UK vice president of Commercialization and
Economic Development, Len Heller, to retire

From Staff Reports

Leonard “Len” Heller, vice president of the University of Kentucky Office for Commercialization & Economic Development has announced he will retire at the end of the month.

In a release sent from the office, Heller announced his retirement, which will be effective March 1.

“I leave behind a highly capable team of professionals who will continue their important work on behalf of UK and the commonwealth,” Heller wrote. “I would like to thank all of our partners for their collaboration and support for the UKCED mission. And, I would like to recognize Richard W. ‘Dick’ Furst, my friend and mentor, for all of his encouragement and wise counsel.”

Heller, who has been instrumental in the development of UK’s Coldstream Research Campus, has been vice president of the office since 2006. He was the first person to ever hold that position.

As vice president of the office, Heller has been responsible for the commercial development of university-based technologies and innovations, which include managing UK’s intellectual property portfolio and increasing its value through licensing to industry, startups and UK spinoff companies. He has overseen the Advanced Science & Technology Commercialization Center (ASTeCC) campus incubator, as well as UK’s 735-acre Coldstream Research Campus. He leads technology transfer activities and the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship, the Lexington Innovation & Commercialization Center, and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center.

Before being named vice president of the Office for Commercialization & Economic Development, Helelr was CEo of WTT Inc., one of UK’s first successful startup companies, which developed substance abuse tests for thoroughbred race horses.

Heller was also Secretary of the Cabinet for Human Resources under Gov. Bereton Jones and he chaired the State Commission on Health Care Reform.

Since 1996, Heller has been a part-time professor at UK’s Martin School of Public Police and Public Administration.

He has also been a member of the faculty at the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.