Jillian Winn is the Director of the Lansing Regional SmartZone, where she is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses start, grow, and thrive in the region. Through the SmartZone, she supports high-tech and high-growth companies and works to strengthen the local tech community and culture of innovation.

Having walked the entrepreneurial journey herself, Jillian understands the challenges, risks, and rewards of building a business and is dedicated to supporting others as they navigate their own paths. She is the Co-Founder and, for over a decade, served as Chief Problem Solver of Signing Savvy, a Deaf-owned and SBA-certified Women-Owned SaaS platform for learning American Sign Language that has supported more than 35 million learners on its platform and licensed content to global language-learning partners.

A mission-driven leader with deep ties to the Greater Lansing technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem, Jillian draws on her past experience as a SmartZone and LEAP participant, including being a tenant in the Technology Innovation Center with Signing Savvy over ten years ago, a full circle moment as she supports the next generation of startups.

In addition to Signing Savvy, she has been involved with several other companies and new ventures as an owner, investor, stakeholder, and mentor, giving her a broad perspective on what startups need to thrive.

Previously, Jillian was faculty at Michigan State University, where she taught project management and web design, developed pre-college programs that brought students from across the state to campus, and helped expand access to technology education in rural schools.

A lifelong Greater Lansing resident, she has lived in East Lansing, Lansing, Waverly, Haslett, and Okemos and remains deeply committed to the community. She has served and continues to serve on several boards, councils, and committees.