Meet the Team

James Hart

James Hart President & CEO

Perri Richman is the Black and Latino Investment Fund of NJ administrator in addition to her work as a corporate strategist, ESG advisor and technology founder. Perri is the co-founder of Inspire Global Ventures, a firm advancing early-stage investment and entrepreneurship, and bringing institutional market intelligence and management technology to small and mid-sized organizations. As part of her work, Perri advises middle market PE firms and their portfolio companies on leading change, branding, growth and ESG strategies; and serves as an ESG subject matter expert at Real Chemistry, a leading biopharmaceutical advisory firm.

Perri invests, advises and serves on the Boards of women, minority-owned and social impact growth companies and participates on non-profit Boards centered on entrepreneurship and economic development including Accendus and Empower the Village. She previously led corporate marketing, communications, ESG positioning efforts and the corporate foundations for industrial technology giants, Ingersoll Rand, Trane Technologies and American Standard, and consulted prior with B2B and B2C blue chip public companies.

Perri earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and a master’s degree in industrial / organizational psychology from the University of Hartford. She is a certified executive coach, change leadership professional, and reputation and crisis manager with advanced credentials in social impact design thinking and impact investing.

Scott Ewing

Principal Business Analyst

Scott Ewing is a co-founder and Principal Business Analyst in the Appalachian Investors Alliance not-for-profit corporation, leading investment due diligence for a network of micro-venture funds that represents over $20 million in local angel investors’ capital. He is a financial industry veteran, experienced in market research and analysis, investment sales, asset management, technology transfer and commercialization, and venture capital operations. From 1985 to 2005, he served as a US Naval Aviator, performing in challenging assignments as a search and rescue instructor, executive transport pilot, and operational intelligence officer.

Scott graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a degree in Government and English. He earned a master’s degree in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Saint Joseph’s University Haub School of Business; another, in International Relations from Troy University; and earned a diploma from the US Naval War College. Additionally, he has completed post-graduate studies in Telecommunications, Business Administration, and Decision and Systems Sciences. Scott has built his career on serving with excellence. Based in East Tennessee, he’s accomplished as a writer, and is a voracious reader with interests ranging from engineering and applied technology to arts and humanities. He is an outdoor enthusiast, enjoys keeping fit, and stays passionate about growing economic value to create positive societal outcomes in the American “Heartland.”

Steven B. Mercil

Steven B. Mercil Fund Management and Formation

Steve Mercil is widely recognized as “the most prolific angel group founder in the nation.” He oversees creating new angel funds for the Appalachian Investors Alliance network of micro-venture funds. He’s founder and CEO of RAIN Source Management, LLC, and since 1998 has created over 35 seed- and early-stage investing funds capitalized between $1 and $3 million, across 14 states, involving over 600 accredited investor members. Collectively, these funds have invested in excess of $40 million in over 100 companies, creating over 4,500 jobs and prompting $750 million in follow-on investment by other funds.
Mercil is also a principal in the $15 million InvestAmerica NW venture group, and General Partner in Invest Northwest fund focused on middle-market and later-stage companies. Earlier in his career, Mercil was an equity fund manager for the not-for-profit Minnesota Technology, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, and as a director and Treasurer in the Angel Capital Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in statistics and measurements from the University of North Dakota.

Jeremy Turner

Business Development Officer

Jeremy Turner is a Business Development Officer and Entrepreneurship Education Project Manager for AIA, and he is the Founder and President of the business consultancy, EPIC Mission, Inc. Mr. Turner holds a BA in Psychology from Marshall University and an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He is continuing his education by pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus on Management and Entrepreneurship from Marshall University’s Brad D. Smith Graduate School of Business. Jeremy is a DISC-Certified Behavioral Consultant and holds additional certifications in a variety of entrepreneurial methods and platforms, including the Entrepreneurship Management Certificate from InBIA and Ash Maurya’s LEANSTACK Certified Mentor designation. Mr. Turner is a sought-after coach, consultant, and instructional content producer, and he has created customized curriculums and delivered trainings on a variety of topics including board development, business and nonprofit operations, business model development, creativity and innovation, strategic planning, organizational development, and social enterprise development.

Beyond his work with AIA and EPIC, Jeremy has served as a Business Coach, Curriculum Advisor, and Faculty member for the West Virginia Governor’s School of Entrepreneurship since the school’s inception in 2016. In addition, Jeremy has served as an Executive-in-Residence and an entrepreneurship instructor within the Lewis College of Business at Marshall University, and as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Marietta College. He has also operated as Co-Founder at Huntington, WV’s first coworking space, CoWorks, and has assisted Marshall University in the launch and annual refresh of the West Virginia Innovation and Business Model Competition (WVIBMC). Jeremy serves on the Board of Advisors for the Marshall University Lewis College of Business Division of Marketing, MIS and Entrepreneurship, the Marshall University Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (iCenter), and the Board of Advisors for the Entrepreneurship Program at Marietta College.

Eric Fischer

Business Development Officer

Eric Fischer serves as Business Development Officer and Analyst for the Appalachian Investors Alliance. He is President of ENF Advisors. Eric has more than 16 years of financial services experience.  He invested 14 years as a Commercial Lender in the South-Central PA market, including two years in economic development with the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & Capital Region Economic Development Corporation.  He works with small community Banks to structure SBA lending programs and has advised small business owners to best prepare them for the process of applying for a commercial loan.  Eric has also worked with small business owners to structure retirement plans and supplemental health benefits to help owners attract and retain talent.

Eric began his career as a Material Scientist with a multi-national electrical connector and cable manufacturer, responsible for failure analysis on finished product and quality control of raw materials.  He then transitioned to sales within the company, calling on customers in the networking and telecommunications sectors in Silicon Valley.  Eric has a wide array of experiences including financial analysis, lending, insurance, employee benefits, failure analysis, engineering, and sales. Mr. Fischer holds Series 7/66 licenses, as well as producer licenses for life and health insurance.  He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Metals Science and Engineering and from Saint Mary’s College of California with a master’s degree in Business Administration.

Jeremy Turner

Business Development Officer

Jeremy Turner is a Business Development Officer and Entrepreneurship Education Project Manager for AIA, and he is the Founder and President of the business consultancy, EPIC Mission, Inc. Mr. Turner holds a BA in Psychology from Marshall University and an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He is continuing his education by pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus on Management and Entrepreneurship from Marshall University’s Brad D. Smith Graduate School of Business. Jeremy is a DISC-Certified Behavioral Consultant and holds additional certifications in a variety of entrepreneurial methods and platforms, including the Entrepreneurship Management Certificate from InBIA and Ash Maurya’s LEANSTACK Certified Mentor designation. Mr. Turner is a sought-after coach, consultant, and instructional content producer, and he has created customized curriculums and delivered trainings on a variety of topics including board development, business and nonprofit operations, business model development, creativity and innovation, strategic planning, organizational development, and social enterprise development.

Beyond his work with AIA and EPIC, Jeremy has served as a Business Coach, Curriculum Advisor, and Faculty member for the West Virginia Governor’s School of Entrepreneurship since the school’s inception in 2016. In addition, Jeremy has served as an Executive-in-Residence and an entrepreneurship instructor within the Lewis College of Business at Marshall University, and as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Marietta College. He has also operated as Co-Founder at Huntington, WV’s first coworking space, CoWorks, and has assisted Marshall University in the launch and annual refresh of the West Virginia Innovation and Business Model Competition (WVIBMC). Jeremy serves on the Board of Advisors for the Marshall University Lewis College of Business Division of Marketing, MIS and Entrepreneurship, the Marshall University Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (iCenter), and the Board of Advisors for the Entrepreneurship Program at Marietta College.