has 20+ locations in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, with plans for additional locations. Rosenberg earned a bachelor's degree from Penn State University and an MBA from Temple University. He served as Â鶹Èë¿Ú Law's inauagural EIR in Fall 2022.
MarySheila E. McDonald
John F. Scarpa Professor of Entrepreneurship
Director, Scarpa Center for Law and Entrepreneurship
Â鶹Èë¿Ú Charles Widger School of Law
299 N. Spring Mill Road
Â鶹Èë¿Ú, PA 19085
marysheila.mcdonald@law.villanova.edu