Russ Lea: Biography
Russ Lea’s career in higher education and environmental leadership has included a variety of positions from Professor to associate dean to vice presidents for research to CEO of a corporation with continental reach. In his various roles, he has taught, mentored, managed hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and contracts, and has consulted in higher education, environmental issues, innovation, and entrepreneurship both within the United States and abroad. His consulting activities and speaking engagements have occurred in over a dozen countries
Before becoming CEO of the National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc., with over 400 employees distributed from Alaska to Puerto Rico, Dr. Lea served as a C-level research administrator at the University of South Alabama, the University of North Carolina System, and North Carolina State University. His academic experiences include nearly twenty years as a faculty member at North Carolina State University (professor emeritus) and Co-founded Triangle Wetland Consultants, Inc. and GreenVest, LLC, environmental consulting companies with global reach.
Throughout his long career, Dr. Lea has been a frequent speaker at universities and at industry conferences, and has been in demand for programs specifically targeting innovation, venture funding, and entrepreneurial leadership. He has collaborated with state governments to speed the process of innovation to commercialization, overseen university/industry research parks, organized angel and venture capitalists, promoted the start-up of numerous faculty-based corporations, led very large research collaborations (university/industry/government) and handled intellectual property offices. He has also been the founder and principal investigator on many multi-million dollar capital projects. He serves on the international boards of the Association of Growth, Innovation and Leadership Executives, the EU Analyses of Experimentation on Ecosystems (AnaEE), and the Forest History Society. Over the past five years, he has served as a participant and thought leader for the Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership (GIL) conferences, and most recently as a presenter at the International Conference on Research Infrastructures.
Dr. Lea, whose academic specialization is forest ecology, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and his Ph.D.s from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University. His academic publications include reviews, articles, scientific papers, and book chapters in his academic field. He has contributed chapters to the books, Faculty Career Paths: Multiple Routes to Academic Success and Satisfaction (R. Lea, 2006. Transforming University Culture to Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship), and Technology Integration in Higher Education: Social and Organizational Aspects (R. Lea, 2011. Technology Transfer: Are Faculty Entrepreneurs Still Swimming Upstream?). He was also featured in the international press for taking a stand against British Petroleum during the oil spill crisis for attempting to “buy-up” faculty by engaging them in questionable research agreements (R. Lea, 2010. BP, Corporate R&D, and the University. Academe. V 96, No.6).
Before becoming CEO of the National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc., with over 400 employees distributed from Alaska to Puerto Rico, Dr. Lea served as a C-level research administrator at the University of South Alabama, the University of North Carolina System, and North Carolina State University. His academic experiences include nearly twenty years as a faculty member at North Carolina State University (professor emeritus) and Co-founded Triangle Wetland Consultants, Inc. and GreenVest, LLC, environmental consulting companies with global reach.
Throughout his long career, Dr. Lea has been a frequent speaker at universities and at industry conferences, and has been in demand for programs specifically targeting innovation, venture funding, and entrepreneurial leadership. He has collaborated with state governments to speed the process of innovation to commercialization, overseen university/industry research parks, organized angel and venture capitalists, promoted the start-up of numerous faculty-based corporations, led very large research collaborations (university/industry/government) and handled intellectual property offices. He has also been the founder and principal investigator on many multi-million dollar capital projects. He serves on the international boards of the Association of Growth, Innovation and Leadership Executives, the EU Analyses of Experimentation on Ecosystems (AnaEE), and the Forest History Society. Over the past five years, he has served as a participant and thought leader for the Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership (GIL) conferences, and most recently as a presenter at the International Conference on Research Infrastructures.
Dr. Lea, whose academic specialization is forest ecology, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and his Ph.D.s from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University. His academic publications include reviews, articles, scientific papers, and book chapters in his academic field. He has contributed chapters to the books, Faculty Career Paths: Multiple Routes to Academic Success and Satisfaction (R. Lea, 2006. Transforming University Culture to Promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship), and Technology Integration in Higher Education: Social and Organizational Aspects (R. Lea, 2011. Technology Transfer: Are Faculty Entrepreneurs Still Swimming Upstream?). He was also featured in the international press for taking a stand against British Petroleum during the oil spill crisis for attempting to “buy-up” faculty by engaging them in questionable research agreements (R. Lea, 2010. BP, Corporate R&D, and the University. Academe. V 96, No.6).