Dedric Carter, who has been Washington University’s vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer since 2021, is leaving his role for a similar position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
During his tenure at Washington University, Carter has been involved in St. Louis’ innovation and startup sectors, serving as chair of the Missouri Technology Corp. (MTC) and as a board member of the Cortex Innovation Community and innovation hub BioSTL.
Washington University said Wednesday that Carter is leaving his position there to become the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development and chief innovation officer. He begins the new position Oct. 30 and his last day with Washington University will be Oct. 29, a spokesperson said.
Carter became Washington University’s vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer in August 2021, filling a newly created leadership post focused on accelerating the entrepreneurship activity of Washington University’s intellectual property and research through licensing deals and startup creation. He had previously been vice chancellor for operations and technology transfer at Washington University. In addition to his leadership positions, he has been a professor of practice in the McKelvey School of Engineering and Olin Business School. Carter joined Washington University in 2013 and was previously senior adviser for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Washington University said highlights of Carter’s tenure have included creating its Quick Start License program to help faculty launch startup companies and helping to create CuriMeta, a startup that collects aggregated and de-identified patient data from health systems to create datasets that life science researchers and manufacturers can use to bring new therapeutics and treatments to market.
Carter has been chairman of MTC, a public-private partnership that promotes entrepreneurship statewide and invests in startups, since 2021, and a member of its board since 2017. During his tenure as chair, MTC has completed a strategic plan to examine how it can best support Missouri entrepreneurs and increased its investment in Missouri startups thanks to a tranche of federal funds it has been allocated.
MTC Executive Director Jack Scatizzi said in a LinkedIn post that Carter’s “departure from Missouri will be a loss for MTC and the state's innovation and entrepreneurial communities.” Scatizzi said in an email that the appointment of a new chairman for MTC will be at the discretion of the office of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who appointed Carter to his role as chair of MTC.
