Verus Research announces the appointment of Grady Patterson as its new chief executive officer. Effective October 1, 2021, Patterson’s year-long transition to CEO is one component of an advanced planning campaign designed to anticipate and meet the needs of a rapidly scaling and dynamic organization.
“Verus Research has evolved since its founding nearly seven years ago. It’s time for a new generation of leadership to take the helm and guide the company through the next stage of innovation and growth,” said Wheaton (Tony) Byers, chief executive officer for Verus Research. “This promotion has been in the works since the creation of the company and I am excited to begin the transition process with Grady. I am confident in his ability to lead Verus Research as it continues to provide cutting-edge solutions to our customers and incredible opportunities to our employees.”
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to lead this impressive and talented group of individuals. We have an excellent leadership team in place to collaboratively develop and deliver innovative solutions to our customers,” said Patterson. “Tony and I will work closely together over the next year to prepare for the change in leadership, while we both continue to support our external and internal stakeholders.”
Byers will transition to a new role as senior director of development in the office of the chief technology officer. He will focus on creating mid- to long-range opportunities for growth of the enterprise and its employees, as well as scientific creative advancement. “I am thrilled that Tony will continue to support the organization through his passion for technology creation, providing cutting-edge solutions for our customers. The fact that he’ll be available to support this exciting and growing organization will make for a seamless transition of leadership,” added Patterson.
To replace Patterson, Dan Treibel, will take over as chief operating officer on October 1, 2021. Joining Verus Research in 2014 as systems engineer, Triebel has served as one of the company’s technical directors and the company’s senior director in charge of the Sensors and Instrumentation group. Treibel and Patterson will work closely together during the next year in order to guarantee a smooth transition. They will preserve and build on the initiatives and policies Patterson and his team have set in place at Verus Research.
“Grady has done an excellent job overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations and positioning us for continued growth. We will work together to ensure a smooth handoff for the COO position during the year-long transition period,” said Treibel. “Leading the Verus Research Sensors and Instrumentation group, I bring a strong understanding of company operations to the role. I will collaborate with Grady to build upon our practices and policies to benefit our employees and continue to deliver exceptional results on behalf of our clients.”
Patterson began working for Verus Research in 2015 and served as a technical director and chief operating officer. Before joining Verus Research, Patterson worked in several different positions including senior engineer and development lead at TechFlow, Inc.’s Scientific Division, high power microwave modeling and simulation program manager at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (now, Leidos), and he completed a four-year active duty assignment with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s high power microwave division.
Patterson continues to serve in the military as a lieutenant colonel in the South Carolina Air National Guard as well as the commander of the 169th Maintenance Operations Flight at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. A longtime supporter of his community, he has founded two nonprofit organizations focused on increasing educational opportunities for students, and also serves on multiple other nonprofit boards. Patterson received his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Davidson College in North Carolina.