RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC [October 1, 2024] – Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, stewards of Research Triangle Park (RTP), today announced Andrew Holton as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Holton, a North Carolina native and development expert with more than two decades of experience, started in his new role on October 1, 2024.
Following successful tenures at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, Holton pivoted to the private sector. He served as a partner with NSV Development and Lansing Melbourne Group, two real estate development groups specializing in public-private partnerships. Notable projects with these groups included a $350 million mixed-use master development plan in downtown Wilson and a $250 million plan in downtown Kannapolis.
“Over the course of his decorated career, Andrew has brought together public and private stakeholders to execute large-scale developments and revitalize towns across the East Coast,” said Scott Levitan, president and CEO of Research Triangle Foundation. “Like many of these towns, RTP is reimagining itself and charting a path for the next 50 years. As a renowned development expert with strong roots in the Triangle, Andrew understands our vision for RTP 3.0 and has the operational expertise to bring it to fruition.”
Holton will play a central role as RTP plans for significant growth and a denser mixed-use environment, including the expansion of Hub RTP, RTP’s vibrant new downtown. At full build-out, Hub RTP will be a 100-acre destination featuring up to one million square feet of office and lab space, 250 hotel rooms, 1,200 residential units and 50K square feet of restaurants and retail, all designed to bring people together to work, play and stay within RTP.
“I was born in Durham, went to school and worked in Chapel Hill and live next to North Carolina State University,” said Holton. “I have a deep appreciation for what RTP means to the region and for what it can be in the future. There are few public-private partnerships as bold, as innovative and as successful as RTP and I look forward to helping shape the next era of the Park.”
Holton serves on the Caris Foundation board, an organization in Durham that funds indigent care and housing support. He previously served on the boards of Education North Carolina and the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research. Holton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
About Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina
Since 1959, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina has served Research Triangle Park in its mission to facilitate collaboration among our region’s industries, universities and workforce, and create economic impact for the residents of North Carolina by attracting the world’s most innovative companies and top-tier talent. Comprised of 7,000 acres, its boundaries are centrally located among the founding three Tier I research universities: Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. RTP is home to 55,000 employees and more than 375 companies and national labs, including Apple, BASF, Biogen, Cisco, EPA, Fidelity Investments, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, IBM, LabCorp, Lenovo, Lilly, National Humanities Center, NetApp, NIEHS, RTI International and United Therapeutics. For more information, visit https://rtp.org.