Vera Von Esse is a program manager with the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet. She has a background in research operations, applied projects, strategic planning, broad student and faculty engagement, partnership building and curation, and implementation.
Previously, Vera worked as a project manager with the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, serving as the primary center liaison and providing high-level administrative support and planning for the center, focusing on building and maintaining relationships among center partnerships and research collaborations. She also served as the community manager for the ASU Chandler Innovation Center as a part of the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation team. She has worked to support Place-Based Innovation Spaces, managing events and collaborative workspaces. Her work also includes contributions as interim onboarding liaison and assisting process development for Salesforce and Innosoft Fusion. Vera has also supported research endeavors in various capacities in concluding past roles, including working with the Canine Science Collaboratory to find better methods for training bomb-sniffing dogs and biomedical research support.
A non-traditional upbringing in a homeschooling family allowed Vera numerous travel experiences and hands-on learning. She solidified this by earning a bachelor’s in Applied Biology, focusing on Ecology, and a master’s degree in Applied Leadership and Management from Thunderbird. An aspiring polyglot, Vera is fluent in Spanish.
When not performing as a part of the Yumi La Rosa Flamenco Dance Co. in Phoenix, Vera enjoys taking excessive photos of her chinchilla, reading fantasy, and daydreaming of retirement on the Florida coast.