University appointments beef up staff

In an effort to bolster its office and meet changing needs of the university, ASU’s Office of Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs (OVPREA) is adding several key members to its staff. The changes include:

• Julia Rosen will become the associate vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Todd Hardy will become associate vice president for corporate engagement.

• Beth Israel will be associate vice president for research administration.

They join Stephen Goodnick, who is associate vice president for research in OVPREA.

“As research and economic affairs opportunities have grown in number and complexity, we’ve refined our organization to reflect President Michael Crow’s goals of excellence, access and impact,” says R.F. “Rick” Shangraw Jr., ASU’s vice president for research and economic affairs. “Now we can pursue more opportunities, encourage greater innovation, facilitate additional strategic partnerships and ultimately provide enhanced service to the ASU community.

“We are focused on bolstering four areas: stimulating and supporting sponsored research, identifying and nurturing strategic research opportunities, promoting ASU research and economic growth opportunities, and connecting ASU with the drivers of the business community.

We recognize these areas are connected so the associate vice presidents of research, research administration, innovation and entrepreneurship, and corporate engagement will work closely together and integrate their activities.”

Rosen and Hardy’s appointments will emphasize the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as corporate engagement. Israel will add support in research administration as ASU works to expand its research base.

Rosen will be the primary ASU person responsible for driving specific initiatives in innovation and entrepreneurship forward, including connecting global companies with SkySong and advancing the work of entities such as ASU Technopolis and the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative.

Rosen also is co-principal investigator on Entrepreneurship at ASU, which is funded by the Kauffman Foundation. She served as assistant vice president of economic affairs before assuming her new position.

Hardy’s role is to connect ASU with strategic players in the business community. His background is in corporate development and management.

Hardy has experience in business planning, operations management and government relations. He comes to ASU from g. inc., where he was president, and from Columbia University, where he headed a unit responsible for the development of digital learning initiatives and alliances.

Israel will help support ASU’s expanding research operations. She comes to the OVPREA office with more than 30 years experience in research administration. She served various functions in that capacity while rising to the level of associate vice president in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Columbia University. She had been at Columbia since 1974 before arriving at ASU in January.

Israel has significant managerial experience, including personnel responsibilities, budget supervision and accounting.

Shangraw says each of the appointees bring specific attributes to their new jobs, but they also share some common qualities that will help them advance the strategic mission of OVPREA.

“They bring proven leadership from their fields and a passion for continuous improvement,” Shangraw says. “They understand the power of collaboration and partnership, and they’re committed to superior research support and economic growth. They have the right skills and the right team perspective to make a significant difference.”