Frank "Skip" Dirren was recently promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Battelle's Navy Market Sector.

In this role he will lead Battelle's multidisciplinary teams who have a decades-long history of helping to solve the Navy's diverse and challenging technology needs. Dirren, 59, most recently worked as a senior program manager for the Navy sector at Battelle. Prior to that Rear Admiral Dirren served as Commander of the Naval Safety Center, with 37 years of service.

"Skip is an outstanding choice to lead our Navy business," said Greg Frank, Executive Vice President of Government Market Sectors. "He's respected in his field and is a leader with great vision. We expect him to continue our long history of helping the U.S. Navy solve tough problems."

Dirren is a resident of Norfolk, VA. He received a BA from Villanova University in Villanova, PA and a MA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Battelle serves industry and government in the areas of technology development, laboratory management, and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle has annual revenues of $1 billion, has operations at more than 100 locations and clients in 30 countries. It counts as its successes the development of the office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on the compact disc, medical technology breakthroughs, and fiber optic advancements for telecommunications.

For more information visit www.battelle.org or contact Battelle Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (614) 424-5544 or at delaneyk@battelle.org.