Colorado names new chief innovation officer
Colorado has a new chief innovation officer.
Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president for Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems, will also serve as chairman of the Colorado Innovation Network, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced last week.
“Mark’s experience in aerospace, a heavily innovative and important industry in Colorado, will serve him well as he leads the state’s efforts to increase our innovative competitiveness,” Hickenlooper said. “He is a well respected business executive and understands the necessity of collaboration in building this type of ecosystem. We are proud he is joining our team.”
Sirangelo will replace Colorado State University’s College of Business Dean Ajay Menon, whose term expired at the end of August.
As head of COIN, he will oversee an organization created to provide the state’s roadmap for innovation, namely promoting a business environment that supports innovative practices through collaboration among government, business and civil society, with the ultimate goal of job creation and growth of the Colorado economy.
“There is a great opportunity for us to advance Colorado through innovation and new ideas. Coming from the private sector, I am grateful to be able to volunteer to help serve the people of Colorado in this capacity,” Sirangelo said. “I look forward to continuing the work with the other members of the COIN board and our state leadership to enable a brighter future for Colorado.”
Sirangelo currently heads Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems, a producer of satellites, space transportation systems and advanced electronics. During its 25-year history, SNC Space Systems has been engaged in more than 400 space missions ranging from earth orbit to planetary missions including the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity.
Under a public-private partnership with NASA, SNC is currently developing Dream Chaser, an orbital space plane designed as a cost effective replacement for the Space Shuttle. SNC has been named as one of the top five companies to work for in the Denver area by the Denver Business Journal.
Sirangelo has been named to Defense Industry’s Fast Track 50, Deloitte’s Fast Track 500, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Inc. Magazine’s top 200 companies and the Space Foundation’s Technology Hall of Fame. Apart from industry, he also serves as a board member and trustee of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and is a founder, vice chairman and treasurer of the International Centre for Children.
