MITRE Announces Regional Innovation Hub in Huntsville, Ala., to Bridge Partnerships, Community, and Capabilities
McLean, Va., and Bedford, Mass., Nov. 9, 2021—MITRE announced a regional innovation hub (iHub) in the Redstone Gateway, Huntsville, Alabama, on Nov. 5. The MITRE Huntsville iHub will support growing work for the U.S. government, expanded involvement with area universities and schools, and deepened engagement with the local community.
MITRE Huntsville delivers solutions for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Justice, and public health entities. MITRE has had a presence in the Rocket City since the 1970s in support of NASA and the U.S. Army. The company opened its first local site in 1982, and currently has more than 125 staff in the area.
The Huntsville iHub is part of a larger strategy to ensure MITRE is well-positioned to engage and develop diverse talent, create new strategic partnerships, enhance community engagement, and accelerate technical capabilities in collaboration with academic partners.
“While MITRE has dual headquarters outside of Washington, DC, and Boston and over 55 U.S. sites, our philosophy is that innovation sits at the intersection of inclusion, diversity and belonging—and talent is everywhere,” said Julie Gravallese, MITRE vice president for workplace innovation.
“Our Huntsville iHub will help us identify and recruit exceptional local talent,” she added.
Kim Shepard, MITRE Huntsville iHub leader, said, “From national security to space and beyond, we’re passionate about creating mutually beneficial partnerships with the academic and industry communities that add value to the critical mission landscape in our region.”
Those partnerships include the development of a new biosecurity initiative with the University of Alabama Huntsville and a collaborative initiative with Alabama A&M University to strengthen high school and college students’ interest in national security careers.
MITRE Huntsville also joined MIT Lincoln Laboratory to host one of the first Beaver Works Summer Institute programs offered outside Massachusetts. Teams of high school students used the open-source programming language Python™ to program autonomous cars to drive through an obstacle course.
About MITRE
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.
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Photo: Participants in the ribbon-cutting ceremony included (l-r): Phil Roberts, managing director, analysis; Julie Gravallese, vice president, workplace innovation; Kim Shepard, MITRE Huntsville iHub leader; Greg Crawford, vice president, joint and services center, MITRE National Security; Russell King, managing director, Missile Defense Agency; Eileen Boettcher, vice president, integration and operations, MITRE National Security.
Learn more about MITRE's iHubs and their role in expanding our strategic engagement with innovation communities across the country.