SSTI Digest

Steve Bazinet has been hired as executive director of the Maine Center for Enterprise Development. Rahindra Bose is Ohio University's new vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the graduate college. David Fouts was selected as the next president and chief executive of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network. Fouts replaces Fatima Weathers, who served for a year as acting president. Denichiro Otsuga was named the first director of technology transfer at South Dakota State University. Harris Pastides was selected to replace Andrew Sorensen as University of South Carolina system president. Sorenson retired after six years at the helm. Linden Rhoads was appointed as vice provost of the University of Washington's TechTransfer unit. Rhoads starts her new position Aug. 14. Hunter Roberts, South Dakota's interim state energy director, was appointed to the post of energy policy director. Brent Tolman is the new executive director of the Workforce Development Alliance in Idaho. Sterling Wharton was hired as program director for Georgia's Centers of Innovation program.

President Bush announced he will nominate Assistant Secretary of Commerce Sandy Baruah to serve as the administrator of the Small Business Administration. The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce has created the Economic Development Partnership to help businesses relocate to or expand in the county. Barbara Fleisner has been hired as executive director of Centergy, the Central Wisconsin Alliance for Economic Development. Dr. Lee Herron has joined the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) as vice president of commercialization. Herron previously was general manager, Biosciences, for the Advanced Technology Development Center. Linden Rhoads was named vice provost of the University of Washington's TechTransfer department. Rhoads replace Jim Severson, who left to join a start-up company. Gary Rose announced he will step down as chief of New Jersey's Office of Economic Growth. Angie McGuire, the office's deputy chief since March 2006, will serve as acting chief until a replacement is found.

Lori Broyles was appointed coordinator of the Women's Business Center in Oklahoma City. University of Arizona Economic Development recently made three staff changes: Molly Gilbert was promoted to assistant director of the Office of Economic Development. Ken Marcus, previously the director of the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park (UASTP), continues in the role of chief financial officer (CFO) for UASTP and the Arizona Center for Innovation and expands his duties as the CFO for the Arizona Bioscience Park and the Arizona Research Park Authority. Marshall Worden was named director of UASTP. The Angel Capital Association and Angel Capital Education Foundation have named Stephanie Hanbury-Brown – founder of Golden Seeds LLC, an innovative network of primarily women angel investors who identify and invest in women-led ventures – as the recipient of the 2008 Hans Severiens Award. The award recognizes one person each year for outstanding accomplishments in the advancement of angel investing. Mike Kluse is now the permanent director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) after having served as PNNL's interim director for 16…

Two weeks ago, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter vetoed legislation to repeal state R&D income tax credits for Idaho companies. Among his reasons for the veto, Gov. Otter claimed removing the credits would put Idaho at a competitive disadvantage because surrounding states over similar incentives. Was he right? It is true most states offer R&D tax credits to their corporate residents at this point. Little has been known about the credits’ impacts or effectiveness on recruitment, however. Most of the academic research on the topic has focused on the federal R&D tax credits and competition among nations.   On the state level, in theory at least, a rationally acting, research-intensive firm can be expected to select a location within a state that has an R&D tax credit over another state without one – all other things being equal. Note: The italicized phrase is a critical but impossible one that is required for these kinds of conclusive statements.    A recent research paper published in Economic Development Quarterly begins to shed some light on the effectiveness of state R&D tax credit…

Egils Milbergs was appointed director of Washington's newly formed Economic Development Commission.

Washington State is attempting to replicate the success of North Carolina’s Research Triangle in promoting regionalism and industry clusters through a new Innovation Partnership Zones initiative.   Gov. Christine Gregoire announced last week the designation of 11 Innovation Partnership Zones throughout the state -- five of which were also awarded state grants totaling $4.3 million allocated in the fiscal year 2007-09 capital budget (see the April 30, 2007 issue of the Digest).   To qualify for the designation, applicants must bring research, workforce training and a globally competitive company together in close geographic proximity for a cooperative, research-based effort that will lead to new commercially viable products and jobs, according to the governor’s press office. The idea is to form industry clusters around universities and research parks, utilizing resources from higher education institutions to grow companies in emerging fields. The five applicants awarded grants include: Bellingham Innovation Zone for low-wake, fast ferry vessel prototypes, hydroscience and engineering and design, wake wash energy…

With the first round of state funding not expected until April 2008, private foundations have stepped in to provide a jumpstart for the Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF). Last week, six Washington-based research teams were awarded more than $4.5 million in private funding to support projects that improve health care quality and capitalize on economic development opportunities within the state.   Created in 2005, LSDF is a state agency that operates like a foundation, authorized to use $350 million in tobacco settlement funds over a 10-year period to support life science research (see the May 16, 2005 issue of the Digest). When leveraged with federal sources and private investment, the fund’s total impact is expected to exceed $1 billion.   Selected projects for the first round of funding will focus on innovative applications of technology to improve effectiveness of surgical procedures, to improve management for all patients, and to better diagnose and treat certain diseases. Major contributors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Microsoft, Amgen, Safeco, and Regence…

Graham Evans has joined Washington Technology Center as director of research and program operations.

John Gardner will be vice president for economic development and extension at Washington State University, effective July 1. Gardner has been the vice president for research and economic development at the University of Missouri system.

Anna Ehnmark was appointed executive director of the Technology Alliance Group for Northwest Washington.

Tiffany McVeety stepped down from her post as director of the Northwest Women's Business Center to become a business banker for Shoreline Bank. Rebecca Villareal replaces McVeety.

WSA (formerly the Washington Software Alliance) announced that Kathy Wilcox will step down as the organization's president and CEO at the end of 2006. Wilcox intends to work with for-profit and nonprofit businesses as an advisor on operations, business development, board structuring and fundraising.