CSU Ventures Names New Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Ronald Marler, board member of CSU Ventures will assume executive responsibilities for CSU Ventures – the university’s non-profit corporation that houses the Supercluster business enterprises and accelerates university research discoveries in infectious disease, cancer and clean energy to the global marketplace.

CSU Ventures was created in 2007 as a business development engine to better connect businesses interested in university research associated with CSU’s Superclusters: MicroRx, NeoTREXand Cenergy CSU Ventures is a subsidiary corporation of the Colorado State University Research Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation that aids the university in overall research and educational efforts.

Marler will continue as a member of the CSU Ventures Board of Directors and will work closely with Mark Wdowik, who has served as the inaugural CEO of the corporation since February 2007.   Wdowik will now be responsible for launching a critical new CSU initiative – building a for-profit seed investment fund, which will invest in CSU start-ups and key research partners, providing what is typically called "first money in."  Additionally, he will serve in various CSURF and Ventures leadership roles pertaining to proprietary research, technology transfer, commercialization and start-ups.

"CSU Ventures is well positioned to move to its next level now that Mark has helped us build a solid foundation," said Tony Frank, provost and senior executive vice president at Colorado State. "Ron brings valuable skills from his Mayo Clinic experience. The Mayo Clinic has an unparalleled reputation for transferring groundbreaking research out of the laboratory and directly to the patients who need it, and also provided the initial leadership model for our Superclusters."

Marler will be responsible for reviewing new commercialization opportunities for the university in the Supercluster focus areas – infectious disease, cancer and clean energy – establishing connections with the private sector and building an entrepreneurial culture among scientists within the academic Superclusters, among other duties.

Marler has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical research and product development. He is a senior administrator at Mayo Clinic Arizona and Chief Scientific Officer and board member of Bridge Laboratories. Marler received his bachelor’s, veterinary medicine and doctoral degrees from Kansas State University.

-30-