The Far West Region represents the following eight states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The Far West Region is home to over 200 laboratory facilities with research and development (R&D) areas such as energy, aerospace and defense.
The mission of the FLC is to add value to the federal agencies, laboratories, and their partners to accomplish the rapid integration of research and development resources within the mainstream of the U.S. economy. Each Region actively conducts R&D activities seeking partnerships to transfer innovative technologies.
Thousands of groundbreaking technologies produced in Far West regional laboratories have been commercialized to progress various technology industries and grow the Region’s and our nation’s economy.
The Far West Region actively promotes regional tech transfer through its Lab Showcase, Member Connect, Industry and Tech Events, and so much more. Check out our professional development and networking events, as well as our regional award winners that demonstrate outstanding technology transfer programs.
As of August 2023, Jennifer Stewart is a Technology Transfer Specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), supporting the NOAA mission through fostering innovation, partnerships, and economic growth. Previously, Jennifer spent 20 years as a civil servant within the Department of Navy, and 12 years within the field of technology transfer. In the role as a tech transfer specialist, Jennifer essentially is a dot connector, brokering connections between technologies, inventors, academic partners, industry of all sizes, state, local and federal government partners. Supporitng the mission first, she utilized complimentary technology transfer mechanisms such as knowledge management, innovation discovery, technology road mapping, IP mining, IP portfolio management, patent licensing, cooperative research and development agreements and other mechanisms to maximize the impact of taxpayer investments in R&D.
Jennifer is an award winning technology transfer specialist who has supported a variety of economic development-based organizations within California's Inland Empire and beyond. In 2014, she was elected to serve on the FLC Board and continues to do so today. Jennifer is a graduate of California Baptist University, Riverside, California where she obtained a BA in business administration.
Michelle Gonzalez is the manager of business development, technology transfer, and economic development for Sandia National Laboratories’ California site. She leads initiatives within the Energy and Homeland Security Portfolio and the Sandia Partnerships Organization. Michelle previously served as the business development lead for the Homeland Security Portfolio where she advanced Sandia’s Chem Bio Rad Nuc Defense and Homeland Infrastructure Security Resilience programs. Prior to that, she served in the Chief Research Office working to align and integrate Sandia’s University Partnership strategy and stand up the Academic Alliance program.
A graduate of the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, Michelle joined Sandia in 2013 in Sandia’s Economic Development where she served as the program lead for the Sandia Science and Technology Park. Prior to her time at Sandia, she was a Lockheed Martin employee working for Technology Ventures Corporation whose mission was to commercialize technologies across the Department of Energy Complex.