Jeff Edwards recently was named interim president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Utah (EDCU). Edwards replaces Christopher Roybal, who will serve as the senior adviser for economic development for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., starting next year.

Many minority population groups are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This is particularly true of the country's Latino population, one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S workforce. As a result, several state and regional tech-based economic development programs are looking for ways to broaden participation in STEM fields. A recent evaluation of a Texas program finds encouraging results, perhaps suggesting a model for others to replicate.

Gov. Rick Perry announced last month a long-term, strategic job creation plan that will focus state efforts on six industry clusters that economists say will be the engine of future job creation and economic growth in the U.S. Although the state already has an advantage in terms of a growing workforce, the key is retaining workers that are skilled and trained in emerging technology fields, the governor said.

Utah State University named J. Michael Brooks as director of its Innovation Campus. He will also serve as associate vice president for research and economic development, beginning Sept. 20.

Richard Baier has been appointed director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

The Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance is losing its executive director as Clare Emerson has announced she is relocating to oversee AEA's Texas office.

Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns has appointed Richard Baier as the state's first rural development director. Baier will work closely with the new Nebraska Rural Development Commission.

As many states are striving to increase their academic research capacity in areas that will strengthen long-term economic competitiveness, the governor of the Lone Star State is pursuing an alternate course that closely resembles traditional business recruitment and retention models.

For Texas, the appropriate role for the state to serve in fostering economic development continues to evolve. With the passage of Senate Bill 275 earlier this month, the third organization in seven years will take the lead to encourage economic growth — this time with a strong focus on clusters and technology-based economic development.

Richard Greene, director of the Arlington Technology Incubator and former mayor of Arlington Texas, has been appointed regional administrator of the U.S. EPA.

In these tight state fiscal times, many government functions would view level funding with the previous year as very good news. Since tech-based economic development (TBED) programs are investments toward economic prosperity, conventional wisdom would hold that legislatures would shield these types of investments from deep cuts.

The University of Nebraska Technology Park has named Steve Frayser as president.

With only two months to go in the 2004 fiscal year for most states, 32 are projecting small surpluses in the end - a sharp contrast to the situation they faced a year ago - according to a new report by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Legislators in Utah have passed a constitutional amendment that, with approval by voters, would allow the state's universities to take ownership in private businesses in exchange for intellectual property. The proposed amendment cleared the Utah State Legislature with relative ease, despite some concerns it will thwart the incentive of researchers wanting to commercialize their results.

Investments in science and technology (S&T) – from higher education to industry research and development (R&D) – are the decisive factors in creating a sustainable economic future, a new study finds.

The Arlington Technology Incubator (Texas) has selected Geoffrey Grant to serve as the new director beginning July 1.

During the past two years, efforts have been launched in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to boost its capacity for building a technology-based economy. The efforts have been directed toward increasing public-private cooperation, especially across organizations and jurisdictions that traditionally have thought of themselves as competitors, and conducting a critical review of the area's strengths and weaknesses.

Dan Curran is the new director of the Business Development Division of the Nebraska Department of Development.

Chuck Henderson has announced he will retire as president of the University of Nebraska's 130-acre Technology Park next June.