The Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology at Virginia Tech has named Mark Goodwin as its first portfolio director, responsible for overseeing programmatic activities within the quickly-growing, two-year-old center.

The Hume Center heads the university's educational and research programs in supporting the defense and intelligence communities, and executes a broad range of research programs in wireless communications, satellite engineering, cyber security, and big data.

Before joining Virginia Tech, Goodwin spent 13 years at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Specializing in cyber security, signal processing, and visual analytics technologies, he is accomplished in all phases of technology innovation, intellectual property capture and protection, advanced product development, and market introduction for strategic business development outcomes.

Goodwin is known for leveraging a deep network of executive level resources within the confluence of business, finance, and technology to successfully execute technology and business plans. A practitioner of public and private partnerships, he was twice nationally recognized for excellence in technology transfer and instrumental in founding five development-stage enterprises and fostering commercial introduction.

Prior to his work at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Goodwin spent 20 years as an entrepreneur and business development expert in Silicon Valley. He is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley.

In his role with the Hume Center, Goodwin will oversee the center's sponsored programs, including business development activities, He will supervise the center's program and project managers, and ensure it maintains a pattern of sustained growth and meets its expenditure goals.

"The Hume Center is excited to have someone of Mark's caliber on our team to manage our growth," said Charles Clancy, director of the Hume Center and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. "His breadth of experience in leading national security research and unique credentials in building industry and government partnerships supporting research and technology transition make him the ideal candidate for the position."

The Hume Center was launched in 2010 as the hub for national security research and education at Virginia Tech, and is supported by the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. A generous gift from Ted Hume, a 1975 electrical engineering alumnus of Virginia Tech, and his wife Karyn provides scholarships and fellowships to students interested in careers in national security.

With the support of the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence program, students have access to a wide range of national security-related activities on campus, including guest speakers, internship opportunities, and a summer study abroad program. Through these diverse resources, the Hume Center is a key national resource for educating future government leaders.

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