Gail Nolan

Gail Towers Nolan CEcD is the CEO of the Puerto Rico 5G Zone + Blockchain Ignition Lab, which is a non-profit Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) secured research laboratory system focused on applied research regarding telecommunication-based technologies. She was previously the Chief Strategy Officer at Invest Puerto Rico, managing asset identification and strategic business development based on those aggregated assets. In 2023 she was appointed by Governor Pedro Pierluisi to serve as the Chairperson of the Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Council for Aerospace & Aeronautics Industry in Puerto Rico, and was also appointed that same year to be the President of the Technology Chapter of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association. Most recently, Ms Towers-Nolan updated the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) textbook on Technology-Led Economic Development.
Prior to, Gail served as the Wisconsin Director of Targeted Industry Projects, Chairperson of the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Strategy Team, and Economic Advisor to the Lt. Governor of Wisconsin. As the Director of Targeted Industry Project (TIP) she specialized in Aerospace & New Space Development and Data Technology Sectors. Additionally, she was part of the team developing the Global Water Center, StartingBlock Technology Incubator, the Midwest Energy Research Consortium (MWERC), and multiple technology incubator facilities.
Nolan is a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council and she has won national recognition awards for innovative development products. She was the co-founder of the Wisconsin Aerospace Partners, sponsor of the AeroInnovate aerospace accelerator, and liaison to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA); organizations that partner each year to produce the largest Airshow in the world, EAA AirVenture. In this capacity she worked directly with global aerospace companies identifying critical infrastructure, research technology, and talent needs.
In 2016 Ms. Nolan served as a core development partner for a pilot program between NASA and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on a cooperative agreement to engage regional industry in technology transfer projects from NASA and to create a supply chain of producers. A core component of this project was the aggregation of cluster partners in Wisconsin and Ohio into a connected supply chain of aligned and complimentary capability for NASA Glenn.
Gail and her husband own a successful retail business with 80 employees, and she has previously managed non-profit organizat