President

Chad Pittman leverages more than twenty years of experience in technology commercialization, real estate development, economic development, and as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army to help drive technology commercialization for the betterment of humankind.

Pittman previously served as the Vice President of the Purdue Research Foundation’s National Security & Defense Program Office where he managed the development and implementation of strategies to leverage Purdue’s research and workforce capabilities in the National Security Community and served as an engagement leader to the business community. He also served as the Vice President of the Office of Technology Commercialization where he led the transformation of that organization resulting in sustained record- producing years for Purdue in technology commercialization.

Pittman is a cofounder and chairman of the Battery Innovation Center which focuses on advancing economic development while providing development, testing and evaluation services for new energy storage technologies from innovators across the United States. He serves as a board member of the Indy Innovation Challenge which hosts the Indy Autonomous Challenge. He previously served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), which is the state’s leading economic development agency. Pittman started his career as a land use attorney at Bose McKinney and Evans before joining a large homebuilder where he led their land development and market development teams in Indiana and the Carolinas.

Pittman is a Colonel in the Indiana Army National Guard and currently serves as the Deputy Commander of the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB). He served as a rifle platoon leader and rifle company commander in 2003 and 2008 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pittman also served as a detachment chief and team lead for Task Force Echo 1 at Fort Meade, MD. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Kelley School of Business, a J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and a master’s in national security and strategy with distinction from the Naval War College and a member of the Halsey Bravo Program. He maintains his Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification.