Dedric Carter of Washington University in St. Louis has been appointed Carolina’s vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development and chief innovation officer, effective Oct. 30, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz announced June 14.
The 10-year veteran of Washington University will lead innovation at Carolina as a vice chancellor.
Dedric Carter of Washington University in St. Louis has been appointed Carolina’s vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development and chief innovation officer, effective Oct. 30, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz announced June 14.
Carter is vice chancellor and chief commercialization officer and professor of practice in the McKelvey School of Engineering and Olin School of Business at WashU. During his 10-year tenure there, Carter led a robust portfolio of strategic operations and innovation functions. He oversaw tremendous growth for innovation, leading two university-wide reviews of the policies and procedures on intellectual property and the launch of the “Quick-start” license for faculty startups. He also developed a plan to renovate and build nearly 200,000 square feet devoted to innovation and commercialization.
“At UNC, we find great inspiration, strong potential and a fertile environment to write our next chapter. I am thankful for the chance, the change and the charge to do so. I am driven by impact and have been my whole life. I always work to harness the collective energy and individual enthusiasm of networks towards an outsized return. That’s the potential I see at UNC-Chapel Hill.”
Dedric Carter
Carter recently helped launch a data-intensive, real-world evidence-based company in the health care space (CuriMeta) and served as the inaugural investor director. In addition, he co-initiated a commission on women and minority access to venture capital and launched the Needleman Program for Innovation and Commercialization. These efforts were part of an established five-year strategic plan to focus significant new funding for innovation and commercialization.
“At Carolina, we have reimagined this key leadership position to intersect and span several divisions to bring cohesion and strategy to our innovation and economic development work,” Guskiewicz wrote. “We are fortunate to have Dedric’s broad expertise to continue shaping these vital pan-University efforts.”
In addition to directing Innovate Carolina, Carter will work closely with a wide range of programs, including Carolina Research Ventures, Carolina Angel Network, Innovation Hubs, Eshelman Institute for Innovation, Institute for Convergent Science and the North Carolina Collaboratory.
Carter will also develop additional partnerships between Carolina and private and nonprofit public sector entities that enhance the University’’s ability to move research to market. He will also work to bolster policies and procedures that incentivize faculty and staff to translate and commercialize ideas from the University and externally sponsored research. Carter will represent the University on the North Carolina Innovation Fund and the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina Board of Directors.
Dr. Ebony Boyce Carter, Carter’s wife, has also been named director of the UNC School of Medicine’s maternal-fetal medicine division.
“I was born and raised in the Carolinas, so it is thrilling for me to integrate my experiences and knowledge base with this immense opportunity at UNC. The initial welcoming outreach we have received from the community here is endearing and quintessentially Carolina,” Carter said. “Ebony and I are also grateful for our time and growth at Washington University in St. Louis. We started our family there and found lifelong friends that are like family. We set out to start and are working to complete the current stage of a great work in this region.
“At UNC, we find great inspiration, strong potential and a fertile environment to write our next chapter. I am thankful for the chance, the change and the charge to do so. I am driven by impact and have been my whole life. I always work to harness the collective energy and individual enthusiasm of networks towards an outsized return. That’s the potential I see at UNC-Chapel Hill.”
Carter is currently chairman of the Missouri Technology Corporation, where he has overseen the growth of resources for promising ventures and infrastructure in the state of Missouri to over $125 million. Nationally, he serves as a board member for the Center for American Entrepreneurship and member of the International Advisory Board for the Lemelson Foundation in addition to his local leadership as an executive committee member of Junior Achievement of St. Louis and board member of the Cortex Innovation District, BioSTL and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Carter earned an undergraduate and graduate degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a doctorate in information systems from Nova Southeastern University. Before he came to WashU, he served as a senior adviser to the director for strategic initiatives at the NSF and executive secretary to the U.S. National Science Board. He was assistant dean of engineering at MIT and a former senior principal in strategy and consulting.
Guskiewicz thanked Jackie Quay, director of licensing and innovation support in the Office of Technology Commercialization, who has provided interim leadership following Michelle Bolas’ departure.
“Dedric joins us at a perfect time with the Innovate Carolina Junction now open on Franklin Street, and we look to make other investments in the innovation space,” the chancellor wrote.
| UNC-CH