Primary Job Title President / CEO Primary Organization 
Innovation Depot
Location Birmingham, Alabama, United States Regions Southern US Gender Female
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Susan Matlock is the President and CEO of the Innovation Depot, Inc., a business incubation program that assists in the development of emerging biotechnology and life sciences, information technology, engineering technology and service businesses. Susan was named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Southeast Technology Community” by
TechJournal South in late 2007. Innovation Depot was established in its new 140,000 s.f. facility in April 2007, representing the coming together of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s biotech/life science incubation program and the mixed-use incubation program Entrepreneurial Center. Ms. Matlock is a member of the Board of Directors of Regions Financial Corporation (Compensation Committee and Risk Committee). She is a member of the Board of Directors of BlueCross/BlueShield of Alabama and served on the Board of Managers of Ascension Health Ventures from 2001-2010. Susan is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Venture Club, is a Board member of the Biotechnology Association of Alabama, and was 2004 Chairman of Tech Birmingham.
Susan is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Central Alabama and serves on the Advisory Board of the UAB School of Business. She has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has completed an Executive in Residence program at Harvard Business School. Susan is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama.
Susan has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA). Innovation Depot was named 2011 “Technology Incubator of the Year” by NBIA, which has members from 66 nations. She has been recognized by the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce as Small Business Advocate of the Year and by the SBA as the Financial Services Advocate of the Year for the State of Alabama. In 2004, Ms. Matlock was named by Ernst & Young and the Kauffman Foundation as one of the three finalists for the national “Supporter of Entrepreneurism Award”.
Ms. Matlock is a contributing author to two books on business incubation: Growing New Ventures, Creating New Jobs and A Comprehensive Guide to Business Incubation. She has spoken at many conferences in the U.S. and around the world on entrepreneurial development and business incubation including presentations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Spain, and Finland.
