Hasler appointed president of Purdue Research Foundation

Dan Hasler Download Photo

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue President Mitch Daniels announced Wednesday (Feb. 27) the appointment of Dan Hasler as president of the Purdue Research Foundation and chief entrepreneurial officer. Daniels will remain as chair of the PRF Board of Directors, which voted on the appointment at its meeting Wednesday morning.

"I have asked all around the university and outside of it, and the opinion is consistent that Purdue is not fully realizing the innovative potential of its brilliant researchers and students," Daniels said. "With this move, we seek to create an ecosystem conducive to invention and entrepreneurism, from the newest undergraduate to the most senior researcher. We are assigning to PRF and to its new president the lead role in coordinating the many offices and activities already working toward this goal."

Joseph Hornett, PRF's senior vice president, treasurer and chief operating officer, will report to Hasler and will focus on the management of the foundation's many assets and their performance, including the research parks. Also reporting to Hasler will be Elizabeth Hart-Wells, assistant vice president and director of the Office of Technology Commercialization.

Daniels said more than two dozen Purdue entities are working in some fashion on technology transfer and the promotion of entrepreneurial activity. Coordination of those activities can have impact on many fronts.

"Our primary goal is to empower more faculty innovation and to become more attractive to faculty innovators," Daniels said. "We want to turn Purdue into a fountain of new goods, services, companies and jobs. If we can build the right climate, good things will happen for the economy and society."

Hasler, who will begin his work at PRF on Monday (March 4), was most recently secretary of commerce for the state of Indiana and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. He retired in 2010 from Eli Lilly and Co. after a 31-year career, during which he held a number of leadership positions in Lilly's agricultural, medical device and pharmaceutical divisions in the United States, South America and Europe. He served as the company's vice president for global marketing, was chief marketing officer for Eli Lilly USA, and was president of Lilly's Brazilian and European operating units. Hasler is a 1980 graduate of DePauw University and holds an MBA from the Duke Fuqua School of Business.

As president of the Purdue Research Foundation, it will be Hasler's primary focus to drive the life-changing innovations of Purdue's many labs and researchers to commercialization and value creation.

"The talent and the innovative technologies that are being developed in virtually every corner of Purdue are a treasure trove," Hasler said. "Our goal will be to continue to up our game and not only impact the world with these potential products and services, but in so doing create value for Indiana, Purdue and especially the innovators. I'm incredibly excited to be part of the team that will, by igniting the combination of Boilermaker talent, technology and treasure, make Purdue's discovery-to-market machine one which the best emulate."

Hasler and his wife of 30 years, Kathy, have two children.

About the Purdue Research Foundation:

Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. The foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds research, scholarships and grants; acquires property; and negotiates research contracts on behalf of Purdue. In the 1990s, the foundation was charged with helping the university in the realm of economic development. The Purdue Research Foundation oversees the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, which is the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country, and Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization.

Media contact: Chris Sigurdson, 765-496-2644, sig@purdue.edu