Michael Stubbs

Mr. Stubbs holds a joint appointment as the Director of the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center and Director of Technology Commercialization for the Illinois Small Business Development Center within the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University. 

The centers have a shared mission to promote business startup and growth.  Mr. Stubbs manages the overall operations and strategy of Peoria NEXT; and, as Director of Technology Commercialization, facilitates the commercialization and acceleration of technology generated by the region’s manufacturers, businesses, academic community, technology research centers, and entrepreneurs. 

Peoria NEXT is a 48,000 square foot technology incubator that opened in August 2007.  The facility was built as a community asset to help bring together regional healthcare, education, research and development, commercialization, and business resources to drive innovation in Central Illinois.  As Director, Mr. Stubbs provides the strategic vision, operations, marketing, and recruiting of the Center.

As Director of Technology Commercialization, Mr. Stubbs helps companies navigate the convergence of business and technology to meet the evolving needs and wants of customers.  This includes providing support in identifying, evaluating, and pursuing technology commercialization projects that lead to innovative products and services.  Mr. Stubbs’ mission is to retain and support companies in Central Illinois through promoting and supporting technology commercialization.  Mr. Stubbs has extensive experience in assisting clients with the financial and economic implications of intellectual property - including patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.  

Throughout his career, Mr. Stubbs has pursued opportunities with a focus on innovation. Prior to joining Bradley University, Mr. Stubbs was a Managing Director of FTI Consulting, Inc.’s Forensic and Litigation Consulting Practice.  As part of the company’s Intellectual Property practice in Chicago, IL, Mr. Stubbs gained eight years of experience in assisting companies and universities with intellectual property engagements, including valuing patents and other intellectual property.  Throughout this experience, he has assisted companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical, agriculture, handheld device, consumer electronics, and automotive industries, among others. Prior to FTI Consulting, Mr. Stubbs was employed by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP in Chicago, IL.

Mr. Stubbs is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), licensed in Illinois. He is deemed Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) as awarded by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).  Previously, Mr. Stubbs held a Master Analyst in Financial Forensics, specialized in Business and Intellectual Property Damages (MAFF) issued by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA), a membership he canceled in October 2022. 

Mr. Stubbs received his Master of Accounting Science and his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the Gies College of Business at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Stubbs was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois and is proud to call Central Illinois his home.