TBED People and Orgs

President Obama launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee “2.0.” Former SSTI board member Luis Proenza, president of The University of Akron is part of the steering committee chaired by Andrew Liveris, president, chairman, and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company, and Rafael Reif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mark Kittrell has been appointed the president of the Iowa Innovation Corporation.

OK Gov. Mary Fallin has named Secretary of State Larry Parman as director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and secretary of commerce. Both positions require Senate confirmation.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham launched the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. David Winwood, CEO of the research foundation, will be executive director of the institute, and Kathy Nugent, director of the biotechnology program at UAB, the institute’s managing director.

Tim Franklin has accepted the position of associate VP for business and economic development and special advisor to the president at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

James Ruble has been named director of the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center.

Chuck Hoge has been named interim executive director of NDSU’s Research and Technology Park.

Martin Dober has joined Invest Detroit as vice president. Dober most recently was the senior vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

John ‘Jock’ McKernan, former Maine governor, has been named president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.