Shannon Pastizzo is the Director of USF CONNECT, where she leads key innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives at the University of South Florida. She also serves as a Board Member and Secretary for the Florida Business Incubator Association (FBIA). With over 20 years of leadership experience in non-profit, economic development, and innovation spaces, Shannon has been instrumental in fostering growth and collaboration across industries in the Tampa Bay region.

As Director of USF CONNECT, she works across the university and Tampa Bay innovation ecosystem to strengthen pathways that move promising technologies from early development toward commercialization and broader impact. Shannon oversees the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) and the Student Innovation Incubator (SII), helping biotechnology and life science companies grow and develop with access to critical resources like research, funding, and mentorship. USF CONNECT supports a portfolio of more than 90 resident and affiliate companies through the TBTI and Evolve Accelerator. These ventures represent fields in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, life sciences, medical devices, advanced materials, financial technology, digital health and more.

Through this work, Shannon strengthens USF CONNECT’s role as a bridge between university innovation and the broader Tampa Bay technology community. Her leadership experience with entrepreneurial support organizations have helped build strategic development and scaled programs at USF.

Previously, Shannon was the Director of Business Development at Synapse, where she played a pivotal role in organizing major events and programming such as the Tampa Bay Synapse Summit. She moved to Tampa Bay from Connecticut where she worked in the financial and healthcare industries. Her career initiatives have focused on improving marketing and business development, resulting in significant benefits for both businesses and consumers.

Shannon holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and is known for her strong and collaborative leadership, mentoring skills, and dynamic personality. Shannon has been married to her husband for over 30 years and has two children: a son in the Navy and fire protection engineering, and a daughter who is a nurse practitioner. Fun fact: Shannon was also a professional figure skater in Connecticut.