SSTI Digest

President Bush is nominating Floyd Kvamme as co-chair of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST). Mr. Kvamme is a Partner with Kleiner Perkins, a high-tech venture capital firm based in California.

The President is nominating Bruce P. Mehlman to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy. Mr. Mehlman has served as Telecommunications Policy Counsel for Cisco Systems since 1999. Before joining Cisco Systems he was General Counsel and Policy Director for the House Republican Conference and served as General Counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1996 to 1999.

For the Department of Agriculture, President Bush is nominating Iowa-resident Tom Dorr to be Under Secretary for Rural Development. The office oversees the USDA's economic development and digital divide programs. The President also intends to nominate Joseph J. Jen to be Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

The NIST Advanced Technology Program recently announced several staffing changes and additions: Marc Stanley is serving as Acting Director to fill the vacancy created by Alan Balutis' departure. Linda Beth Schilling has been named Acting Deputy Director. Stephanie Shipp has been named Director of the program's Economic Assessment Office.

The e-newsletter of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, NASVF Net News, reports Sallie Traxler has become the Executive Director for the Council of Development Finance Agencies. Also, the e-newsletter reports Dan Loague has been promoted to the position of NASVF Executive Director.

Bill Borgmeyer has retired from his position as Coordinator of Technology Development for the Missouri Technology Corporation.

Few economic sectors have experienced the combined economic, technological, social, biological, and – now with threats of mad cow and foot-and-mouth diseases – medical pressures that confront American agriculture. Adding the challenges of competing in the knowledge-based economy presents a formidable task for rural regions. New Valley Connexions, a public-private partnership in California that teams agriculture businesses with both state and local governments as well as the larger business, financial, and educational communities, may provide a worthy model for study and replication in other parts of the country. Core funding for the initiative was provided by the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation within the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency. Over the past three years, the partnership has developed plans for and is implementing a cluster-based economic development strategy, a comprehensive telecommunications plan, and a strategy to address digital divide issues for the eight-county San Joaquin Valley. An offshoot of the telecom…

Complementing California’s support for New Valley Connexion, described above, is the state’s $2 million Rural E-Commerce program. Administered by the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation within the California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency, Rural E-Commerce provides grants to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments for innovative, community-driven solutions to the telecommunications challenges faced by rural residents. Examples of projects eligible for Rural E-Commerce support include rural telecommunications planning, rural network infrastructure, innovative applications, education and training, and related community planning efforts. According to the request for proposals, Rural E-Commerce grants also can be used as matching funds for rural communities competing for federal and foundation grants in areas relevant to rural e-commerce, such as the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) and the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program. More information on the California Rural E-commerce Program is…

Eliminating all state taxes on long-term capital gains and providing incentives to encourage biotech start-ups and investment are among the recommendations advanced in The Competitive Edge: Rethinking Rhode Island Tax Policy for Success in the New Economy, the first report from the Tax Competitiveness Committee of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council (RIEPC). Governor Lincoln Almond requested RIEPC review the state’s tax policy and recommend mechanisms for enhancing Rhode Island’s tax competitiveness in the New Economy. The report identifies four specific recommendations for the state to consider to encourage high-wage, New Economy growth, including: Phase out taxes on all long-term capital gains. Adjust the corporate apportionment formula to double-weight for sales and phase in 100 percent weighting of sales for manufacturing. Extend the net operating loss (NOL) carry-forward from the current five-year limit to 20 years for start-up biotech firms. Modify exemptions to the sales and use tax to benefit the state’s biotech industry cluster, including…

With 26 percent more of its workforce involved in information technology (IT) than the national average and with IT-producing industries growing faster in the state than the national average, Connecticut has possibly felt the pinch of the IT worker shortage more than other parts of the country. Add to that the fact that the number of IT-related graduates from the state’s universities and community colleges declined during the late 1990s. As a result, last year the state legislature ordered the development of a statewide IT workforce development strategy. Responsibility for the plan was given to the state Office for Workforce Competitiveness (OWC) and the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC). CERC is a private, not-for-profit 501(C)(6) corporation formed through a partnership of utility/telecommunications companies and state government in 1992. The challenge for the state, according to the draft plan, is to integrate IT workforce skills development “in a practical manner across the full knowledge supply chain” of K-12, colleges, universities,…

President Bush has announced several more nominations for key positions for the tech-based economic development community, including: Samuel W. Bodman for the position of Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Dr. Bodman is currently the Chairman and CEO of Cabot Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts. David A. Sampson to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. The position serves as head of the Economic Development Administration. Mr. Sampson is currently the President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in Arlington, Texas and also serves as the Chairman of the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness. Kathleen B. Cooper for Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs. The position oversees the Census Bureau. Dr. Cooper is currently the Chief Economist and Manager of the Economics and Energy Division of Exxon Mobile Corporation in Irving, Texas. Roberto Salazar is leaving his post as the Director of the New Mexico Office of Science and Technology at the end of March to assume the position of State Director of the…

President Bush has announced several more nominations for key positions for the tech-based economic development community, including: Samuel W. Bodman for the position of Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Dr. Bodman is currently the Chairman and CEO of Cabot Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts. David A. Sampson to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. The position serves as head of the Economic Development Administration. Mr. Sampson is currently the President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in Arlington, Texas and also serves as the Chairman of the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness. Kathleen B. Cooper for Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs. The position oversees the Census Bureau. Dr. Cooper is currently the Chief Economist and Manager of the Economics and Energy Division of Exxon Mobile Corporation in Irving, Texas.