The Ohio State University Welcomes Ian Haynes and the National Security Innovation Network to Campus

As the university program director on behalf of NSIN, whose mission is to build networks of innovators that generate new solutions to national security problems, Haynes will build new partnerships and connect programming opportunities to Ohio State. This effort will create an innovative, problem-solving ecosystem by bringing together faculty and students at Ohio State, local Columbus ventures and DoD end users throughout the area.  

"The addition of Ian to our team further strengthens a key relationship with The Ohio State University and bolsters the defense innovation ecosystem across Ohio and throughout the region," said Tony Arendt, regional director at NSIN. "This partnership is a critical evolution as NSIN continues to invest in the Great Lakes region and is important to our overall vision of changing the way the DoD solves national security challenges." 

A graduate of Ohio State with a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Management from the Glenn College of Public Affairs, Haynes brings 10 years of active-duty status with the Air Force along with six years of reserve status in the New York Air National Guard to this position. His experience has honed his skills in managing relationships, research and evaluation, and program management that will make him an invaluable member of the Ohio State community.  

“I am excited for the opportunity to work with students, faculty and staff throughout the university to identify ways to address national security challenges and to support the amazing work already being done,” said Haynes. 

Haynes will lead all NSIN programming at Ohio State to make certain that students and faculty gain access to these opportunities and that programs continue to produce positive outcomes for everyone involved.  

“One of the things that drew me to this opportunity is NSIN's focus on national service and ensuring that generational and cultural differences don't become barriers,” Haynes noted, adding that he wants students to know service doesn’t always mean joining a branch of the military. “There are so many pathways to service that don't require you to put on a uniform!” 

The partnership provides an incredible opportunity for Ohio State, through expertise found across campus, to add value to DoD projects that can help United States service members.  

"This partnership aligns with the Glenn College’s strategic initiative to work with other university partners to expand the university’s academic footprint in Washington, D.C., and impact important federal policy areas, most notably defense,” said Dean Trevor Brown. “The combination of Ian’s academic training, military service and knowledge of Ohio State positions him to add tremendous value to the partnership.” 

Ohio State’s Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy helped initiate this relationship with NSIN through its Rapid Innovation for Public Impactcourse that is based on the syllabus for the DoD’s Hacking for Defense program. In this course, students are provided real-world, wicked problems from government agencies that require interdisciplinary teams. These teams come together over the course of a semester to discover more about the problems and create a minimum viable product by the end of the semester. These are the types of programs Battelle Center hopes to continue to provide students to help foster an innovation mindset and expose them to the DoD environment.  

“Ian’s presence in Ohio State’s Battelle Center deepens our ability to train students in the methods and mindset needed to connect policymakers and scientists and engineers in order to make sense of complex technical information, anticipate challenges and solve wicked problems,” said Battelle Center Executive Director Elizabeth Newton. 

The John Glenn College of Public Affairs started as the Glenn Institute in 1998 and merged with the School of Public Policy Management to form the John Glenn School of Public Affairs in 2006. Since becoming the 15th college on Ohio State’s campus in 2015, the Glenn College has created programming to prepare students for a future in the public sector.