Event

Monday, May 19, 2008 — WiTT Meeting

Early date due to Memorial Day holiday

Time 4:30pm

Speaker: Eric Cromwell

Topic: "Innovation Capacity Building Initiatives and the Impact of Technology and Entrepreneurship on the State's Economy"

Eric Cromwell is President and CEO of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation, a group focused on assisting people who want to start tech-related businesses. They offer grants to qualified applicants. Read his bio below.

Eric spoke to our group several years ago when he was with the state government and was one of our most popular speakers. His topic is "Innovation Capacity Building Initiatives and the Impact of Technology and Entrepreneurship on the State's Economy".

Location:
American Color
100 Winners Circle Brentwood, TN 37027

Eric C. Cromwell is president and CEO of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC), a statewide public/private initiative dedicated to fostering innovation and increasing entrepreneurial capacity in Tennessee. TTDC is the state’s lead for technology-based economic development, and as the program’s top executive, Eric is a point of contact for technological innovation, research and development, and technology business growth across Tennessee.

Prior to accepting the top job at TTDC, Eric served the State of Tennessee in the Bredesen Administration as the first ever Director of Technology Development, a leadership position created within the Department of Economic and Community Development by Commissioner Matt Kisber. During his time in state government, Eric worked closely with ECD Commissioner Kisber and held leadership roles in a range of programs and projects including the Tennessee Innovation Road Map Initiative, the OneTenn Plan for a 21st Century Cyber-Infrastructure, the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and served as Governor Bredesen’s appointed representative on the Southern Technology Council.

Eric began his career in technology-based economic development in Memphis, Tennessee as the founding director of EmergeMemphis, the first business incubation program launched by Memphis Incubator Systems, Inc and later as the founding Associate Director of the FedEx Institute of Technology, a public-private initiative established to support advanced research and higher education.

Eric holds a B.S. degree in Biology with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee [Knoxville] and a M.S. degree in Electronic Commerce from the University of Memphis.