Vanderhoofven named to Yale Leadership Council
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following release was submitted by Meritus Ventures.)
Oak Ridge, TN, London, KY, and New Haven, CT — Grady Vanderhoofven has accepted an invitation to serve on the Yale University School of Engineering & Applied Science Leadership Council led by T. Kyle Vanderlick, Dean of the School and the Thomas E. Golden, Jr. Professor of Engineering.
Mr. Vanderhoofven is co-founder and co-manager of two venture capital funds, Meritus Ventures (Meritus) and Southern Appalachian Fund (SAF), which invest in the southeastern United States. Meritus and SAF have been among the most active institutional investors in the central and southern Appalachian region of the country for the past decade. Before joining the venture capital industry, Mr. Vanderhoofven was at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for more than ten years, initially as a materials engineer and ultimately as a manager of technology commercialization. While at ORNL, Mr. Vanderhoofven participated in the creation of more than a dozen companies established to commercialize products or services based on intellectual property developed at ORNL. Mr. Vanderhoofven graduated with honors from Yale with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1990 and received a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale in 1991.
“The renaissance of engineering at Yale is well underway as I begin my fifth year as Dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS). Tremendous progress has been made and many initiatives begun during my tenure to make Yale Engineering the exemplar of Ivy engineering, but there is still much work yet to be done. To that end, I have assembled a SEAS Leadership Council to facilitate the realization of our ambitious and strategic goals. This intimate group of distinguished Yale alumni and valued friends share an interest in educating the next generation of leaders for today’s technologically driven world. I have been fortunate to recruit Grady to join this group – given his diverse background and entrepreneurial acumen, he will undoubtedly be a valuable resource as we chart our future,” said Vanderlick.
“I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to engage with my Alma Mater in this capacity,” said Grady Vanderhoofven. I support Dean Vanderlick’s vision for the future of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, and I am honored to be counted among the impressive array of professionals who have accepted Dean Vanderlick’s invitation to serve Yale University.”
About Meritus Ventures (www.meritusventures.com)
Meritus Ventures, L.P. is currently the only Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC) in the United States. The $36.5M venture capital fund invests to realize attractive returns for the fund’s investors while creating wealth and jobs in rural areas of central and southern Appalachia and Arkansas. In addition to providing equity investment, the fund may provide operational assistance to its portfolio companies.
Contact: Melissa Muendel, Meritus Ventures, muendel@meritusventures.com, 865-220-1715
