James Currie recently joined UNC Charlotte as the associate director for PORTAL. He comes to the University from Ohio State University, where he was program director for industry engagement and economic development for the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
According to Office of Research and Economic Development, Currie will work closely with PORTAL tenants, Ventureprise and all University business partners. PORTAL, which stands for Partnership, Outreach and Research to Accelerate Learning, is the University’s latest commitment to industry-University partnership designed to spur business growth and job creation, promote research and innovation and support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Charlotte region.
Currie holds a Master of Management (MBA) from Northwestern University; he completed a bachelor’s degree at Southern Illinois University. He is a former board member for the Association of University Research Parks and a past board member for the National Business Incubation Association. He was chair for the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee of the Northeastern Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization and a former city-planning commissioner in Evanston, Ill. In addition, Currie served on Ohio State University’s Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center’s business advisory team and the Secrest Arboretum Advisory Council in Wooster, Ohio.