TTED Summer Newsletter
Tom Rogers

Tom Rogers, President and CEO of Technology 2020, joined the Partnerships group on June 1 as Director of Industrial and Economic Development.

Rogers, who headed Technology 2020 since 1996, has been involved in economic development work for nearly 30 years. He started his career at the Tennessee Valley Authority where he served for eight years as Chief of Economic Development Programs before becoming President of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in 1988 and eventually President and CEO of Technology 2020.

“Tom is one of the best known economic development administrators in the region,” said Tom Ballard, Partnerships director. Rogers assumes the position that Ballard vacated in January when he moved into his current job.

“ORNL is a fascinating place, and I'm really excited about joining the lab's Partnerships Directorate and helping even more companies leverage the incredible resources there," said Rogers. "Tech 2020 has been a very close partner with ORNL, increasingly so over the past few years, and this seems a natural transition and a terrific opportunity. I'm confident that Tech 2020 is poised for continued success, and that the organization's best days still lay ahead."

Ballard noted that Rogers and his team at Technology 2020 have played a key role in helping UT-Battelle deliver on its commitment to spawning more entrepreneurial activity locally since UT-Battelle assumed responsibility for ORNL management in 2000.

Rogers worked with Technology Transfer and Economic Development, the predecessor to Partnerships, to establish the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth as the advisory organization for start-ups connected to ORNL expertise or intellectual property. The CEG has been so successful that it has expanded to programs serving UT in Knoxville, Western North Carolina and Eastern and Southern Kentucky.

“Tom has also played a key role in helping increase the availability of early stage investment capital for start-up companies,” Ballard said. “More recently, he has played a leadership role in the creation of the Innovation Valley Nano Alliance and efforts to promote research relationships between ORNL and larger corporations.”

In the renamed position, Rogers will lead the economic development team of Alan Liby, Jennifer Palmer and Constance Powell as they work to better link ORNL to the technology needs of start-up companies and existing industries. He will also play a leadership role in business development opportunities that capitalize on the new Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park.

Rogers currently serves as Chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. and is on the board of directors of a number of organizations including Southeast Community Capital Corporation, Appalachian Fund Management Company, Inc., Digital Crossing Networks LLC, East Tennessee Economic Council and Meritus Ventures. He is a Certified Chamber of Commerce Executive and a 2007 recipient of the Muddy Boot Award given by East Tennessee Economic Council.