Federal Laboratory Consortium Mourns Passing of Former Chair Ed Linsenmeyer

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) mourns the passing of former Executive Board Chair Ed Linsenmeyer on Dec. 12, 2025.

Ed served on the FLC Executive Board for several years in a variety of roles, including Regional Coordinator, and two terms as Chair from 2003 to 2007. He volunteered in some capacity for the FLC for more than 15 years.

“Ed was truly one of the great people that have made the FLC what it is,” says FLC Executive Director Paul Zielinski. “He was the kind of leader who loved the FLC and everyone in it. He was always giving, always contributing, and always there, even when things were tough.”

Ed received the Harold Metcalf Service Award from the FLC in 2008 for his commitment to the field of technology transfer. In his award profile that year, it read, in part: “Ed [gave] tireless service to his own laboratory, the Navy, and, quite notably, the FLC. The FLC and the entire technology transfer community have reaped tremendous rewards from his concentrated efforts and exemplary leadership.”

One of many highlights of his tenure as an FLC volunteer, Ed initiated a partnership between the FLC and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers when he was a Regional Coordinator, to identify federal technologies that could be transferred to meet the needs of people with mobility, communication, and other physical disabilities.

As the FLC Chair, Ed understood the organization’s growth would come through outreach and so began a concentrated effort to communicate and work with other technology transfer organizations. This campaign led to discussions with the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), which is now the FLC’s main collaborative partner.

What stood out most about Ed, however, was not his incredible competence in his roles, nor his devotion to the FLC. It was the way in which he treated the rest of the people around him.

“Ed was a true friend and mentor to me,” says FLC Facilitate Director Beth Thomas. “His kindness and leadership helped to shape me into who I am today.”

“I personally owe a lot to Ed, as do many others,” says Zielinski. “He led with a quiet dignity and respect, a professional to the core. The FLC was dear to Ed, as he was to all who knew him.”

“Ed managed the Department of Defense SMART Program when I received a scholarship in 2009, and he took me under his wing right away,” says Paige George, the FLC Facilitate Committee Chair, Executive Board Member, and Technology Transfer Manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Panama City Division). “That mentorship led me to becoming the STEM Outreach Program Manager, attending my first FLC National Meeting in 2015, and taking over the T2 role after he retired. He made a lasting impact on my life and on the FLC.”

In 2009, Ed received the FLC’s Representative of the Year Award. He was recognized again for his unmatched contributions to the FLC and federal technology transfer, including his assistance with developing the Laboratory Director’s Forum — now a staple at FLC’s National Meeting each year — and his efforts to lay the groundwork for the World’s Best Technology Showcase.

In his farewell letter at the end of his second term as FLC Chair, Ed ended a long note of gratitude with: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with the FLC — both as a member and as an officer. I am looking forward to remaining active in the Consortium and continuing to work with you — my friends and colleagues — to further the mission of the FLC and to help realize the goals of federal technology transfer.”

Ed was a true pioneer and champion of federal technology transfer, both as a volunteer for the FLC and an employee of the Department of Defense. As Isaac Newton wrote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Thank you, Ed, from everyone associated with the FLC, for all you have done and all you have meant to technology transfer. We all stand on your shoulders and benefit from your legacy.