ASU professor Sethuraman Panchanathan doesn’t have a desk in his office — and that’s just the way he likes it.
“I used to have a desk there,” he said. “I used to sit behind the desk like everybody does. But one day, I came in and thought ‘maybe I don’t need a desk anymore.'”
It’s moments like these that define Panchanathan. For him, innovation runs deep. From the small aspects of his life, such as the organization of his office to large projects that aid blind readers, he believes in thinking outside the box.
“It’s about doing something that isn’t the same old and expecting different results,” he said. “We need to do something that is creative and looking into the future and doing something you normally wouldn’t think about.”
It’s this unconventional thinking that put Panchanathan on Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan’s new advisory council. Consisting of many researchers and businessmen from across Arizona, this new council will advise Secretary Reagan on pushing Arizona forward.
Rodney Glassman, who is co-chairing the council with Reagan, said Panchanathan is a thinker the council needs.
“It’s very exciting for Arizona’s de facto lieutenant governor to work with someone as dynamic as Panch,” Glassman said. “Secretary Reagan and I worked to identify individuals across the state. Given ASU’s position as a leading educational institution in addition to his personal track record, (Panchanathan) was on our radar.”
Todd Hardy, who heads economic development with Panchanathan, said his understanding of business and development makes him a viable asset for the council.
“He is driven to make sure what we do has a purpose,” Hardy said. “His support of programs in entrepreneurship and development is one of the highest we have. Panch is multidimensional and he sees connections.”
In regards to what he plans on doing as a member of the council, Panchanathan said he wants to see Arizona become a hub for business and innovation.
“My approach is that in everything we do in this council of technology is to find how we infuse new technologies and new ways of doing things to ensure our state will be prosperous,” Panchanathan said.
He said he believes that for Arizona to progress, the answer lies in business.
"What we want to make sure is that Arizona State University will continue to provide the necessary talent and the work force that is needed for the companies to be successful," he said. "We want the universities to essentially be partners with companies in trying to solve problems for them.”
Panchanathan said all his ideas go back to innovation.
“Go into uncharted territory,” he said. “I say if the outcome is going to be a good outcome, and if that means taking a step outside of the standard path or outside of the standard thinking, to me, that is a risk worth taking.”
Related links:
Arizona House Committee investigates what went wrong during presidential preference elections
ASU President Michael Crow appointed to Obama's entrepreneurship advisory council
Reach the reporter at Ethan.Millman@asu.edu or follow @Millmania1 on Twitter.
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