Three Kentucky leaders have joined the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE).
Grace Simrall, chief of civic innovation and technology at Louisville Metro Government, Ian McClure, associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact at the University of Kentucky, and Brit Fitzpatrick, chief of staff at Stark and former Blue North leader, are among 32 leaders from across the country that will be charged with developing a National Entrepreneurship Strategy.
The strategy aims to strengthen America’s ability to compete and win as the world’s leading startup nation and as the world’s leading innovator in critical emerging technologies, according to a news release from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
“We must invest further in our entrepreneurs and innovators so that America continues to lead the world in discovering and commercializing critical technologies," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, in the release. "At the same time, we must better ensure that more communities throughout the country are included in the ecosystems that will generate these critical innovations. The Biden Administration looks forward to tapping the expertise of the new NACIE members to build a better America and further strengthen our competitiveness on the global stage.
"I applaud these individuals — leaders in their respective fields of industry, workforce development, academia, technology and innovation — for their commitment to serve.”
NACIE will be led by Alejandra Y. Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, and Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation, both serving as non-voting federal ex-officio co-chairs. The voting non-federal co-chairs are Steve Case, chairman/CEO of Revolution and co-founder of AOL, and Kristina M. Johnson, president of Ohio State University.
NACIE is a federal advisory committee managed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. More than 260 nominees were received. Members will serve two-year terms.
“The new NACIE members are an impressive group of individuals from diverse backgrounds, regions and industries,” Castillo said in the release. “We have plenty of challenges and opportunities to tackle. I'm eager to get to work to ensure our tech and innovation economy prospers equitably for everyone across the nation.”
