Speakers
Experts around different topics will share their insight into the technologies impacting companies in New York State.
Keynotes
Speakers
Catharine Young
DIRECTOR
Center of Excellence Cornell AgriTech
Speaker Biographies
Vincent Arena
Vincent Arena is a designer, innovator, and social entrepreneur with a passion for sustainable problem solving. Vincent has a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Design, Innovation, and Society from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). For the last two years, he has been working with family in Italy to build an authentic Italian coffee and food brand, distribution company, and cafe franchise called Tazzetto. With a focus on sustainability and innovation, Tazzetto has built two operational café locations in Long Island and had products such as it’s “edible biscotti cup” in over 300 stores in the US. Vincent is also the founder of Catalist, a digital social network and search engine aimed to connect people to unlock value and catalyze positive impact.
Joshua Aviv
Joshua is a certified Data Scientist and the Founder & CEO of SparkCharge, a company specializing in the portable charging of electric cars. His experience in entrepreneurship and startups spans over 6 years and he is a dynamic figure in the cleantech community. Joshua is also the most recent winner of the worlds largest pitch competition, 43North. Joshua holds a B.A. in Economics and a Masters Degree in Information Management and Data Science from Syracuse University.
Momo Bi
Momo is an early stage venture capital investor at New York Ventures, New York State’s venture capital fund. Prior to joining New York Ventures, she has worked with the Women’s Fund at Alumni Ventures Group and other VCs. She has also worked at JP Morgan and has over ten years of experience as revenue growth/Business development/sales specialist with C-level clients, VCs and founders in a wide range of industries and sizes. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs building their businesses. She has worked with VC backed FinTech, AdTech, AgTech, SaaS, Sustainability, Life Sciences, and AI startups. Momo is a Mentor to early stage companies at WeWork Labs and SAP i.O.
Momo holds an MBA from Cornell University/Cornell Tech and a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University.
Terence J. Clas
Terence J. Clas is one of the Manufacturing USA Institute’s, business development executive in New York State. This function is administered by Empire State Development’s, Division of Science, Technology & Innovation. His concentration is on the AIM Photonics Institute, located in Rochester, NY. Terry’s responsibilities are to engage industry, government and academic institutions to discuss the technical resources, funding mechanisms, workforce development, and collaboration opportunities available through AIM Photonics. Previously, Terry served as the Corporate Vice President, New Business Development and General Manager of the Industrial Inspection Division at VFO, LLC. His career also includes, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales for VMP Nutrition providing overall leadership and management of the company’s strategic and tactical marketing & sales functions worldwide. The majority of Terry’s career (27+ years) was working at Eastman Kodak Company with a variety of leadership roles that include Director, Corporate Marketing Programs, Chief Marketing Office; Technology & Business Development Manager – for Kodak’s Equipment Manufacturing Division and Unit Director, Manufacturing Systems Technology Development, in corporate research and development. Terry holds a Master of Science Degree from the National Technological University (NTU) in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Buffalo State University.Marla Coppolino
Marla Coppolino is the Director of Business Development and Outreach for Cornell University’s CAT, the Center for Life Science Enterprise, which was established in 1983. With her degrees and experience rooted in the biological sciences, Marla manages the Cornell CAT’s grant program. She helps to connect life sciences faculty researchers with New York State industries with potential for collaborations to develop novel biotechnologies aimed for the commercial marketplace. She also introduces researchers and companies to the Cornell CAT’s McGovern Center life sciences incubator and the Institute of Biotechnology’s core facilities.Denis Cormier
Professor Cormier is the Earl W. Brinkman Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also director of the Multifunctional 3D Printing (MPrint) Center. His teaching and research interests focus on additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and printed electronics for the synthesis of novel materials and geometric structures. Professor Cormier received his B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining RIT, he was a faculty member at North Carolina State University from 1994-2009. He serves as Associate Editor for the International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing, and he serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for two journals – Additive Manufacturing, and the Rapid Prototyping Journal. He is a founding member of ASTM’s F-42 additive manufacturing standards group, and he also serves as Chairman of the Society of Manufacturing Engineer’s Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing steering committee. He received SME’s Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineering award in 2003.Colleen A. Costello
Colleen’s career spans clinical research, engineering, biochemistry, product development, and technical entrepreneurship. She has held positions as a researcher on master thesis projects at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College, NYC, in surgical device design and pre-clinical studies at Covidien Surgical Devices, and in tissue engineering research at RPI. Colleen has several patents pending and holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Technological Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY. She has additionally been featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, ABC was named as a Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 recipient in Enterprise Technology, Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 Most Brilliant Young Founders, 50 Emerging Global Entrepreneurs to Watch by Inc. Magazine, Albany Business Review 40 Under 40 and is a selected member of the Kairos Society. In the elusive ‘free time’ she has, Colleen enjoys traveling to places she’s never been and can be found on a ski slope or watching the Premier League.Juan Cueva
Juan Cueva, PhD is a Senior Associate with Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture arm of Applied Materials, Inc., (NASDAQ: AMAT), the global leader in materials engineering solutions for the electronics industry with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service, and software products.
Juan makes investments in technologies at the intersection of life science and advanced material engineering. These investments help develop technologies and markets that provide natural extensions to Applied Material’s core business and stimulate growth of applications for semiconductors, displays, and related products and services.
Juan received a B.S. in Neuroscience and Ph.D. in Neurobiology, both from UCLA. He also completed postdoctoral training and Stanford University and received an MBA from the Haas School of Business.
Angelo D’Anzi
Angelo D’Anzi was born in Matera in 1967. Angelo is a qualified manager (Executive Master of Business Administration from LUISS Business School, Guido Carli LUISS University in Rome) and a serial entrepreneur, with over 25 years of experience in fuel cells and flow batteries. Work Experience In 1990, Angelo created ER-GE Ltd, a company manufacturing air conditioning units and electrical generators for motor vehicles. The company acquired a leadership position within its market and leading clients such as Case-New Holland (for the TLB project) and Renault (agricultural tractor division). Following the sale of ER-GE, in 2000, Angelo founded Roen Est Ltd to develop PEM fuel cells in Italy. Roen Est was acquired in 2003 by the multinational corporation Arcotronics Inc. (NYSE: KEM). Angelo was retained as CEO. In 2007, Arcotronics FC was acquired by the Morphic Exergy Group of Sweden. In 2008, Morphic was listed on OMX NASDAQ (Stockholm Stock Exchange) raising in excess of Euro 400M. Angelo served as CEO of Morphic Exergy FC (formerly Arcotronics FC) until the acquisition of Morphic by the General Electric Group (NYSE: GE). In 2013, Proxhima Ltd is founded to develop Vanadium Flow Batteries based upon proprietary IP assets. In 2015, Proxhima was taken over into the Gala Group SpA, a utility company listed on the AIM stock market in Milan and revenues in excess of Euro 1 billion. In January 2017, StorEn Technologies was incorporated. IP & Awards Mr Angelo D’Anzi holds ten international patents awards in Fuel Cells, Vanadium Flow Batteries and Cogeneration. Four additional US provisional patent applications were filed for Vanadium Flow Batteries in 2017.Steven Duclos
Steve is the Chief Scientist for Additive Manufacturing at GE Research. This horizontal is responsible for developing advances across missions in the machines, materials, digital, and modeling additive technologies, as well as new additive modalities.
He began his General Electric career in 1991 as a Physicist in the Optical Materials Program. During this time he served on the Executive Committee of the NY State Section of the American Physical Society. From 2000 to 2008 Steve managed the Optical Materials Laboratory at GE Research, a laboratory responsible for development of advanced optical materials for a broad spectrum of GE businesses, including its Lighting and Healthcare businesses. From 2008 to 2012 Steve managed GE’s Material Sustainability Initiative. This initiative addressed GE’s risks in the availability and sustainability of the company’s raw material supply, which included the development of a broad-based element-by-element assessment of the company’s material risks. The results of this assessment are used to develop research priorities that support recycling, reduced use, and substitution of lower-risk materials.
Steve has testified to both US Senate and House Committees on the subject of Material Sustainability. In 2012 Steve was named Leader of the Materials Advanced Technology Program, responsible for advancing key materials and processing technologies to prepare them for commercialization in the GE businesses, as well as advanced technology initiatives in the areas of materials and manufacturing, including additive manufacturing.
Jared Dwarika
Jared has over 20 years’ leadership experience in Sales & Marketing; Product Development; Electrical Engineering, and Manufacturing Operations and leads the design and deployment of HCO’s patented wearable technology across a wide range of use cases. He is committed to a vision of seamless care throughout the entire healthcare ecosystem and sees AI / IoMT applications such as those deployed by HCO as being key components in providing a full cycle of personalized, efficacious care. Jared is excited about the difference HCO’s technology is making in the definition, treatment and care of chronic respiratory disease.Emily Ekland
Emily Ekland is the commercialization director at NYSTAR, Empire State Division of Science Technology and Innovation. At NYSTAR, she runs a program called the Innovation Resource Center. The IRC helps entrepreneurs strategically leverage different NYSTAR-funded programs, investigates bottlenecks in the commercialization lifecycle and coordinates programs that alleviate bottlenecks to accelerate innovation and commercialization across New York. Emily’s background includes working in a biotech incubator, investigating economic development policy at a government think tank and helping startups navigate early-stage legal issues. When she’s not working Emily enjoys cooking, reading and anything outdoors, especially camping in the Adirondacks.
Vincent Esposito
As a lifelong resident of Monroe County, Vinnie grew up in the Village of Fairport, studied computer science at SUNY Geneseo, and worked as a software designer and project manager for a small database company. In 2003, Vinnie entered government as an aide to New York State Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle and was later elected to the Monroe County Legislature representing Irondequoit, where he lives with his wife and daughters.
In 2012, Vinnie joined the administration of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo at Empire State Development (ESD). Vinnie is a Vice President and Regional Director of the ESD Finger Lakes Regional Office, which oversees New York State’s economic development efforts in the 9-county Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes region. This also includes the role of serving as Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council (FLREDC), which is an advisory board that provides strategic direction and funding recommendations for the region.
Michael G. Field
Michael G. Field is chief executive officer (CEO) for The Raymond Corporation which includes the operations, sales and marketing, engineering and administrative functions at Raymond. Since he joined Raymond in 2004,
Field has served as the vice president of engineering and, most recently, president of operations and
engineering. In Field’s most recent role as president of the operations and engineering division for The Raymond Corporation, he was responsible for manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering and procurement.
Field has over 25 years of experience managing engineering and operations groups at industrial companies.
Field also is a member of the Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) executive team and board officer of several TMHNA legal entities.
Prior to Raymond, Field served as vice president of global program management for Brooks-PRI Automation in Chelmsford, MA, which led the semiconductor automated material handling industry with state-of-the-art robotic, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and software control solutions. Prior to that assignment, he was vice president of systems integration at PRI Automation which included technical sales, system engineering and
program management.
A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Field holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University and an MBA with a concentration in International Operations from Boston University. He is a council member of the Rochester Institute of Technology Kate Gleason College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and a member of Rochester Institute of Technology’s President’s Roundtable. Field was awarded Kate Gleason College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumnus for 2018-2019.
Field is currently chairman and director on the Board of NY-BEST (New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium, Inc.), and a board member of the New York State Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (REDC). He also is a board member of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA).
Field holds a Professional Engineering License in New York State and 12 U.S. Patents.
Eric Gertler
Eric Gertler is the Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate of Empire State Development (ESD), New York State’s chief economic development agency. He has been a board member of ESD since June 2018, when was appointed to his current position by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in August 2019.
Gertler serves as Executive Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, the nation’s leading news authority on rankings, and is managing member of Ulysses Ventures, a multi-strategy investment fund based in New York City. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and as Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under multiple mayoral administrations, where he was responsible for spurring economic development by overseeing more than 100 initiatives and directing hundreds of millions of dollars of city investments into the local economy. Among these initiatives, Gertler spearheaded the City’s $150 million life science fund and associated programs to accelerate the life sciences industry in New York City, oversaw development of the City’s tech platform digital.nyc and expanded the BigApps civic competition.
Gertler is a published author and has written and spoken extensively on key policy issues and economic development priorities ranging from urban and state matters, workforce development, infrastructure investment, technology advancement and entrepreneurship and innovation.
Gertler is a trustee of the Zuckerman Institute and Zuckerman Family Foundation, and previously served on the boards of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain and Behavior Institute, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science. He was a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (“YPO”), previously serving as the Chair of its New York Metro chapter, and is the former Chairman of the American-Israel Friendship League. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Gertler served as Co-Chairman and Co-Publisher of the New York Daily News. He began his career as an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
A graduate of Brown University, Mr. Gertler holds degrees from the Sorbonne at the University of Paris, Institut D’Etudes Politiques in Paris and a law degree from American University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review.
William Grieco
William Grieco is CEO of The RAPID Manufacturing Institute, a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) created to promote process intensification and modular process technologies. He is responsible for all of RAPID’s operations, including research and development activities, corporate governance, and compliance.
Prior to joining RAPID in July 2018, he was Vice President of Energy and Environment at Southern Research, a nonprofit research institute based in Alabama, where he transformed the business from one serving only the fossil energy sector to a boutique innovation testing, development, and consulting organization focused on reducing the environmental footprint of energy generation and chemicals production. Earlier in his career, he served in corporate innovation and process development roles in the materials, pharmaceutical, and chemicals industries.
Grieco serves on the external advisory board for Florida Solar Energy Center. He earned a PhD and Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Bachelor’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology — all in chemical engineering.
Melissa Hall
Missy Hall is the Sustainable Food Program Manager and a Staff Engineer at the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. She utilizes her years of experience in lean systems, sustainability, and food waste management to assist businesses and organizations through technical support, outreach, and education. Ms. Hall has experience in life cycle assessment (LCA), lean problem solving, performance management, and statistical analysis. She has research experience related to the sustainable management of food waste in New York State with a focus on diversion to animal feed. Prior to joining NYSP2I, Ms. Hall’s industry experience included both food and electronics manufacturing. She holds a BS in Industrial Engineering, an ME in Industrial Engineering, and an MS in Sustainable Systems, all from RIT.David C. Hamilton
Mr. Hamilton is the COO of the Advanced Energy Center (AERTC) and the Executive Director of the Clean Energy Business Incubator Program (CEBIP), both located at Stony Brook University. His education includes a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Clarkson University and a MBA in Marketing from Hofstra University. He brings a focus in clean energy technologies with experience in business development, commercialization of engineering technologies, marketing and sales, as well as an ability to communicate well with early stage entrepreneurs in the clean energy arena. Mr. Hamilton started his professional career with the Long Island Lighting Company managing independent power producers. From there, he has been involved in the design, development and implementation of Sirius Satellite Radio’s terrestrial transmitters, developing sales and marketing plans for aerospace and IT companies, managing the sales and operation of hydrogen fuel cells for Plug Power, and most recently developing the commercial sales and marketing for EmPower Solar, a leading Long Island turnkey solar provider.Alex Harber
Alex leads Magic Leap’s sales and relationship-building efforts in the State / Local Government and Education sectors. In this role, he and his team support public and private institutions to revolutionize teaching, learning, research and governmental operations through the power of spatial computing. Throughout his career, he has worked on and around a wide array of advanced technology platforms both in the public and private sectors, and he loves leveraging this experience to foster impact and innovation in schools, governments and companies across the nation!Dr. James Hayward
Dr. James A. Hayward (“Jim”) is Chairman, President, and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences (NASDAQ: APDN). With over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life science industries, Dr. Hayward is actively involved in the global effort to secure supply chains, to ensure the authenticity of products and to protect retailers, brands and consumers from counterfeiting and diversion. His other interest is the use of synthetic genomics to product personalized medicine to treat a variety of ailments from infection to cancer and genetic diseases. Jim received his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from the State University of New York at Oneonta 1976, his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1983, and an honorary Doctor of Science from that same institution in 2000. Jim is the author of over 100 publications and has been issued more than 100 patents. Jim was one of the founding principals and research director of Europe’s first liposome company, Biocompatibles Ltd which went public in 1985 on the London FTSE valued at more than $1.5 billion. He was responsible for product development at the Esteé Lauder Companies, where he served as director of research worldwide. Between 1990 and July 2004, Dr. Hayward was the Chairman, President and CEO of The Collaborative Group, Ltd., a provider of products and services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and consumer-product industries based in Stony Brook, New York. Divisions of the Collaborative Group were sold to Dow Chemical (human therapeutic protein contract manufacturing) and to BASF (Dermatologicals). Among his honors, he is the 2015 Long Island Innovator of the Year Award. He received the David Award by Networking Magazine in 2014. Jim has been twice named “Entrepreneur of the Year;” in 2002 by Inc. Magazine and in 2009 by the Long Island Technology Hall of Fame he will receive the “Long Island Innovator of the Year” Award on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. He is the recipient of the first “Helix Award” from the International Biotechnology Organization.Lamar Hill
As of September 16th 2019, Steve is the endowed executive director of the recently announced Global Center for Cybersecurity at RIT. Steve has a long history in research, innovation and product development in areas ranging from 3D & digital printing to AI, transportation, healthcare, energy and cybersecurity. For 25 years and until April of 2019 Hoover had a variety of technology leadership roles at Xerox which included CTO for the entire corporation and CEO of PARC, a Xerox company. In those roles he helped to not only deliver multiple products and technologies for Xerox’s core business but enabled Xerox’s growth in new areas ranging from document management and services to transportation analytics and IoT to digital packaging and 3D printing. As PARC CEO for six years, Steve helped PARC not only develop highly relevant innovations for Xerox, but also transitioned PARC to be a leader in open innovation while creating multiple strategic innovation partnerships and collaborations and spinouts. Steve earned his Ph.D. and Masters of Science from Carnegie Mellon University as an AT&T Bell Labs fellow and a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University. He has seven patents. Hoover serves on the Dean’s advisory council of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and has served on the Board of Directors for the Rochester Museum and Science Center, including leading its K-12 STEM Education Task Force; and has been a regional Board Member of FIRST Robotics, an organization which inspires young science, technology, and engineering leaders through mentor-based programs.Richard E. Honen
Mr. Honen is the Venture Capital & Technology Practice Team Leader and Partner in Charge of the firm’s Albany office. He focuses his practice in corporate, finance and venture capital law, as well as complex commercial litigation. Mr. Honen provides corporate counsel to a broad spectrum of companies from start-up to Fortune 50 and has lectured extensively, particularly on topics of corporate law, venture capital and angel investing. He also represents companies in complex commercial litigation matters. Mr. Honen has served as an adjunct professor at Union Graduate College (now Clarkson University), where he taught Business Law to MBA candidates, and has guest lectured at Albany Law School of Union University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University at Albany, Ithaca College and Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. He is also acknowledged to be one of the early practitioners of nanotechnology law in Upstate New York, as reported in a March 2003 article in the New York Law Journal.Stephen Hoover
As of September 16th 2019, Steve is the endowed executive director of the recently announced Global Center for Cybersecurity at RIT. Steve has a long history in research, innovation and product development in areas ranging from 3D & digital printing to AI, transportation, healthcare, energy and cybersecurity. For 25 years and until April of 2019 Hoover had a variety of technology leadership roles at Xerox which included CTO for the entire corporation and CEO of PARC, a Xerox company. In those roles he helped to not only deliver multiple products and technologies for Xerox’s core business but enabled Xerox’s growth in new areas ranging from document management and services to transportation analytics and IoT to digital packaging and 3D printing. As PARC CEO for six years, Steve helped PARC not only develop highly relevant innovations for Xerox, but also transitioned PARC to be a leader in open innovation while creating multiple strategic innovation partnerships and collaborations and spinouts. Steve earned his Ph.D. and Masters of Science from Carnegie Mellon University as an AT&T Bell Labs fellow and a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University. He has seven patents. Hoover serves on the Dean’s advisory council of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and has served on the Board of Directors for the Rochester Museum and Science Center, including leading its K-12 STEM Education Task Force; and has been a regional Board Member of FIRST Robotics, an organization which inspires young science, technology, and engineering leaders through mentor-based programs.Jean-Christian Jung
Jean-Christian (“JC”) Jung is a repeat entrepreneur and advisor with vast expertise in strategy planning, business development and bringing ideas to life in various industries and across multiple geographies.
He is currently co-founder of Tarform, a mobility start-up set to disrupt the two-wheeled transportation industry through advanced manufacturing, clean technology and sustainable materials. The company launched the first prototype in October 2018 and is working on the production model for release in 2020.
JC is also an avid traveler and world citizen – he speaks 4 languages and has lived in 7 countries and 4 continents.
Dr. Mukesh Khare
Dr. Mukesh V. Khare is Vice President at IBM Research, driving IBM’s computing hardware research agenda. In his current role, he and his team of more than 1000 researchers worldwide are re-defining the future of computing for the next generation workloads such as AI, Machine Learning, High-Performance Computing and their delivery through Hybrid Cloud. Throughout his career, Dr. Khare helped build and drive collaborative research alliances in the semiconductor industry to push the state of the art and most recently championed the formation of AI Hardware Center to drive innovations in AI technologies through collaboration. Dr. Khare has led research, development and implementation of several innovative technologies such as high-k metal gate and FinFET with significant value to IBM and research alliance partners. Dr. Khare is a recipient of IBM Corporate Award and Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for his accomplishments and is IBM Distinguished Engineer. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and serves on the advisory boards of several research focused entities. Dr. Khare served as the General Chair of the 2018 Symposia on VLSI Technology, has co-authored more than 100 research papers and holds several U.S. and international patents. Dr. Khare began his career at IBM in 1998 after finishing his M.S, M. Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. A proud father of two and the husband of an architect, Dr. Khare is a strong advocate of diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace through sponsoring initiatives such as PowerUp for women engineers.Dr. Helena Khazdozian
After receiving a dual-BA in Physics and Art History from Hartwick College (2010), Dr. Helena Khazdozian completed her MS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia (2013) where she focused on thin film semiconductor fabrication for photovoltaics. Her interest in renewable energy took her to Iowa State University, where she earned her PhD in Wind Energy Science, Engineering, and Policy with a co-major in Electrical Engineering (2016). There she developed designs to reduce size, weight, or critical materials in wind turbine generators. She joined the Critical Materials Institute, a Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Innovation Hub, at the Ames Laboratory from 2016 to 2018, evaluating critical magnetic materials in permanent magnet machine applications using finite element analysis. Dr. Khazdozian is currently a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy where she leads and coordinates much of AMO’s work on critical materials.
Madhuri Kommareddi
Madhuri Kommareddi is the Director of Workforce Development in the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Ms. Kommareddi previously worked as Director and Head of Credit Investor Relations & Product Management at BlackRock. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Clinton Foundation as the Director of Job One and the Director of Program Development for the Office of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Ms. Kommareddi served as a Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council and National Economic Council, where she led White House work to convene the first G20 Labor and Employment Ministers meeting. She also has worked as Associate Staff Secretary in the White House, policy aide on the Obama for America 2008 presidential campaign and the Obama-Biden Transition Project, as Policy Coordinator in then-Senator Obama’s office, and in a variety of capacities on political campaigns. She is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she served on the Yale Law Journal, and Northwestern University.Kemper Lewis
Kemper Lewis is the Moog Professor of Innovation and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo. He is also the Director of the Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies (SMART) Institute where advanced concepts in automation, additive manufacturing, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence are being developed in the context of Industry 4.0. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has served on the National Academies Panel on Benchmarking the Research Competitiveness of the United States in Mechanical Engineering. He has received research and education awards from ASME, SAE, ASEE, AIAA, NSF, and the State of New York.
Kirk J. Macolini
Kirk Macolini is the President and founder of InteliSpark (www.intelispark.com), a hands-on business development consulting firm specializing in securing non-dilutive funding for start-ups through the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and other government research funding programs. He has helped start-ups develop ~400 successful research proposals resulting in over $170,000,000 in non-dilutive funding.Clients have achieved over $500,000,000 in successful exits. In the last 24 months alone, he has helped 60 start-up companies secure non-dilutive funding for their research.
Amy Marschilok
Amy C. Marschilok, Ph.D. is currently a Research Professor and University Instructional Specialist in the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment as a Scientist and Group Leader in the Energy Sciences Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. She also serves as Deputy Director for the Center for Mesoscale Transport Properties (m2M/t EFRC). Her research centers on investigation of new material and electrode concepts for high power, high energy density, extended life primary and secondary electrochemical energy storage systems. Dr. Marschilok was previously employed as a Senior Scientist in Medical Battery R&D at Greatbatch Inc., where she was recognized as a Visionary of the Year. She has mentored over 50 student researchers and co-authored over 160 publications.Matt Melbourne
Matt leads Business Development and is an Investment Team Principal at Republic––an investment platform for startups to raise capital and for everyone to invest in startups. He and his team educate entrepreneurs on the value of opening up the investment opportunity to everyone, including their most loyal customers or users.
Before diving into the startup world, he worked on Global Citizen’s Business Development team that managed corporate partnerships of their Fortune 50 accounts including Google, Johnson & Johnson, and Citi. He holds a B.A. from Georgetown University.
Congressman Joe Morelle
Congressman Joe Morelle is proud to represent New York’s 25th Congressional District, which includes almost the entirety of Monroe County. A lifelong resident of Upstate New York, Rep. Morelle is a former small business owner and was previously elected to the Monroe County Legislature and then the New York State Assembly, where he served as Majority Leader from 2013-2018. Throughout his career, Rep. Morelle has worked diligently to create opportunity for Monroe County families. He currently serves on the House Committee on Rules, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on Budget.
A graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo, Rep. Morelle resides in the town of Irondequoit in Rochester, New York, with his wife, Mary Beth. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Dr. Nabil Nasr
Dr. Nabil Nasr is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the REMADE Institute, where he oversees everything from node-level research roadmap development to corporate engagement of the Institute’s largest industrial partners. Dr. Nasr also serves as the Director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and an Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Throughout his career, Dr. Nasr has worked in the fields of sustainable manufacturing, remanufacturing, clean production, and sustainable product development for over 25 years, and is considered an international leader in research and development efforts in those disciplines. Dr. Nasr has served as an expert delegate for the U.S. government in several international forums, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Dr. Nasr is also a member of the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Dr. Nasr’s significant expertise in sustainable manufacturing leadership continues with his latest endeavor, the REMADE Insitute.
Lloyd Palum
Expertise: Machine Learning, mobile communications, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing
Lloyd Palum, with more than 25 years of experience in commercial and government electronics, is using his mobile and signal processing background to facilitate leading edge transportation analytics and machine learning technologies for the trucking industry as CTO of Vnomics, the provider of driver-accepted onboard fuel efficiency solutions
Palum brings experience in the development of secure mobile wireless system design and the implementation of standards-based embedded software systems to Vnomics. He holds five patents in the field of software and wireless communications and has published a number of technical articles, and speaks frequently at industry conferences.
Palum holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from University of Rochester.
Tinia Pina
Tinia Pina accepted her Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2006. She began her career in sustainability as a former student pursuing a Masters of Science degree at Columbia University prior to becoming the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Re-Nuble, Inc., an agricultural technology company headquartered in New York City. A strong advocate for sustainable waste management, regenerative agriculture, and urban resilience, she has been involved in management and business development roles within the sustainability industry for nine years. Her professional interests focus on using unique and distributed technologies to extract the optimal value from organic waste streams for upcycling into value-added products.
Mark D. Poliks
Mark D. Poliks is Empire Innovation Professor of Engineering, Professor of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Director of the Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM) at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He serves as Chair of the Smart-Energy Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence at the Binghamton campus. In 2006 he established the first research center (CAMM), to explore the application of roll-to-roll processing methods to flexible electronics and displays, with equipment funding from the United States Display Consortium (USDC) and the Army Research Lab. His research is in the areas of industry relevant topics that include: high performance electronics packaging, flexible hybrid electronics, medical and industrial sensors, materials, processing, aerosol jet printing, roll-to-roll manufacturing, in-line quality control and reliability of electronics. He has received more than $20M in research funding from Federal, New York State and corporate sources and more than $30M in equipment funding from federal and state sources. He is the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research. He leads the New York State Node of the DoD NextFlex Manufacturing USA and was named a 2017 NextFlex Fellow. He received FLEXI awards for leadership in Technology and Education from the FlexTech Alliance in 2009 and 2019. He has authored more than one hundred technical papers and holds forty-eight US patents. Previously he held senior technical management positions at IBM Microelectronics and Endicott Interconnect. He is a member of technical councils for the FlexTech Alliance, NBMC and NextFlex, and the NextFlex Governing Council. He is an active member of the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society Electronic Component and Technology Conference and served and the 69th ECTC General Chair. Poliks received dual undergraduate degrees, with honors, in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in materials science and engineering. He was a McDonnell-Douglas post-doctoral fellow working on solid-state magnetic resonance at Washington University, St. Louis before starting his career at IBM.Dan Radomski
Dan Radomski is small business and start-ups expert, focused on product development, competitive business strategy, product design and manufacturing. Dan currently leads the Centrepolis Hardware Accelerator and serves as an advisor for other hardware accelerator programs. Dan was previously Chief Strategy Officer for Optimal Inc., a product design and benchmarking firm focused on electric vehicle development. Dan also serves as an advisor to the Lawrence Technological University Collaboratory, a program that helps accelerate and scale small manufacturers and innovators of new “hardware” products.
In his prior role as Vice President of Industry and Venture Development at NextEnergy, Dan led all market and technology analytic efforts to support the growth of early-stage and mature energy technology firms in areas such as wind, solar, advanced batteries, power electronics, vehicle electrification, smart grid, micro-grid, natural gas, and energy efficiency. This included NextEnergy’s venture and incubator services, supporting the commercialization efforts of approximately 1,000 new developers of advanced energy technologies; and helping over 120 manufacturers successfully diversify into the clean energy supply chain.
Radomski frequently serves as an advisor, judge, mentor and committee member for regional and national accelerators and cleantech competitions, including TechStars Mobility, CleanTech Open, Clean Energy Trust Challenge, Accelerate Michigan, DTE E-Challenge, Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, and the Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge.
Prior to NextEnergy Dan was co-founder of a clean energy technology consultancy with offices in Berkley, MI and Barcelona, Spain. Dan also worked for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers on product development for advanced manufacturing technologies and disciplines including lean manufacturing, machining, fabrication, composites, micro- and nano-manufacturing.
Dan has served as a developer for DOE / Lawrence Livermore National Lab training curricula that educates product developers / companies with “hardware” based products on how to scale their business. He has been an instructor and curriculum developer for DOE / ARPA-E I-Corps Program; and has served as an advisor for the National Governor’s Association’s (NGA) Clean Energy Economic Development Policy Academy program, and as a contributor to DOE’s Industry Peer and Annual Merit Review activities.
Ryne Raffaelle
Dr. Ryne P. Raffaelle is the Vice President for Research and Associate Provost at Rochester
Institute of Technology (RIT). He is the former Director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Lab of the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to serving at NREL, he was the Academic Director for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and Director of the NanoPower Research Laboratory at RIT. He has worked as a visiting scientist at the NASA-Glenn Research Center, NASA Kennedy Research Center, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
He is the author of over 200 refereed publications and is the Managing Editor of Progress in Photovoltaics, published by Wiley
Interscience. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from University of Missouri-Rolla, and B.S and M.S. in Physics from Southern Illinois University.
Pravina Raghavan
Pravina, Executive Vice President, Division of Small Business and Technology Development for Empire State Development, has 20+ years of experience in providing strategic advisory services to businesses in the start-up, growth, expansion and maturity phases of development. Prior to joining ESD, Pravina was the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Deputy Associate Administrator of Investment and Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the District Director for SBA’s New York District Office. Before joining the federal government, Pravina was a Vice President with MTV and BET Networks, an owner and partner of a strategic advisory firm and Business Development Director for Misys PLC, one of the world’s largest banking software companies. She was also an associate at Broadview International, a London investment bank, and worked at AT&T in several finance and management roles, including her last 5 years as the M&A Director for Europe & Asia. Pravina has an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University and a B.S. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University. ESD Division of Small Business & Technology Development Empire State Development’s (ESD) Division for Small Business and Technology Development has over 30 programs to support entrepreneurs and small business owners. The programs focus on providing support to small businesses in three areas: (1) Access to Capital, (2) Entrepreneurial Development and (3) Commercialization and Technology Assistance. Small businesses with fewer than 100 employees can take advantage of utilizing these programs at any stage of their growth.Michael Riedlinger
Mike creates and provides experiential programs for entrepreneurs throughout the region. He has created programs including NextCorps LaunchPad for web and mobile startups by drawing on his experiences from founding and co-founding eight startups (including one that became publicly-traded) as well as training through the National Science Foundation ICorps Program at Stanford University. Invention and creativity are key areas of interest for Mike, who holds a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology and a MBA from the University of Rochester, where he is also a lecturer in Technical Entrepreneurship Management. Mike revels in the rich history of regional innovations in agriculture, computing, medical devices, optics, and telecommunications. He serves on the Industrial Advisory Board at the Cornell Center for Materials Research and supports educational outreach programs including Cornell’s Lending Library of Experiments and the Rochester chapter of Engineering World Health.Christopher Rooney
Christopher Rooney is a Business Development-Additive Manufacturing Specialist at Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (ESD/NYSTAR). In his role he works as a liaison and additive manufacturing technology specialist across small and medium-sized manufacturers in New York State, New York’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and Manufacturing USA innovation institutes.
Prior to joining NYSTAR, Chris has worked extensively in the specialty chemical additives and plastics industry in a commercial sales and business development capacity.
Pia Sawhney
Pia Sawhney is Director of Strategy at ASV and has been a serial media entrepreneur. At Armory Square Ventures, she applies her skills to source new opportunities and meet with startup teams and prospects. Pia has otherwise advised and helped operate the firm since its inception in 2014.
In her former life, Pia’s films and media projects were featured and/or published to the New York Times, Variety, the Washington Post and Huffington Post, and distributed to university libraries nationwide. She has worked with PBS FRONTLINE, the Los Angeles Times, Radio Free Europe and Voice of America and other outlets. Her films have screened at a range of prestigious film festivals at home and abroad.
Pia began her career in finance at JP Morgan Chase in 1999. She holds two graduate degrees. The first is in biology, with concentrations in genetics, computer science and broadcast journalism, as part of a program at NYU. The second is a specialized degree in international relations and diplomacy, from the Fletcher School at Tufts.
Pia has also edited, produced and researched ten documentary films, and speaks four languages.
Christopher Schauerman
Dr. Christopher Schauerman is President and Founder of Cellec Technologies Inc. (Rochester, NY). He has 15 years of experience in the development of nanomaterials for sustainable energy systems. Dr Schauerman has a strong background in lithium ion cell manufacturing techniques, battery material engineering, and cell architecture optimization. Prior to starting Cellec Technologies, Dr. Schauerman served as the Director of the RIT Battery Prototyping Center. Dr. Schauerman holds a B.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Sustainability, from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Cellec Technologies is currently focused on the research and development of advanced lithium ion batteries for aerospace applications.Kevin Surace
Kevin Surace is a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, CEO, TV personality and EDUTAINER. Kevin has been featured by Businessweek, Time, Fortune, Forbes, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, FOX News, and has keynoted hundreds of events, from INC5000 to TED to the US Congress. He was INC Magazines’ Entrepreneur of the Year, a CNBC top Innovator of the Decade, World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, Chair of Silicon Valley Forum, Planet Forward Innovator of the Year nominee, featured for 5 years on TechTV’s Silicon Spin, and inducted into RIT’s Innovation Hall of Fame. While he has a technical background with 85 worldwide patents, he is known as a very dynamic public speaker who is a true entertainer that excites, educates and energizes audiences to action.
Tony Topencik
Tony Topencik is the Senior Director of Operations for The Raymond Corporation. Over his 25-year tenure at Raymond, he has worked as a Principal Systems Engineer, Computer-aided Engineering Specialist and Advanced Manufacturing Engineer. He previously served in managerial roles as a Manufacturing Operations director, Assembly Operations manager, Toyota Production System manager and Operations Engineering manager. Topencik holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University at Buffalo and a Master’s of Science degree in Technology Management from the University of Maryland.
Colin Touhey
Colin Touhey is the CEO and founder of Pvilion, a solar technology development firm based in Brooklyn, NY. Mr. Touhey has been in the solar industry since 2009, developing technology, solar projects, and installations of over $10M with the likes of Google, the US Army, the City of Miami Beach, the US Army, and Carnegie Hall. He started Pvilion 2011 integrating solar cells and fabrics, building products that generate electricity ranging from clothing and consumer goods to stadium roofs and building facades. Combining aesthetics and functionality, Pvilion specializes in the design, engineering, and manufacturing lightweight solar products.
Mr. Touhey has recently received the Forbes 30 Under 30 Award for energy, has worked in wind and ocean current energy with NASA, THOR, and others. He is also the founder of Foray, a medical devices engineering firm, and Cityseat, and consumer lifestyle brand. Before founding Pvilion, Mr. Touhey attended Phillips Andover and Trinity College, where he studied Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
Richard Uhlig
With more than 25 years of business experience focused on the design and development of innovative products across various industries, Richard’s management capabilities range from ownership of regional retail businesses to the start-up and management of major corporate divisions with domestic and international product sourcing and sales experience. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley Bank, the principal banking subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, and was the Chief Investment Officer at Merrill Lynch Bank. He held other significant posts in the financial industry and served as an Executive in Residence at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Richard is a graduate of Cornell University.
Michael Ulbrich
Michael Ulbrich is President of EWI’s New York Operations, a non-profit engineering and applied research and development company that works with manufacturers to develop, commercialize, and implement leading-edge manufacturing technologies. In this role, Michael is also responsible for leading Buffalo Manufacturing Works. Michael joined EWI following 10 years with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co in New York City and London, United Kingdom. He most recently served as the Vice President of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Nordic Region. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Michael was at Walt Disney World & Co. in Orlando, Florida working on operational planning, forecasting and productivity and process improvement projects. Michael received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University.
Scott Vader
Scott is the cofounder along with his son Zachary Vader of Vader Systems. Vader Systems is the inventor and sole supplier of the MagnetoJet based liquid metal 3D printer, the MagnetoJet subsystem for hybrid manufacturing and the Vaderite Powder Production System. Scott has more than 30 years of executive management, engineering management and engineering experience in automotive, composite and metal additive manufacturing.
Scott Volk
Scott Volk is an industry expert in both the plastic and metal additive manufacturing industries with over 25 years’ experience. At Laser Modeling Inc. and Scicon Technologies, Mr. Volk was involved in all aspects of SLA and RTV processes including materials development, quality, training and estimating. Prior to joining Incodema3D, Mr. Volk was one of the Founders and Vice President of Manufacturing at GPI Prototype, with extensive experience in researching and development in Laser Powder bed fusion (LPBF). He was responsible for all aspects of LPBF, including manufacturing engineering, continuous improvement, risk assessment and certifications. Years of involvement with academia and the standards communities, keeps him on the leading edge for the future and current industry and customer needs. Mr. Volk’s experience allows him to create complex parts that others don’t dare attempt and can work with strategic partners to develop materials and processes to meet new demands.Matt Watson
Matt Watson has extensive experience in organizational management, program development, policy, and advocacy. His twenty-year career includes senior and executive roles in the public and private sectors.
Currently, he serves as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (ESD/NYSTAR), the state economic development division responsible for advancing science, technology, and innovation in support of industry growth and competitiveness.
Edward White
Ed White is AIM Photonics AVP for Test, Assembly, and Packaging (TAP) Facility. Ed was also recently named Chairman of the National Photonics Initiative (NPI). His main responsibility is for AIM Photonics Test, Assembly and Packaging business located in Rochester, NY. In addition to these duties, he is focused on identifying companies who will participate and benefit from improvements in Photonic Integrated Chip manufacturing, generally educating the community about the merits of Photonic Integrated devices, increasing membership in AIM Photonics, and securing AIM Photonics sustainability post government funding. Ed is a native of New York State, and began his career at Kodak after earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester. He later went on to earn an Executive MBA also from the University of Rochester. At Kodak, Ed held several executive positions with global responsibility including General Manager Optical Products & Vice President Commercial Imaging Group, Director WW Equipment Manufacturing & Vice President Global Manufacturing and Logistics, Director Ink Jet Manufacturing & Vice President Consumer Digital Group. After leaving Kodak in 2009, Ed led JML Optical Company as President and CEO in an interim capacity and in 2010 he founded Edward White Consulting, LLC.Dr. Eric Williams
Eric Williams is Professor at the Golisano Institute of Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology. His research is on building system models to better inform policy and other decisions to improve the sustainability outcomes of technologies. He has testified before Congress on electronic waste and his resarch has been widely covered in the media, e.g. The New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. Eric’s current projects are on building energy system models to inform renewable and efficiency policy and assessment of new technologies to extract rare earth elements from waste products.
Sang Won Yoon
Abstract: Prof. Sang Won Yoon has been studying a variety of emerging research domains including 1) distributed decision making, coordination protocol design and collaborative control theory, 2) large-scale data analytics and predictive modeling, 3) mail-order pharmacy system design and analysis, 4) healthcare systems optimization, 5) production & manufacturing systems optimization, and 6) warehouse management and transportation. In this talk, he will focus on how to extract useful insights from expanding data sets to support intelligent decision-making processes. This research not only resides in better understanding large-scale data set by using statistical learning methodologies, but also leverages optimization, soft computing, simulation, and complex theories with conventional machine learning algorithms.
Bio: Prof. Yoon is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2019 and a highly successful researcher who leads many productive long-term industry collaborations. As an Associate Professor of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering at State University of New York at Binghamton, he directs the Complex System Design and Analysis Laboratory and is a faculty member of the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence. Prof. Yoon leads collaborations with faculty, staff, students, and industry partners, and has secured over $6 million to fund more than 60 industrial projects. Also, Prof. Yoon has published in over 130 internationally renowned journals and conference proceedings. He was also a member of the Data Science Transdisciplinary Area of Excellence (TAE) initiative and is an active member of the Health Sciences TAE at his institution.
Catharine Young
Catharine Young was named Executive Director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture in March 2019. A longtime champion of agricultural and economic development, Catharine served for 20 years in the New York State Legislature representing western New York. During that time she chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee, founded the Legislative Wine and Grape Caucus, sponsored legislation to create the New York State Council on Food Policy, and chaired the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. She was the first woman in state history to chair the influential Senate Finance Committee. Catharine is passionate about her new role and feels that “To grow New York’s food, beverage and agriculture economy, and to help businesses expand and flourish by linking them with the incredible innovation, expertise and resources at Cornell, is a natural extension of the work that I have done as a Senator.”
