KINGSTON, R.I. – April 23, 2024 – The title of chief business development officer for the University of Rhode Island’s Research Foundation hardly conveys Pete Rumsey’s impact at URI, in the state and beyond.

He brings unbridled energy and optimism to his work on intellectual property and technology transfer, as well as helping University researchers turn their work into new products, services and ventures.

For his dedication to and innovative spirit at the University of Rhode Island, work as director of the Rhode Island Innovation Campuses for the Rhode Island Commerce Corp., and his distinguished career as a catalyst for business development, Providence Business News has named Rumsey its Career Achiever for 2024. Rumsey will join twelve other PBN C-Suite Award winners, all of whom will be honored Thursday, April 25, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Omni Providence Hotel.

“Pete is a man of ideas and action,” said Christian Cowan, executive director of the URI Research Foundation. “His passion for results and focus on making a positive difference for everyone are what set him apart from others.  The University and the state overall are fortunate to have such a talented and innovative leader.”

“I have been very lucky to have had a great career, and it is humbling to be honored for work I have been fortunate to enjoy with great people,” said Rumsey, who was a captain in the Air Force Intelligence Command during Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

He came to URI in 2021 after having served former Gov. Gina Raimondo as a member of the commerce team. In April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rumsey was asked by the governor to lead a team to turn sleep apnea machines into ventilators in case Rhode Island’s hospitals needed them. The team, which included URI faculty and staff, launched a just-in-time conversion and manufacturing center in URI’s Memorial Union in a matter of days. The project wound up collecting and converting 650 apnea machines and was so successful that hundreds of reconfigured apnea machines were shipped to 11 countries in dire need of breathing machines.

“I liked quarterbacking that project because people stepped up to do what needed to be done,” said the Cornell University electrical engineering graduate.

In his role at URI, he continues to work on Rhode Island Innovation Campus initiatives, including the Matunuck Oyster Hatchery, and RIHub, a network of innovators, investors, students, citizens and those interested in building the state’s economy. 

Even before he came to URI, Rumsey was familiar with URI’s can-do attitude, the URI Research Foundation and members of its Business Engagement Center, and the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement.

“It was an easy transition, and being a part of the Research Foundation allows us to run at the speed of business,” Rumsey said.

In his current role at URI, Rumsey leads the RISE-UP program, which is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, and the Rhode Island Grow Blue Partnership, for which he helps convene statewide stakeholders to catalyze, communicate and promote a winning blue economy strategy for the state.

In addition, Rumsey serves as a part-time instructor in innovation and entrepreneurship with URI’s Colleges of Business and Engineering and is the chair of Leadership Rhode Island.

“I have a daughter who graduated from UConn, and a son who graduated recently from URI, and they, like many other young Rhode Islanders, are concerned about getting and keeping jobs and growing careers in their home state,” Rumsey said. “So now, I get to do for the students and faculty at URI what I did for business development for more than 30 years, and that is to drive innovation and opportunities. I am excited that we can foster entrepreneurship and innovation right here at URI, and sponsor internships and faculty fellowships. I want to give people the opportunities I had.”