Heather Jackson is the Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SBIR/STTR Programs in the Office of Technology Commercialization. She brings experience spanning technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, energy innovation, and the federal government.
Before joining DOE SBIR/STTR, Heather served as a Senior Executive Service leader in DOE’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, where she led a roughly $300 million portfolio focused on public-private partnerships, technology development, and the fusion innovation ecosystem. Her earlier career includes roles at ARPA-E, electric utilities, national laboratories, and academia, as well as founding and leading technology startups.
Heather holds a B.S. in Physics and an MBA and began her career in the commercial nuclear power industry. She is particularly interested in strengthening the pathways that help small businesses turn federally supported R&D into technologies, companies, and economic impact.