July 11, 2022
(Los Angeles) — Larta Institute is pleased and honored to welcome Phillip A. Singerman, PhD to the team, as a Distinguished Fellow. His four-decade career includes senior level positions in the private and public sectors at the local, state, and federal levels. He is a recognized national innovator in public/private partnerships to promote economic development, job creation, and national security through technology development, transfer, and deployment.
He currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Technology Transfer and Commercialization at the Montgomery County (MD) Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), Senior Fellow of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and Elected Fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Innovation and Technology and is an Advisor to the Board of Governors of the BIRD Foundation.
Mr. Singerman is a current reviewer for the NSF SBIR Program and recently served as a reviewer for the SBA SBIR Cluster program.
Federal Service
Mr. Singerman stepped down from federal service in 2020 after nine years as the first Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In this position he led NIST’s unique national technology transfer program. In addition to coordinating the commercialization of intellectual property assets for NIST, (the nation’s $1+ billion national metrology research institute), he was responsible under the Stevenson-Wydler Act for inter- agency policy development/reporting on the federal government’s annual $50 billion investment in intramural research, and regulatory promulgation under the Bayh-Dole Act for the annual $100 billion investment in extramural research.
As one of NIST’s three Associate Directors, Mr. Singerman was responsible for NIST’s suite of advanced manufacturing deployment and technical assistance programs, including the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP – a
$250 million program, cost-shared with industry, that annually provides in-depth technical assistance to 10,000 small manufacturers through a network of 51 state- based independent organizations, with 1300 experts), and the Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute National Network (MFG-USA – 15 industry-led manufacturing technology centers representing a multi-agency, multi-year federal investment of over $1 billion matched by $3 billion).
Previously Mr. Singerman served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, appointed by President Bill Clinton (requiring Senate confirmation), and directed the Economic Development Administration (1995- 1999), the federal government’s lead economic assistance organization, with a
$400 million annual budget providing grants to distressed communities for revitalization activities such as re-use of closed military bases, research parks, business incubators, and revolving loan funds.
Private-public economic development leadership
Mr. Singerman was the founding chief executive of two of the most successful and long-lasting state-sponsored technology-led economic development public/private partnerships, Pennsylvania’s acclaimed Ben Franklin Partnership for Technological Innovation (1983-1995) and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (1999- 2005).
Private Sector
Mr. Singerman’s private sector experience includes as a Venture Partner with Toucan Capital Corporation (2006-2008), a $120 million private venture capital firm (SBIC) investing in early-stage life science companies, and Senior Vice President, B&D Consulting (2008-2010), providing strategic planning assistance to universities and economic development organizations. Mr. Singerman has held high level policy development and program management positions at the local and state level in New Haven, Philadelphia, and Connecticut.
Volunteer Positions
Throughout his career Mr. Singerman has served on numerous organizational boards of directors including the State Science and Technology Institute, the International Economic Development Council, the Tech Council of Maryland, and NSF’s Small Business Innovation Advisory Committee. During his NIST tenure he served as US Co-Chair of the US-Israel Bi-National Research and Development Foundation (BIRD-F).
Education
Mr. Singerman received his B.A. from Oberlin College, After graduating from college, he served in the Peace Corps as a Rural Community Promotor de Accion Comunal in Colombia, South America.
He received his PhD from Yale University. and taught at Barnard College (Columbia University), Yale University, and the Fels Center of Government (University of Pennsylvania).
Mr. Singerman received his B.A. from Oberlin College and his PhD from Yale University, and taught at Barnard College (Columbia University), Yale University, and the Fels Center of Government (University of Pennsylvania). After graduating from College, he served in the Peace Corps as a Rural Community Promotor de Accion Comunal in Colombia, South America.
About Larta Institute
Larta Institute is a non-profit organization accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship.
Our mission is to foster science and technology innovation for a sustainable planet.
Our planet is experiencing significant global problems created by human behavior and policies affecting the environment, food, education, energy, and healthcare systems. New science and technology play a critical role in transforming how we sustainably feed, fuel, and heal the world.
Larta was founded in 1993, in Los Angeles, as one of California’s regional technology alliances to stimulate the economic development of technology-based enterprises in Southern California. Larta quickly became the national partner for numerous federal government agencies to commercialize novel research and innovation – including DARPA, NIH, DOE, NSF, NIST, NOAA, and USDA.
Today, our innovation platform and ecosystem accelerate new science and technology from idea to sustainable enterprise – by providing a unique combination of connections, resources, and funding. We have helped over 4,500 startups, and our alumni have raised over $6.5 billion in funds.
