Papay Leaves Strong Legacy

In January 2008, CCST’s first-ever council chair from industry will step down, concluding a period of intense and fulfilling activity for the Council. Lawrence Papay, CEO and Principal of PQR, LLC and former sector vice president for the Integrated Solutions Sector at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), has served as chair since 2005.

“This has been a wonderful time to be involved with CCST and its service to the state of California,” said Papay. “Building upon the efforts of my predecessors, we have reached the point where CCST has been able to fulfill its original mandate of keeping California informed about science and technology policy issues better than ever.”

The past three years have also been a time of heavy activity for CCST, including seven major reports on subjects ranging from intellectual property policy to energy research to education. It also saw the inception of the federal laboratory affiliates program, and has been a time of increasingly close cooperation with the governor’s office, legislature, and various state agencies.Papay’s term has been marked by a number of firsts, including the appointment of Cornelius “Neal” Sullivan, vice provost for research at the University of Southern California, as the Council’s first vice-chair. “Our partnership has been an effective collaboration,” said Papay, “and I believe that the new institution of vice-chair has been a valuable addition to CCST’s operations.”

Major accomplishments for Papay’s tenure include the passage of the Federal Laboratory Technology Contracting Act in 2006, which was drafted in direct response to a CCST report. CCST has also been increasingly consulted proactively, with various agencies requesting assistance in examining issues ranging from bioethics to energy.

“It has been gratifying to see CCST’s analyses contribute positively to the consideration and preparation of state policy,” said Papay.