Leading with Vision: Dr. John Kaplan on Growing the VA’s T2 Program
In any organization, there's a crucial distinction between those who handle day-to-day operations and those who guide the overall direction. While some team members focus on immediate tasks and their managers work to optimize efficiency, true leaders must step back to see the bigger picture. They're responsible for ensuring the team is moving towards its goals, charting the course, and keeping everyone aligned with the mission.
Today, we're joined by one such visionary leader: Dr. John Kaplan, the director of the Technology Transfer Program at the Department of Veterans Affairs. When Dr. Kaplan took the helm in 2016, it marked his first foray into technology transfer. Undaunted by the challenge, he dove in headfirst, transforming the program into a thriving, multifaceted system. Under his guidance, the VA's T2 program hasn't just grown—it's become a trailblazer among federal technology transfer initiatives.
Dr. Kaplan brings valuable insights on leadership, revitalizing struggling programs, and much more. I'm delighted to welcome him to the podcast to share his experiences in growing and leading a successful T2 office.
In This Episode:
[02:39] We learn about Dr. Kaplan's background. He started out as an electrical engineering major, he got his masters degree, and was active duty in the Air Force.
[03:05] He held a variety of positions and also earned an MBA, a PhD, and went to law school.
[05:01] After leaving the military he was a law clerk for the government and then worked for the Department of Defense running all of their support including IT and security. He then moved on to patent litigation with a law firm.
[06:36] He then moved on to the Department of Justice. Then he worked as an attorney for the International Trade Commission.
[07:04] He finally moved to the Department of Veteran Affairs Tech Transfer Department.
[09:22] There were only three people in his office. The team was overwhelmed. Dr. Kaplan immediately hired three additional tech transfer specialists. He created five regions in our country, and gave each tech transfer person a region to be in charge of.
[10:24] He then had five tech transfer people and four additional support people.
[11:37] 2016 to 2018 was managing the office and answering questions to inquiries.
[12:38] Today they have eight regions with eight regional tech transfer specialists and 20 field technology transfer specialists.
[13:28] They still have plans to hire more and are bringing more people on board.
[17:03] Patent quality has gone up since they hired a firm to help. They also created an online course and started doing outreach.
[19:36] Fed-RAMP is short for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, a government program that makes sure cloud products and services meet strict security standards.
[20:27] Dr. Kaplan wanted to increase the morale of the staff. They launched an effort to get on the calendar and rewards program.
[22:09] They won a couple of FLC rookie of the year awards and excellence in technology awards and more.
[22:53] They are also on track to do 15 licenses this year. Royalty revenue is in the millions.
[24:30] Recap of all of the progress they've made so far.
[26:49] Dr. Kaplan shares how they worked to have independent audits.
[30:12] Looking at the person more than their qualifications is the current hiring procedure as they grow the team. They have a very high performing team.
[33:39] They've also designed items for veterans like an accessible computer mouse and oxygen line valves with a thermal fuse cover.
[37:07] Dr. Kaplan talks about their branding and creating tech transfer buzz in the VA. They also have more on the horizon. They are going to advance technology more outside of medicine with a venture capitalist and an integrator and create a new startup around magnetism.
Resources:
John Kaplan, Director of VA Tech Transfer Program (https://research.va.gov/programs/tech...)