AFRL Sensors Directorate tech transfer program manager earns rookie of the year award

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Jack Owsley III, Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate Tech Transfer and Alliance Program Manager, was selected from among 300 federal laboratories to earn the 2020 Rookie of the Year Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC).

The FLC is the congressionally mandated organization that educates, promotes and facilitates Federal Technology Transfer. This is an annual award that recognizes an outstanding employee with three years or less of experience in this career field.

“It acknowledges the individual that goes above and beyond to facilitate better dialogue between government entities and industry and academia,” said Owsley.

Owsley, who earned a Bachelor’s degree in engineering physics and a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, joined the tech transfer career field in 2018. When he filled this position that had been vacant for six months, he hit the ground running to streamline processes and overcome the learning curve.

“My job is to help protect the intellectual property (IP) of the government,” said Owsley. “When it comes to either working with government or academia, my job is to put some type of agreement in place to where we can work with them, but also protect our IP.”

One of Owsley’s greatest accomplishments was negotiating a first-ever joint ownership agreement for the Air Force between the United States and the United Kingdom. He also executed 20 new cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) and six information transfer agreements, managed 49 active agreements, managed six patent license agreements, and is currently working on five new patent license agreements.

Owsley also manages the Sensors Directorate Alliance program, which facilitates agreements between government agencies. He managed 18 memorandums of agreement and understanding, and was responsible for multi-million dollar science and technology activities.

“Jack accomplished all of this on his own,” said Abby Boggs, an Air Force Research Laboratory Tech Transfer Specialist. “He outshines comparable organizations that have ten people. He has a business mind and he makes everything happen smoothly.”

“It definitely feels good to have some type of recognition,” said Owsley. “It motivates me to keep doing a good job.”

This award highlights Owsley’s dedication to developing solutions to protect government IP and foster working relationships with internal and external organizations. His ability to succeed in such a short period of time highlights his innovative, problem-solving abilities.

Jack Owsley III, Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate Tech Transfer and Alliance Program Manager, was selected from among 300 federal laboratories to earn the 2020 Rookie of the Year Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC). (U.S. Air Force photo/Rachel Simones)