Diane Rucker named Executive Director of University Enterprise Laboratories

  MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 06/13/2018 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

The Board of Directors of University Enterprise Laboratories (UEL) has selected Ms. Diane Rucker as its next Executive Director.Ms. Rucker will officially assume this new role on July 9, 2018.

“As UEL continues to grow and contribute to Minnesota’s economy, the Board is very excited for Diane to lead us into our next stage.” said Steve Mertens, UEL Board Chairman. 

With an increased focus on the original UEL mission and the vision to serve as Minnesota’s premiere accelerator for emerging and growth-focused bioscience enterprises, the Board selected a unique leader with the experience and energy to realize the UEL mission and vision. Diane Rucker has extensive experience in business strategy and growth, and she has held leadership roles in innovation, engineering design, product management, and technology transfer. Ms. Rucker’s experience includes a collaboration with MIT’s Trust Center for Entrepreneurship and broad-based research and business experience around the world, including Europe and the Middle East. 

"I am very excited to join UEL as the Executive Director. The Twin Cities’ entrepreneurial ecosystem for the bioscience and health technology industries is one of the most vibrant and successful clusters in the world. UEL is well-positioned to be a center of innovation for this cluster and to attract entrepreneurs and companies looking for the necessary support to succeed. I look forward to developing partnerships that will accelerate our growth and our contribution to our thriving economy."

Rucker has an Executive MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.She most recently served as the VP of Client Services for Carrot Health.Previously, she held senior positions with Seagate and General Motors.

Rucker will take over after significant advancement of the UEL mission by Executive Director Lynne Osterman over the past 27 months. “Lynne was instrumental in contributing to UEL’s advancement and development,” said Steve Mertens, UEL Board Chair. “We thank her for the commitment and energy she brought to UEL and for her consistent focus on our mission.”

About University Enterprise Laboratories
UEL is Minnesota’s largest nonprofit, multi-company, state-of-the-art laboratory facility dedicated to supporting early-stage life science and complementary technology ventures in an ecosystem that enables innovation, growth and commercial success. Founded in 2004, the 125,000 square foot facility is now home to more than 35 companies. UEL offers emerging companies significant benefits by placing them in an environment that supports and understands the needs of startup companies and allows them to avoid high-tech capital costs.
http://uelmn.org