Battelle Center Prepares for Leadership Transition

Published Date June 27, 2023
News Type College News

Elizabeth Newton, former director, Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy, talks to students during a community conversation about air and space.

 

By Joan Slattery Wall

Every day, the Ohio State Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy’s motivated Director Elizabeth Newton with its mission to help students innovate, create value and consider public service careers where they can put those innovation skills into play.

“My greatest source of joy was the students themselves — watching them persevere through the discovery process, problem-solving, their wanting to make a positive impact on our society, and learning to embrace their strengths and stories,” Newton said. “I’m so very proud of the Battelle Center staff who showed up every day to make it all possible and place the students first.”

The center begins a transition phase as Newton, who led the center in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs for seven years, has been named chief operating officer for BWX Technologies Inc. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin P. Cullen, assistant vice provost and director of Ohio State’s Military and Veterans Services, now serves as interim director.

“The Battelle Center has flourished under Liz’s leadership,” said Glenn College Dean Trevor Brown. “She has assembled a dynamic team of innovative and entrepreneurial staff. She’s led the development and delivery of interdisciplinary, experiential team-based coursework and co-curricular programs for students in the Glenn College and around the university.”

Continuing Innovation

Elizabeth Newton

Thanks to her career in high-tech industries like aerospace, defense, genomics and software, Newton navigated and bridged the distinct cultures of the for-profit and nonprofit private sector, academia and government. She cultivated an array of funded research projects that connect the Battelle Center across the university and deliver value to key external partners. Most recently, she championed a major award with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for the Battelle Center to serve as the manager of a multi-university research consortium.

 

Newton said her new position at BWX Technologies is an opportunity to integrate and apply all the knowledge and experiences she has acquired during her career in technology innovation. The company supplies nuclear components and fuel to the U.S. government and the commercial nuclear power industry and provides technical, management and site services to support governments in the operation of complex facilities and environmental restoration.

“Innovation is the through-line in my career, approaching it from a variety of roles ranging from scientist, policy wonk and startup founder to executive, strategist and workforce developer in both public and private sectors,” Newton said. “I’m excited to help bring new technology to market that promises to change our country’s energy economy!”

Navigating New Pathways for Students

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin P. Cullen

Cullen has contributed to the creation and delivery of Battelle Center programs including the Rapid Innovation Course and Student Communities of Practice and Engagement (SCOPEs), particularly that related to air and space. He also consults for Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He will split his duties between the Battelle Center and Military and Veteran Services as the college structures the search process for the next leader of the Battelle Center.

“I taught for four years at the Battelle Center, and what has always interested me most is the students,” Cullen said. “There are so many pathways in the science, engineering and public policy nexus, and I thoroughly enjoy helping students navigate that space.”

Cullen served as Ohio State’s Air Force ROTC department chair for three years and taught air science. His military career included chief of nuclear security, detachment commander, squadron commander, branch chief, division chief, executive officer, group commander, field training unit commander and wing commander as well as deployments to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq (twice) and Afghanistan. He plans to leverage his federal government and U.S. Department of Defense contacts as he directs the Battelle Center.

“I will continue to develop our faculty and staff to make a difference in the lives of as many students as possible,” he said. “Additionally, I plan to pursue additional areas of growth and continue to reinforce the Battelle Center’s value to the college and university.”

Ohio State Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy