PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP; www.sep.benfranklin.org) has promoted Susan Evatt, Senior Director, Technology Commercialization Group, to Vice President.
As Vice President of the Technology Commercialization Group at BFTP/SEP -- an innovative economic development organization that grows the region's economy through science, technology and entrepreneurship -- Evatt develops programs and services to enhance companies' capacity for new product development and commercialization. The work advances the use of technologies available from university research centers and the federal laboratory system.
Evatt's team concentrates on individual companies to identify specific technology commercialization needs, locate, and apply specialized expertise to accelerate the process. Regionally, it monitors emerging technology trends and fosters collaboration among academic, corporate and economic development partners.
"Sue's leadership of the Technology Commercialization Group has enabled BFTP/SEP to strengthen the focus of our technology commercialization efforts, leading to our growing involvement in several technology hubs across the region," RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, BFTP/SEP's President and CEO, said. "Our organization also has expanded the participants and services delivered through the Technology Commercialization Network and secured federal support."
The TCN -- composed of 20 Philadelphia area research institutions -- assists companies by addressing their near-term technical needs with consulting services and providing the use of laboratory facilities for analysis, experimentation, and prototyping.
"It's a privilege for me to be associated with the Ben Franklin Technology Partners team," Evatt said. "Working with entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage of business in a wide range of technology applications, interfacing with experts from our region's finest academic institutions and leaders of the business and financial community is immensely gratifying."
In joining BFTP/SEP four years ago, Evatt made a career transition from private sector technology management to technology-based economic development. She has 20 years of technology product engineering and management experience in the nuclear and aerospace industries. She previously worked as a Product Area Manager at Smiths Industries Aerospace, in Trenton, N.J.; Engineering Manager and Quality Program Manager at Liberty Technologies, in Conshohocken, Pa.; and Research Engineer at Franklin Research Center, in Philadelphia.
Evatt currently serves on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) as program co-chair, and on the program committee of the Women's Investment Network (WIN) of Greater Philadelphia.
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Since 1982, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania has helped grow the region through science, technology and entrepreneurship. The organization has provided more than $110 million to over 1,400 regional enterprises through various funding means. Part of a statewide network in Pennsylvania, BFTP/SEP provides entrepreneurs and established businesses the capital, talent, and expertise they need to compete in the global marketplace. BFTP/SEP is a founding partner of the Nanotechnology Institute(tm) and the Mid-Atlantic Nanotechnology Alliance (MANA)(r) and is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development.