Marquette SmartZone hires a new CEO
By RYAN JARVI
For The Daily News
MARQUETTE – Marquette’s SmartZone, Innovation Marquette Enterprise Corp., recently appointed Ray Johnson as its new CEO.
Johnson has more than 20 years of high-tech industry experience and most recently served as CEO of Urban Electric Power, a technology start-up business attempting to commercialize a rechargeable battery chemistry for energy storage applications, according to a news release.
“I am excited to be in Marquette and extremely positive about the opportunity to help build-out a world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem in support of existing businesses and new start-up ideas in this area,” Johnson said. “I have been on the ground for only a week and have found every member of the community I’ve met to be enthusiastically supportive of the Innovation Marquette SmartZone’s mission. I look forward to jumping in with both feet to help lead the way.”
According to the release, Johnson is also recognized as a serial entrepreneur and experienced fundraiser.
Johnson served as a faculty member at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business. He was also named Colorado’s Cleantech Entrepreneur of the Year and appointed to the Colorado Governor’s Venture Capital Investment Advisory Committee.