Greg Deason has been appointed chief operating officer for Purdue Research Foundation, effective Feb. 1. Deason will work closely with Chad Pittman, who recently was named PRF president and CEO following Brian Edelman’s retirement, also effective Feb. 1.

Deason, currently PRF’s senior vice president of alliances and placemaking, will work with Pittman to provide leadership for the foundation’s strategic operations and business processes.

“For decades Greg has served the Purdue community and will continue to do so in his new appointment,” said Mitch Daniels, Purdue University president emeritus and chair of the PRF board. “He is a proven leader, and I’m certain he will continue the momentum of impactful growth and strategic use of PRF as a tool for fulfilling Purdue’s land-grant mission.”

“Greg Deason is an outstanding choice for this critical role,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “His dedication and execution have resulted in Greater Lafayette becoming a preeminent ecosystem for job creation and economic growth. We appreciate Greg’s experience in and focus on cultivating community, enabling growth and connecting companies to Purdue’s world-class ecosystem.”

Before leading the Alliances team in empowering partners to impact the world, Deason served as PRF’s executive director of Purdue Research Park from 2004-16. In that role, he led the team that transformed the park in West Lafayette into an engine for Indiana’s economic development initiatives. He also was instrumental in the creation of three other technology park locations in Indiana beyond West Lafayette.

“Greg has a long career of serving Purdue and PRF’s valued partners, who have made the university the launchpad for their next giant leap,” Pittman said. “He has been instrumental in facilitating the attraction and retention of companies like Saab, SEL, Inari and SK hynix during his time at PRF. I’m confident he will continue his legacy of impactful initiatives and keep up the momentum and equity we have built with our partners.”

“I am pleased to welcome Greg into this new position,” current PRF President Edelman said. “He has proven his capacity to be an outstanding leader who always does the hard work to develop a vibrant community for innovators, entrepreneurs and strategic partners at Purdue, Greater Lafayette and across Indiana.”

Deason also served in various positions at Purdue’s Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. His career there culminated in his appointment as director of innovation and entrepreneurship, a role in which he led the team that created Purdue Foundry and built a world-renowned entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem at the university. That work resulted in over 350 startup companies, placing Purdue at No. 3 for company creation in the nation at the time.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to take on this new role within PRF,” Deason said. “Purdue provides incredible opportunities for businesses and innovators to turn their ideas into impact across the state, country and world. I look forward to working closely with Chad in the coming years to make sure that the companies and people who choose Purdue get what they need to be successful and thrive in this community.”

Deason also served as the president of the Association of University Research Parks and received its Career Achievement and Outstanding Research Park awards.

A Boilermaker through and through, Deason graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s in agricultural economics. In 2010 he was named an Outstanding Alumnus of Purdue University and remains active in service to the College of Agriculture and Purdue through the Griffin Society, President’s Council and John Purdue Club.