WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced the appointment of Tiffany Wilson, CEO of the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), and 29 private sector, nonprofit, and academic leaders to serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). Selected from a pool of more than 200 accomplished applicants, the council members will focus on making recommendations for policies and programs aimed at helping U.S. communities, businesses, and the workforce to be more globally competitive.
“The members of NACIE provide important counsel to the Department of Commerce on the types of federal policies that will support entrepreneurship, innovation, and job-driven workforce training, all of which are critical to American competitiveness,” said Secretary Pritzker. “As ‘America’s Innovation Agency,’ we value the expertise of our private sector partners and appreciate the opportunity to incorporate their views into our policymaking process.”
Established in 2010, NACIE operates as an independent entity managed through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE), which is housed in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
“It is an honor to serve our nation for a second term on NACIE and build on the work we have done to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the United States,” Wilson said. “I look forward to working with a new group of colleagues to advance the goals of the council, particularly among the abundant opportunities for medtech innovation in the Southeast and across the country.”
Wilson launched GCMI in 2012 after spending a decade bringing innovative medical technology from benchtop to bedside in the private sector. The organization originated as a direct result of OIE’s commitment to driving commercialization and innovation in the United States through the i6 Challenge. Wilson has been building relationships with universities, clinicians, industry, investors, and startups focused on innovation, patient care, and economic growth. GCMI has supported over 70 different innovations in various stages of development including Matrix Surgical and NFANT Labs both of which have achieved regulatory clearance and are scaling in the region.
Wilson serves on the board of the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) and recently launched Medtech Women@SEMDA.
NACIE members, who will each serve a two-year term, were chosen based on their ability to carry out the objectives of the advisory council. All the appointees have demonstrated expertise and experience in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and employer-driven talent development. In reviewing applications, the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship sought a diverse group of nationally recognized leaders in a variety of fields to have an advisory council with a balanced point of view and a team that represents different demographics, organization size, industry sector, and geographic regions. The full National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship will convene four times each year beginning with the first meeting in October 2016.
To learn more about the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, visit www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/.