Clyde Higgs
Clyde Higgs was hired on July 2006 as the Vice President for Business Development with Castle & Cooke Inc, the developer of the North Carolina Research Campus. In this position, he is primarily responsible for recruiting new business and venture capital investment for the NC Research Campus project located in Kannapolis, NC.
Prior to joining the NC Research Campus, Clyde was the executive director of the technology incubator program at the University of North Texas-Health Science Center. While in Texas, he was also appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Emerging Technology Fund Board, a $200 million investment fund for early stage, technology companies.
Before Clyde's post in Texas, he was the Director for the Office of Technology Transfer & Commercialization at North Carolina A&T State University. There, Clyde was responsible for developing the overall economic development and intellectual property strategy for the university.
He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama and a master's degree from East Carolina University. Clyde has also held posts as Executive Assistant to the President at the North Carolina Community College System, and as the James E. Webb Management Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. He serves as a member of several community, non-profit and foundation boards, including the NC Agricultural and Life Sciences Research Foundation, NC Community Colleges Foundation, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Foundation, Minter Community, French-American Chamber of Commerce North Carolina (FACCNC), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, East Carolina University Medical & Health Sciences Foundation and NorthEast Foundation. In June 2010, he was reappointed to serve a four-year team to the Rowan-Cabarrus College (RCCC) Board of Trustees by NC Gov. Bev Perdue. He was first appointed to the RCCC Board of Trustees in December 2008. Beverly Perdue also appointed Clyde to serve on the State Superintendent's Commission on Workforce Development. In 2007, Clyde received the Paul Harris Fellowship from the Kannapolis Rotary Club for his efforts in launching the life sciences center. He also serves as a guest lecturer at the University of North Texas and Texas Christian University.
Clyde has roots in Fayetteville, NC and the Gulf Coast. He is married with one son.