Churchwell named head of ARCH

As head of ARCH, Churchwell oversees the development of commercial ventures based on research at the University and Argonne National Laboratory. ARCH was founded in 1986 and to date has launched 16 companies.

ARCH is based in the Graduate School of Business, an arrangement that encourages the entrepreneurial work of the organization, Churchwell said.

"Almost from the start, students at the GSB have been a part of ARCH. They have volunteered to help start our companies, and some have gone on to be employed by the companies," he said. "One of my goals is to further strengthen this relationship with the GSB."

Churchwell was Vice President of ARCH from 1987 to 1992. He then became president and CEO of Calgene Fresh Inc., the marketers of the first genetically modified whole food.

Before joining ARCH in 1987, Churchwell held management positions at the NutraSweet Company, G.D. Searle & Co., American Hospital Supply Corp. and the Coca-Cola Export Corp.

He received his B.A. in 1964 from DePauw and his J.D. in 1967 from Northwestern. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Churchwell succeeds Steven Lazarus, who last summer became Director of ARCH Fund II, a separate, but related, venture-capital fund.