In her dual roles of Executive Director, Technology Innovation and Economic Development and Executive Director, James Madison Innovations, Mary Lou Bourne provides leadership over all aspects of moving university initiated innovations into the marketplace, including developing strategies for marketing, licensing and commercialization of intellectual property created by faculty, fostering economic development collaborations, and assisting in the establishment of start-ups. She facilitates the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the region and the state by making connections for innovators and entrepreneurs. Mary Lou worked with local business investors to create the Shenandoah Valley Angel Investors (SVAI) in 2015. SVAI is a network of 29 investors who have injected $7.3M into 17 technology startup companies in 4 years.

Bourne, a C.P.A., is the chair of the Valley’s regional innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem Shenandoah Valley Innovation Coalition (SVIC) and serves as GO Virginia Region 8's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Coordinator. She is a board of director on the non-profit organization Virginia is for Entrepreneurs (VA4E). She will complete JMU's online cyber intelligence graduate certificate program February 2020.