Research Triangle Park, North Carolina – August 31, 2021 – The Research Triangle Foundation (RTF), the organization tasked with the administration and stewardship of Research Triangle Park, today announced the promotion of two staff members after their exemplary contributions to the growth of the Foundation over the past several years. Effective August 19, Carolyn Coia steps up to the role of Vice President of Real Estate, and Jessica Wisniewski is now Vice President of Administration and Finance.
“I have had the opportunity to work with both Carolyn and Jessica on critical issues that required their unique expertise, strategic thinking, time-sensitive response and clear communication,” says Barbara Mulkey, director of the Shelton Leadership Center at NCSU and longtime RTF board member. “I personally admire and respect these two accomplished professionals; they will undoubtedly be valuable additions to the Foundation’s leadership team.”
“Like many organizations, we’ve made several pivots over the past year and a half,” says Linda Hall, executive vice president and CFO at RTF. “Jessica and Carolyn have not only met every challenge with grace and professionalism, they are making contributions that will guide our work long into the future.”
Carolyn Coia’s background includes strategic financial planning in the private equity sector, which she has leveraged since joining the RTF team in 2016, taking the lead on the organization’s real estate projects. During the past five years Carolyn has built on her experience in project management and tenant coordination at Boxyard, a “cargotecture” retail and restaurant venue, which opened on RTP’s Frontier campus in early June 2021.
In addition to contributing to the growth of the Triangle’s small business infrastructure through Boxyard, Carolyn oversees multiple nationally-recognized developers and construction partners at Hub RTP, a 100-acre development with spaces for business, life science, outdoor recreation, retail and residences at the intersection of Davis Drive and NC-54. It will be the first mixed-use project within the borders of RTP.
Throughout her professional life, Jessica Wisniewski has found motivation in taking on new challenges. Jessica began gaining experience as a CPA licensed with the New York Board of Accountancy in the private and public sectors, and later earned an MBA from Rider University.
After joining the RTF team in April 2019, she has further developed her skills in business administration, and places a high value on the opportunities that may be found while working as part of a small team on large-scale projects.
“From a professional standpoint, it allows you to be involved in multiple areas outside of what would be considered your core function,” Jessica says. “That type of exposure is priceless.” A key contributor to the Foundation’s long-term goals, Jessica will continue to lead financial, budgetary and administrative decision-making as RTF grows and strengthens its offerings to companies within the Park.
About the Research Triangle Foundation
Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) is a North Carolina-based nonprofit founded in 1959 with a mission of facilitating collaboration between the Triangle Region’s universities, making connections between university and industry research and creating economic impact for all residents of North Carolina. RTF is the steward of Research Triangle Park, the 7,000-acre research and tech park at the center of the Triangle’s three Tier-1 research universities: University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. RTF is equipping the Park for the future through impactful infrastructure investments in economic development, sustainability, residential, retail, life science and startup spaces, including Hub RTP, the Park’s first mixed-use development; Boxyard RTP, the Park’s first retail and restaurant space made of upcycled shipping containers; and the Frontier RTP innovation campus, which houses 100 of the Park’s 300 companies.
Media Contact for RTF
Morgan Weston
communications@rtp.org