Commissioner Bill Hagerty Named Chairman of the Board for TTDC
Appointment Made Official at TTDC Board of Directors 4th Quarter Meeting
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty was named today as Chairman of the Board for the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC). The Board of Directors voted on the appointment at a meeting earlier today.
“I am honored to serve as Chair of the TTDC board and look forward to working closely with members of the board and TTDC leadership to advance the state’s innovation initiatives,” Hagerty said. “The enhanced alignment of TTDC with ECD will provide greater opportunity to leverage the strengths of both organizations toward a common approach that will advance the state’s global competitiveness and make Tennessee a destination location for highly innovative businesses and the high-quality jobs they create.”
TTDC is a legislatively created, non-profit organization created to encourage science and technology business development in the state. TTDC works in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and is funded under an agreement with the state. Designed to improve the statewide business climate for innovation and entrepreneurship, TTDC serves as a complement to ongoing business recruitment and expansion efforts of state and local officials.
“TTDC has traditionally been a public/private partnership funded by the Department of Economic and Community Development,” said Dr. Bill Evans, outgoing TTDC Chair and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “With Governor Haslam’s plans for innovation as a key component of Jobs4TN, and with the expanding role of TTDC in these programs, it is a great time to further coordinate the efforts between ECD and TTDC, and the TTDC Board is delighted that Commissioner Hagerty is willing to take on a leadership role as Chair of the TTDC Board.”
“I look forward to the opportunity to work more closely with Commissioner Hagerty and the Department to support the INCITE innovation initiatives announced by Governor Haslam at our conference in May,” said Dr. Leslie Wisner-Lynch, president and CEO of TTDC. “Further alignment will allow TTDC to better support key innovation initiatives of the Department, especially as they relate to technology transfer and commercialization and early-stage capital programs. This is an exciting time for TTDC and for the regional communities from across the state that we have worked with to increase economic growth through innovation.”
Governor Haslam announced the INCITE initiative in May at the TTDC NEXT Conference. INCITE is a $50 million initiative designed to support innovation across the state. The program focuses on innovation, commercialization, investment, technology and entrepreneurship.
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About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd.
Contact: Valerie Somerville, ECD
Phone: (615) 532-1925
Email: valerie.somerville@tn.gov
Contact: Courtney Corlew, TTDC
Phone: (615) 823-7085
Email: courtney.corlew@tntechnology.org