Ned Staebler is Vice President for Economic Development at Wayne State University. His charge is to leverage Wayne State’s assets to be a catalyst for growth across the university and the community. Staebler’s responsibilities include coordinating the university’s activities around innovation and entrepreneurship, the commercialization of university intellectual property, and business development and attraction.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Staebler served as the Vice President for Entrepreneurial and Capital Services at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. In this role, he was responsible for the oversight of the Michigan Strategic Fund Board and the 21st Century Jobs Fund, a $2 billion, ten-year initiative to transform Michigan's economy. As part of these efforts, Staebler led the investment and management of $600 million of state funds into entrepreneurial companies, venture capital and private equity funds, and strategic service providers.

Previously, Staebler spent nearly a decade in the private sector. He served in the management team of the Helios Group, a technology-based, startup financial services firm that he helped grow from 30-130 employees. After Helios was acquired in 2000 by Bear Stearns, Staebler spent the next three years in the company’s London, England office as an associate director.

Staebler is a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Harvard College, and he received a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He serves on various boards including: TechTown, NextEnergy, Midtown Detroit, Inc., the Ann Arbor Local Development Finance Authority, and the Ann Arbor Housing and Human Services Advisory Board.

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