The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee recently hired Greg Smogard as the university's innovation and business development officer. Smogard will lead USF Sarasota-Manatee's business engagement efforts, focusing on creating and enhancing mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses by leveraging the university's resources and innovation. During his business career, Smogard worked with Fortune 500 companies and global brands in more than 40 countries and held several management positions in American Expresss' Latin American division and with Blockbuster and Viacom.