Charles Layne

Charles Layne, known as Chuck by friends and colleagues, serves as the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives & Government Partnerships at the Science Center, where he leads partnerships and initiatives that advance commercialization outcomes for startups and the region. 

Prior to joining the Science Center, Chuck led the commercialization portfolio at Launch Tennessee, supporting more than 130 companies in accessing $449M in SBIR/STTR funding and raising another $453M in follow-on capital. As part of the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines program, he led the creation of Tennessee's first centralized commercialization support and technology transfer office for the state's emerging research institutions through the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium (TTAC), and developed the Tennessee Innovation Exchange (TNIX), a first-of-its-kind digital platform for university-industry partnerships. 

His work has been featured by Harvard Kennedy School's Reimagining the Economy project and RTI International, recognized by the Kauffman Foundation and the Partnership for Innovation, and he has served as PI or Co-PI on grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Economic Development Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Small Business Administration. A trained planner with a Master's of City & Regional Planning from the University of Memphis, Chuck's broader background centers on helping organizations and communities move from A to B by identifying mutually beneficial solutions, with experience at the city, county, and state levels. His interest in science and technology stems from a belief that supporting startups is one of the most effective ways to drive transformation and progress at scale. 

Outside of work, Chuck can be found exploring the city by bicycle, following NBA drama, or tending to his garden.