The fellows, Ilya Avdeev, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Anne Basting, a professor of theater, are supported by the Mary and Ted Kellner Fund for Entrepreneurship, which was established in 2016 through a gift from the Kelben Foundation to fund faculty and staff at the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center at UWM. The work of the fellows aims to bolster the regional economy by creating new enterprises and helping improve the success of UWM graduates by teaching them skills through hands-on entrepreneurial experiences.