Lou Von Thaer

Lewis “Lou” Von Thaer was appointed President and CEO of Battelle, the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit research and development organization, in October 2017. Battelle, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, began operations more than 90 years ago. Today, Battelle employees deliver technology solutions for the national security, healthcare, energy, and environmental markets. The company has a storied history of innovation and technology advances and is highly regarded for its management role at nine national laboratories in the United States.

Under Lou’s leadership, Battelle has restored profitability and doubled revenue to over $11 billion while significantly expanding its R&D portfolio.  Battelle’s philanthropy has expanded nearly fivefold and impacted 1.4 million students in STEM education in 2022.

Previously, Lou served as CEO of DynCorp International, a $2 billion company with 12,000 employees. Lou was responsible for driving growth across federal market sectors that included aviation services, intelligence solutions, logistics and contingency operations, and operations and maintenance support.

Prior to DynCorp, Lou held the position of President of the National Security Sector at Leidos, Inc., a $4 billion business focused on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber, logistics, and systems solutions.

Lou began his technology career with AT&T Bell Laboratories, serving in a number of engineering and management roles with increasing responsibilities over 14 years, until the purchase of his division by General Dynamics. During his 16 years at General Dynamics, Lou rose to the position of President, Advanced Information Systems and was named a Corporate Officer.

Lou holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University.

Lou serves as board chair of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, UT-Battelle (operator of Oak Ridge National Laboratory), AmplifyBio, and National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and on the boards of Ambri, and American Electric Power. He is a member of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and serves on the advisory boards of InnovateOhio and the American Council for Capital Formation.

Lou also is a member of the Ohio Business Roundtable and the Columbus Partnership Executive Committee.