SSTI Board of Trustees
The Honorable Tom Ridge
Chair
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Tom Ridge, currently chairman of SSTI's Board of Trustees, became the first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Then, on January 24, 2003, he became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, serving until February 2005.
The creation of the country's 15th Cabinet Department marked the largest reorganization of government since the Truman administration. It also represented another call to service for the former soldier, congressman, and governor of Pennsylvania. During his DHS tenure, Secretary Ridge worked with more than 180,000 employees from a combined 22 agencies to create an agency that facilitated the flow of people and goods, instituted layered security at air, land, and seaports, developed a unified national response and recovery plan, protected critical infrastructure, integrated new technology, and improved information sharing worldwide.
Previously, Ridge served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms from 1983 to 1995. He was twice elected Governor of Pennsylvania, serving as the state's 43rd governor from 1995 to 2001. Governor Ridge's aggressive technology strategy helped fuel the state's advances in economic development, education, health care, and the environment.
Ridge is currently president and CEO of Ridge Global, an international security and risk management advisory firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. In March 2013, Secretary Ridge co-founded Ridge Schmidt Cyber, a strategic advisory firm, with former White House cyber czar Howard Schmidt. The firm helps leaders in business and government navigate the increasing demands of cybersecurity. An engaging and dynamic speaker, Ridge regularly addresses audiences on a range of issues, including international business, security, and leadership. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, and other private and public entities. He is , the National Organization on Disability and chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's National Security Task Force. And, along with Gen. Tommy Franks (Ret.), he serves as national co-chairman of the Flight 93 National Memorial Fundraising Campaign.
Ridge earned a scholarship to Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After returning to Pennsylvania and Dickinson, he earned his law degree.
Trustees
Robert Atkinson is the founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based technology policy think tank. He is an internationally recognized scholar and a widely published author with books including Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024); Big is Beautiful: Debunking the Mythology of Small Business (MIT Press, 2018); Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012); Supply-Side Follies: Why Conservative Economics Fails, Liberal Economics Falters, and Innovation Economics is the Answer (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006); and The Past And Future Of America’s Economy: Long Waves Of Innovation That Power Cycles Of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005).
Before joining ITIF, Atkinson served as vice president of the Progressive Policy Institute and director of PPIÃs Technology & New Economy Project, where he wrote numerous research reports on technology and innovation policy. Previously, Atkinson served as the first executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, a public-private partnership whose members included the governor, legislative leaders, and corporate and labor leaders. Prior to that, he was project director at the former Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He received his PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kristy Campbell is president & chief operations officer at Rev1 Ventures. In her 10 years with Rev1 Ventures, she has created the organization's strategic vision and supported nearly 1,500 innovators. These innovators have gone on to raise more than $2 billion in capital. As president and chief operating officer, Campbell manages the day-to-day operations of Rev1. She supports strategic growth areas, including innovation space for software startups and life science spinouts. She bolsters Rev1's mission of putting Columbus, OH, on the map as a place to start and scale startups, striving to close the capital gap and address the maturing startup ecosystem in Central Ohio.
Before joining Rev1, Campbell served in leadership roles at Manta Media. There, she helped scale the company into one of the U.S.'s most visited websites. She also served in leadership at Saama Technologies, a leader in big data and analytics. Campbell holds a BS in Journalism from Ohio University and an MBA from Ashland University. She is a frequent speaker on startups, marketing, and inclusion. She has also been featured in top publications and serves on the advisory board for SureImpact, a social impact software platform.
John Fernandez is chief executive officer at The Mill. He joined The Mill, Bloomington's home for innovators, to catalyze the regional innovation ecosystem. He has led collaborations with Indiana University, investors, and the startup community. A key priority includes developing and managing The Trades District, a center for innovation located in Bloomington's certified tech park. Fernandez most recently served as senior vice president of innovation & strategic partnerships and as interim executive director at The Mill. The Mill announced his appointment as chief executive officer on May 7, 2025.
Before moving to The Mill, Fernandez was Dentons' global chief innovation officer. He worked closely with the firm’s lawyers and cross-functional teams, designing innovative programs and solutions, driving greater efficiencies, engagement, and revenue. Fernandez was also managing director of Nextlaw Ventures, the industry’s first global legal tech venture launched by Dentons in 2015. Before joining Dentons, Fernandez served as President Barack Obama’s assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. During his tenure, he launched groundbreaking federal initiatives to accelerate innovation-based growth strategies. Fernandez served as Bloomington, Indiana’s mayor from 1996 to 2003. With his leadership, Bloomington’s economy thrived despite facing significant changes arising from the global economy. He worked with business and Indiana University leaders to launch Bloomington’s Life Sciences Partnership, securing more than $243 million in private investments and creating more than 3,700 jobs.
John Hardin is the executive director for the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology & Innovation, which is staffed by the Office of Science, Technology & Innovation in the North Carolina Department of Commerce. He was appointed acting director in the spring of 2008 and executive director in the fall of 2009. From 2003 to 2008, he served as the board's deputy director and chief policy analyst. From 1998 to 2003, he served as assistant vice president for research and sponsored programs at the University of North Carolina (UNC) system office.
From 1998 to 2005, Hardin held an adjunct assistant professor position in the Department of Political Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he taught courses on American government, political institutions, and state and local politics. Since 2005, he has held a visiting lecturer position in the Department of Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he teaches courses on American politics, public policy, science policy, and policy analysis. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hardin holds MA and PhD degrees in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill, a BA in economics from Baylor University, and a certificate of completion for the Leadership Decision Making program, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Ben Johnson is senior vice president, strategy & operations, at BioSTL. In this position, Johnson leads strategy, finance, HR, and operational initiatives. Since 2001, BioSTL has transformed St. Louis' innovation economy through comprehensive programming that leverages the region’s strengths in medical and plant sciences. In this work, Ben helped co-create the St. Louis Equity in Entrepreneurship Collective and STEMSTL to advance systems-level interventions that bring equitable outcomes to St. Louis’ entrepreneurship and STEM ecosystems and is building the Missouri Innovation Policy Network to advance pro-entrepreneurship polices across Missouri. Ben currently serves as chairman of SSTI’s national policy arm, the Innovation Advocacy Council (IAC), which informs and educates policymakers and elected officials to modernize federal innovation and entrepreneurship policy.
Prior to BioSTL, Johnson relocated to St. Louis to complete the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and led the creation of a Community Development Financial Institution in Indiana. He received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and his BA from Northwestern University. He majored in economics and political science with a minor in business German.
Marnie LaVigne has spent more than 25 years in the private and public sectors. She has created new products and startup businesses, driving innovation and economic growth, especially in technology-based industries. In 2014, she became the president and CEO of Launch NY, a venture development organization that she co-founded with other regional partners.
Previously, LaVigne moved from her co-founder roles in two health informatics startup companies with initial public offerings into the nonprofit arena. There, she led economic and business development efforts for nearly 10 years at the University at Buffalo as associate vice president for economic development. Before stepping into the role of associate vice president at the university, she served as the director of business development for the NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. LaVigne created numerous programs supporting technology-based economic development among startups and established companies, yielding a return of up to 60:1 in economic impact.
LaVigne serves on numerous boards for private, public, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations and journals. She has a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and a doctorate in clinical psychology, both from the University of Rochester.
Nick Maynard became CEO of US Ignite in April 2021. In his previous role as COO, Maynard was instrumental in building the US Ignite Communities program and establishing the Smart Bases program. He also wrote a white paper on smart transportation that informed the Biden infrastructure plan, which created the $500 million DOT smart cities program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Before joining US Ignite, Maynard served as a program director at the National Science Foundation, where he helped launch national advanced wireless research and technology accelerator programs. He was also the assistant director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he launched a federal R&D portfolio, launching more than $1 billion in new programs. These programs included a photonics testbed foundry and President Obama’s ConnectHome program, which provided free broadband for public housing students. Previously, Maynard was a member of the National Broadband Task Force at the FCC, where he created a public-private partnership to offer technology training to small businesses in low-income communities. He also spent ten years in the telecom industry, consulting with leading global carriers and vendors on next-gen networks and services.
Maynard received his BA and MA from the University of Chicago and his PhD in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Sandra Watson brings more than 20 years of economic development leadership experience to Arizona. She and her teams have successfully attracted hundreds of companies to the state. These companies have invested billions of dollars in capital and created more than 75,000 high-quality jobs. During her tenure with the Arizona Department of Commerce, and now with the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Watson served in positions with increasing responsibilities and achieved notable results. She has led business attraction, business development, innovation & technology, workforce, and marketing. She also served as executive director of the Governor’s Council of Innovation & Technology.
Watson worked tirelessly to implement the new vision for the ACA and its aggressive 5-year business plan promoting the state’s pro-business, competitive value proposition. She provided invaluable leadership during the organization’s transition from the Department of Commerce into one of the nation’s first state-based public-private partnerships focused on economic development. Under her direction, the ACA leads statewide efforts assisting companies to locate, expand and grow, bringing high-wage jobs and capital investment to Arizona.
Watson holds an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree and completed the Global Leadership Certification program at the Thunderbird School of Management.
Chairman Emeritus
John Engler, former governor of Michigan