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SSTI Digest
Geography: Pennsylvania
Gov Rendell with Former Govs Ridge and Thornburgh at SSTI Conference
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:
Legislative Wrap-Up: Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Tennessee Pass Budgets
Several states recently enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which started July 1 for most states. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law the LA GRAD Act, granting universities more flexibility to raise tuition in return for meeting certain performance goals. Lawmakers in Massachusetts allocated $10 million to continue the state's investment in life sciences, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed a jobs bill providing $8 million for green economy projects, and in Tennessee, an $80 million expansion of TNInvestco, a program that allocates tax credits to create pools of venture capital, was approved.
Louisiana
TBED People and Organizations
TBED People
Michael Burcham has been named the first president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. Burcham currently serves as a clinical faculty member at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
Austin Burke, longtime president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, is being nominated secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Burke will replace George Cornelius, who is leaving his post to become the president of Bridgewater College in Virginia.
Former National Science Foundation official Deborah Crawford has been appointed Drexel University's vice provost for research. Crawford will begin her tenure at Drexel in September.
Learn from the Best! Download the Exclusive Innovation Works Interview
SSTI's interview with Bob Starzynski of Innovation Works' Innovation Adoption Grant Fund, 2009 recipient of the Excellence in TBED Award in the category Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries, provides an honest, in-depth account of best practices and lessons learned that earned this program national recognition. Click here to listen to the interview and learn more about the program.
SSTI Excellence in TBED Awards Podcast
Friday March 26, 2010 > Web Version > Unsubscribe
Tech Talkin' Govs, Part IV
The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, and Oklahoma. The first three installments are available in the Jan 13, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 Digests.
Alaska
Gov. Sean Parnell, State of the State Address, Jan. 20, 2010
"We will create even more jobs by funding construction of two new statewide buildings, the Anchorage crime lab I mentioned earlier and we will construct the Life Sciences building at [the University of Alaska, Fairbanks]. …
"… Where energy is concerned, we will continue reducing dependency on diesel across Alaska. And we are putting $25 million toward more in-state renewable energy projects. …
TBED People
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell dropped his previous nomination, Robert Sledd, as his secretary for Commerce and Trade and instead nominated businessman James Cheng. Cheng, whose nomination needs to be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, was sworn in on January 17.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said that the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary George Cornelius will step down on June 30 to become the president of Bridgewater College in Virginia.
Rick LeFaivre and Tom Clement are joining the UW Center for Commercialization as key deputies to vice provost Linden Rhoads. LeFaive will split his time evenly between the university and his other job as a managing director at OVP Venture Partners, while Clement is expected to work full-time for about 18 months.
Philadelphia to Encourage College Attendance
In an effort to improve the percentage of city residents with college degrees, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced his administration will be opening an office within City Hall to help potential students considering higher education. The “PhillyGoes2College” office will direct residents to assistance with filling out financial aid forms and applications, preparing for standardized admission tests, and writing college essays. In addition, the first-term mayor stated a goal of attaining up to 1,000 fully funded college scholarships for city students from the region’s universities by the end of 2012, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. More details on the PhillyGoes2College initiative is available at: http://www.phila.gov/residents/education/fafsa.html.
TBED People
Carl Bauer is retiring from federal service and leaving the National Energy Technology Laboratory effective Feb. 28, following a four-year tenure as the laboratory’s director.
Joining the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse as executives in residence are Maureen Peszko and Michael Lang. Pierre Queiroz de Oliveira will be joining the program as an executive associate.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has tapped Gwyn Riddick, director of its Piedmont Triad Office, to lead a new statewide agricultural biotechnology initiative as the vice president, Ag/Bio Initiative.
Energy Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania Launched in Pittsburgh
The recent creation of the Energy Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania is intended to advance the energy-related economy of the Pittsburgh region by funding companies, coordinating projects, devising policies, and marketing the region's assets. While staff for the Energy Alliance will come primarily from the Allegheny Conference and Innovation Works, other partners of the effort include the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and various energy-related firms in the region. Specific sectors within both the traditional and alternative energy fields have been targeted by the Alliance, including the advancement of natural gas extraction, in part due to Pittsburgh's proximity to the Marcellus Shale – one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Read the full press release from the Allegheny Conference..
TBED People
TBED People
Eric Abelquist has been named executive vice president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities and deputy director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Arn Boezaart, who has been interim executive director of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center the past six months, will take over the position permanently.
Melanie Brandt has been hired as chief operating officer for the Technology Association of Georgia.
President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services within the International Trade Administration.
FY10 Budget Leads to Significant Cuts for PA Economic Development Efforts
The first third of the current fiscal year was over before Pennsylvania leaders could agree on a $27.8 billion FY10 budget that sharply reduces spending across many areas of community and economic development. It does boost funding for basic education to historic levels, however.
State spending in FY10 is $1.9 billion lower than in FY09 and $524 million less when federal stimulus dollars are taken into account, according to the governor’s press office. In addition to spending cuts across most agencies, the state will raise cigarette taxes by 25 cents per pack and institute a new tax on small cigars.