Evan Welsh - Innovation Manager
Evan serves as the Innovation Manager of the Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI). He is a strategic and people-focused leader with over 20 years of experience in business development, mentorship, sales, communications, and organizational transformation.
Throughout his career in the technology, higher education, entrepreneurship and non-profit sectors, he has consistently delivered results in startup and growth programs by connecting people strategies to business outcomes across diverse, complex environments. He brings a strong executive presence, cross-cultural fluency, and a collaborative leadership style rooted in servant leadership and a growth mindset.
Before joining DRCI, Evan led the Global Talent Excellence team within Global Virtual Sales & Engineering (GVSE) at Cisco, supporting sales professionals worldwide. His team empowered talent development and capability building across onboarding, career progression, and early-career leadership programs. Prior to this, he spent more than a decade at SAP in progressive leadership roles, where he led global enablement and communications initiatives, contributed to revenue growth in the midmarket, and spearheaded award-winning campaigns that transformed both internal culture and external perception. Before joining SAP, Evan led public relations and communication at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
On a personal note, Evan grew up in Switzerland and graduated from a Swiss high school. He has also lived and worked in Germany. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Penn State University. Currently, he teaches interpersonal communication at USCB, and has a passion for playing sports, traveling, languages, teaching, and reading. He’s married with two children and a spoiled dog.