SSTI Digest

Todd Bankofier has been appointed president of the Arizona Technology Council. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has named Edgar Blatchford, a journalism professor at the University of Alaska, to serve as commissioner for the Department of Community and Economic Development. John Harrison is Governor Bob Riley's pick to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Harrison was the Mayor of Luverne, Alabama for the past 14 years. Ellen Hemmerly has been named president of the nonprofit Association of University Research Parks. David Iannucci is the new head of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano named Gilbert Jimenez to lead the Department of Commerce and has asked Gail Howard to serve as her policy advisor on economic development. Jimenez was Bank One International's Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Mexico/Latin America. Howard comes to the administration from Arizona State University, where she has served since 1990 as the University's Director of…

Todd Bankofier has been appointed president of the Arizona Technology Council.

Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski has named Edgar Blatchford, a journalism professor at the University of Alaska, to serve as commissioner for the Department of Community and Economic Development.

John Harrison is Governor Bob Riley's pick to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Harrison was the Mayor of Luverne, Alabama for the past 14 years.

Ellen Hemmerly has been named president of the nonprofit Association of University Research Parks.

David Iannucci is the new head of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano named Gilbert Jimenez to lead the Department of Commerce and has asked Gail Howard to serve as her policy advisor on economic development. Jimenez was Bank One International's Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Mexico/Latin America. Howard comes to the administration from Arizona State University, where she has served since 1990 as the University's Director of Economic Development and Constituent Outreach.

Charles W. Steger, President of Virginia Tech. has been elected chairman of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. Paula S. Gulak, Founding Partner of SyCom Technologies, is the new Vice Chairman.

Dennis Yablonsky, chief executive officer for the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, is Governor Ed Rendell's pick to serve as Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Central California's Regional Technology Alliance has changed its name to the Inland Empire techSOURCE.

Despite, or because of, the continuing fiscal crises facing nearly every state, technology-based economic development remains high on the agendas of most governors, as demonstrated in their recent speeches. Those excerpts pertaining to state efforts to build tech-based economies are provided below. States with Inaugural Addresses during the past 10 days included Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont. Governors in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming gave State of the State Addresses. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, State of the State Address, Jan. 13, 2003 "It is time to stop viewing our universities and community colleges as easy marks to balance the budget. Instead, we must recognize them as epicenters of economic development. They educate the workforces of tomorrow, and their research expands our horizons. "It is time to coordinate our efforts to develop Arizona’s promising tech sector...To achieve the economic…

A new strategic plan focusing on the North Carolina Department of Commerce's four cornerstones of economic development success – a globally competitive workforce, investment in science and technology, a competitive business climate, and attractive communities prepared for economic development – has been released by the state's Economic Development Board. We Are Changing the Way We Do Business seeks to flesh out Governor Mike Easley's vision "One North Carolina," which supports creating high quality jobs. The plan is the result of the 37-member board's effort to examine over a period of 10 months key policy areas affecting the state. Public comment was invited, and each board member served on one of seven committees that addressed such areas as recruitment and retention. In the end, the board stressed improving the state's competitiveness; promoting regionalism with clear, central leadership; cultivating collaborative relationships; and responding to the urgency of North Carolina's unemployment rate, which is fourth highest in the U.S. Seven long-term goals also were named, including:…