Dr. Phillip A. Singerman
Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services
Office of the Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology
US Department of Commerce
Gaithersburg, MD
Phillip Singerman serves as Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In this capacity he is responsible for the NIST suite of external partnership programs, including the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, NIST technology transfer and small business innovation research awards, economic analysis, and technology innovation. The position of Associate Director was established in October 2010 as part of the first major realignment of NIST programs in 20 years; Dr. Singerman was appointed to this position in January 2011. Immediately prior to joining NIST, he was a Senior Vice President at B&D Consulting, a DC-based firm providing strategic advice and technical assistance on federal economic development programs to non-profit organizations, local governments, and universities. Previously he was a managing director of a $120 million seed stage venture fund that invested in biotechnology.
Dr. Singerman has more than 30 years of experience in tech based economic development; he was the first chief executive of two of the best known public-private partnerships, the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. During the Clinton Administration he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, a Presidential appointment requiring Senate confirmation.
Dr. Singerman has participated on scores of local, state, and national advisory boards and associations, including the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), the Technology Council of Maryland (TCM), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), NGA’s Advisory Committee on Entrepreneurial Policy, NSF’s Small Business Advisory Committee, the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association (PBA), the Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative Advisory Committee, and the Editorial Board of the Economic Development Quarterly. He was the 2011 recipient of IEDC's Federal Leadership in Economic Development Award.
Dr. Singerman received his bachelors degree from Oberlin College and holds a doctorate from Yale University. He has taught at Yale College, Barnard College (Columbia University), and the Fels Institute of Government (University of Pennsylvania). After graduating from college he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, South America, working in rural community development projects.
Dr. Singerman is a co-author of “Beyond Recovery: Moving the Gulf Coast Toward a Sustainable Future” (February 2011), published by the Center for American Progress and Oxfam America, and the “Handbook on Climate Prosperity” (May 2009), published by the International Economic Development Council.