MELBOURNE, FLA., Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida Tech is proud to announce a new, game-changing entry into the innovation economy—and a visionary new executive director to lead the charge.
Vertex, Florida Tech’s applied innovation hub, will bring together industry, higher education, local and state governments, investors, community members and more to fuel transformative partnerships, connecting them with applied engineering technologies, customized workforce development programs and the unmatched talents and expertise of the Florida Tech community.
Vertex will be led by Samantha Miles, a deeply experienced strategic leader whose ability to connect visions and voices has produced significant educational and business successes around the world.
Born in Melbourne Beach and with bachelor and master's degrees from Florida universities, Miles has 14 years of international and domestic professional experience marked by her remarkable strengths in leading the design and execution of strategic partnerships across the higher education landscape.
“She operates with grand vision but still manages the details,” President John Nicklow said. “She realizes the value and impact of the nexus between education and industry, and she has a relentless, high-energy approach and community-focused outlook that will ensure success while empowering our critical stakeholders.”
Established in the same Palm Bay space as the university’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design (CAMID), Vertex was launched after months of engagement with founders, CEOs, business leaders and innovation experts, including several Florida Tech alumni.
Already, Vertex is making an impact, hosting clients in its business-in-residence program and developing new collaboration pathways and industry-focused initiatives.
“Soon, we’ll launch a “super user” offering that provides access to our most advanced technology, along with a signature business accelerator program,” Miles added, “We’re also designing new, customized workforce training and expanding our R&D efforts for applied innovation. More details to come!”
That sort of approach – developing an impactful strategy from multiple inputs – is one Miles perfected at her most recent job as strategic advisor, training and consulting, for Knowledge E, a Dubai-based consultancy serving over 100 clients in research and education.
Among her successes there was a two-year effort to reshape medical education in Egypt by reforming the curriculum at dozens of medical schools across the country. Working with Egypt’s minister of higher education and a coterie of other international stakeholders, Miles had to unite various elements of the plan to create a result that had impact and reach.
Mission accomplished. The novel approach, which included more integrated teaching and longer residencies, is now producing scores of better-trained physicians who will help strengthen healthcare around that nation for generations to come.
The project was also something of a professional revelation for Miles.
“It was when I got a taste of how much I really do enjoy bringing together the different folks from academia, from government, from industry,” she said. “And I really like being in those rooms where there are lots of big ideas, lots of big thoughts, and with people who have the intention and the ability to make change and to get things done.”
Prior to Knowledge E, Miles worked in leadership roles with the SP Jain School of Global Management in Dubai and the University of Southern Queensland in Springfield, Australia. She has also worked at Florida Atlantic University and the Charlotte County Family YMCA.
As with Miles’ Egypt project and others, Vertex is the product of combining strengths and stakeholders and uniting around a singular vision.
“Vertex is what’s possible when we combine Florida Tech's excellence with our region's entrepreneurial spirit,” said Ryan Bailey, innovation director at Groundswell Startups and a three-time Florida Tech graduate. “It is positioned to be a real catalyst for innovation in our community, and having been part of these early discussions, I can tell you that the potential here is tremendous. We're not just creating a facility; we're building an ecosystem for growth and opportunity.”
CAMID will continue to provide advanced manufacturing and prototyping services under the Vertex umbrella. It will be joined by the Florida Tech Research Institute and the university’s ASCEND program, as well as promising new tenants.
And the Space Coast of east-central Florida, with its high-tech heritage and enterprising spirit, is the perfect place for Vertex to flourish.
“This region is uniquely positioned and ready for Vertex’s mission with its rich industrial ecosystem and skilled workforce,” said Hamid Rassoul, Florida Tech’s chief research officer. “Vertex is more than an innovation hub—it is a catalyst for growth on the Space Coast.”
Attachments
Adam Lowenstein Florida Institute of Technology 321-674-8964 adam@fit.edu
