Eric Zeece is the executive director of the Central Oregon Innovation Hub based at Oregon State University – Cascades.

As executive director, Zeece will collaborate with a steering committee of diverse regional economic and entrepreneurial stakeholders to develop and provide services that help innovation-based companies in Central Oregon grow, attract investment capital and create jobs.

Most recently, Zeece was chief executive officer of Thyreos Inc, a startup biotech vaccine company that is commercializing technology developed at University of Nebraska, Northwestern University and Tufts University. Prior to leading Thyreos, Zeece led a consulting agency where he authored the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s State Small Credit Initiative program application and designed more than $64 million in grant, loan and equity investment programs to support innovation and innovators in Nebraska.   

Zeece has also worked as the innovation manager with Invest Nebraska Corporation, as interim director, deputy director, and chief performance officer of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and as senior commercialization specialist with the Innovation Accelerator Foundation, a national accelerator that partnered with the National Science Foundation.