Battelle and Ohio State University have jointly hired Zachary Mears, former deputy chief of staff to the Defense Department secretary,  to dual roles as an adviser at the nonprofit organization and assistant vice president for national security and research programs at the university.
His appointment works to establish a strategic relationship management plan on national security research between Ohio State and Battelle, the nonprofit said Wednesday.
“Zach’s expertise and leadership in national security and defense strategy will be invaluable to the university as we move to expand our partnerships across Ohio and with federal national security programs, ” said Caroline Whitacre, Ohio State senior vice president for research.
Mears’ DoD civilian service includes time as chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary at the Pentagon, where he provided advisory support on national priorities and their implementation.
He has worked as the Advanced Capability and Deterrence Panel director at DoD, helped develop the Third Offset Strategy and advised the Defense Innovation Unit – Experimental group.
He also served as the National Security Council‘s strategic planning director, a senior defense analyst for Scitor Corp. and a senior consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH).
