SSTI Digest

Want to know more about the Obama Administration's innovation strategy? SSTI is pleased to welcome two key administration officials to this year's conference. Ginger Lew, Senior Counselor to the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Brian McGowan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and COO for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), will discuss the administration's plans to support innovation.

In her roles at NEC and SBA, Ginger Lew serves as the administration's economic policy advisor on a broad range of matters that impact small businesses. She co-chairs the White House Interagency Group on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and leads the White House Interagency Taskforce on Regional Innovation Clusters.

Recently, the administration has been soliciting input from around the country on the various roles that universities play in regional economic development. Ms. Lew will share some of what the White House has learned from that process, and discuss the administration's current thinking on university commercialization.

Voters in more than 30 states will go to the polls to choose a governor later this year. For TBED professionals, gubernatorial elections can mean uncertainty. Will the next administration put economic development and technology on the agenda? Will the new governor support existing agencies and programs, or will he/she introduce new initiatives? What will happen to the budget for TBED programs?

We know you have questions. That's why SSTI's 14th Annual Conference will feature leaders who can speak with unparalleled authority about the view from the governor's mansion and what it takes to create and sustain successful statewide initiatives. SSTI is honored to have three of Pennsylvania's governors for a plenary session in which they can share their perspectives and experiences. They are:

Andre Pettigrew, the director of the Denver Office of Economic Development, will become the first executive director of Climate Prosperity Inc., a Washington, D.C., climate-change think tank. LaCharles Keesee, the city's deputy chief financial officer, will assume an interim role as head of the city's economic development department until a final replacement is named.

The Ohio Development of Department has named Karen Shauri director of the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio.

Terri Shelton, director of the University of North Carolina Greensboro Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships has been named the vice chancellor for research and economic development.

Sponsorship opportunities are designed to help your organization build awareness and develop beneficial relationships with the nation's top state and regional tech-based economic development decisionmakers.

You can join with our great sponsors already onboard to take advantage of this powerful networking and outreach opportunity by contacting Noelle Sheets, SSTI director of membership services, at sheets@ssti.org or 614.901.1690. Please contact SSTI as soon as possible to request the 2010 sponsorship benefit information, as all national sponsorship opportunities are on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for inclusion in the conference brochure is June 30.

SSTI's 14th Annual Conference, Accelerating Innovation: The Road Ahead for Tech-based Economic Development will be held Sept. 14-16 in Pittsburgh.

SSTI would like to thank our current National Sponsors:

 JumpStart Inc. invites applications for the position of president, JumpStart Advisors. This is an exciting opportunity for a business leader who has significant experience in providing direct consulting services, as well as managing multiple consulting project teams, and would like to lead a nationally significant effort that has the promise to transform the way regions think about their innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

A nationally recognized nonprofit organization creating economic transformation in Northeast Ohio, JumpStart Inc. provides resources to entrepreneurs leading high potential, early-stage companies. JumpStart CEO Ray Leach discusses how the organization has successfully partnered with regional organizations and philanthropic institutions to achieve its tremendous success. Download the interview ...