Dennis Lower

Biography

For over 30 years, Dennis Lower has been involved in developing technology innovation districts that position regions to be competitive in the national and global technology economy.

From 2010 to 2020, Mr. Lower was the first President and CEO of the Cortex Innovation Community in the historic Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The district was founded by three major universities, the region’s largest healthcare provider, and an internationally recognized botanical garden. The 200-acre initiative involved transforming a largely abandoned industrial zone into a nationally and globally distinguished innovation district that is now home to over 400 companies. During his Cortex tenure, Mr. Lower was responsible for nearly 3,000,000 square feet of completed and under construction development that supports over 6,300 jobs and annually generates over $2 billion of regional economic output. Follow these links for more information: 2020 Drexel University Cortex Case Study and 2023 Cortex Impact Report.                

For the decade prior, he served as Vice President of Planning & Development for the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana and Director of InterTech Science Park. InterTech is a 300-acre urban redevelopment initiative sponsored by a coalition of higher education and research institutions, government and business organizations. Among other things, Mr. Lower was responsible for developing two wet lab incubator/accelerators, a cleanroom diagnostics manufacturing facility, technology office space, and a public middle/high school STEM initiative. Under Louisiana Governors Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco, he served as Chair of the statewide Louisiana Economic Development Council.  

Prior to Louisiana, Mr. Lower served as the Executive Director of University Heights Science Park in Newark, New Jersey, an innovation district sponsored by four higher education institutions, the Acting Executive Director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City, and the Founding Executive Director of the National Shared Housing Resource Center in Philadelphia.  

After stepping back from Cortex, he founded Innovation Community Strategies and consults with corporations, universities, cities, regions, and countries who wish to leverage their technology assets to create vibrant entrepreneurial communities. In addition to his own practice, he has served as a Strategic Advisor to the Global Institute on Innovation Districts and several economic development consultancies. His engagements have included clients in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.

In St. Louis, Mr. Lower has served on the boards of the St. Louis Public Broadcasting System Nine Network, the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, the Missouri Botanical Garden Community Advisory Board, the St. Louis Controlled Environment Agriculture Coalition (vertical farming), and Gateway South Innovation District. In 2018, he received the FOCUS St. Louis Leadership Award given annually to an individual who demonstrates regional leadership, meaningful impact in the community, and strong community engagement. From 2018-2020 he served as an Honorary Commander at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. In 2019, he received the City of St. Louis Mayor’s Award for economic development achievement and community impact. In  2020, he received the St. Louis Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the LaunchCode NASA New Horizons Award for his work in helping establish the St. Louis technology ecosystem. In 2023, he received the St. Louis NAACP Legacy Leadership Award. Mr. Lower holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree.