WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) officials are pleased to announce two national security stalwarts joined the organization March 4 in paramount leadership roles.
Darren Crum has been named director of the PARI Microelectronics Lab. In this role, Crum will lead the lab’s strategy, planning and execution to support national security and defense needs. He will cultivate high-performing teams and specialized labs dedicated to advancing microelectronics technologies.
Andrew Evans has been named PARI’s director of classified operations. In this role, Evans will oversee the security team, serving as the point of contact for PARI and Purdue University leadership to ensure security operations support their needs, particularly in the research arena.
“It’s an honor to welcome these two dynamic professionals to the team,” said PARI President and CEO Mark Lewis. “Darren and Andrew are immensely skilled and bring a level of accomplishment to PARI that will assist us masterfully as the organization grows.”
Crum comes to PARI after a decades-long career with the U.S. Navy, most recently with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, where he was director of microelectronics advanced packaging under the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Before that, Crum was an anti-tamper technology coordinator for the Navy and an anti-tamper technical warrant holder for Naval Systems Sea Command, among other positions. He has more than 30 years of service in strategy, innovation and engineering within the U.S. government and military defense sector and a robust background in engineering management. He was honored recently with the Department of Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work on critical defense initiatives.
Evans comes to PARI after decades as a special agent for the FBI, most recently with the Indianapolis division. While there, Evans worked counterintelligence investigations with several bodies, including the Air Force, Navy and his alma mater Purdue University. Over his career, Evans worked on a criminal investigative task force, operated on the FBI director’s protective detail and spent 12 years on the Portland and Indianapolis divisions’ SWAT teams. He was senior resident agent for Lafayette, Indiana, for 14 years and served numerous times as acting supervisory special agent for Portland’s International Terrorism Squad and Indianapolis’ Counterintelligence Squad.
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Media contact: Evamarie Socha, ecsocha@purdue.edu