Leanna DeMarre joined Fermilab’s Office of Partnerships and Technology Transfer in 2023 and has rapidly emerged as a highly capable technology transfer professional. She manages a broad portfolio of partnership agreements, supports researchers across high-impact mission areas, and demonstrates strong cross-functional communication and judgement. Within three years, DeMarre has assumed responsibilities typically held by senior staff, including leading meetings with the Department of Energy (DOE).

DeMarre oversees about 75 agreements per year across new proposals, active agreements, and modifications. In fiscal year 2025 alone, she executed 29 new agreements that brought in nearly $20 million to the lab. Her leadership has been particularly significant in the quantum science portfolio. One example of DeMarre’s innovation is her development of comprehensive tracking systems for Fermilab’s DOE Technology Transfer data cells and the laboratory’s management and operating contract transition. She created an integrated workbook that consolidated nearly a decade of historical project information with data from Fermilab’s current system, which is now the lab’s primary resource for responding to those calls. DeMarre’s impact has increased the lab’s agreement capacity, reliability in DOE reporting, compliance strength, and more.