The leaders behind the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) are trailblazers in science, engineering, industry and academia, working together to uncover practical quantum applications and their infinite possibilities.
As the IQMP’s Chief Strategy Officer, Oscar Bedolla brings more than 20 years of experience turning big ideas into reality. He’s led strategic planning, large-scale program execution and economic development initiatives across technology, infrastructure and the public and private sectors. Most recently, he was Head of Insights, Performance, Analytics and Technology (IPAT) for Amazon International Corporate Finance, where he oversaw strategic planning and program execution across a multibillion-dollar global portfolio. Earlier in his career, Oscar served as Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Cincinnati, where he helped structure public-private partnerships.
Oscar’s knack for fostering connections in service of bigger goals informs what he does outside of work, too. He co-founded Flourish, a nonprofit fine arts accelerator that provides funding and professional services to visual artists and curators while advancing Chicago’s creative economy.
In our most recent Park Pioneers conversation, Oscar shares how he helps the IQMP team navigate moments of uncertainty without losing momentum, why Illinois is positioned to lead the quantum industry, and what success could look like for both the Park and the community around it.
How would you explain your role at the IQMP?
At its core, my role is helping the team take big ideas and push through ambiguity to execute on them.
What drew you to the quantum industry?
What drew me to the IQMP was the opportunity to build on my own unique and diverse set of experiences working in both the public and private sectors, doing community development for a city and leading strategy work across the country. Over time, my interest grew in technology and tech-adjacent industries. The world is evolving quickly, and I want to be part of enabling that progress. This role draws on my previous experience while giving me the chance to keep learning — I’m a curious person, and I’m always looking to learn and grow.
Why do you think Illinois is positioned to not just compete but lead quantum’s development?
I believe the key ingredients to success are the right leadership and an ecosystem that enables and supports growth, and that’s what Illinois has. We have the vision, the leadership, the business environment and a broader community that are all eager to come together to grow an economy. Leaders and communities here want to support this work.
There’s a personal side to this for me, too. I’ve spent a lot of time flying back and forth overseas and to the West Coast because that’s where tech was, and so many people from the Midwest do the same. A lot of people from Chicago have gone to the coasts for tech opportunities. Through this investment, we now have a chance to solve for that by retaining and growing tech companies and talent right here. Selfishly, a lot of us Chicagoans want to see tech win here and diversify beyond the coasts so that success stays home. Centering Chicago’s economy and making it tech-forward while staying globally competitive is so attractive.
The IQMP is bringing together companies, researchers, educators, government partners and more around a shared vision for innovation. How do you go about aligning so many different stakeholders toward a common goal?
It starts with understanding each party’s motivations and interests, and what a win looks like for them. Then you bring those individual ideas together and ask, “How can we win together?” You’re looking for the common good. A big part of that is understanding the players and helping connect the dots. To me, strategy is the ability to execute big ideas, and that means understanding motivations, being customer-obsessed and bringing people together.
That includes making sure the community has a voice and sees value, along with Chicago’s business community, vendors, tech companies and the whole gamut. Getting to cut across sectors and work with so many different groups that are supporting and enabling this technology is fun.
What potential application of quantum technology excites or interests you the most?
I’m particularly interested in how quantum and classical computing will work together. I think it’s a little like an orchestra; different instruments bring different strengths, but the real power comes from how they work together.
Classical computers are incredibly powerful, while quantum computers may be better suited for certain complex problems. I’m excited about how we can combine the strengths of both to solve problems in new ways and open up possibilities and grow our economy.
Tell us about the IQMP leadership team. How are you working together to bring the Park to life?
We have a collaborative team, and everyone brings their own skill sets. I bring a strong understanding of the public sector from working at the local and federal levels. I also understand how tech companies make decisions and how we can use that to make more effective decisions ourselves. Tech has a startup mentality. You have to be scrappy and diligent about decision-making, stay informed and take in feedback, all while making choices that have long-term impact. That’s what I bring, and I’m excited to work with the team that way.
At the leadership level, we have a lot of different skills — it’s powerful to see them blending as we build this team, collaborating in a way that uses everyone’s skills and expertise.
How does Illinois’ history and culture of innovation inspire you and the work you’re leading?
I think of the Midwest as the heart of the country. There’s a grit and resilience here. We have a long history — from the steel mills on — of creating new industries, building thriving ones and navigating cycles. That’s part of our story. I believe we’ll look back and see that this was the right decision, and we’ll all be better for it.
When you think about the IQMP five or 10 years from now, what would success look like for the Park?
Success looks like a built-out campus and a thriving community in partnership with it. The IQMP is a different model for inclusive economic development, one where you have thriving tech and the surrounding community growing together.
Lightning Round
- Deep dish or tavern-style: Deep dish.
- Early bird or night owl: I’m a night owl, but I’m starting to become an early bird.
- Favorite class in college: Economics.
- If you could have dinner with any one person, living or dead, who would it be: The Chicago artist Kerry James Marshall.
- If you had to describe the IQMP in one word, what would it be: Enormous.
