Dayton, August 10, 2021: Two new individuals have officially joined Wright Brothers Institute Board of Trustees.
“It’s critical for WBI’s Board of Trustees to have representation from the defense community, R&D experts, academia, and the region’s business ecosystem. Madhavi and Jack both bring balanced insight to our board,” said WBI Executive Director, Mr. Wendell Banks.
Madhavi Kadakia, Ph.D., serves as the Interim Vice Provost for Research at Wright State University and Associate Dean of Research at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. Kadakia has served as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 2015 and as associate dean of research affairs of the Boonshoft School of Medicine since 2019. Kadakia is an internationally recognized cancer researcher with a history of federal funding. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and trained postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students.
Mr. Jack Blackhurst is the former Executive Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory and an Air Force Senior Executive Service member. Mr. Blackhurst led the Air Force's $2.5 billion science and technology program along with an additional $2.3 billion of externally funded research and development.
The new members round out the 12-person board that includes members from the Federal Aviation Administration, the University of Dayton, CareSource, Dayton Development Coalition, and several locally owned businesses.
About Wright Brothers Institute
Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) is a cutting-edge innovation and technology commercialization center for the Air Force Research Laboratory, with facilities located just outside of WPAFB in Dayton, OH. We drive fast, agile innovation that enables successful technology development to solve the Air Force’s most complex challenges by leveraging resident experts, unique facilities, disruptive innovation processes, and extensive networks. We leverage subject matter experts and intellectual property from AFRL and SBIR companies to unlock the right problem, connect to new partners and synchronize transition pathways through our commercialization partners.
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