MCED names two R&D veterans to its board
Courtesy / Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development
The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development has appointedTodd Keiller, director of intellectual property and innovation at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (left), and Brian Whitney, president of Maine Technology Institute, to its board of directors.
The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development has appointed Brian Whitney, president of Maine Technology Institute, and Todd Keiller, director of intellectual property and innovation at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to its board of directors.
MCED Executive Director Thomas Rainey said the additions to the nonprofit’s board “further strengthen our board’s expertise in technology commercialization from research performing institutions and R&D intensive businesses.”
“This is an area of strategic importance for us as we expand our mission and launch new initiatives designed to support and strengthen Maine’s most innovative companies and entrepreneurs,” Rainey said in a news release.
New board members add depth
Whitney became president of the Maine Technology Institute in 2015 after previously serving as a private sector manager and as Maine’s director of business development and innovation at the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
Prior to his work in state government, he was director of outreach and economic development for then-U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and served as chief of staff to Maine’s Senate president. He is currently a board member of the Maine Venture Fund and the Economic Development Council of Maine and is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine.
MTI is a publicly funded, private, nonprofit organization established to stimulate research and development leading to the development of innovative new products, processes and services.
Keiller brings 30 years of experience in licensing, business development and marketing to the MCED board. He has established several technology transfer offices, including at Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Vermont.
Keiller also has managed the technology transfer affairs at Maine Medical Center for the last 13 years and the same for the University of New England for the last eight years. His private sector experience includes 10 years in the science and medical products divisions of Corning Glass Works in sales, marketing and business development roles. He has also worked in startup and early stage companies.
Keiller’s 20 years of academic licensing experience includes the position of vice president for ventures at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and consulting to numerous nonprofit institutions throughout New England. He has been an active member of the BioScience Association of Maine and holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.
“Todd’s and Brian’s broad experience and contacts across industries important to Maine will add to the breadth and expertise found among our board of directors”, said Tony Perkins, MCED board chairman and attorney at Bernstein Shur in Portland. “We are delighted that these two outstanding leaders are joining our organization.”
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