Cherokee Farms Development Corporation (CFDC)
To apply, please send your application contents to emily@tnresearchpark.org
President and Chief Executive Officer
Cherokee Farm Development Corporation
Position Announcement
The Opportunity
The Cherokee Farm Development Corporation (CFDC) is seeking its next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The ideal candidate will be a visionary who will lead, help shape, and in some cases reimagine CFDC’s role in supporting the place-based innovation strategy of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) and the institution’s growth as a top tier Research 1 institution. Competitive candidates will be leaders with proven track records of implementing place-based innovation projects that advance collaborative R&D and support workforce and economic development. Experience with university-anchored research parks or innovation districts is essential. The ideal candidate will have experience managing real property transactions and activating multidisciplinary, multi-sector collaborations.
CFDC is currently responsible for the development of the UT Research Park, which houses high-tech firms like Volkswagen and CEC, the R&D programs of UT’s Institute for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, the CFDC-operated Spark Innovation Center incubating and accelerating high-tech start-ups, and The Orthopaedic Institute, a state-of-the-art ambulatory care facility operated by the UT Medical Center and OrthoTennessee and housing UT’s R&D Center for Precision Health. In the Fall of 2024, CFDC will open a new ~90,000 SF mixed-use facility on the UT Research Park supporting R&D and workforce development in advanced manufacturing, and is currently entertaining bids from organizations interested in developing an extended stay hotel and conference center on the site.
UT seeks to expand its place-based innovation strategy beyond the borders of the UT Research Park. CFDC’s new leader will explore other place-based innovation initiatives in the greater Knoxville region, including, for example, in the City of Knoxville, Knox County’s Hardin Valley, and in Oak Ridge, where the University enjoys a strategic partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
CFDC is a board-managed 501c3 subsidiary of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF). The CFDC President and CEO serves at the pleasure of the CFDC Board and works in close coordination with the President of UTRF.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
The President and CEO will be a dynamic, innovative leader who will perform a broad range of duties including, but not limited to, the following:
Qualifications
This position offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on the innovation ecosystem in the Knoxville MSA, and to contribute to the economic, social and cultural vitality of the region. If you are a dynamic leader with a passion for place-based innovation, we encourage you to apply.
Procedure for Candidacy
Applications and nominations should be addressed to Catherine Lane, Search Committee Chair, and submitted via email to emily@tnresearchpark.org. Applications must include: 1). a cover letter; 2). a curriculum vitae; and 3). the names and contact information of five professional references. Review of applications will begin on July 19th, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. Applications without a cover letter or references will not be considered.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Additionally, Tennessee residents do not pay a state income tax.
Tennessee, East Tennessee and the Knoxville Community
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains along the Tennessee River, Knoxville is a thriving Southern city known for its great outdoors, diverse music scene and wide variety of eateries. It is known nationally for its Urban Wilderness, which is located less than three miles from downtown and has more than 50 miles of natural trails. A vibrant downtown located within a mile of UT and the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm offers live entertainment, shopping and outstanding local dining.
Knoxville supports a thriving innovation ecosystem. A 2021 Techstars assessment highlights a number of strengths, including a rich collaborative research environment supported by the Tennessee Valley Authority, ORNL and UT who together perform research worth billions of dollars annually and provide start-ups with access to specialized research infrastructure. Local entrepreneurs note that Knoxville’s lower cost-of-living makes it easier to succeed here as a tech entrepreneur. The region’s tech talent pool is deep, with tens of thousands of STEM and skilled technical workers already in the workforce. UT and the region’s community and technical colleges constantly enrich the talent pool, producing thousands of new STEM graduates and skilled technical workers annually. Finally, organizations like the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, ORNL’s Innovation Crossroads, and UT’s Spark Innovation Center have come together to create programs of support for early-stage tech-intensive companies, including firms spun out of the region’s research-intensive institutions as well as those recruited to the region to participate in its innovation ecosystem.
With a city population of more than 200,000 and almost 800,000 in the MSA, the Knoxville region is growing. The city is a one-hour drive from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the US National Park Service’s most visited site. Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC and the Atlantic coast are within a day’s drive. Among its many accolades, Knoxville was named one of the Top 10 Best Places to Live by livability.com, and is included in the top 10 big cities in Travel and Leisure’s “America’s Favorite Cities”.
Tennessee is home to 7 million people, four large metropolitan areas, two time zones and an economy ranked 13th-largest in the US. Tennessee’s innovation economy has expanded considerably in the past decade, thanks to growing strengths in advanced manufacturing, health technology, information technology, and clean energy.
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