May 22, 2024
Dear colleagues:
With great respect for the impact that he has had for the University of Illinois System and across the state, I am writing to inform you that Associate Vice President and Illinois Innovation Network Executive Director Kyle Harfst is retiring from the system at the end of September.
Harfst joined the Office of the Vice President of Economic Development and Innovation (VPEDI) five years ago and has been a key driver behind the growth and effectiveness of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN). Working with colleagues in VPEDI and across the state, Kyle established bylaws, a strategic plan and programs for the IIN, including the Sustaining Illinois seed grants and multiple projects with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Harfst also was instrumental in ensuring that the IIN’s $500 million capital projects moved forward after the COVID-19 pandemic paused most state-funded building projects.
The Sustaining Illinois Seed Grants pair researchers from multiple IIN hubs to explore key issues around the economic, health-related and social well-being of Illinois and its residents. To date, the U of I System and Northern Illinois University have funded 46 projects totaling $1.4 million. Further, in the past two years, under Harfst's leadership and in collaboration with colleagues from within the University of Illinois and across the state, the IIN collaborated on the successful $1 billion hydrogen hub (MachH2) and helped win more than $50 million in other grants and contracts.
This spring, Harfst led efforts to facilitate 25 input sessions across the state, driving conversations that provided data and ideas for DCEO’s upcoming five-year economic plan.
A major engagement with DCEO has been the formation and growth of the Illinois Broadband Lab (IBL), an initiative to measure, monitor and tell the story of broadband investments throughout Illinois. Harfst has guided IBL’s growth as it has worked with partners like University of Illinois Extension to facilitate Illinois’ pursuit of federal broadband funding and deployment of those dollars. One of the key projects has been Broadband READY, which positions the state’s public universities as regional leaders for digital equity projects.
Harfst has served as the founding executive director of the IIN since he joined the VPEDI team, facilitating development and operation of the IIN Council, and is staff liaison to the IIN’s entrepreneurship working committee. Importantly, Harfst has been vital to building trust among the IIN members in urban, peri-urban, and rural regions of Illinois.
Prior to joining the system, Harfst spent 25 years at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), finishing his time there as executive director of the Office of Innovation and Economic Development and the SIUC Research Park.
A native of Webster City, Iowa, Harfst earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Northern Iowa and both a master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate in workforce education and development from SIUC.
Please join me in congratulating Kyle on his years of service to the U of I System and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I will miss his sage advice, expansive knowledge of our state, and deep understanding of the path to impactful economic development. I wish him and his family all the best in his next chapter of life.
Jay Walsh
Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation
