Esther Vargas UCF Incubator Kissimmee Soft Landing Program Site Manager
BEsther Vargas is currently managing the University of Central Florida (UCF) Business Incubator located in the City of Kissimmee in Osceola County. She was most recently the Director of the Emerging Ventures Ecosystem (EVE) at Rensselaer PolytechMark D. Webster, nic Institute (RPI) M.B.A, in Troy, C.F.E. NY, where she directed the creation, growth, and commercialization of high-growth Mark Webster is Manager of Exemptions, Tax technologies and startups venRoll Administration andthrough Deeds innovative & Research at ture development programs and partnerships. the Orange County Property Appraise’;s office
in Orlando, Florida.
Prior to moving to Upstate NY, Esther was Assistant Director of Research and Commercialization He began his public-sector career over 12 years at UCF, where she managed the award-winning ago. After 6 years of outstanding performance, business incubator in Winter Springs for eight Mark years. Webster was promoted to Manager of
Customer Service in spring of 2013.
Before relocating to Florida, Esther was at Indiana Mark graduated from serving Floridaas International University-Bloomington Program DiUniversity with a Bachelor’s Public Adminrector of Aprenda, a statewide in translation service for publicin schools, at increasing parental inistration 2014. aimed He earned an MBA from his volvement participation forCustomer Hispanic alma materand in college 2016. As Manager of families. Service, Mark and his staff achieved a 99.6%
Esther’s diverse background also includes 12 years in the corporate pharmaceutical , Hospitality Industries, and 12 years in the Entrepreneurial Domain as a founder/co-founder of four startup ventures, among them Ideal Language LLC, an executive language instruction and cultural training enterprise. Esther’s of expertise include strategy,tocommerIn Aprilareas of 2017, Mark was promoted Managcialization, business and resource development, syser of Exemptions and Tax Roll Administration. tems and processes, project management. He now manages and a staff of 13 Specialists who
audit nearly 500,000 Exemption applications
She servesover on the Executive of the Board andpost a quarter ofCommittee a million deeds. of the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), and was also a board member of the BusiMark’s responsibilities also include assisting ness Incubator Association of New York State (BIwith analysis and quality assurance of the annuANYS). She is certified as a Business Incubation Proal Orange County tax roll, the fourth largestand tax fessional and as a Business Accelerator Manager, roll inanFlorida. holds MBA with a dual major in New Venture
In his spare time, Mark enjoys reading, Development and Marketing from the Kelleydiving, School running traveling and personal of Businessmarathons, at Indiana University-Bloomington, and ahome BBA improvement in Managerial Economics projects. from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.
customer satisfaction rating while serving more Esther is passionate about managing entrepreneurIn a prior role as Director of Resource Development ship centers, establishing venture development and than 230,000 customers over 4 years. for HOPE (Harnessing Optimism and Potential through Education) in Bloomington, Indiana, Esther led the sales team and co-led a national professional learning community of school leaders in organizational and leadership development.
accelerator programs, helping entrepreneurs realize their vision, and facilitating economic and ecosystem development through assisting emerging high-impact technology and service businesses to become profitable and scalable enterprises.