People
Ronnie Bryant, president and chief operating officer for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, is leaving to become president and CEO of the 16-county Charlotte Regional Partnership in North Carolina.
People
Albert Clough is the new Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, following the resignation of Edgar Blatchford last week.
People
Pat Dillon has taken a position with the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network, an initiative to support high tech, high growth companies in Wisconsin.
People
The new chairman for the Georgia Medical Center Authority is former State Senator Randy Hall.
People
Carrie Hines, presently with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, will serve as the first executive director of the American Small Manufacturing Coalition.
People
The U.S. Senate has confirmed William Alan Jeffrey as the new director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
People
The new head of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City is Jeffrey Kaczmarek, effective Sept. 6. Kaczmarek currently is senior vice president for community development with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
People
Former Massachusetts State Senator Peter Larkin is the senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
People
Chris Marschner is the new president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA).
Administration Outlines R&D Budget Priorities for 2007
Homeland security R&D, high-end computing, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative are among the interagency R&D priorities that will receive a special focus in agency budget requests, according to a memorandum outlining the Administration's R&D budget priorities for 2007.
Publisher's Note: Stickley, Sheets Join SSTI
SSTI is proud to announce the addition of two new staff members to its team. Sheri Stickely will join SSTI on Aug. 15 as a Vice President. Sheri is leaving the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Technology (OCAST) to join SSTI. She has served most recently as Interim Executive Director and has been with OCAST since its inception in 1987.
Illinois Uses Executive Order to Fund Stem Cell Research
While some state legislatures debate banning public funds for some or all stem cell research, others are using whatever funding tools they have available to advance the controversial science. Some states use tobacco settlement money, others use revenue bonds, and still others use direct appropriations. Some states use voter referenda while most stay within the traditional state legislative process. The newest twist comes from Illinois, where Illinois Gov.
Oregon Legislature Passes University Venture Development Funds Bill
The Oregon Legislature overwhelmingly passed S.B. 853 last week, creating venture development funds to facilitate technology commercialization for students and faculty at the state's seven public universities.
Fed Issues Sobering Look at Current Economic Recovery
For many practitioners, the quickest summary of a recent 16-page analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York might be "something has to change." Looking at job creation since the recovery began three years ago, Richard Freeman and William Rogers III state in The Weak Jobs Recovery: Whatever Happened to "The Great American Jobs Machine"? that this is the worst recovery in all post-World War II recoveries.
GAO Report Highlights Economic Performance Measure
The quality of the economic performance assessment of federal programs has improved, but gaps still remain in the application of the measures used, according to the latest report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
EPI Book Explores Discrepancies in Business Indices
A new resource published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) argues that indices claiming to measure the same thing - namely, the capacity or potential for economic growth - often vary widely in their results and are not effective yardsticks of economic potential.
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Rebecca Bagley is the new Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment in the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development.
People
Rebecca Bagley is the new Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment in the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development.
People
Former University of Washington President Lee Huntsman is the first director of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund.
People
John Shields, president of the Alabama Technology Network since 1996, stepped down June 30. Mike Bailey is the new president.
People
Maurice Swinton recently announced he has accepted the position of Program Manager for the Advanced Technology Office (ATO) of the Department of Homeland Security. Among its responsibilities, the ATO oversees the agency's SBIR/STTR programs.
People
Citing a reorganizing, the Delaware Economic Development Office fired 20 percent of its staff (10 positions) last Thursday. According to the Associated Press and local news sources, among those relieved of their duties were Janet Wurtzel, chief operating officer, and Rob Propes, entrepreneurial and small business support director.
France Doubles Funding for R&D and Industrial Innovation
The U.S. can watch as another country significantly expands its investments in innovation. This time it's France, as newly appointed Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin last month announced that the national government will double its funding from €500 million to €1 billion for the Industrial Innovation Agency (IIA), and give €350 million to the National Research Agency (ANR).
New Jersey Senate Approves $150M for Stem Cell Facility
Just over two months ago, Acting Gov. Richard Codey announced budget shortfalls were delaying the state's $380 million stem cell research initiative (see the April 25 issue of the Digest).
Third Try's the Charm for $28M Momentum Mississippi
In its third special session of the year, Mississippi legislators passed House Bill 3, an economic development package of grants and loans for high-tech and existing industry, including Gov. Barbour’s Momentum Mississippi Initiative.