By Gregg Kleiner, 541-753-8080
Contacts: David Kenney, 503-780-8736; David Chen, 503-706-3504

PORTLAND, Ore. — A new signature research center tasked with making Oregon an international epicenter of sustainable technology development has hired an Intel executive with a broad background in business leadership and fiscal management to be its first executive director.

David Kenney is a 12-year Intel veteran with knowledge of sustainable business practices as well as nonprofit management experience as a board member of a sustainable agriculture education center. He joins the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) as it begins its first year transforming sustainability-related research at Oregon universities into new products, companies and jobs for the state.

Modeled after the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), Oregon's first signature research center, Oregon BEST facilitates collaboration between the Oregon's business community, research universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, with the goal of speeding commercialization of new technologies related to green building materials/services and renewable energy.

I look forward to helping tap the incredible potential of renewable energy and green building products and services as resources for positioning Oregon as a world leader in research, business and policy in addressing many environmental challenges facing the world now and in the future, said Kenney, who grew up in Salem. We have a huge opportunity in this state for academia, business and government to work together to create a sustainability powerhouse that is greater than the sum of its parts, which will make us a national competitor for increased research funding and will create jobs and business opportunities in our state.

As a part of the Oregon Innovation Council's (Oregon InC) 2007 legislative recommendations, Oregon BEST was established in November, 2007 with $2.5 million in funding from the Oregon legislature and additional funding from the Oregon University System and the Meyer Memorial Trust. Oregon BEST seeks to leverage Oregon's unique position as a national leader in sustainable natural resource management, progressive land use, environmental stewardship, renewable energy and sustainable technologies and practices in the “built environment.”

I have a personal passion for participating in the healthy, smart economic development of Oregon and for advancing the research and commercialization of sustainable technologies, said Kenney, who was involved with numerous start-up business units while at Intel. My family roots run deep in both the rural and urban parts of Oregon, which meshes well with Oregon BEST's emphasis on generating economic impact all across the state.

Oregon is rapidly becoming a magnet for companies and nonprofit organizations engaged in sustainability work, Kenney said. SolarWorld will soon open North America's largest solar manufacturing plant in Hillsboro, and Oregon is already home to a growing number of companies developing renewable energy products and energy generation projects.

The state is also a leader in green building, boasting a high density of service companies in architecture, project management and energy efficiency – companies that are exporting the knowledge developed here in Oregon to serve customers in other states and countries.

Oregon BEST hopes to tap Oregon's unique position as a sustainability-savvy state.

I'm confident that with David Kenney at the helm, Oregon BEST will help this state accelerate its sustainability innovation, said David Chen, founder of the Equilibrium Capitol Group and chair of Oregon InC. We already enjoy a national reputation as leaders in green building and design, renewable energy and energy conservation. Oregon BEST will help link our diverse sustainability assets to deliver a great economic opportunity for the people of Oregon.

Renewable energy research underway at Oregon BEST member universities (Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University and the University of Oregon) includes wave, wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy systems.

Researchers at member universities also have deep expertise in the green building sector, including invention of new green construction materials, green building designs and sustainable community development.

Oregon BEST recently provided its first round of funding to university faculty members engaged in sustainability-related research. Recipients who will use their seed funding to move research toward commercialization will be announced soon.

During his tenure at Intel, Kenney held a wide range of roles in finance, project management and business and organizational operations. For the past seven years, he helped build Intel Solution Services, a technical consulting organization, from its start to an organization operating in more than ten countries worldwide. He also cofounded and led the Intel Employee Sustainability Network. Before joining Intel, Kenney was a senior financial consultant with Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group in Portland.

Kenney serves on the board of directors of Friends of Zenger Farm, a nonprofit urban farm that offers education programs on sustainable agriculture to approximately 3,000 school students annually. He helped the organization establish a strong base of financial support as it expanded its programs and completed a major green building renovation of the historic farmhouse on the property.

He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington and an MBA and Certificate of Public Management from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

About Oregon BEST: The Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) brings together Oregon's significant R&D strengths in the key emerging areas of renewable energy and green building products and services, with the goal of increasing research and accelerating public/private partnerships to transform that research into on-the-ground business opportunities and Oregon jobs. Oregon BEST partners include the Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, the University of Oregon, as well as numerous private businesses, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. http://oregonbest.org