Cincinnati Innovation District announces inaugural advisory council

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted joins national top business brass to guide future growth for the district

While successfully pushing the boundaries of talent transformation and job growth, the Cincinnati Innovation District ® (CID) — Ohio’s first purpose-built innovation district — presents a newly formed advisory council of global business leaders who are committed to the economic future of companies in our region.

The inaugural council includes distinguished national business leaders, each with a connection to Cincinnati and the state of Ohio, and many of whom are corporate partners in the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub. 

The council will focus on providing executive-level expertise and guidance to the CID leadership, connecting potential job-growth opportunities to the district and help demonstrate to the nation and the world Ohio’s commitment to growing, attracting and retaining talent.

UC’s innovation efforts help attract up to $100 million from Ohio, as 
JobsOhio and Gov. Mike DeWine announce the Cincinnati Innovation District anchored by UC and CCHMC.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, flanked by UC president Neville G. Pinto, UC chief innovation officer David J. Adams and JobsOhio president J.P. Nauseef, are working closely with CID's advisory council to bring Ohio to the forefront of innovation in the Midwest.

Chaired by Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, the council promises to be a driving force in Ohio’s commitment to becoming the most innovative state in the Midwest. “I’m looking forward to chairing this advisory council and working with President Pinto and the talented team of business leaders he has assembled,” says Husted. 

“The mission and potential of the Cincinnati Innovation District is amazing and it will be a primary driver for talent development and recruiting, as well as further distinguishing Cincinnati as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

UC's chief innovation officer David J. Adams and UC president Neville G. Pinto sit at a table together.

UC's chief innovation officer David J. Adams and UC president Neville G. Pinto look forward to working closely with the CID advisory council.

Joining the Council is University of Cincinnati president and chair of the Uptown Consortium, Neville G. Pinto, whose leadership ignited the creation of the CID. 

“The Cincinnati Innovation District — with the University of Cincinnati at its heart — is unique,” said Pinto. “The university is able to provide much needed talent to companies within the Cincinnati Innovation District. And those practitioners who hire our students serve as co-educators. 

“This builds on the model we founded through cooperative education more than 100 years ago. These innovative connections create a powerful win for our students, the business community and our region.”

David J. Adams, chief innovation officer for the University of Cincinnati and the lead architect in the creation of the CID looks forward to engaging with some of the nation’s foremost business innovators as they work to transform the CID into the beacon of innovation for the Midwest.

“We are very proud to have assembled a stellar group of bold and experienced leaders to provide guidance to the innovation district leadership,” says Adams. “With their national and international acumen, we look forward to their engagement as ambassadors for the city, the state and the nation.” 

CID Advisory Council members

  • Lori Beer – CIO, JPMorgan Chase, member of the company's operating committee and responsible for the firm's technology systems and infrastructure worldwide

  • Candice Brackeen – Founder and executive director of Lightship Foundation, dedicated to empowering innovation entrepreneurs and ecosystems across the nation

  • Greg Carmichael – Chairman and CEO, Fifth Third Bancorp, recognized as one of the most innovative and the ninth-largest U.S.-based consumer bank in the country 

  • Phil Castellini – President and COO, Cincinnati Reds, responsible for all business and ballpark operations of the organization and actively engaged with civic activities in the community

  • Andrew Deye – Vice President, JobsOhio, oversees strategy, global business development and research functions for Ohio’s private nonprofit economic development corporation

  • Michael Fisher – President and CEO, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where he leads an organization of more than 16,000 employees who had over 1.3 million patient encounters with children from all 50 U.S. states and more than 50 countries last year

  • Leigh Fox – CEO, Cincinnati Bell, served in several executive positions during his tenure and has transformed Cincinnati Bell into a national and international technology company

  • Jon Husted - 66th Lt. Governor of Ohio, having taken office alongside Governor Mike DeWine on January 14, 2019

  • Kimm Lauterbach – CEO, Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati, founding member of REDI’s leadership team who has played a pivotal role in Ohio’s economic development

  • Rodney McMullen – Chairman and CEO, Kroger, helped lead the company to become the largest U.S. supermarket retailer by revenue and one of the world’s largest retailers over his 40+ year tenure with the organization

  • Kirk Perry – President and CEO, IRI (Information Resources, Inc.), a seasoned consumer products and brand strategist with deep understanding of the global consumer marketplace

  • Neville G. Pinto – President, University of Cincinnati and chair of the Uptown Consortium, longtime faculty member, researcher and administrator with more than 30 years of experience in higher education and UC's 30th president

  • David Taylor – Chairman, president and CEO, Procter & Gamble, driving the transformation of P&G to return the company to sustainable, balanced growth and value creation

  • Mike Venerable – CEO and managing director, CincyTech, an experienced entrepreneur and executive leading one of the Midwest’s most active seed funds and springboard for entrepreneurs


 

Featured image at top: Fourteen members of the Cincinnati Innovation District's new advisory council. Top row left to right: Rodney McMullen, Neville G. Pinto, Andrew Deye, David Taylor, Jon Husted, Kirk Perry and Leigh Fox. Bottom row left to right: Phil Castellini, Lori Beer, Kimm Lauterbach, Greg Carmichael, Michael Fisher, Candice Brackeen and Mike Venerable. Photo graphic/Greg Glevicky/UC Office of Innovation

The Cincinnati Innovation District®

The Cincinnati Innovation District® is a unique and thriving ecosystem that attracts, produces, retains and develops talent by co-locating and collaborating with organizations. The district envelops myriad innovation assets and access to some of the world’s leading academic and research centers, organizations and talent pools. Powered by the University of Cincinnati, the CID includes the world-renowned Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and other national research centers. The district’s mission is to become a globally recognized talent hub and lead a transformational movement. The combination of industry engagement, unique experiential platforms and accessible research expertise — working at the pace of change — will become a model nationwide. For more information on the Cincinnati Innovation District, visit www.cincyid.com.

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