The Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC), led by Assistant Vice Chancellor for Technology Transfer and Commercialization Alan Bentley, announced plans to elevate current Interim Executive Director George Wilson MS MLI PMP to the role of CTTC new venture development executive director, effective July 27.
VNC's prior related coverage is here. Resource: CTTC Driving Innovation Forward.
This afternoon, Bentley wrote colleagues and stakeholders in the CTTC mission, saying:
 |
| Alan Bentley |
I am pleased to announce that George Wilson has been named Executive Director of New Venture Development at the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC), effective July 27, 2026. George has led this work capably on an interim basis on two separate occasions, and I am delighted that he will now carry it forward permanently.
Since joining CTTC in 2019, George has been central to the way we help Vanderbilt faculty and staff evaluate, plan, launch, and grow startup companies built on Vanderbilt discoveries. That work sits at the heart of CTTC's mission — moving innovation from the lab bench to the marketplace, generating revenue that fuels future research, and delivering real benefit to society.
George brings an unusually broad command of both the science and the business: his experience spans PET/CT, MRI, cancer, neuropharmacology, electrophysiology, and ophthalmology, alongside years of building research and commercial partnerships across VU and VUMC. George has also been the face of Vanderbilt’s highly successful Innovation Catalyst Funding Program, which has awarded more than $2M in funding to Vanderbilt investigators and has yielded more than $16M in follow-on funding in less than three years.
George's roots at Vanderbilt run deep. He holds a BA in Psychology and Medicine, Health & Society and an MLI in Neuropharmacology & Imaging Methods, both from Vanderbilt, and he graduated from the Law School with an MLS earlier this year, earning the rare “TripleDore” designation. In 2022, he was selected for the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School, joining a cohort of cross-sector leaders working to strengthen their regional innovation economies.
In this role, George will lead the New Ventures team in advancing entrepreneurship and new company creation across our campus, the greater Nashville area, and the region — guiding promising technologies from first inventor consultation through company formation, business model validation, and investor engagement with the New Venture Development team. [###]
This story will be updated, as warranted. VNC
. last edited 1720 20 July 2026
