Board of Trustees: Christopher M. Coburn

Chris Coburn is the Cleveland Clinic's chief commercialization officer, serving as Executive Director of CCF Innovations (since its establishment in 2000). He is a recognized authority on technology commercialization and has consulted, testified and spoken on the subject throughout North America and in 18 countries. He leads a team of nearly two dozen industry veterans. Mr. Coburn serves on the board of directors of CleveX, Merlot Therapeutics, PeriTec, PrognostiX, and BioEnterprise. He is a trustee of Hathaway Brown School, Northeast Ohio Council of Higher Education, and Town Hall of Cleveland. He is a former Vice President and General Manager of Battelle Memorial Institute, director of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (NYSE:USU) and author of numerous articles and book chapters on technology commercialization. He was editor and co-author of Partnerships, the key reference book on public technology commercialization. He served as Ohio's first Science Advisor, Assistant Director and Deputy Director of the Ohio Department of Development and Executive Director of Ohio's Thomas Edison Program. Career highlights include:

• Ohio's first Science Advisor, serving on the staff of former Governor Richard Celeste for 8 years.
• Line manager of all of Ohio's technology programs serving as ODOD Assistant Director and Deputy Director as well as Executive Director of Ohio's Thomas Edison Program.
• Vice President and General Manager of Battelle Memorial Institute, leading one of Battelle's principal operating units, specializing in technology commercialization. At Battelle, Mr. Coburn advised dozens of clients on strategies and programs to enhance the commercialization of technology developed at universities, hospitals, federal labs and companies. He has testified in numerous state legislatures, to state technology commissions and is author of many monographs and presentations on criteria for commercialization success.
• Executive Director of the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center, charged with commercializing NASA technology throughout the Great Lakes region (including Ohio) and also, through its Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative, assisting minority companies in taking advantage of federal technology capabilities.
• Editor and author of Partnerships, the definitive reference book on public technology commercialization.
• Founder and former President of the State Science and Technology Institute, the national non-profit dedicated to assisting all states in the management of their technology development programs.
• Founding Chairman, Science and Technology Council of the States.
• Staff Director of the Carnegie Commission Task Force on Science, Technology and the States, one of the units of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government.
• Staff Director of White House Task Force on Science, Technology and the States.
• Associate Staff member of the National Academy of Sciences Government University Industry Roundtable.
• Staff Director, Ohio Science and Technology Commission.
• Founding Board Member, Midwest Technology Development Institute (appointed by Governor Celeste) and former board member of the Edison Welding Institute and Ohio Aerospace Council.
• Assistant Director of the Ohio Washington Office.
• Appropriations staff to U.S Representative Louis Stokes with responsibility for VA, HUD and Independent Agencies (including NSF and NASA).
• Budget Analyst, Office of the Comptroller, NASA.
• Legislative Analyst, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health.
• Appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC). The USEC plant outside of Portsmouth is the largest employer in Southeastern Ohio.

Serving term October 1, 2007 – March 31, 2010.