TTDC Board Names Wisner-Lynch as Interim President & CEO
NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 7, 2010—Dr. Leslie Wisner-Lynch has been named Interim President and CEO of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC), effective immediately. The announcement was made by Dr. William Evans, chairman of the TTDC board and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“The TTDC board feels Dr. Wisner-Lynch will provide strong leadership to the organization as TTDC continues to work with statewide partners and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to increase technology innovation and business development in Tennessee,” Evans said. “I very much look forward to working with her to build on our core programs in research and innovation, entrepreneurship and capital investment, providing additional alignment and a focused strategy that will further expand the state’s technology assets.”
Evans said that Wisner-Lynch’s appointment, which is for a one-year period, follows the recent resignation of former TTDC President and CEO Eric Cromwell. She was the unanimous choice of the board.
"Dr. Wisner-Lynch is the right person to manage TTDC through this period of transition," said Matt Kisber, commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. "She understands TTDC and the state of Tennessee are important partners in the creation of jobs related to technology, and I'm convinced she can build broad-based support for our strategic initiatives to attract capital and remove the barriers to entrepreneurship
and innovation."
Dr. Wisner-Lynch has served as a member of the TTDC Board of Directors since 2007, where she held the office of second vice-chair. She also serves as the executive director of the BioTN Foundation, a not-for-profit designed to serve as a leading resource for improving life sciences education and business growth in Tennessee, through leadership in STEM education, workforce training and economic development initiatives. She previously served as the Director of Applied Research for BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc., in Franklin, Tenn., where she provided clinical and scientific expertise for products under development and in commercialization for use in craniomaxillofacial and skeletal regeneration.
She also currently serves as chair of the life sciences committee for Middle Tennessee Mind2Marketplace, is a member of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors and is Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the recently approved STEM Prep Academy charter school in Metro Nashville.
“I am honored to be chosen by the board to lead an organization that has the opportunity to make such a positive and lasting impact on the technology entrepreneurial culture in Tennessee,” said Dr. Wisner-Lynch. “TTDC will continue its mission to increase technology business development by aligning and coordinating key technology innovation and development assets within Tennessee and fostering access to the critical capital investments required to grow these high-potential, high-impact businesses.”
