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Liam Leightley, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Leightley has held both academic and university-related administrative positions at institutions here and abroad. Before coming to IALR, he worked at Mississippi State University for five years, first as the head of the Department of Forest Products and most recently as the Interim Director of the Forest and Wildlife Center. He also spent fifteen years working for one of the world's largest global specialty chemical companies where his duties centered on global product development and brand marketing management.
Beginning in 1988, the Executive Director spent 15 years working for Rohm and Haas, one of the world's largest global specialty chemical companies. For seven of those years, he held increasingly responsible positions developing strategic research programs in the USA and in Japan. From 1993 until he went to Mississippi State in 2003, Dr. Leightley's positions at Rohm and Haas centered on global product development and brand marketing management, which ultimately led to his overseeing $100MM in sales. Leightley currently chairs the Southern Alliance for the Utilization of Biomass Resources and co-chairs the South East Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance. He serves on the Southern Technology Council and is a past Director of the Institute for Furniture Manufacturing and Management (now known as the Franklin Furniture Institute).
Recent Presentation
Opportunities and Challenges of Virginia's Bioeconomy
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Karen Walker
Senior Director of Business and Operations
Karen Walker is the Senior Director of Business & Operations at the Institute. She is responsible for providing management and leadership as the chief business officer of this organization. Prior to joining IALR, Karen has been employed in senior financial management positions for over 15 years with multi-million dollar international companies. She possesses business acumen, through her accomplished strategic management in financial, fiscal and information technology. Her professional experience from public and private industries brings alignment and insight to the Institute's community outreach and business coalitions. Karen has her Master's degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, both from Elon University.
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Egle B. Thomas, Ph.D., MBA
Director of Business Development
Dr. Egle Thomas is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive strategy to identify strategic partnering opportunities and new markets for regional development, with an emphasis on Sustainable Energy initiatives. She comes to the Institute with broad business development experience in the bioenergy and related industries through her Director of Business Development role at the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, as well as through strategy and business consulting roles for high growth technology companies. In addition, Dr. Thomas brings in-depth knowledge of R&D, project and business development across a number of industries including biofuels, animal nutrition and crop protection through her work at Syngenta in the US and the UK. Dr. Thomas’ international experience also includes her role as an Academic Guest at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, where she was involved in R&D and technology commercialization. Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University in Birmingham, an MBA in Strategy and Finance from Warwick Business School (UK) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from North Central College.
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Barry Flinn, Ph.D.
Director of the Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources
Dr. Barry Flinn is the Director of the Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources (ISRR) at IALR. His research interests over the past several years have concentrated on forestry and crop functional genomics, and the identification of genes controlling traits of interest. His current research projects have potential applications for new crop and/or plant product development, and fit in well with the overall mandate of the ISRR to develop research projects with potential economic and community development in Southside Virginia. Prior to joining IALR, Dr. Flinn occupied senior biotechnology industry research positions in New Zealand, and helped lead a national research endeavour in Canada, with these efforts resulting in several issued patents and major contributions to worldwide gene databases.
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Chris Horne
Director of Communications & Public Relations
Chris joined the Institute in November of 2010 and is responsible for overseeing all communications, marketing, and public relations efforts. His background includes more than twenty years as a broadcast journalist, as well as communications consulting and teaching. Chris has worked as an anchor, reporter and producer for newscasts in television markets in Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina. In addition, he has created web-based marketing communications, served as the web presence for a sales consulting firm, and written documentary scripts for PBS. Most recently Chris was on the faculty of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as an adjunct instructor for communications. Chris holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. |
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Betty Wilcher
Director of Human Resources
As the Director of Human Resources, Betty Wilcher develops and administers policies and procedures as they relate to employee relations. Betty received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and her master’s degree in counselor education from James Madison University. As a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Betty’s knowledge of human resources contributes to the strategic planning of the Institute and helps IALR continue its tradition of being an employer of choice in the Danville, VA area
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Frances Pettigrew
Manager of Executive Administrative Services
Frances Pettigrew joined the Institute in August of 2006 as part of the Institutional Advancement Department. Currently she serves as the Manager of Executive Administrative Services. She is responsible for assisting the Executive Director in a variety of ways including scheduling, coordinating meetings, interacting with State and Federal representatives, researching special projects, and reviewing and submitting Federal Appropriation Applications. Prior to her employment at the Institute, Frances was Director of Corporate Ethics and Compliance with the Danville Regional Health System and became a Certified Compliance Professional during her tenure there. She has extensive experience in compliance auditing and Federal reporting.
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Jason Moore
Director of Information Technology
Jason Moore joined the Institute in September of 2003 and is responsible for developing and managing the information technology infrastructure for the IALR. Jason is a board member of the Southern Piedmont Technology Council which in an advocate in stressing the importance of the technology in the region. He also directs the on-site IT staff to support the information technology operations of the IALR and it's partners. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from Liberty University.
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Leslie Dobbins
Director of the Institute Conference Center (ICC)
As Director of the Institute Conference Center, Leslie oversees the hospitality, facilities, catering and related activities in support of the overall mission of the IALR. This includes promoting the ICC to enhance regional economic development. Leslie came to the Institute in the fall of 2003, as the sales and event planner. She began her career in the hospitality industry in 1983. After holding positions as Membership Development Director, and Social Director for well known and highly regarded hospitality organizations in Milwaukee and Louisville, Leslie ventured into her own business. She spent 15 years recruiting, managing, and developing a highly regarded and profitable retail and service operation, selling her business in the late 90's. Leslie's focus is on providing classic southern hospitality, high quality integrated services, coupled with state of the art technology and innovation for all clients and guests. Leslie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Political Science. |
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Steve Southward, Ph.D.
Research Director, VIPER Service
Dr. Southward is an Associate Professor in the Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering department. As a resident faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), he is the founding director of the Performance Engineering Research Lab (PERL) as well as the research director of the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER). Applied research at PERL and VIPER is focused on developing commercial technology to enhance the performance of vehicles and drivers for motorsports, automotive, and defense customers. Dr. Southward has more than fifteen years of industrial experience with R&D of high performance control systems and innovative technology solutions. Dr. Southward has authored fifteen Journal publications, thirty-six conference publications, thirteen US patents and over forty worldwide patents on topics including: active noise and vibration control (ANVC), isolation control, semi-active suspension control, high-performance sensing, magneto-rheological fluid control, and 8-post vehicle testing.
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