Commencement May 202Speaker: Heather Hage
As President & CEO of the Griffiss Institute, Heather leads the organization to achieve societal and economic impact with her “heads up, hearts forward, shoulders back” philosophy. Heather's time at Griffiss has been defined by a vision to drive change and elevate people to strengthen the competitiveness of our region, state, and nation by engaging every generation in collaborative innovation to secure America's critical infrastructure. Cultivating a diverse and dedicated team of outstanding professionals with sharp mission focus on developing the next generation of STEM talent, disruptive technologies, and new ventures to advance national security, grow our economy, promote upward mobility, and make our communities better, forever, is Heather's present passion
A proud native of Upstate New York's Mohawk Valley and vigorous advocate for its place in the American innovation economy, Heather is a graduate of Hamilton College and Albany Law School, where she was Managing Editor of the Journal of the Science and Technology. Heather's professional background includes high value technology transfer transactions, intellectual property policy, strategic planning, venture development, and the practice of law before New York State and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court, before she retired from the practice of law. Prior to joining Griffiss Institute, Heather served SUNY Research Foundation for over 15 years where she powered SUNY researchers and technology transfer professionals to engage in collaborative academic-industry-government research, technology transfer, and economic development, through public-private partnerships with research and commercialization partners around the world.
Heather is the recipient of various honors and awards, including SUNY's 2015 Woman of Excellence award for outstanding service, exemplary support of women in leadership, and a distinguished career. Most recently, Heather received the 2024 Baird Women Who Inspire Award and YWCA's 2023 Salute to Outstanding Women for community leadership in STEAM. On behalf of the Griffiss Institute, Heather has accepted two Business of the Year awards from the Mohawk Valley and Rome Area Chambers of Commerce and the Federal Laboratory Commission Award Best in Region Award for excellence in state and local economic development.
Heather has served many boards and is currently Chair of the National Science Foundation Upstate Energy Storage Engine board and a board and finance committee member for the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY-CREATES). A devoted mother of three children, when Heather is not working, you can find her watching middle school sports and wandering the woods and waters of the Adirondacks, with her family.