Pava Laperre awarded JHU Entrepreneurship Center renaming

Pava Laperre made a huge mark on student entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) long before her alma mater had a space named after her.

Around 2015, when LaPerre was an undergraduate at JHU, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) primarily targeted researchers. On Saturday, Christie Wiskeel, the university’s senior advisor for innovation and entrepreneurship, recalled an email she received from LaPerre criticizing JHTV’s approach and saying it was all wrong. Wyskiel said it was thanks to LaPere that FastForward U was able to provide customized support to Johns Hopkins University and members of Baltimore’s broader community working on business ideas.

Mr. Wiskier made this observation during an event to officially dedicate the building formerly known as Fast Forward U as the Pava Marie LaPerre Entrepreneurial Center.

Abbreviated as the Pava Center by the Johns Hopkins team and supporters, it has been renamed to honor the visionary spirit from which it takes its name.

LaPere, CEO and co-founder of EcoMap Technologies, is an early contributor to innovation and coworking spaces in Baltimore’s Remington neighborhood. Through her efforts, including TCO Labs, the Hatchery, and Emergence Baltimore, she continued to keep people connected and well-resourced until her untimely death last year.

“We are extremely honored to build on the foundation that Pava was instrumental in establishing,” said Josh Ambrose, director of student ventures at JHTV.

Portrait of Pava Lapere in graduation attire on a blue banner near a brown wooden fence.

A portrait of Pava Lapere near the wall where a placard was hung at the dedication of the Pava Center. (Courtesy of JHU)

Pava’s parents, Frank and Caroline LaPerle, live in Tuscon, Arizona, where Pava was born. Ahead of last weekend’s dedication event, the couple praised Ambrose for keeping them connected during the planning of Pava Center.

“Josh Ambrose was very, very helpful in keeping us coordinating and keeping us informed,” Caroline said.

Frank and Caroline were also active in developing the visual components of the space, including choosing which of Pava’s quotes should be printed on placards and what the centrally displayed banner should look like. He told Technical.ly that he was involved.

“We are very grateful that Hopkins opened up to our support,” Frank said.

Caroline and Frank LaPerre and Ronald J. Daniels speak within the white and black interior walls of the Pava Center.

(L-R) Caroline and Frank Laparte speak with Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels during the dedication of the Pava Center in April 2024. (Courtesy: JHU)

While the Pava Center aims to empower and prepare Hopkins students, alumni, and related community change makers to pursue founding careers in Baltimore, EcoMap’s Place Builders Fellowship We aim to further spread Pava’s mission of supporting entrepreneurs across the country. He received 80 applications for the fellowship, which was launched in collaboration with Forward Cities last year and aims to develop participants through development exercises and skills development. After three months, eight of his PLACE Builders fellows, each representing a different geographic region, will return to their home states to pilot or expand projects that address ecosystem gaps.

Meet our eight first PLACE Builders Fellows

“All of these ecosystem builders bring completely unique perspectives to the work they do, which is exactly what we wanted to foster with this fellowship,” said EcoMap’s Director of Business Development. said Kevin Carter in the announcement. “Something beautiful happens when people from all walks of life who are dedicated to making homes a better place through the power of entrepreneurship come together. We are excited to begin this journey with our first PLACE Builder Fellows. I am.”

The innovative spirit driving initiatives like the Pava Center and Place Builders is a dream that Pava’s parents believed would continue to support many entrepreneurs and that they hoped to realize. They say they are doing it.

Pava’s legacy pervades the pair of bills passing through Annapolis. The Pava LaPerre Legacy of Innovation Act, aimed at providing startup grants to student entrepreneurs in the Baltimore area, passed the Maryland General Assembly on Monday. Meanwhile, the Pava Marie Lapere Act, which aims to prevent reductions for individuals convicted of first-degree rape and the most violent sex crimes, is still being considered in the House.

They delivered a powerful message before briefly returning to Arizona ahead of this summer’s criminal trial for Jason Billingsley, who is accused of her murder and a string of other violent crimes.

“Make sure to make a change,” said Caroline. “And I think that’s what’s so beautiful about her legacy. She went through a lot of big changes in her early years, so it’s possible that others will do the same.”

See more photos from the dedication event.