Kathryn Hyer is a Partner of the Illinois Emerging Technologies Fund I and II, early stage venture funds focusing on commercialization of Midwestern based, research derived technology.  Her portfolio responsibilities include Pier Pharmaceuticals (now Cortex), and Diagnostic Photonics.  Ms. Hyer was with IllinoisVENTURES, LLC since it began operations through February 2013 (11 years).  In that time she was involved in the formation and development of several life science companies in the IV portfolio, including Cell Habitats, NexHand, and Vanquish Oncology.  Prior to joining IV, Ms. Hyer served as the Chief Financial and Administration Officer for Quark Biotech (now Quark Pharma), a venture funded company.  Previously, she spent fourteen years in investment banking, most recently as the founder and head of the Health Care Corporate Finance Group at EVEREN Securities, now Wells Fargo, covering a range of health care sectors, including medical information, services, medical device and therapeutics, with both venture backed and publicly held companies. She recently served on the Board of Trustees of Aquinas College and is a member of the National Advisory Council of Cleveland Marshall College of Law.