Lou Von Thaer

Lou Von Thaer, President & CEO of Battelle, Named to 2019 Wash100 for Leading Effort to Improve Biosecurity, Other Technologies

Executive Mosaic is honored to announce Lou Von Thaer, president and chief executive officer of Battelle, as an inductee into the 2019 edition of Wash100 — Executive Mosaic’s annual selection of the most influential voices in the government contracting arena — for his leadership and efforts advancing biosecurity and other technology for Battelle. This marks Von Thaer’s fourth Wash100 award in five years.

Von Thaer joined Battelle in October 2017 to succeed former president and CEO Jeff Wadsworth following his retirement. Von Thaer “is an innovative problem solver who brings nearly 35 years of engineering and management experience in technology development and deployment to solve complex national security and societal issues,” said Wadsworth.

In response, Von Thaer said he was honored to lead Battelle and believed the company “has such a strong reputation for solving the toughest challenges of today and delivering world-class results for clients and I cannot wait to join this fantastic team.”

In an interview with ExecutiveBiz, he cited Battelle’s independence, history of innovation and research integrity as the nonprofit company’s greatest strengths. He also discussed some of the areas in the federal marketplace where he expects the company to contribute.

“When I look at how we apply that deep understanding of science at the subatomic and chemical levels to the new capabilities and threats that are coming to the world, that is where I expect we can make our biggest contribution in the future,” he said.

“In the areas of DNA manipulation, food safety, biosecurity, and working to accelerate drug regulatory approvals through science and study of work that has been done in the past to develop new paradigms. Those places are the tip of the iceberg today for the nation and industry.”

Aside from biosecurity, Von Thaer cited the NeuroLife neural bypass technology as another capability he finds to be the most interesting.

Prior to his time with Battelle, Von Thaer served as the chief executive of DynCorp International for two years. He started his technology career at AT&T Bell Laboratories and held senior leadership roles at General Dynamics and Leidos. The four-time Wash100 awardee is a member of the Defense Science Board and a trustee of the Kansas State University Foundation.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Lou Von Thaer and the Battelle team for receiving this award.

About The Wash100

This year represents our sixth annual Wash100 award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement, and vision.

Visit the Wash100 website, where viewers can submit 10 votes for the executives of consequence they believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.