Dan Hanson, M.S.

Dan Hanson is an accomplished executive in the management of innovation, creation of regional health and economic engines, public administration, and commercialization of new technologies. He has a proven track record with technology venture creation; entrepreneurial training; capital raising from philanthropic organizations and through the equity, bond, and securitization markets; and public policy development for various government agencies.

Dan is an intuitive leader focused on creating novel solutions to complex societal challenges and building research and development infrastructure for beneficial public outcomes. He is noted for outstanding analytical abilities and for commitment to achieving equitable outcomes of government policy and program initiatives across communities.  

Dan obtained a BS in Political Science from the University of Oregon, a Master’s degree from the University of Oregon School of Business, and a Master’s degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Examples of Dan’s previous experience include:

• Cofounder and director of SensIT Ventures, Inc. SensIT is a new company that is opening the sense of smell to the Internet of Things (IoT) by utilizing proprietary technology to develop, build, and market a fundamentally new type of miniaturized (MEMS) ion mobility spectrometer platform. The size of a large coin, the device runs on low power DC voltage, such as a common 9V battery. Because the sensors are miniaturized, inexpensive, and require minimal power, they can be widely distributed and embedded in complex systems. Deployment platforms under development include smart cities, defense and security, and agriculture monitoring.

• Dan helped launch the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) by designing the business model for this novel organization, writing the business plan, and creating of the CRDF's research and commercialization structure to mitigate the damage caused by an invasive bacterium that kills citrus trees. This non-profit is organized as a Direct Service Organization of the University of Florida (UF), with governance provided by industry leaders, State of Florida Treasury representatives, and UF staff. The CRDF awards up to $20 million annually for grants to research methods to neutralize the bacterium and vector and to develop disease-resistant citrus tree stock. 

• Authored a study that led to the business model of Better Way Biotech, a benefit corporation. This company will employ novel gene drive technology developed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to mitigate the damage to cherry and berry crops caused by an invasive pest, the Spotted Wing Drosophila. The project involves coordination with industry grower organizations, university researchers, government regulatory agencies, funders, and the public. The benefit corporation is presented as the appropriate commercial entity to facilitate the adoption of this new technology, due to the charter’s requirement for equal consideration of the mission, profit, environment, employees, and community. The benefit corporation will use several mechanisms to promote transparency of operations.

• Earlier in his career, Dan served as Senior Vice President of Treasury for First USA Bank. In this position he managed the Bank's treasury functions and was responsible for a staff that controlled the funding, cash management, investment portfolio, and risk analysis for this company that grew rapidly during Dan's tenure from $1.5 billion to over $25 billion managed assets before it was purchased by Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase) in 1997.