WARF Board Welcomes Two New Trustees

Investment leaders Stephen Petersen and Colin Welch joined WARF’s board in June

MADISON, WI, UNITED STATES, July 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Petersen and Colin Welch, two distinguished executives in the investment field, to its Board of Trustees.

Stephen Petersen brings over 40 years of experience in managing and advising the assets of both individual and institutional clients. Currently, he serves as a Partner with Cerity Partners, an independent investment management firm. Petersen also served as Senior Vice President, Investments, and Portfolio Manager of the Fidelity Equity-Income Fund at Fidelity Investments.

Petersen holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in finance from UW-Madison. He previously chaired the Investment Committee of the UW Foundation, where he continues to serve as a member of the committee. He also co-chaired the Executive Committee for the Catholic Schools Foundation Inner-City Scholarship Fund, where he remains a member of the committee. Petersen is a Chartered Financial Analyst^®.

“I am honored to be joining the Board of Trustees of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation,” says Stephen Petersen. “WARF, for the past 100 years has succeeded in assisting the monetization of discovery from talented researchers at the University of Wisconsin, and in turn investing the rewards of that process to support continuing growth and development at UW-Madison. I look forward to applying my career skills to help WARF succeed going forward.”

Colin Welch joins the WARF Board with over 30 years of experience in identifying investment opportunities and advising companies in the consumer and retail sectors. He currently serves as Managing Director and Head of New York at TSG Consumer, a global leader in consumer-focused investing. Prior to joining TSG Consumer, Welch served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Financo LLC and CEO of Financo Europe.

Welch received an M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.B.A., with distinction, from UW-Madison. He is a Board Member of the Parsons School of Design and a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Board of the UW-Madison. He previously served as Chairman of the Dean’s External Advisory Board of the Wisconsin School of Business. In 2024, Welch was honored with a Distinguished Business Alumni Award from the Wisconsin School of Business.

“Joining the WARF Board of Trustees is an honor and a homecoming,” says Colin Welch. “As a proud UW-Madison alumnus and current member of the UW Chancellor’s Advisory Board, I’m thrilled to support WARF’s mission of advancing research and fostering innovation — a mission that aligns closely with my passion for empowering visionary businesses. I look forward to contributing my experience in global consumer investing, strategic growth advisory, and brand building to help expand WARF’s reach and impact.”

“Stephen and Colin’s impressive backgrounds and dedication to the University of Wisconsin make them outstanding additions to the WARF Board of Trustees,” says Erik Iverson, WARF’s CEO. “Their insights and leadership will be instrumental in guiding our investment strategies and contributing to our commercial impact.”

“We are delighted to welcome Stephen and Colin to the WARF Board of Trustees,” says Deborah Keller, WARF’s Board Chair. “Their extensive experience in business and finance, coupled with their strong ties to UW-Madison, will be invaluable to our organization. I thank them for their commitment to WARF and the University of Wisconsin.”

About WARF

Celebrating a century of service in 1925, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) patents and licenses discoveries from UW-Madison research, manages an investment portfolio generated from licensing and investment proceeds, and provides annual grants to the campus to support further scientific investigation and research. By driving collaborations among researchers, investors, industry and entrepreneurs, WARF commercializes innovations from campus through various initiatives. WARF Accelerator improves the commercialization potential of university intellectual property through industry engagement and investment in proof-of-concept milestones to validate market potential, demonstrate commercial value and de-risk technology. WARF Therapeutics partners with UW-Madison and Morgridge Institute researchers employing an industry-focused approach to improve the value propositions of drug candidates. WARF Ventures is an early-stage venture fund that invests in startups based on UW/WARF technologies. Learn more at warf.org.

Jeanan Yasiri Moe
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
+1 608-960-9892
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