Ken Myer

Ken Myer, who recently stepped down as the president of the Washington Technology Industry Association, has landed a new gig as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Washington's Center for Commercialization. It is a part-time position of about five to 10 days per month, with Myer spending much of his time hanging around researchers in the UW's computer science department.

"I wanted to take a step back before I went back in full-bore into industry and this seemed like a great opportunity to keep my fingers on the pulse of what's happening in emerging technologies," said Myer, who started at the UW two weeks ago. "It felt like just a perfect interim role for me."

We learned of the new gig last week, and Myer confirmed it in an interview this morning. Myer said he was introduced to the opportunity through Rick LeFaivre, a managing director at OVP Venture Partners who was named co-director of the UW's New Ventures Group in January.

"I've been impressed with the new energy at the center," said Myer. The Center for Commercialization, formerly known as TechTransfer, has been undergoing a radical transformation under the direction of startup veteran Linden Rhoads.

At this point, Myer said he's applying some of his talents to existing projects at the Center of Commercialization. He also recently met with UW computer science professors Ed Lazowska and Hank Levy to discuss ideas around gaming, clean tech, databases and other areas.

Myer said he's unsure if the new assignment -- which is set to last between four to six months -- will lead to his own entrepreneurial venture.

"I really don't know yet," he said. "I think my initial thought was is that this would be a good place to plug in and contribute and we'll see what happens."

Prior to the WTIA, Myer worked at Interval Systems, TeleSym, Active Voice and IBM.