Jill Stuckey Named Acting Director of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center

May 3, 2012

Georgia Southern University and the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center have named Jill Stuckey acting director effective May 1, 2012.  Stuckey will take a temporary leave of absence from her current position as the co-director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Energy within the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“I am elated to be a part of this unique opportunity to utilize Georgia’s natural resources to foster investment and create jobs,” said Stuckey.  “The Herty Advanced Materials Development Center and its new partner, Georgia Southern University, are poised to pioneer advances in Georgia just as Charles Herty did in the early 1900s by developing its paper industry.“

“We are excited to welcome Jill Stuckey to Herty to serve in this important role,” said Brooks Keel, Ph.D., president of Georgia Southern University.  “Her leadership and experience in economic development and industry will provide a solid foundation for Herty as it looks to build additional industry partnerships and expand its capabilities.”

Georgia Southern University recently welcomed Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to campus to sign Georgia Senate Bill 396 into law transferring management of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center to Georgia Southern University. The new legislation, which is designed to enhance economic and business development in the state of Georgia, aligns the University and Herty to create the Georgia Southern University Herty Advanced Materials Development Center.

The alignment, which will become effective July 1, 2012, will combine the strengths of both Herty and Georgia Southern University with the goal of expanding its capabilities as a global leader in traditional and advanced materials innovation. Herty’s clients, which include global corporations as well as numerous Fortune 500 companies, are currently focused in the transportation, forest and paper related products, building materials, energy and the environment and bio-products industries.

Charles E. Patterson, Ph.D., vice president for research and economic development at Georgia Southern, is overseeing the alignment.  “We are very grateful to the leadership of the Center of Innovation for allowing the University and Herty to utilize Jill’s experience and expertise as we search for a permanent president and chief executive officer of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center,” said Patterson.  “Jill is an asset to the state of Georgia and her expertise in the fields of alternative fuels and biomass will allow Herty and Georgia Southern to pair complementary capabilities and to advance research and development efforts to the benefit of the region and the state. Innovation drives entrepreneurship and this is one of our goals of the alignment with Georgia Southern and Herty.”

Stuckey started her career at Triangle, Inc., where she became part owner and built one of the largest fuel maintenance companies in the state. She traded private industry for state employment and went to work for the Environmental Protection Division, Underground Storage Tank Program. During her tenure, Stuckey developed the concept of combining all state owned fuel tanks into one agency’s control – the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA).  At GEFA, she was able to save the state more than $100 million dollars in environmental remediation and capital costs. Her focus then turned to alternative fuels, where she served as the state’s director of alternative fuels.  While at GEFA, she worked to develop fueling infrastructure and founded the state’s signature One-Stop Shop to assist energy-related companies exploring opportunities for growth in Georgia. In these capacities she has worked with clients from entrepreneurs to large global corporations.