Lawrence A. Molnar is the Associate Director of the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, and the Economy, President of the Educational Association of University Centers, and immediate Past-President of the Michigan Business Incubator Association. His B.A. program in Journalism and M.A. program in Telecommunication/Management are from Michigan State University, College of Communication Arts and Sciences and his post- M.A. graduate program (ABD) was in the University of Michigan, School of Information. During his 30 years at the University of Michigan, Molnar has been involved in research and projects in the academic and private sector related to economic development, business incubation, technology transfer, and information science. He served as Principal Investigator for the EDA-funded Community Economic Adjustment Program working with communities in the upper Midwest where there were major manufacturing plant closures. He has extensive experience in assessing private sector firms to link them to intellectual property, technology, patents, expertise and resources of universities to provide the firms with opportunities to diversify and expand into new markets and sectors. He was recently Principal Investigator for an EDA-funded research study of the Business Incubation Industry in the United States that correlated incubator best practices with the success of companies after they leave the incubator. He was recently Principal Investigator for an EDA-funded program in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana that is designed to repurpose closed manufacturing facilities. He was also the Principal Investigator for a NOAA-funded economic impact study of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron and the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa. He is currently Principal Investigator for a U.S. Department of Defense-funded program to diversify the defense supply chain in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana in collaboration with Purdue University and The Ohio State University.