Taking the reins: David Winwood, chief business development officer at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been chosen by the membership of the Association of University Technology Managers to serve as the organization’s president-elect. AUTM is an international association that advances research discoveries through academic technology transfer. Its 3,300 members include individuals from nearly every academic research institution in the world. Winwood will continue in his current role as AUTM vice president for advocacy and will also serve as president-elect until March 2016, when he will formally assume the role of president. Pennington has more details on today’s announcement.
Naming names: Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter is getting fundraising help from former President George H.W. Bush in his campaign to be Louisiana’s next governor. The Vitter campaign today was sending an email to supporters to announce the Republican ex-president’s endorsement of Vitter for governor, The Associated Press reports. Vitter is the front-runner among the four candidates who have announced for the Oct. 24 election, and he has the most money in the bank. Other GOP contenders include Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle. The only Democrat in the race so far is state Rep. John Bel Edwards.
Moving along: Lafayette-based IBERIABANK says the Federal Reserve has approved three previously-announced acquisitions of banking companies in Florida and Georgia. IBERIABANK says the three companies—Florida Bank Group Inc., based in Tampa; Old Florida Bancshares Inc., based in Orlando; and Georgia Commerce Bancshares Inc. of Atlanta—will add assets of about $3 billion to its portfolio once the deals close. The acquisitions of the two Florida banks are expected to close by the end of this quarter, while the Georgia takeover is expected to close by the end of the second quarter. IBERIABANK Corp. currently has banking offices in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama Texas, and Florida. The bank has more details on today’s announcement.
