Dr. Richard J. Brenner

Dr. Rick Brenner was named the Assistant Administrator in ARS for Technology Transfer in October 2004.  In this capacity, he represents the Secretary of Agriculture on issues pertaining to management of intellectual property arising from USDA research, and has the delegated authority for licensing inventions developed through intramural research in any of the USDA agencies.  He is a member of AUTM, the Agency Representative to the Federal Laboratory Consortium for USDA, and the Interagency Working Group for Technology Transfer convened monthly by the Department of Commerce Office of Technology Policy.

Prior to this position, Dr. Brenner served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), USDA-ARS, from August 2001, where he managed much of the daily operations on CRADAs, patents, and licensing.    From 1984, Dr. Brenner served as a Research Entomologist and later as a Research Leader for ARS in Gainesville, Florida, following a 2-year research assignment in Chiapas, Mexico.  Career awards include Outstanding Senior Scientist, USDA Award for Superior Service, ARS Technology Transfer Awards, an FLC Technology Transfer Award, and the “Pollution Prevention Project of the Year,” award in 1999 under the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, jointly awarded by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and the EPA.

Rick has a Ph.D. in medical entomology from Cornell University, and 2 degrees from the University of Illinois.  He, his wife Joann, and their two sons, Drew and Joey, live in Severna Park, MD near Annapolis.