Dr. Joe Meredith
Upon Dr. Meredith’s retirement in 2020 as President and CEO of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC) in Blacksburg, Virginia he was named President Emeritus by the Virginia Tech Foundation. He had been president since 1993. At his retirement, the CRC consisted of over 200 high-technology companies and research centers that employed over 3,300 people in 37 buildings totaling over 1 million square feet of space. In 2010 the CRC was named, “Most Outstanding Research/Science Park” in the United States and winner of the 2016 'Best University Research Parks in the South’ award by Southern Business & Development magazine.
In addition to managing the operation of the center, Dr. Meredith facilitated technology transfer from the university to the private sector, increased the level of sponsored research at Virginia Tech, and marketed the CRC to prospective tenants. Two subsidiaries of the CRC, VT KnowledgeWorks LLC and Tech Center LLC reported to Dr. Meredith.
Previously, Dr. Meredith held a variety of management positions for a major defense contractor in research and development, engineering, data processing, integrated logistics support, and marketing.
Dr. Meredith holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in Aeronautics, Astronautics, and Engineering Science from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. He was also a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College's Program Management Course.
Dr. Meredith is currently on the Board of Directors of Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.; the Board of Trustees of the Lewis Gale Montgomery Regional Hospital; and member of the Board of Directors of the Lifelong Learning Institute.
He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; former member of the Montgomery County Economic Development Commission; former member of the College of Engineering’s Advisory Committee of the Committee of 100; former member of the Board of Directors of the Lyric Theater; former member of the Valleys Innovation Council Board; former member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation; former member of the Roanoke Business Council; former member of the Board of Directors of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance; former Chairman of Stellar One's Blacksburg Advisory Committee; former President of the Christiansburg/Blacksburg Rotary Club; former member of the Board of Trustees of the Montgomery- Floyd Regional Library; former member of the New River Planning District Commission; former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of University Research Parks; and former Community Advisor to the Community Foundation.
Dr. Meredith received the 2011 Professional Leadership Award from the Christiansburg- Blacksburg Rotary Club and was named “Business-Person of the Year – 2001” by the Blacksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and received the Roanoke - Blacksburg Technology Council's 2008 Leadership Award. He was honored as a member of the VT College of Engineering’s Academy of Excellence, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni, and the Academy of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Excellence. He was named to the Hall of Fame of the Roanoke Blacksburg Tech Council. For 17 years, he was an adjunct professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. In 2019, he received the Virginia Tech Alumni Distinguished Service Award. In 2020 he was named to the Hall of Fame of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Rev. 8.31.21