A former director of the Arizona Department of Commerce has been hired to advocate for state support of new research and development space at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.

Jackie Norton, an attorney with Gallagher and Kennedy who led the commerce department for five years, will advocate for 1.2 million square feet of additional research and development space. This would help to resolve Arizona's severe shortage of lab space and attract greater federal research dollars to the state.

Norton was hired by the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP). The universities proposed the arrangement on behalf of the business community. ASU President Michael Crow called it "the clearest example yet of how Arizona businesses and the state universities are joining together to build a better future for all Arizonans."

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For more Information:

University of Arizona news release, 2/6/03

NAIOP news release, 1/21/03