SSTI Digest

Tony Armstrong, Indiana University executive director for engagement, has been chosen as the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporations new president and CEO. Jeff Costantine will retire this fiscal year as president of the Nashville Technology Council. The board of directors has begun the search for a new president. Joseph G. Danek stepped down as executive director of the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation. He will continue work at the foundation as its senior advisor and will also remain senior vice president of the Implementation Group, a Washington consulting firm. James B. Hoehn, a senior associate at the foundation, became its executive director.  Monica Doss, the longtime president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development who stepped down earlier this year, has been named director of the Kauffman Foundation FastTrac program. Mike Edwards, former assistant vice president and director of the Office of Research at the University of Notre Dame, has been named associate vice president for research in the Office of Research and Technology Management at Case Western Reserve University. Liam E. Leightley has been tapped as the new executive director of the…

A complete description of this opportunity and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. High Tech Rochester (HTR), a nonprofit economic development organization focused on the Greater Rochester, N.Y., technology and high growth business sector, is seeking someone to serve as its president and CEO. This position will report to an active and engaged Board of Directors and be responsible for the overall performance of HTR and its programs, among other responsibilities. An undergraduate degree (technical degree preferred) and an MBA or other relevant graduate training or experience is required. Candidates also should have 10 years of business experience and managerial responsibility in a fast-paced entrepreneurial setting.

President Bush announced he will nominate Assistant Secretary of Commerce Sandy Baruah to serve as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce has created the Economic Development Partnership to help businesses relocate to or expand in the county. Barbara Fleisner has been hired as executive director of Centergy, the Central Wisconsin Alliance for Economic Development. Dr. Lee Herron has joined the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) as vice president of commercialization. Herron previously was general manager, Biosciences, for the Advanced Technology Development Center. Linden Rhoads was named vice provost of the University of Washington's TechTransfer department. Rhoads replace Jim Severson, who left to join a start-up company. Gary Rose announced he will step down as chief of New Jersey's Office of Economic Growth. Angie McGuire, the office's deputy chief since March 2006, will serve as acting chief until a replacement is found.

New York City officials recently announced the launch of a $2 million seed fund to boost entrepreneurship and the local venture capital market. NYC Seed will provide up to $200,000 for seed-stage New York-based businesses and will offer mentoring and other support for client companies. The initiative is a partnership between several city and state organizations, including the Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), the New York City Investment Fund, the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and PolyTechnic University.   Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the announcement at the opening ceremonies for the city's inaugural Internet Week. The mayor hopes that both the event and the fund will help attract tech and digital media entrepreneurs to the city. Despite the size of New York's economy, the city has lagged behind Silicon Valley and Boston in capital resources for tech start-ups. NYC Seed is targeting extremely early-stage companies and first-time entrepreneurs. By creating this new fund and by connecting participating companies to other city resources, Mayor…

The Aerospace, Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Cluster of Southern Arizona has consolidated its operations with the Arizona Technology Council. Automation Alley was one of 19 organizations chosen to receive 'E' and 'E-Star' Awards, given by the president to recognize American export excellence. The nonprofit Automation Alley, an SSTI affiliate, supports Southeast Michigan's economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development. Raymar Dizon has resigned from the Maryland Venture Fund to become director of technology transfer at Mitre Corp. Jim Hayes, the president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, passed away on June 6 after a long illness. Hayes was considered one of the state's top experts on economic development. James Ryan was named the first dean of the newly formed Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering being run by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The National Science Foundation has selected Edward Seidel as the director of its Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Tom Walker…

Although the U.S. broadband infrastructure has expanded rapidly over the past decade, 45 percent of rural areas still lack access to high-speed Internet services. A recent issue brief from the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices provides a number of strategies that have proven effective in expanding broadband access, particularly in underserved rural areas.   The brief highlights a number of state efforts that have been successful in expanding and improving service in recent years. These include the California Broadband Initiative, ConnectKentucky, Maine's ConnectME Authority and the New York State Council for Universal Broadband. Together, these profiles offer an overview of how states are approaching the digital divide.   NGA also presents a number of specific strategies that can be implemented in states with high-speed Internet gaps to create a comprehensive broadband access initiative. For example, the report provides a guide to 14 state tax credit programs that have been used to increase demand for broadband services or to encourage the development of new broadband infrastructure.   Other…

Earlier this month, the governors of Oregon and New York both outlined changes to the structure of their states’ lead economic development organizations.   Before Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed Executive Order 08-11 to reorganize the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD), it consisted of three components: The Business and Trade Development Division, which performs business recruitment and efforts to engage small business and provides international trade and regulatory assistance; The Innovation and Economic Strategies Division, which primarily develops and administers programs to promote innovation, sustainability, and clusters within the state; and, The Community Development Division, which assists public infrastructure projects, such as building portable water and wastewater systems, in addition to administering Oregon’s Community Development Block Grants. The restructuring effort separates the community development and business development efforts as two separate and distinct functions within the OECDD, and the department’s central focus will now be oriented toward the retention, creation and recruitment of…

Dr. Michel Bitritto was named director of the new business incubator being run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. Dr. Peter Reczek was appointed executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. Don Siegel, president of the Technology Transfer Society, will be dean of the School of Business at the University of Albany, SUNY, beginning in fall 2008. Michael Skaggs, former president and CEO of Next Generation Economy Inc., was named executive director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. Paul Wetenhall stepped down as executive director of High Tech Rochester (HTR) to become president of the Ben Craig Center in Charlotte. David Hessler, an HTR entrepreneur-in-residence, was appointed interim president in Wetenhall's stead.

Legislators passed the fiscal year 2008-09 budget last week, increasing spending by 4.9 percent over last year and investing in New York’s Upstate economy despite projected shortfalls for several years to come.   Lawmakers approved $700 million for the Upstate Revitalization Fund, an initiative that Gov. David Patterson continued to push forward following the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer last month. In January, former Gov. Spitzer unveiled the Upstate proposal, asking lawmakers for $1 billion to encourage economic growth through targeted investments in high-technology development, agriculture, housing, transportation, and state parks (see the Jan. 23, 2008 issue of the Digest). Many of Gov. Spitzer’s initial requests for funding were fulfilled, including $120 million for the Regional Blueprint Fund - $200 million less than Gov. Spitzer’s recommendation - and $180 million for City-by-City investments, which was $65 million above the governor’s original recommendation. Additional components of the approved fund include: $40 million for the Agricultural Development Fund; $35 million for an Investment Opportunity Fund; $12 million…

Helene Schember became the first executive director of the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future Dec. 3, joining the center as its first full-time staff member.

Last week, Gov. Eliot Spitzer gave New York’s first ever “State of the Upstate” address in Buffalo, outlining his administration’s $1 billion Upstate Revitalization Fund. Among the components intended to encourage economic growth in the northern part of the state are: $350 million for a Regional Blueprint Fund to construct development-ready sites and industrial parks, to provide loans for small businesses and to create an international marketing office for the Upstate. $10 million from the Blueprint Fund will be used to provide seed capital for 10-15 small companies. $115 million for new Upstate City-to-City Projects, which include $25 million for the University of Rochester’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Syracuse’s Connective Corridor. $100 million for an Investment Opportunity Fund, designed to be a competitive grant program administered by the Empire State Development Corporation. $50 million for an Agricultural Development Fund, a portion of which will be used to promote alternative fuel products in the state. $12 million to expand existing state programs that encourage high-technology development. $7 million to enlarge the state’s…

Dr. James Weyhenmeyer will become senior vice president for the State University of New York (SUNY) Research Foundation and SUNY senior vice provost for research, effective March 3, 2008.