Appendix B
Biographies of Speakers1
EDWARD BREINER
Edward J. Breiner serves as president and chief executive officer of Schramm, Inc. Mr. Breiner has 25 years of experience in manufacturing, marketing, and sales of drill rigs and construction equipment. He joined Schramm in 2000. He held several positions with Ingersoll-Rand Company in New Jersey, Texas, and Pennsylvania culminating in his role as Vice-President & Branch Manager of Ingersoll Rand Equipment Sales located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Breiner has been director of Major Drilling Group International Inc. since June 7, 2006. He serves as director of Schramm board and American Ground Water Trust. He serves as a director on the board of the American Ground Water Trust. He is certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) awarded by APICS, the Association of Operations Management. Mr. Breiner holds bachelor of science degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas, Texas.
JAMIESON BROWN
Jamie Brown serves as Professional Staff on the House Science Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. Jamie works on innovation, technology, manufacturing, and cybersecurity issues for the committee. Jamie previously served on the committee staff from 2004 to 2006 and worked in the personal office of former committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) from 2003 to 2004.
Before returning to the committee in March 2011, Jamie worked at Russ Reid, a marketing and communications firm, where he served as New Business Director for the Russ Reid Washington, DC, office from 2006 to 2011.
_____________
1As of November 2011. Appendix includes bios distributed at the symposium.
Jamie focused on expanding Russ Reid’s portfolio of STEM education and alternative energy clients. Jamie began his career at Zacks Investment Research, a financial data sales firm based in Chicago.
Jamie earned a Master of Science degree in social policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor of arts degree from Cornell University.
BETH COLBERT
Beth Colbert came to the State of Ohio to manage the Ohio MEP and Edison Programs in 2008, after 25 years in private industry as a Research Engineer and R&D Manager. Beth worked for Dow Chemical, Owens Corning, and Lafarge North America as a research engineer and R&D Manager. She has 12 active patents in new products, applications, and manufacturing processes with Dow Chemical and Lafarge North America.
ROBIN GASTER
Robin Gaster is president of Innovation Competitions, LLC. He is also vice president for research at the Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America (ASTRA) and senior fellow (nonresident) at the Innovation and Information Technology Foundation (ITIF).
Dr. Gaster’s primary interests lie in innovation metrics, assessment, and a range of issues related to the innovation capacity of regions in a globalizing economy. His online toolkit for measuring and comparing the innovation capacity of regions is now available online at <http://www.innovationecologies.com/theindex>. He is currently working on a book, The Capital Chasm: Why America’s Innovation Ecology is Failing and What to Do About It.
Dr. Gaster has been lead researcher on the National Academies study of the Small Business Innovation Research Program and has authored many reports and publications covering a wide arrange of topics broadly related to technology, trade, and e-commerce, including a book on trans-Atlantic telecommunications issues, Bit by Bit. His work has been published in Foreign Policy, and The Atlantic.
Dr. Gaster has founded several companies, focused on aggregating and deploying electronic information, targeting local and industry-specific information services. Dr. Gaster received a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley (1985), an M.A. from the University of Kent (UK), and a B.A. from Oxford University (UK). His doctoral thesis won a national academic prize.
JAMES GRIFFITH
James W. Griffith is president and chief executive officer of The Timken Company and a member of the company’s board of directors. Since
being named president in 1999, Griffith has led a transformation of The Timken Company focused on creating ever-increasing levels of value for customers and shareholders. By harnessing its legendary quality and industry-leading innovation, Timken has pushed beyond its historic leadership in the tapered roller bearing market into a vast global market for technologies to manage the friction generated by moving parts and improve the transmission of power in a wide array of machines.
Griffith joined The Timken Company in 1984 and has held positions as plant manager, vice president of manufacturing in North America, and managing director of the company’s business in Australia. From1996 to 1999, he led Timken’s automotive business in North America and the company’s bearing business activities in Asia and Latin America. He was elected president, chief operating officer, and director in 1999 and was named chief executive officer in 2002.
Griffith is president of the World Bearing Association and chairman of the board of directors of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET). He is vice president of the Management Executives' Society and serves on the boards of directors of the U.S.-China Business Council and Goodrich Corporation (NYSE: GR). He also serves on the board of Mount Union College.
Griffith holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.
SUSAN HELPER
Susan Helper is Carlton Professor of Economics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
She is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the MIT International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP). Her research focuses on the impacts of collaborative relationships between suppliers and customers and management and labor. Currently she is studying how globalization of supply chains affects development and innovation in the United States, Mexico, and India. She has published in journals such as American Economic Review, Sloan Management Review, and Journal of Economics and Management Strategy. She has a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Oberlin College. In 2005-2006 she was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Oxford.
JOSEPH J. HOULDIN
Joseph Houldin is CEO and founder of the DVIRC, an economic development organization established in 1988 to assist advanced manufacturers throughout the Philadelphia region grow business value. Joe has provided the leadership instrumental in the growth of DVIRC as one of the highest performing centers in the country.
Committed to the belief that a strong manufacturing sector lies at the heart of a thriving community and convinced that today’s global marketplace demands an increasingly more sophisticated workforce, Joe has led the charge to develop the area’s “talent pool” through the Applied Engineering Technology (AET) educational program. This initiative, formed in partnership with Pennsylvania’s academic, business, and government leaders, has become a national model for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. As a result, in 2007, funded by a grant from the National Governors Association, the Philadelphia Navy Yard will soon become home to the area’s only STEM Center.
The STEM Center represents only one aspect of DVIRC services to be housed in the Building 100 Innovation Center at the Navy Yard. DVIRC is piloting new services at the Navy Yard that support revenue growth for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs), including market research, market development, and new product development.
In these efforts, DVIRC is working closely with economic development and private enterprise partners, area universities, federal laboratories, and research institutions to drive economic growth through the development of commercially-viable technologies to SMEs.
Seeing the need for educational leadership in the region around the STEM Center concept, Joe organized the Greater Philadelphia Engineering Deans Economic Development Council. The Council is comprised of engineering deans from the tri-state regions eight engineering schools.
Most recently, Joe has begun to work with private capital firms in order to build solid relationships between the region’s manufacturers and the private capital community. In these efforts, he works closely with business, community, and academic leaders, as well as government agencies at the state and federal levels.
Before founding DVIRC, Joe served as vice president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC). He holds a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the Catholic University of America.
ROBERT JAMES
Robert (Rob) James is deputy secretary general of the National Research Council (NRC), Canada, serving since late 2009. Prior to being named to this position, Mr. James was director general of the NRC Strategy and Development Branch for four years, including an extended executive interchange as director general, policy, in the Science and Innovation Sector, Industry Canada. Additional prior roles within NRC included director of corporate policy and strategy, and director of policy, planning and assessment.
Over the course of 25 years, Mr. James has held various positions within the Government of Canada, most notably at Natural Resources Canada, Industry Canada, and NRC. He possesses a sound knowledge of science and
technology as well as innovation policy issues. He has contributed significantly to the design, implementation, and management of NRC's national technology cluster initiatives with a strong focus on commercialization and competitiveness, and he brings broad experience and knowledge in the machinery of government.
Mr. James has developed a strong Canadian and international business network, cutting across the public and private sectors. Since 1985, his functional responsibilities have covered: corporate policy; strategic and operational planning; corporate coordination; national program management and implementation; communications and marketing; international relations; and audit, evaluation, and performance management. Mr. James has also led various departmental/ministerial task forces, committees and secretariats and has been involved in initiatives such as the Rotman Expert Panel on Commercialization.
Mr. James earned a master’s degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a bachelor’s of commerce from Carleton University.
ROBERT H. KILL
Bob Kill is president & CEO of Enterprise Minnesota, a statewide consulting organization that works with medium-size and smaller manufacturing companies to help them grow profitably. Enterprise Minnesota’s consultants advise clients on business strategy, effective productivity, and market solutions, and coach companies to achieve profitable results.
Kill is recognized as a spokesperson for Minnesota's manufacturing industry and is regularly quoted in state and regional media on manufacturing trends and the industry outlook. Under Kill’s leadership, Enterprise Minnesota is the voice of Minnesota’s manufacturing industry, where it continues to raise the state’s manufacturing profile as an appreciated, highly advanced industry that is a key driver of the state’s economy. Each February, Enterprise Minnesota releases the State of Manufacturing™, the largest and most comprehensive annual report on the state’s manufacturing sector.
Kill’s depth of experience comes from serving as chief executive officer of Ciprico Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance data and networking systems and in key management with Northern Telecom Inc. and with Burroughs Corporation.
Kill has served as a board member of numerous technology, manufacturing, and startup companies. Currently he serves as a board member on both the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership and the State of Minnesota's Agriculture and Economic Development Board.
ROGER KILMER
Roger Kilmer is the director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). MEP is a nationwide network of
resources transforming manufacturers to compete globally, supporting greater supply chain integration and providing access to technology. MEP is a $300 million public-private partnership program leveraging federal support by teaming with industry as well as state and local organizations. With nearly 350 manufacturing extension offices located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, MEP provides companies with services and access to resources that enhance growth, improve productivity, and expand capacity. MEP works with companies that are willing to invest in their future, to make improvements in the short term, and to position themselves to be stronger long-term competitors, both domestically and internationally.
Mr. Kilmer has been with the MEP program since 1993 and with NIST since 1974. Previously, Mr. Kilmer was the MEP deputy director, serving as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer responsible for internal operations, programmatic coordination, and policy review of all activities. From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Kilmer was the deputy division chief of Robot Systems in the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory. In this position, he was responsible for establishing and managing research programs involving real-time sensor-based control of intelligent machines. Mr. Kilmer was also group leader of Robot Systems Integration, managing research and development programs with manufacturing and military applications including robotic deburring, automated lay up of thermoplastic composites, robotic safety systems, robotic handling of munitions, and unmanned land vehicle operations.
Mr. Kilmer received the Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award for leadership as the NIST-MEP liaison to the interagency Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP) initiative and the Bronze Medal for superior leadership of NIST’s unmanned ground vehicle robotics program.
Mr. Kilmer holds a master of science and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
SRIDHAR KOTA
Sridhar Kota is serving as the assistant director for advanced manufacturing at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). OSTP advises the President and others within the Executive Office on science and technology policies and their effects on domestic and international affairs. The OSTP also leads interagency efforts to develop and implement science and technology policies and budgets. In his current role at OSTP which began in September 2009, Dr. Kota coordinates federal advanced manufacturing R&D and addresses issues related to innovation, manufacturing competitiveness and technology commercialization. He identifies gaps in current federal R&D in advanced manufacturing, develops policy recommendations and implementation strategies to enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, foster commercialization and U.S.-based manufacturing of emerging technologies.
Dr. Kota is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where he has been involved in teaching and research in
Design and Manufacturing area for 23 years. His teaching and research interests include synthesis of bio-inspired engineering systems, shape-adaptive compliant structures, and electromechanical systems design with applications to manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and MEMS. He has authored over 200 technical papers including several Best Paper awards, holds over 25 patents, and served as an engineering consultant to numerous organizations. He is the recipient of the ASME Machine Design Award, ASME Leonardo da Vinci Award, and ASME Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Educator Award. He is the founding president and CEO of FlexSys Inc.—a small business engaged in bio-inspired design of aircraft wings, wind turbine blades, and automotive systems.
GINGER LEW
Ginger Lew is CEO of Three Oaks Investments LLC, a consulting firm that provides advice to emerging companies. Until September 2011, she served as senior advisor to the White House National Economic Council and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). She provided economic policy advice on a broad range of matters, including innovation, commercialization, small business, and entrepreneurship policies. In addition, she co-chaired the White House Interagency Group on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Ms. Lew was the CEO of TDF, a communications venture fund, and was a venture advisor to Amplifier Venture Partners. Under the Clinton Administration, Ms. Lew was the deputy administrator and chief operating officer of the Small Business Administration where she provided day-to-day management and operational oversight of a $42 billion loan portfolio.
Before joining SBA, Ms. Lew was the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she specialized in international trade issues. Ms. Lew was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate for both positions.
For the past ten years, Ms. Lew was chairman and board member of an investment fund based in Europe. She was also a member and co-chair of the NASDAQ Listing Council. She has served on the boards of publicly traded companies, private companies and not-for-profit organizations.
DANIEL LURIA
Daniel Luria is vice president and research director at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC). One of the 59 member centers of NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), since 1991 the MMTC has worked with more than 1,000 small and medium-sized Michigan manufacturers in the areas of benchmarking, quality and environmental management systems, cycle time reduction/lean manufacturing/lean office, cost estimation, market
diversification, and growth planning. Luria directs the MMTC’s Performance Benchmarking Service (PBS); for details, see <http://www.performancebenchmarking.org>. Since 1992, PBS has produced more than 11,600 customized benchmarking reports for more than 5,000 manufacturers. In recent years, the benchmarking effort has also been extended into community hospitals, where MMTC is working to apply lean and Six Sigma approaches; a sample hospital benchmarking report may be downloaded at <http://www.performancebenchmarking.org/hospital.aspx>.
MMTC’s PBS staff also conducts foundation-sponsored policy research on manufacturing issues and regularly briefs policy-makers on its findings. Recent projects include benchmarking Michigan manufacturers’ costs vis-à-vis low-wage offshore competitors, estimating the employment benefits of hybrid vehicle tax credits and of energy-saving technologies, and modeling the economic coherence of the Great Lakes region. The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) is a frequent collaborator in this last line of research.
Prior to joining the MMTC in 1984, Luria spent eight years as chief industry and energy analyst in the UAW Research Department in Detroit working on fuel economy and emissions regulation and employment forecasting, with bargaining assignments at Chrysler and Johnson Controls.
An economist, Luria is a frequent author and commentator on U.S. manufacturing performance. He has co-authored three books; published articles in the Harvard Business Review, Challenge, Research Policy, and the International Review of Applied Economics; and has been interviewed on NBC Nightly News and PBS’s Newshour and Morning Edition programs. Luria holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester, an M.A. from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He and his family live in Brighton, Michigan.
PETRA MITCHELL
Petra Mitchell joined Catalyst Connection (previously known as the Southwestern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, SPIRC) in 1994. Catalyst Connection is a private, nonprofit corporation dedicated to helping manufacturers compete in a global economy, grow their business, and create jobs. In her role as president and CEO of Catalyst Connection, Ms. Mitchell leads the development and execution of outreach, education, service delivery, and measurement strategies. Personal and business affiliations enable her to be an advocate for small manufacturers. She is a member of the Regional Investors Council of the Allegheny Conference of Community and Economic Development and SMC Business Council. She is also a member of the Board of the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center Network, the Board of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition, the Visiting Committee of Cleveland State University School of Urban and Public Policy, and the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Ms. Mitchell’s experience in manufacturing operations, technology development, and business development stretches back to 1988. Before joining Catalyst Connection, she was employed by GE Aircraft Engines, where she was a selected participant in the Manufacturing Development program, completed comprehensive Advanced Course in Manufacturing, and held positions in manufacturing engineering. She joined Catalyst Connection as a senior operations consultant, focusing on improvements in material flow, production planning and scheduling, facility layout, energy usage, and setup reduction. She moved from a managing director’s role, in which she focused on developing Catalyst Connection’s business growth services, to a vice president’s position, where she forged critical partnerships that advanced our business objectives. She was named president of Catalyst Connection in 2007. She holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton and an M.S. in engineering with a concentration in manufacturing management from the University of Cincinnati.
DEBORAH NIGHTINGALE
Deborah Nightingale is professor of the practice of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems, director of the Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development, and co-director of the Lean Advancement Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Professor Deborah Nightingale has over 35 years of broad-based experience with academia, the private sector, and the government. Professor Nightingale joined the MIT faculty in 1997 and holds a dual appointment in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division. At MIT she serves as the co-director of the Lean Advancement Initiative, a joint industry, government, and MIT consortium. Her research interests are focused on lean enterprise integration, enterprise architecting, and organizational transformation. She has led several executive lean transformation engagements in both industry and government.
Prior to joining MIT, Professor Nightingale headed up Strategic Planning and Global Business Development for AlliedSignal Engines. While at AlliedSignal she also held a number of executive leadership positions in operations, engineering, and program management, participating in enterprise-wide operations from concept development to customer support. Prior to joining AlliedSignal, she worked at Wright-Patterson AFB where she served as program manager for computer simulation modeling research, design, and development in support of advanced man-machine design concepts.
Professor Nightingale has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in industrial and systems engineering. In addition, she holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in computer and information science from The Ohio State University and the University of Dayton, respectively. She is a past-president and fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. She is a co-author of the book Lean Enterprise
Value: Insights from MIT’s Lean Aerospace Initiative. Professor Nightingale serves on a number of boards and national committees, where she interacts extensively with industry, government, and academic leaders.
LUIS PROENZA
Luis M. Proenza is the chief executive officer of The University of Akron (UA). He has led its transformation into a powerful engine for regional economic development, a catalyst for collaborative initiatives, and the preeminent public university in Northeast Ohio.
Under his leadership, the university has financed $625 million in capital construction to completely transform its campus, adding 20 new facilities, 18 major renovations and additions, and 34 acres of new green space, thereby becoming one of the most attractive metropolitan campuses in the nation. Dr. Proenza also led community efforts to create two key enterprises: a University Park Alliance that is revitalizing a 50-block area surrounding its campus, and the $200 million Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, a partnership with three area hospitals and a medical school to establish Akron as a center for biomaterials and biomedicine.
In his first 12 years as president, UA’s revenue and research portfolio more than doubled and private donations increased to all-time records. In 2007, Dr. Proenza initiated a $500 million comprehensive campaign that garnered more than $620 million in gifts and pledges by the end of 2009. These and other initiatives have distinguished the university nationally and internationally and have made UA a recognized national model for technology commercialization, economic development and corporate and community partnerships.
Dr. Proenza has been involved in national science and technology policy matters since the 1970s when he was study director of the National Research Council-National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Vision. He also served as the University of Georgia's liaison for science and technology policy, a member of the National Biotechnology Policy Board, and advisor for science and technology policy to the Governor of Alaska. In 1992, U.S. President George H. W. Bush appointed Dr. Proenza to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.
In 2001, President George W. Bush named Dr. Proenza to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the nation's highest-level policy-advisory group for science and technology. Dr. Proenza co-chaired PCAST's committee on Public-Private Partnerships and worked on panels on U.S. Research and Development Investments, Technology Transfer, Alternative Energy, Energy Efficiency and Advanced Manufacturing, Personalized Medicine, Information Technology, and Nanotechnology. In 2004, the Secretary of Energy appointed him chairman of the Science and Mathematics Education Task Force and, later, to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.
He now serves on the executive committee for the Council on Competitiveness and its Manufacturing Competitiveness Steering Committee and its Regional Leadership Institute Steering Committee, which he chairs. Recently, Dr. Proenza was appointed to the Council of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable of The National Academies and to the Technology Innovation Program Advisory Board for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of the States Science and Technology Institute.
Dr. Proenza is a member of many other professional, scholarly, and honorary organizations; is the recipient of several awards and honors; has written numerous publications in nationally and internationally recognized journals; and edited and co-edited two books. He frequently is invited to speak worldwide, with presentations appearing in Vital Speeches of the Day and The Executive Speaker. He often is quoted on issues in education, research, economic development, and science and technology policy.
Recognized as one of the most influential leaders in the region, Dr. Proenza's acknowledgements include: selection to the Inside Business Power 100, first appearing on its list in 2004 and rising to number 18 in 2011, the 2008 Visionary Award, the 2006 Northeast Ohio Regional Vision Award, the 2005 CASE V Chief Executive Leadership Award, and the 2001 Executive of the Year Award from the Society of Marketing Executives.
After earning a B.A. from Emory University (1965), M.A. from The Ohio State University (1966), and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (1971), Dr. Proenza joined the faculty of the University of Georgia in 1971. There, his research in retinal neurophysiology was supported continuously by grants from the National Eye Institute, including a Research Career Development Award.
Prior to his appointment at Akron, Dr. Proenza was vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University. He also served the University of Alaska first as vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School, then as vice president for academic affairs and research.
Dr. Proenza and his wife, Theresa Butler Proenza, enjoy their careers, friends and numerous community activities. Together, they built the 44-foot sailing vessel, Apogee, which they sail on Lake Erie.
MARK RICE
Mark Rice is president of the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation. After working for several engineering firms and U.S. Government laboratories, he formed Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) in 1986. MAPC has both R&D and production work with offices in Maryland, Virginia, and Maine. MAPC currently designs and manufactures electro-mechanical systems that range from submarine and surface ship components to commercial motion control systems. The company has recently completed two unmanned surface vessels for the U.S. Navy along with prototype distributed power and water
systems for use by individual families in Afghanistan. MAPC has had several export contracts supplying ship components to foreign shipbuilders. Mark is a member of the local District Export Council for the Department of Commerce. He has a B.A. in physics from the University of Maine and is a licensed professional engineer.
PHILIP SHAPIRA
Philip Shapira is a professor of innovation, management, and policy at the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, and professor of public policy in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology and. His interests encompass science and technology policy, economic and regional development, innovation management and policy, industrial competitiveness, technology assessment, and policy evaluation.
Professor Shapira has directed multiple research and policy studies on technology adoption and innovation including assessments of manufacturing extension services, industrial networking and manufacturing technology partnerships, entrepreneurship initiatives, and university-industry research networks and clustering. He leads the Nanotechnology Research and Innovation Systems group at Georgia Tech, which is associated with the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU). He evaluated USNET—a pioneering U.S. state and regional program to foster interfirm collaboration, clustering and industrial networking. Professor Shapira is a co-director of the Georgia Manufacturing Survey, undertaken every 2-3 years since 1994 to assess the business and technological conditions of the state’s manufacturers and to inform manufacturing assistance programs and regional innovation and sustainability initiatives in Georgia. He has served as an external reviewer for several U.S. manufacturing extension programs. Professor Shapira has served as an expert panelist or advisor for international agencies, including the OECD (regional innovation system reviews) and the World Bank (most recently, serving as an advisor for SME innovation strategies in Turkey). Other studies include the assessment of Czech international R&D linkages; an international analysis of technology extension services for CORFU (Chile); an evaluation of Japan's Advanced Materials Processing and Machining Technology Program; the assessment of intergovernmental research organizations for Forfas, Ireland; the Midsize Cities Technology Development Initiative (a U.S.-European learning network to promote research commercialization and innovation); manufacturing innovation in the United States; knowledge economy measurement in Malaysia; and innovation strategy and governance in the Manchester city-region.
Professor Shapira is a director of the Georgia Tech Program in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. He has served as a Congressional Fellow with the Office of Technology Assessment of the United States Congress and has held visiting positions at international research institutions including the Japan Institute of Labor (Tokyo) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and
Innovations Research (Germany). He is currently a director of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research. Professor Shapira is the author or coauthor of more than 50 journal articles, 30 book chapters, numerous professional and policy studies, and several monographs and edited volumes. His peer-reviewed articles have appeared in leading international journals in research policy, technology transfer, small business, and economic development. He is an editor of The Theory and Practice of Innovation Policy: An International Research Handbook (Edward Elgar, 2010). Professor Shapira is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Technology Transfer, Research Policy, European Planning Studies, and the International Journal of Public Policy, and is an associate editor of the International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy.
Professor Shapira holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
PHILLIP SINGERMAN
Phillip Singerman serves as associate director for innovation and industry services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In this capacity he is responsible for the NIST suite of external partnership programs, including the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Technology Innovation Program, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, and NIST technology transfer and small business innovation research awards.
The position of associate director was established in October 2010 as part of the first major realignment of NIST programs in 20 years; Dr. Singerman was appointed to this position in January 2011. Immediately prior to joining NIST, he was a senior vice president at B&D Consulting, a DC-based firm providing strategic advice and technical assistance on federal economic development programs to non-profit organizations, local governments, and universities. Previously he was a managing director of a $120 million seed-stage venture fund that invested in early-stage technologies.
Dr. Singerman has more than 30 years of experience in tech-based economic development; he was the first chief executive of two of the best known public-private partnerships, the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. During the Clinton Administration he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, a Presidential appointment requiring Senate confirmation.
Dr. Singerman has participated on scores of local, state, and national advisory boards and associations, including the State Science and Technology Institute, the Technology Council of Maryland, the International Economic Development Council, NGA’s Advisory Committee on Entrepreneurial Policy, NSF’s Small Business Advisory Committee, the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association, the Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative Advisory Committee, and the Editorial Board of the Economic Development Quarterly.
Dr. Singerman received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and holds a doctorate from Yale University. He has taught at Yale College, Barnard College (Columbia University), and the Fels Institute of Government (University of Pennsylvania). After graduating from college he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, South America, working in rural community development projects.
Dr. Singerman is a co-author of Beyond Recovery: Moving the Gulf Coast Toward a Sustainable Future (February 2011), published by the Center for American Progress and Oxfam America, and the Handbook on Climate Prosperity (May 2009), published by the International Economic Development Council.
GREGORY TASSEY
Gregory Tassey is senior economist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His major fields of research are the economics of high-tech industries, strategic planning studies and economic impact assessments of R&D programs, and technology policy analysis. Dr. Tassey has a B.A. in physics from McDaniel College and a Ph.D. in economics from The George Washington University. He has written numerous reports on R&D trends and associated policy implications, published 25 articles in policy and economics journals, and written three books, including The Economics of R&D Policy. A new book, The Technology Imperative, is in progress.
JAMES WATSON
James Watson is the CEO and president of CMTC. He started at CMTC in 1999 as vice president of business development and transitioned to the position of vice president of operations in 2001, which he has held for the past 10 years. In his role as vice president of operations, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of CMTC.
Mr. Watson is responsible for crafting the future vision of CMTC, promoting the importance of the manufacturing sector to state and federal legislators and expanding the awareness of CMTC’s capabilities throughout Southern California. He will also guide CMTC’s Defense Services and Healthcare business units.
With over 30 years of management experience in areas of strategic planning, operations management, organizational design, sales and marketing and cultural alignment, Mr. Watson brings a wide range of knowledge to his position as president and CEO. He started his career with Western Airlines advancing to vice president, passenger and cargo sales, and then was vice president and general manager of SuperShuttleInternational before moving to Anchor Audio as the vice president of sales and general manager, Europe.
Mr. Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University, Northridge.
CHARLES WESSNER
Charles Wessner is a National Academy Scholar and director of the Program on Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise on innovation policy, including public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship, early-stage financing for new firms, and the special needs and benefits of high-technology industry. He testifies to the U.S. Congress and major national commissions, advises agencies of the U.S. government and international organizations, and lectures at major universities in the United States and abroad. Reflecting the strong global interest in innovation, he is frequently asked to address issues of shared policy interest with foreign governments, universities, research institutes, and international organizations, often briefing government ministers and senior officials. He has a strong commitment to international cooperation, reflected in his work with a wide variety of countries around the world.
Currently, he directs a series of studies centered on government measures to encourage entrepreneurship and support the development of new technologies and the cooperation between industry, universities, laboratories, and government to capitalize on a nation’s investment in research. Foremost among these is a congressionally mandated study of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, reviewing the operation and achievements of this $2.3 billion award program for small companies and startups. He is also directing a major study on best practice in regional innovation programs, entitled Competing in the 21st Century: Best Practice in State and Regional Innovation Initiatives as well as a complementary, global analysis entitled Comparative Innovation Policy: Best Practice in National Technology Programs. Today’s meeting on “Strengthening American Manufacturing: The Role of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership” is held under the auspices of the project entitled, 21st Century Manufacturing: The Role of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an evaluation of the operation, achievements, and challenges of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. The overarching goal of Dr. Wessner’s work is to develop a better understanding of how we can bring new technologies forward to address global challenges in health, climate, energy, water, infrastructure, and security.
GARY YAKIMOV
Gary Yakimov is the manager of policy and research at the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Mr. Yakimov’s current duties include management of MEP’s policy and research team including its reporting and evaluation system, impact metrics, client surveys, economic studies and policy papers. Gary also is coordinating the development of a series of talent management products and services for use by the 60 MEP centers.
Previously Mr. Yakimov served as director of business and industry strategies for the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) where he directed the project and sales portfolio for CSW’s business and industry initiatives. This included sector- and cluster-related work; Gary has helped multiple states and local areas develop approaches and practices to advance sector and cluster strategies as the framework to align economic development, workforce development and education policies. He also was the primary contributor to help grow CSW’s “State of the Workforce” strategic intelligence product line, and managed and authored nearly two dozen such reports for states and regions.
In previous positions Gary served as director of business policy for the Maryland Governor’s Workforce Investment Board as well as deputy director for labor market information in the State of Delaware.
