Administration

New director of Engineering Entrepreneurship program joins college

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ted Graef has joined the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs (SEDTAPP) as the director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship (E-SHIP) program at Penn State.

Graef began his director role on Jan. 2. Robert Beaury, current interim director of E-SHIP, will continue to teach in the program’s offerings as an assistant teaching professor in SEDTAPP.

As director, Graef will lead the E-SHIP program and its offerings, including the technology-based entrepreneurship cluster of the intercollege minor in entrepreneurship. Beginning in 2002, the program was designed to aid student entrepreneurs who have an interest in working in technology-oriented industries.

Ted Graef began his role as the new director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship program at Penn State on Jan. 2. Credit: Penn State / Penn StateCreative Commons

“We are excited to have Ted, a respected entrepreneur and business leader, join SEDTAPP in this strategic role,” said Sven Bilén, head of the School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs and professor of engineering design, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering. “He has a demonstrated passion for business creation and growth. I look forward to his impact on the E-SHIP program’s educational offerings and creation of viable businesses as he leverages broader University initiatives like Invent Penn State and engages students, faculty, staff and the local business community.”

Graef is the co-founder of All Traffic Solutions (ATS), a traffic- and parking-equipment manufacturing company based in State College. Originally founded in 1999 as Intuitive Control Systems, a company aimed at developing controls for mobile construction equipment, ATS changed its focus to the traffic market in 2003. Graef served as president of ATS as it organically grew into a recognized leader in the burgeoning field of Internet of Things, successfully transitioning to a hardware and services company with connected units in all 50 states and 20 countries. In 2016, Edison Partners invested in the ATS, and Graef transitioned to its chief operating officer.

Before co-founding ATS, Graef worked as the director of manufacturing engineering at Simco Electronics and a senior project engineer at Lutron Electronics. Since 2017, Graef has also served as a lecturer for SEDTAPP’s E-SHIP and Engineering Leadership Development programs, teaching ENGR 804: Engineering Product Innovation and ENGR 405: Project Management for Professionals. He also is a past president of the Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory’s industry advisory board.

Graef received his master of business administration from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business in 2000 and his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1984. Graef is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania.

 

Last Updated January 3, 2020

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