Chylla becomes Autm chairman

Richard Chylla (pictured), executive director of Michigan State University’s tech transfer office MSU Technologies, became chairman of the board of directors of non-profit professional association Autm last week.
Chylla will be chairman for one year and replaces Alison Campbell, director of national tech transfer policy and support office Knowledge Transfer Ireland. Campbell had held the position since February 2018 and remains on the board of directors.
Chylla will be replaced in 12 months by Marc Sedam, associate vice provost for innovation and new ventures and managing director of UNHInnovation, the commercialisation arm of University of New Hampshire.
Chylla has been with MSU since March 2012, taking oversight of the university’s 20-person tech transfer team and the management of its intellectual property portfolio.
He has amassed more than 20 years of tech transfer experience. Prior to joining MSU, Chylla was at University of Michigan’s College of Engineering as director of tech transfer from 2002 until 2012, leading IP and commercialisation operations for engineering and physical sciences.
Chylla began his career in a range of technology management, engineering and product development positions resin materials manufacturer Johnson Polymer before moving to speciality chemicals supplier BASF when it acquired the former in 2006.
His roles at BASF and Johnson Polymer included an assignment as European technical director and in Asia as global product development manager.
He was awarded the company’s highest inventor award on three occasions for creating polymer technology that has since achieved more than $1bn in sales turnover over the lifespan of its patents.
Autm has also unveiled two additional new board directors expected to serve three-year terms.
Monya Dunlop, database administrator at University of Florida’s tech licensing office UF Innovate, and Ian McClure, director of University of Kentucky’s Office of Technology Commercialization have both joined as directors.
Speaking at Autm’s annual meeting in Austin, Chylla said: “All of us at this conference are fortunate to be working in a profession that catalyses, encourages, facilitates, promotes, advances and sometimes drags technology from research laboratories to companies where it is transformed into products and services that make a better world.
“It is an exciting journey. Autm wants to be with you every step of the way.”
– Image courtesy of LinkedIn. Find our write-up of the Autm conference in this month’s GUV magazine.