E 7.3 - From NeoCity to National Security: How Florida Is Shaping the Semiconductor Industry with Tawny Olore

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Ecosystems For Change

Anika Horn, Social Venturers

75 episodes

2 months ago

Transforming communities is hard work. That may go without saying, but when your job is about helping your neighborhood, city or region thrive, talking about being underpaid, burnt out and frustrated with the slow pace of change is kind of frowned upon. As ecosystem builders, we amplify the work of local makers, doers and innovators by championing their efforts and rallying support around them. And maybe most importantly, we build a culture of trust and collaboration among all stakeholders, so that the doers and innovators among us have equal access to information, talent and resources when they need them. On Ecosystems for Change we'll explore how ecosystem building can help us unleash the full potential of the makers, doers, innovators and visionaries in our communities. And I’ll be talking with my guests about the tactics and practical skills they use in their everyday work and what they do to prevent burning the candle at both ends.

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E 7.3 - From NeoCity to National Security: How Florida Is Shaping the Semiconductor Industry with Tawny Olore

Ecosystems For Change

37 minutes

6 months ago

E 7.3 - From NeoCity to National Security: How Florida Is Shaping the Semiconductor Industry with Tawny Olore

Would you be able to describe what a semiconductor is?

A lot of us probably can’t, but they’re essential to modern life as we know it.

Today, we’re headed to NeoCity and the Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine to talk with CEO Tawny Olore. This Regional Innovation Engine, funded by the US National Science Foundation, is taking on the major project of developing an ecosystem for producing semiconductors in central Florida that can be translated to other regions.

In our conversation, Tawny explains what semiconductors are, how they impact all of our lives, and why building semiconductor ecosystems isn’t just a matter of economics, but one of national security.

Tawny Olore serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the NSF Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine, where she is responsible for developing a semiconductor ecosystem in Central Florida that can translate to other regions in the United States. Prior to her role, Tawny served as Osceola County’s Deputy County Manager, responsible for the oversight and management of the Transportation and Transit, Public Works, Real Estate and Right of Way, and Information Technology departments. She has also served as Program Manager for the FDOT Rail Transit program for District Five, specifically managing all aspects of SunRail, Central Florida’s Commuter Rail project – a 61-mile system with 12 stations traversing through a multiple of jurisdictions including four counties and 11 cities.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How advanced packaging of semiconductors drives innovation in everything from healthcare to home electronics
How the Semiconductor Innovation Engine will bring high-wage jobs to an area historically driven by tourism
How the supply chain issues of the pandemic highlighted the need to bring semiconductor production to the US
The key partners across research, education, and economic development that have joined the engine
How research and development in partnership with the engine will drive innovation in other sectors like supercomputing and data centers
How the engine will measure their success in the region from creating jobs to cutting commute times

Learn more about Tawny Olore, P.E.:

Learn more about Anika Horn:

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