UW-Platteville's Mark Levenstein, left, accepts the WiSys Innovation Champion award on behalf of Marcia Harr Bailey at a special banquet at the WiSys SPARK Symposium. Harr Bailey was unable to attend the banquet. WiSys President Arjun Sanga, right, watches Levenstein accept the honor.

LA CROSSE—WiSys named UW-Platteville’s Dr. Marcia Harr Bailey as a 2022 Innovation Champion.

The award recognizes UW System leaders, faculty, staff, students or community partners who have played an integral role in building a culture of innovation at a UW System regional institution.

Harr Bailey is an associate professor of entrepreneurship at UW-Platteville.

“Dr. Harr Bailey embodies the ideals of a WiSys Innovation Champion,” said WiSys President Arjun Sanga. “She has been a strong supporter of WiSys programs at UW-Platteville by facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Harr Bailey has been an important advocate for WiSys events on campus including the WiSys Innovation Mixer—a fun event for student and faculty innovators to make connections—and the Wisconsin Big Idea Tournament—a student business model competition.

She has also been a key partner in bringing WiSys’ flagship entrepreneurship program WiSys VentureHome to the Platteville community.

The WiSys VentureHome program is launching a network of startup hubs across the state by connecting statewide resources with local initiatives to provide entrepreneurs access to a full menu of startup resources in their local communities. In other words, offering “everything your startup needs under one roof.”

WiSys VentureHome-Platteville is located in the IDEA Hub Accelerator in downtown Platteville.

Harr Bailey was recognized at a special Innovation Awards Banquet during the 2022 WiSys SPARK Symposium at UW-La Crosse in early August. The symposium is the organization’s annual celebration of the best and brightest researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs working in or with the UW System’s 11 regional universities.

WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries, and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.