Executive Director, Innovation Campus

Western Kentucky University • Bowling Green, KY

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Western Kentucky University (WKU) seeks a visionary leader, risk taker, and relationship builder to serve as Executive Director of the Innovation Campus. This 280,000-square-foot intellectual hub for collaboration among students, faculty, industry, and entrepreneurs supports the translation of ideas into practical outcomes that drive economic growth. The Executive Director will provide strategic leadership, drive measurable outcomes, and cultivate partnerships to strengthen the university, industry, and the regional economy. This position offers an opportunity to join an ambitious university community and partner with regional leaders to position the Innovation Campus as a leading driver of innovation, entrepreneurial activity, workforce development, and economic diversification.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to execute an organizational strategy and translate vision into outcomes.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with particular attention paid to execution.
• Heightened sense of political acumen.
• Leadership presence needed to guide change, influence diverse constituencies, and build alignment around new strategic directions.
• Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives involving academia, industry, and government.
• Demonstrated capacity to foster collaboration among different stakeholders.
• Familiarity with applied research activity, research commercialization, or technology transfer.
• Appreciation for the academic, scholarly, and teaching missions of a research university.
• Ability to engage and build trust with faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners.
• Knowledge of regional economic development practices and drivers of industrial growth.
• Interest in supporting entrepreneurship in targeted sectors such as technology and healthcare.
• Experience managing organizational operations, budgets, and personnel.
• Ability to leverage limited resources creatively and to maximize return on investment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to serve effectively as the face of an organization.
• Team player with a natural curiosity and the desire to work hard to realize an ambitious vision.
• Bachelor's degree.

Nice To Haves

• Visionary leader
• Risk taker
• Relationship builder

Responsibilities

• Provide short- and long-term strategic leadership for the Innovation Campus.
• Shape a vision that can engage the community, potential partners, and funders.
• Drive measurable outcomes that strengthen the university, industry, and the regional economy.
• Work closely with university leadership, faculty, and external partners to attract industry collaboration, expand research commercialization, and foster entrepreneurial activity.
• Cultivate partnerships, guide programmatic development, and ensure effective operations and financial stewardship.
• Develop and execute a clear growth strategy for the Innovation Campus.
• Align university priorities with external partner needs.
• Ensure effective governance, financial stewardship, and appropriate management of campus programming and operations.
• Leverage the campus in service of the university's academic and research efforts.
• Transform and strengthen the region's growing economy.
• Serve as the primary external representative of the Innovation Campus.
• Cultivate partnerships with corporate, government, and community stakeholders to attract industry, investment, and collaborative research opportunities.
• Oversee program development, seed funding initiatives, facilities management, and revenue-generating activities.
• Foster an environment that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialization, industry engagement, and workforce development.
• Set and execute an ambitious vision and strategy for the Innovation Campus.
• Assess the institution's strengths, external partner needs, and broader market opportunities to shape a focused and achievable strategic direction.
• Translate vision and strategy into action, aligning stakeholders and securing the necessary resources for execution.
• Shape the Innovation Campus into an incubator-like environment for technology-oriented entrepreneurs and emerging healthcare ventures.
• Support workforce development activities that train students and encourage them to remain local.
• Strengthen ties with the Regional Technology Council, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, and other partners.
• Expand the Innovation Campus's regional footprint by attracting and supporting both established and emerging companies.
• Offer companies an accessible platform for growth and connect them to the university's research enterprise.
• Address regional needs by convening key partners and leveraging the strengths of the university.
• Identify and advance research with applied potential, helping to translate early-stage ideas into viable ventures.
• Engage in deep conversation with the academic community about the role of the university as an anchor institution.
• Participate in building a more structured and effective pipeline for innovation efforts, including targeted support such as seed funding and faculty time allocation.

Benefits

• Comprehensive wellness and health benefits to employees and their families, including domestic partners and other qualified dependents
• Workplace culture that supports balancing the responsibilities of work and family life
• Paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick leave
• Tuition discount program for employees and dependents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive