Samir Mayekar

Samir Mayekar is the Associate Vice President and Managing Director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He previously served as deputy mayor for the city of Chicago, where he focused on economic and neighborhood development. Mr. Mayekar also co-founded and served as CEO of NanoGraf Corporation, a global manufacturer of advanced materials for the lithium-ion battery industry.  Before that, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, and as staff at the White House during the Obama administration.  He serves on Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees and was President of the Northwestern Alumni Association. Mr. Mayekar received his B.A. from Northwestern University (summa cum laude), and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.