Executive Director, Innovative Campus

Category: Staff
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ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A leader who is hungry to build on what has been accomplished and have a real impact on the campus and the university, the Executive Director is the chief administrative officer of the Innovation Campus and provides overall leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for it. This person is responsible for developing and executing a clear growth strategy, aligning university priorities with external partner needs, and ensuring effective governance, financial stewardship, and appropriate management of campus programming and operations. The Executive Director works closely with university leaders to leverage the campus in service of the university's academic and research efforts, as well as with community and industry leaders to transform and strengthen the region's growing economy. In pursuit of these goals, the Executive Director serves as the primary external representative of the Innovation Campus, cultivating partnerships with corporate, government, and community stakeholders to attract industry, investment, and collaborative research opportunities. This person oversees program development, seed funding initiatives, facilities management, and revenue-generating activities, while fostering an environment that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialization, industry engagement, and workforce development. The annual operating budget for the campus is approximately $1.5 million. The Executive Director reports to the Executive Vice President for Strategy, Operations and Finance of Western Kentucky University and is supported by a team of staff.
More specifically, the Executive Director will address the following opportunities and challenges:
Set and execute an ambitious vision and strategy for the Innovation Campus
The Executive Director holds primary responsibility for defining a clear and compelling vision and strategy for the Innovation Campus. To do so successfully, this person will work in close partnership with university and community leaders to assess the institution's strengths, external partner needs, and broader market opportunities to shape a focused and achievable strategic direction. They will then translate that vision and strategy into action, aligning stakeholders and securing the resources necessary to support execution.
Contribute to the diversification of the regional economy
The city of Bowling Green and Warren County have historically had a thriving manufacturing economy, which has contributed to significant growth in recent years. Now, as WKU strengthens its research enterprise and as the city strategically envisions its future, the opportunity exists to create new regional economies in technology and healthcare. The Executive Director will play a meaningful role in this effort, shaping the Innovation Campus into an incubator-like environment for technology-oriented entrepreneurs and emerging healthcare ventures, supporting workforce development activities that both train students and encourage them to remain local, and strengthening ties with the Regional Technology Council (which is based on the Innovation Campus), the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, and other partners. This work will be inherently collaborative, aligning business, civic, and academic stakeholders to build broader support for a more prosperous and diversified economic future.
Strengthen the Innovation Campus's capacity to address regional needs through innovative activity
WKU's location in Bowling Green and proximity to Nashville are a major asset, and the Innovation Campus will play a central role in maximizing the potential of the university's location. To this end, the Executive Director will lead efforts to expand the Innovation Campus's regional footprint by attracting and supporting both established and emerging companies, offering them an accessible platform for growth, and connecting them to the university's research enterprise. This work is already underway, for instance through the Metals Innovation Initiative, which is headquartered on the Innovation Campus and brings together industry, academia, and government to advance a thriving metals ecosystem in Kentucky. An enterprising Executive Director will find further opportunities to address regional needs by convening key partners and leveraging the strengths of the university.
Partner with faculty to expand research translation and commercialization efforts
Under the leadership of the Associate Provost for Research, WKU has grown its research enterprise in recent years. The Executive Director will work closely with the Associate Provost for Research and the faculty to identify and advance research with applied potential, helping to translate early-stage ideas into viable ventures. This work will necessitate l