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Garza Fernandez, president of the Southern Arizona Industry and Aerospace Alliance, announced her resignation to devote more time to the Technology Development and Research Institute.

Arthur A. Garcia has been appointed director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Until his appointment, Garcia has been administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service.

Elizabeth Gatewood has been named director of Wake Forest University's new Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts. At Indiana University, Gatewood was the Jack M. Chair of Entrepreneurship and the director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Paul Hiller, formerly managing director of the economic development arm of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, is the new president and chief executive officer for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership.

Linda Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Center for Information Technology Enterprise, has announced she will be leaving the position this fall to return to her academic career at Western Kentucky University.

Bruce Mehlman and Alex Vogel have formed a new firm, Mehlman & Vogel, Inc. The company offers clients a full range of public affairs services including strategic planning, message development, coalition management, legislative and executive branch lobbying, corporate positioning, guidance for political activities and public relations.

Arundeep Pradhan is the new director of the Office of Technology and Research Collaborations at the Oregon Health and Science University. Pradhan was the head of technology transfer for the Colorado State University Research Foundation.

New Mexico Firms Would Receive $30M in Venture Funding

Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced his administration and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) had reached an agreement that would allow companies sponsoring stem cell research in Wisconsin to obtain a free, non-exclusive research license under the stem cell patents held by WARF. WARF, which manages more than 720 pending and 880 issued U.S. patents on University of Wisconsin at Madison technologies, will not charge Wisconsin research centers for licenses on its stem cell patents. The agreement is part of Gov.

TBED agencies in two northwest states have released proactive wish lists for state TBED investment in their respective 2007 legislative sessions.



Idaho

In a Sept. 12 teleconference, Idaho Gov. Jim Risch's Science and Technology Advisory Council agreed upon a $38.8 million package to attract and grow new technology businesses, as well as a tax credit program to encourage private investment in high-tech companies.

With an eye toward easing traffic congestion, air pollution, and distributing employment opportunities more widely around Virginia, Gov. Timothy Kaine has created an Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance. The Office will encourage and promote telework activities for public and private employers, and work to advance innovative models that expedite the deployment of "last-mile" broadband technologies throughout the Commonwealth.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released revised estimates of state personal income from 2003-2005. According to BEA's data, the U.S. as a whole showed an increase of 9.64 percent in per capita personal income over the three years. Twenty-seven states experienced per capita personal income growth greater than the national average.

Robin Siss, Vermont's first commissioner for the Department of Information and Innovation, has announced her resignation. Siss began the position in August. Denise Fehr will serve as acting commissioner.

Katherine Willis, the founding president of Cyber-state.org, has announced her retirement. Jeff Moore will serve as interim president.

The National Science Board recently named Mary Good to be the recipient of the 2004 Vannevar Bush Award for "her life-long contributions to science, engineering and technology, and for leadership throughout her multi-faceted career."

The National Science Board recently named Mary Good to be the recipient of the 2004 Vannevar Bush Award for "her life-long contributions to science, engineering and technology, and for leadership throughout her multi-faceted career."

Sean O'Kane, a hotel manager from Manchester, N.H., has been confirmed as the new commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development.

Falls from First to Sixth in Updated Index from World Economic Forum

Switzerland, Finland and Sweden are the world's most competitive economies, according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007 released Tuesday by the World Economic Forum. Denmark, Singapore, the U.S., Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom complete the top 10 list, but the U.S. shows the most pronounced drop, falling from first to sixth.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has released a comprehensive job creation strategy with a particular focus on producing high-quality research jobs by supporting statewide innovation. Announced earlier this month, "Next Steps: Job Creation" is a four-point plan intended to attract and foster new businesses.

Separate MERIT Study of European Tech Transfer Contradicts Some Conclusions