 Amanda Ross Owner Stunning Creative //emcee |
 Congressman Hansen Clarke 13th District//speaker |
 Tim Bryan Chairman and CEO GalaxE.Solutions® //speaker |
 Ken Rogers Executive Director Automation Alley//moderator |
 Rom LaPointe President i3Logic //panelist |
 Carlton Crothers Chief Executive Officer MTEC SmartZone //panelist |
 Martin Dober SVP, Entrepreneurship and Innovation MEDC //panelist |
 M. Miche Suboski Champion of Entrepreneurship & Innovation LEAP //keynote speaker |
 Governor Rick Snyder State of Michigan //keynote speaker |
 Matt Pickus COO GPX //speaker |
 Daniel Walker Owner River’s End //speaker |
 Scott Hauman Founder Lingo //speaker |
 Dwayne Raupp Cofounder Gumshoe //panelist |
 James Vreeland Cofounder Gumshoe //panelist |
 Dominic Pizzo Owner Enerwatch //panelist |
 Rick Goldstein President, & CEO GPX //panelist |
 David Segura CEO VisionIT //speaker |
 Aaron Schaap Founder Elevator Up//panelist |
 Tom Root Founder MakerWorks //panelist |
 Jason A. Lambiris CEO Apex Digital Solutions //speaker |
 Terry Cross Founder & Chairman Windward Assoc.//moderator |
 Cezzane Charles ArtServe Michigan //panelist |
 Dr. Tom Cellucci Dept. of Homeland Security //video address |
 Lucy Bland Manager Can-Do Kitchen //panelist |
 Tim Lane Scene MetroSpace //panelist |
 Steven Robert Billhighway //panelist |
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Amanda Ross OwnerStunning CreativeAmanda and her husband, Andy Ross, launched a new design and advertising agency called Stunning LLC in April 2010. The company is based in Ann Arbor, and specializes in creative services and strategic marketing for emerging, innovation-based technology companies.A native of Austin, Texas, Amanda attended graduate school in Russian History at Stanford University, and started her business career in Silicon Valley working in a range of industries: Internet and biotech start-ups, non-profit medical, independent film and venture capital.Relocating to Michigan with her husband, Andy, and their daughter in 2001, she spent seven years in software product management in K12 and Higher Education online publishing. As Director of Client Services of Stunning, this summer Amanda took advantage of a unique opportunity to take two groups of Michigan entrepreneurs and business leaders out to California to meet several legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalists: Tim Draper, Frank Caufield, and John Hummer. Cleantech VC Ira Ehrenpreis (Technology Partners) also shared his time with the group.On the trip, she also arranged for several of the entrepreneurs to present their pitches to panels of other Bay Area venture capitalists at the VC Taskforce in Palo Alto.Amanda came back from these trips with an incredible respect for how well Michigan entrepreneurs stack up against their California peers, and a mission to share her enthusiasm to support Michigan’s emerging breed of entrepreneurs. |
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Congressman Hansen Clarke 13th Congressional District of the United States House of RepresentativesCongressman Hansen Clarke was elected to represent the 13th Congressional District of the United States House of Representatives in November 2010. The district covers the East Side of Detroit, Harper Woods, all the Grosse Pointes, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, and Wyandotte. Congressman Clarke serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and as the Vice-President of the Democratic Freshman Class. He also is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.Mr. Clarke was elected three times to the Michigan House of Representatives and twice to the Michigan Senate.Born and raised in the 13th Congressional District, Congressman Hansen Clarke spent most of his life on the lower eastside of Detroit. As the son of an African-American mother and Indian father, he was exposed to diverse experiences and ways of thinking. His mother, Thelma Clarke, was a school crossing guard, and his father, Mozaffar Ali Hashim, was an UAW member who worked in the Ford foundry. Hansen’s mother raised him as a single parent after his father died when Hansen was only eight years old.Recognizing that her son had a gift for the arts, Thelma Clarke secured private lessons for him at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Based on his artistic talent, Mr. Clarke received a scholarship from Cornell University where he graduated with a degree in fine arts. At Cornell, he was elected to the student seat on the University Board of Trustees. Congressman Clarke worked to ensure that Cornell provided financial aid to students whose families needed assistance. He later earned his law degree from Georgetown Law School.After passing the Michigan Bar, Mr. Clarke returned to Detroit and dedicated his career to public service. He has worked on the staff of Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara and U.S. Representative John Conyers.Congressman Clarke is married to Choi Palms-Cohen. |
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Tim Bryan Chairman and CEO, GalaxE.Solutions®Tim Bryan is Chairman and CEO of GalaxE.Solutions, a leading, healthcare-focused developer of custom software and IT business services. He is the creator of the “Outsource to Detroit” initiative.With corporate headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey, GalaxE.Solutions is a worldwide IT solutions provider with nearly 2,000 staff members and offices in Detroit, New York, Toronto, London, China and India.Bryan’s vision of downtown Detroit as an IT hub and alternative to sending work offshore brought GalaxE to the city in April 2010. Driven by projects from clients across the country, the company is ahead of its schedule of hiring 500 IT professionals in Campus Martius at 1001 Woodward Avenue –creating the next generation of healthcare-related IT systems.Such opportunities mean putting Metro Detroiters back to work –including those already skilled in IT as well as others GalaxE will train through college curricula now being developed. |
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Ken Rogers Executive Director, Automation AlleyKen Rogers was named deputy county executive for Oakland County government in 1996. In this position, he is responsible for functioning as executive director of Automation Alley, Southeast Michigan’s technology business association. In his role as executive director, Rogers oversees strategic planning and ongoing activities for Automation Alley’s 1,000 members.The executive director of Automation Alley is responsible for the overall management of the business. The executive director is responsible for policy, the development, approval and accomplishment of business goals, objectives, and all financial matters. The executive director works with the management team to accomplish Automation Alley objectives.
As executive director, Rogers reports to the Board of Directors. Members of the management team at Automation Alley report to the executive director. Prior to his current position, Rogers was director of Oakland County’s Community and Economic Development, where he was responsible for the planning and development division, the equalization department and the community development division. In addition, Rogers was one of the founders of Oakland County’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), served as a member of the governor’s conference on small business and held a seat on the state’s Strategic Economic Investment Commercialization Board from 2006-2010. Rogers was also president of the Oakland County Chamber of Commerce and served as a director of the North Oakland Board of Realtors. Rogers was appointed to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and the United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk in 2010. He is also the chairman of the board for Clarkston State Bank and is also on the board of directors for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. In 2009, Rogers participated in President Barack Obama’s Jobs and Economic Growth Forum at the White House. Rogers has also been actively involved in the community, having served as a member of the board of directors for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and the United Way of Oakland County. In 1992, he received Oakland County’s “Volunteer of the Year” award. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation honored Rogers in 2007 with the Michigan Diversification Celebration’s Outstanding Diversification Achievement Award and in 2008 with the CEO Award of Excellence in Economic Development. Rogers earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration degree and a Doctor of Public Service honorary degree from Central Michigan University. |
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Steven Roberts Partner and Chief Information OfficerPartner and Chief Information Officer at Billhighway.com in Troy, MI. Robert was responsible for building a ground-up financial platform catering to membership-based organizations during the company’s startup in 2002. After spending several years building the business, Billhighway has emerged as a market leader in Financial Performance Optimization, serving hundreds of thousands of customers internationally and processing billions in financial transactions. Billhighway’s SaaS platform provides real-time integration of cash management and accounting, helping organizations enjoy improved financial health, operate more efficiently, and reduce the risk of fraud. Billhighway was awarded a $1.1 million mega-credit through the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and was recently recognized as one of Michigan’s 50 Companies to Watch, which celebrates high-performing second-stage businesses. Corp! magazine named Robert an entrepreneur of distinction and a 2009 Michigan top executive and presented the company the 2010 Business of Science and Technology Award for excellence in technology. Robert has experience in numerous industry disciplines, such as QS9000, ISO 9001,,Lean Manufacturing, CMMI, Six Sigma, Agile, XP, and Scrum. He is a contributor to several pending business method patents, a certified Scrum Master and a participant in the Midwest Technology Leaders mentorship program. Steven was also recognized with a Leader & Innovator Award in 2010 by Lawrence Tech University. |
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Rom LaPointe Co-Founder and President i3Logic Rom LaPointe is the Co-Founder and President of i3Logic. In that capacity, Rom is responsible for the overall leadership of this dynamic and quickly-growing professional services company. i3Logic helps client organizations improve results through human performance consulting, learning, and technology. Client companies are primarily in the pharmaceutical, financial services, manufacturing, and professional service industries.Rom assumed the company’s leadership in April of 2004, when he and his business partner, Peter Kelley, acquired VuCom New Media and refocused the organization under the i3Logic nameplate. Prior to the acquisition, VuCom built a 20 year reputation as a leading corporate marketing and training development company. Rom spent six years on its leadership team, serving as the VP of Operations for two years, and later as President from 2000-2004.Under Rom’s leadership, i3Logic has expanded its customer base, launched new products, enhanced service offerings, and delivered award-winning quality. As a result, the company doubled its revenue three years in a row, while remaining profitable each year since 2004.The value of Rom’s stewardship is felt well beyond i3Logic’s revenue numbers. He has overseen the expansion of the staff, while ensuring the company’s culture and core values of passion, innovation, openness while having fun is not lost. In 2010, i3Logic will employ over 25 full time employees and nearly 40 dedicated strategic resources. To prepare for growth and further enhance a culture of collaboration, i3Logic moved its headquarters to downtown Pontiac, Michigan in 2007 and designed the space with a vision of openness and vibrancy.Rom has been a catalyst for i3Logic’s growth through strategic alliances. In 2007, he coordinated the merger of i3Logic with its primary instructional design and development supplier, BEI Consulting. That merger allowed i3Logic to orient its approach to the marketplace around a powerful change management model. The additional depth of change management and learning strategy has provided i3Logic with a significant differentiation to other service providers.A 1992 graduate of Michigan Technological University, Rom earned degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Scientific & Technical Communications. He currently is the immediate Past President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, which serves 70,000 constituents.Rom also serves as the President of the Detroit Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), a global organization of over 7,500 leading entrepreneurs. Rom and his wife Kerry have been married for 16 years. They are the proud parents of four children, their ages ranging from 14 to 5. The LaPointe family lives in Wixom, Michigan. |
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Carlton Crothers Chief Executive OfficerMTEC SmartZoneCarlton is a visionary economic development executive with extensive private and public sector experience developing unique solutions to community growth and prosperity. He has led and managed collaborations across multi-‐jurisdictional municipalities, states, and even countries. His specialty is regional-‐based economic development with a focus on technology business incubation, acceleration and commercialization.His many successes showcase the broad-‐based experience in negotiating & creating both public/private sector and private/private sector strategic alliances/partnerships, developing new business development strategies, and identifying and creatively securing innovative financing to support initiatives.As the Chief Executive Officer of MTEC SmartZone he led the organization to creating 34 technology-‐ based companies, which created 309 new high-‐tech jobs. This economic activity has generated $68.3 million of public and private investments in a rural Michigan community of 12,000. Through his leadership, the organization has seen double-‐digit growth of new high-‐tech jobs year after year.Before coming to MTEC Mr. Crothers, as the interim general manager of a $130 billion global conglomerate, led the Dallas office in identifying, development, and commercialization of cutting edge technologies domestically and across the globe in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia in nanotechnology, telecom, consumer electronics and software.He has raised over $105 million from the private and public sectors to assist in commercialization of new technologies. Carlton has led various new business development and marketing initiatives in organizations large and small from Global Fortune 50 companies to start-‐ups throughout his career. He earned his MBA from the University of Texas. He enjoys the outdoors and gets away often kayaking all over the Upper Peninsula with his 12-‐year old son. |
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Martin Dober Senior Vice President, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, MEDCMartin Dober is senior vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). In this role, he leads a team focused on delivering programs that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation across business sectors. This includes directing all programs under the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund – a $2 billion, ten-year initiative to transform Michigan’s economy.Before joining the MEDC, Dober held business development positions in several small technology companies, including iRobot Corporation, American Systems Technology, Inc., and EIP, Inc. He worked as a technology business consultant for the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (sbTdc), specializing in equity finance and government contracts. His career also includes experience in mergers & acquisitions at Delphi, finance at Chrysler, and engineering at the Budd Company.Dober holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI). He currently serves on the board of directors for the HBS Club of Michigan and the Kettering University Alumni Association. |
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M. Miche Suboski Champion of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Leap, Inc.Leap, Inc. is just the latest and most recent step in Miche’s personal journey concerning all things Entrepreneur in Michigan. Sixteen years of business ownership and operation (Distributed Computing Consulting and Suboski and Company) as well as several years of corporate work (EDS, Chevrolet Motor Division and Hedden Marketing Services) provides a broad platform of expertise for her to help Entrepreneurs make their ventures happen. In the last five years Miche has been working around the state to build coalitions for the sole purpose of getting Entrepreneurs the resources they need.In an on-going effort Miche will continue to tell Entrepreneurs what they need to hear, hold their hand or put them through the rigors of pitch development when they need it. She will also provide an opening for area Entrepreneur Support Professionals (ESPs) and Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) to collaborate for the good of Entrepreneurs.Miche is grateful for the Leap team and their collective dedication to our common goal …. Regional Economic Prosperity! |
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Governor Rick Snyder State of MichiganAfter graduating from Battle Creek Lakeview High School a semester early, Rick earned three degrees from the University of Michigan, all by the age of 23. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree with high distinction in 1977, his MBA with distinction in 1979 and a JD in 1982.Following a successful career with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), where he became a partner in six years, Rick left his home state of Michigan to help manage Gateway computers. As the 763rd employee to join the company, he guided the growth of Gateway until it became a Fortune 500 company with over 10,000 employees. During these years of rapid growth, Rick was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. He ran the day-to-day operations of Gateway and worked directly with Ted Waitt – the founder of the company.Rick’s record of job creation didn’t stop when he left Gateway in 1997. After proving he can help build and run a multibillion dollar publicly traded company he chose to return to Michigan and focus his efforts on building new businesses from the ground up.He raised an unprecedented $200 million in venture capital funds to invest in building startup businesses, taking ideas and translating them into exciting companies. One of Rick’s many success stories is the creation of HealthMedia, Inc., which provides internet based wellness and disease management tools. HealthMedia’s business plan was crafted on a whiteboard with Rick and a University of Michigan professor, Vic Strecher. With Rick’s investment and leadership, the company has created over 130 jobs in Michigan.Rick has provided early investment and start up assistance for a number of other successful businesses, including Esperion Therapeutics, which was later purchased by Pfizer.In addition to creating new businesses, Rick has been actively involved in economic development on a statewide and local level in Michigan. Governor Engler appointed Rick to serve as the first Chair of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in 1999. Rick quickly put in place a strong business model that became one of the nation’s leading public-private economic development programs. From 1997 to 2000, Michigan won the prestigious Governor’s Cup award from Site Selection magazine every year. This award is presented to the state with the highest number of new or expanded facilities in Site Selection’s database. Also under Rick’s leadership, in 1999 the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor was launched. During Rick’s tenure as Chair, the MEDC initiated legislative efforts for SmartZones to support technology startups. These programs contributed to the formation of new companies across the state.Rick has also been an economic development leader in Washtenaw County for the past decade. Rick wrote the business plan and was the first Chair for Ann Arbor SPARK – one of the most successful economic development programs in the country. Ann Arbor SPARK’s mission is to “advance the development of innovation-based businesses in the Ann Arbor region by offering programs, resources, and proactive support to business at every stage, from start-ups to large organizations looking for expansion opportunities.” Using their Open Source approach to economic development, Ann Arbor SPARK has been instrumental in growing new businesses and attracting existing businesses. Programs include Michigan’s SmartZone network, the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, the Michigan Innovation Equipment Depot and the Economic Development Coalition of Southeastern Michigan. SPARK recently reported that in 2009 it helped secure $147 million in investments for the region, while helping 33 companies announce expansions with plans to hire a total of 2,118. Creating more and better jobs was the number one issue for Rick Snyder in this campaign. He understands what it takes to plan and launch a new business. He has the vision and plan for creating jobs throughout the state. Michigan needs businesses to start, grow and flourish in order to be a great state again – and as Governor, Rick will lead the way. |
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Matt Pickus COO, GPXMatthew Pickus has over 10 years of entrepreneurial businesses and venture investing experience. As Vice President of Hybra-Drive Systems, Matthew was instrumental in the company receiving two VC term sheets, each for $5 million, a Dept. of Defense grant of $1.6million, and $3.325million from the State of Michigan. Before HDS, Matthew and Rick raised $2million for Qure-It, LLC, a light-based paint curing technology. Matthew’s work in strategic/business planning enabled a northern Ohio regional growth partnership to establish a $6,000,000 economic development venture fund. Prior to receiving his MBA from Cornell University, Matthew was an environmental consultant specializing in hazardous and radioactive materials management. Matthew research into tritium decontamination technologies at the Battelle Memorial Institute saved BMI over $250,000. Matthew designed and developed GPX Software’s Excel-based prototype. Matthew also serves on the board of directors of 60-Mile Men, Inc. |
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Daniel Walker Owner, River’s EndDaniel Walker received his B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology from Ferris State University in Big Rapids Michigan in 1988. Since then he has held a variety of Corporate Engineering positions in the Automotive Industry.
Before the end of his corporate life Dan was invited to become a Six Sigma instructor in both DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Implement Control) and DFSS (Design For Six Sigma) methodologies by a major automotive supplier. During this time he developed specialties in a process known as VOC (Voice Of Customer) as well as honing his skills in team development. Now that Mr. Walker has ventured into the world of private consulting it is his desire to spread the culture and methodology imbedded in the Six Sigma philosophy to a much wider cross section of our culture. He has a strong desire not only to teach and mentor corporate organizations but also, non-profit, charitable organizations as well. Mr. Walker has a deep, driving passion to make a significant and positive difference in our world by influencing individuals to improve and grow both professionally and personally. |
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Scott Hauman Founder, LingoWith over 16 years experience in both agency and client environments, Scott helps companies transform their brands to take advantage of what lies ahead through the seamless integration of strategy, design, media, marketing and research. His corporate and product branding experience includes category leaders such as Coca-Cola Refreshments, AlixPartners, La-Z-Boy, Certified Angus Beef, NuStep, Terumo CVS, Federal-Mogul, Chrysler Financial, Yale University, and the University of Michigan Health System.Scott is the founder and director of The Naming Coterie — LinkedIn’s first, global professional group dedicated to the craft of name development. The group (with over 240 members) is comprised of the world’s top naming strategists. |
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Dwayne Raupp Cofounder, Gumshoe |
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James Vreeland Cofounder, Gumshoe |
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Dominic Pizzo Owner, EnerwatchPizzo, a self described grass-root-driven entrepreneur, began his career in the construction world 20 years ago by owning two separate building and materials supply companies. In addition, he built over $10 million in commercial property and multiple facilities ranging from single family dwellings to multi-family apartments to commercial properties. Today, he his CEO and founder of EnerWatch Systems, an energy waste, watch-dog monitoring and alert system. EnerWatch Systems was launched in 2008 for the sole purpose of containing energy waste during construction of multi-family and commercial facilities. Integrating his experience of the past and tapping into the technology sectors, he developed a family of products that identify, collect, analyze, report, advise, and alert his customers to tangible cost savings and ultimately enhance customer revenues.In early 2010, he utilized local resources and enlisted EnerWatch Systems into the Macomb/OU Business Incubator which provides entrepreneurial strategic business solutions and assists in developing intellectual property. Through the OU Incubator Pizzo witnessed other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges. He worked with administration to change the guidelines on client/investor relationships to accurately match investors with entrepreneurs. He recognized that these individuals needed more than an investor to prosper, their success hinged on properly positioning their company’s key elements, strengths, and weaknesses.Dominic recently positioned EnerWatch Systems to be a strategic partner to a major utility company. This alliance will define EnerWatch System as the leader in energy monitoring in commercial facilities and the long term effect will permeate success for him and EnerWatch Systems. |
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Rick Goldstein President and CEO, GPXRichard Goldstein is a veteran technology entrepreneur with thirty years of experience that includes 18 years of profit & loss leadership. Management positions held with several Fortune 500 companies (Rockwell Automation and Robert Bosch GmbH) and entrepreneurial leadership positions with ASAP Software and Synergetic Micro Systems. The combined exit strategies for these two companies generated returns of 135% annually and returned over $36 million. As COO at ElectroJet where he structured the private placement of $880,000, teamed with the CEO and an investment banker to develop and close a multi-year cooperation agreement with Magneti Marelli, and reorganizing the operations of the company. Recent positions include President & CEO of Hybra-Drive Systems where he orchestrated all funding for the enterprise including: two competitive term sheets (each for $5million of new equity), a Department of Defense grant of $1.6million and the highest award in the Michigan 21st Century Jobs fund competition of $3.325million. Prior to Richard was a consultant to SYSCON International, assisting in the turnaround of this software company from EBITDA losses in FY 2001 to a positive EBITDA in 2004 and positive cash flow in FY 2005. Rick serves on the board of Clean Emission Fluids, Inc. and Eco-Fueling, LLC. |
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Aaron Schaap Co-Founder, Gumshoe Aaron is the Founder/CEO of ElevatorUp.com – a company that focuses on helping ideas startup and grow. He’s also founded various other companies like Canvas Hosting and the Factory, along with helping create and foster a variety of events and groups in West Michigan. Aaron believes everything can be made better through community. Whether that community is digital, physical or both, Aaron wants to be a part of it and quite possibly started it. More on Aaron at @schaapy. |
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Tom Root Founder, MakerWorks From the first moment Tom laid hands on a Compaq Portable at the age of 13 he knew he would be a life long fan of science and technology. After graduating from Miami of Ohio with a degree in Business Administration Tom got caught up in the early surge of the Internet and the Web. A couple of years of developing web applications and teaching web technologies for Online Technologies Inc. led Tom to DTE Energy where he managed both the employee facing intranet site and their many public facing Internet sites. Inspired by a trip to the Fancy Food show in San Francisco, Tom and his wife Toni proposed starting a new Zingerman’s business, called Zingermans.com. In 1999 www.Zingermans.com came on line and starting selling food. After merging with the existing Mail Order business in 2001 Tom focused on finance and operations and is currently the chief Lean evangelist. In September of 2011, Tom opened Maker Works a membership based maker space in Ann Arbor MI. Maker Works intends to leverage it’s 11,000 square feet of prototyping and fabrication tools to empower students, retired and out of work trades people and entrepreneurs alike. |
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David Segura CEO, VisionITDavid Segura serves as Chief Executive Officer and is the founder of VisionIT. With a strong technology background within a Fortune 10 corporation, Segura combined his zeal for IT with a bold vision to create VisionIT in 1997. Since that time, Segura has successfully led the company from a startup to a global enterprise.Segura leads the overall VisionIT corporate strategy and develops executive level relationships with its customers and corporate partners. Under his savvy leadership, VisionIT has become one of the most recognized minority-owned businesses in the United States. Part of this recognition is a derivative of Segura’s passion for corporate diversity and minority business development, which has given him a solid reputation as a champion of diversity in the national business community.Throughout his career, Segura has developed strong business partnerships with notable Fortune 500 companies, while helping other minority-owned businesses do the same. Segura also maintains strong relationships with many diversity organizations, such as the National Minority Supplier Development Council, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s while also doing business with many minority-owned firms around the nation.True to his commitment of advancing the roles of minorities within IT, Segura is a founding architect and current vice chair of the nation’s first Hispanic senior-level IT executive organization the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), as well as a long-standing member of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) and the Black Data Processing Association (BDPA).
Segura is also deeply committed to the growth of the community in which he lives and serves. His vision for VisionIT was derived from community involvement where he taught Detroit inner-city youth about technology. That rewarding volunteer experience inspired him to create a VisionIT summer internship program in partnership with Wayne State University. For the past ten years the internship program has provided Detroit high school students with valuable exposure to the growing field of information technology. Segura has served on many non-profit boards including the Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Heat and Warmth Fund. Segura has also been highlighted many times in his career including Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central Great Lakes region as well as Hispanic Business Magazine’s National Entrepreneur of the Year. In early 2010, Segura was selected by President Obama as one of the 50 CEOs to participate in the White House Forum on Modernizing U.S. Government. In the fall of 2010, Segura was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Most recently, Segura was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to serve on the National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise. Segura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. |
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Thomas A. Cellucci, PhD, MBA Chief Commercialization Officer and Senior Counselor for the Under Secretary of Science and TechnologyDr. Thomas A. Cellucci accepted a five year appointment in 2007 from the Department of Homeland Security to serve as the Federal Government’s first ever Chief Commercialization Officer. Cellucci has worked to expand the role of public-private partnerships within government and increase opportunities for cooperative research and development activities in support of the Department of Homeland Security. As Chief Commercialization Officer, Cellucci is responsible for initiatives that identify, evaluate and commercialize technology for the specific goal of rapidly developing and deploying products and services that meet the specific operational requirements of the Department’s operating components, first responders and critical infrastructure/key resources owners and operators. Cellucci leads DHS S&T’s outreach with both the private and public sectors to establish and foster mutually-beneficial working relationships that facilitate cost-effective and efficient product, service and technology development efforts. He has published eight comprehensive books dealing with the development of operational requirements and innovative public-private partnerships in additional to over 20 articles and other resources that facilitate communication both across government and between the public and private sectors.Cellucci has developed and implemented a commercialization process for the Department and established both the SECURE and FutureTECH programs– innovative public-private partnerships to leverage both public and private sector research and development to cost-effectively and efficiently develop technologies, products and services for DHS’ Operating Components, the First Responder community and other DHS stakeholders. Cellucci has instilled a “commercialization mindset” within the Department that focuses on requirements development, forming partnerships and increasing the speed-of-execution to address high priority technology challenges. Cellucci’s partnerships with the private sector have leveraged in excess of $300 million in independent research & development investments directly related to homeland security needs.In 2010, while continuing to serve as Chief Commercialization Officer, Cellucci served as Acting Director of the Office of Public-Private Partnerships and was responsible for the effective integration of the Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) procurement process, Office of SAFETY Act Implementation (OSAI), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Office as well as the Commercialization Office. In addition, he was responsible to leverage the billions of dollars in DHS S&T assets and the expertise of more than 1400 team members through the group’s investments in national labs, universities, international partners, special programs and the private sector and government interagency partners to deliver solutions for the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE). Cellucci is an accomplished entrepreneur, seasoned senior executive and Board member possessing extensive corporate and VC experience across a number of worldwide industries. Profitably growing high technology firms at the start-up, mid-range and large corporate level has been his trademark. In 1999, he founded a highly successful management consulting firm, Cellucci Associates, Inc. He has authored or co-authored 15 books and over 160 articles on requirements development, commercialization, nanotechnology, laser physics, photonics, environmental disturbance control, MEMS test and measurement, and mistake-proofing processes. Cellucci co-authored ANSI Standard Z136.5 “The Safe Use of Lasers in Educational Institutions.” He has also held the rank of Professor or Lecturer at institutions like Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Camden Community College. Cellucci was an early pioneer in advancing the field of nanotechnology in American science, engineering and manufacturing. Dr. Cellucci was instrumental in progressing America’s nanotechnology agenda through his bi-partisan work with Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and many leaders in the United States Senate. Dr. Cellucci’s contributions made possible the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) signed by President George W. Bush in 2004 that added over $3.9 billion to the federal budget specific to the advancement of nanotechnology. Dr. Cellucci was active in discovering and fostering strategic partnerships that brought nanotechnology into a wide array of consumer products — transitioning Zyvex Corporation, as its President and Chief Operating Officer from a nanotech technology-push to market-driven enterprise. Profitably growing firms has been his trademark. In addition, he regularly interacts with high ranking members of the United States government—including the White House, US Senate and House of Representatives. He is often asked to serve as keynote speaker at both business and technical events around the world. Dr. Cellucci has been involved in a number of philanthropic and volunteer pursuits as well. Cellucci served as a Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution’s James Smithson society for five years where he was the primary fund raiser for the Smithsonian with a special emphasis on the National Portrait Gallery’s American Presidents Collection. Cellucci was involved in securing funds for portraits of two Presidents and First Ladies – President and Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton and President and Mrs. George W. Bush. Cellucci has served as a local volunteer firefighter for over 30 years and was commissioned as an Admiral in the Texas Navy by Governor Rick Perry in 2008. Cellucci serves as the Commander of the 3-D (“Detect, Deter and Defend”) Security Command Squadron in the State of Texas with the purpose of educating, preparing and organizing civilians across the state to assist in disaster response efforts. Dr. Cellucci currently serves on President Barack Obama’s Startup America initiative as the Department of Homeland Security representative. Startup America is the White House initiative to promote, inspire and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. Cellucci has contributed many of the commercialization programs begun at the Department of Homeland Security and identified ways to expand similar efforts across the entire Federal Government to spur innovation while promoting public-private partnerships across government. In addition, Cellucci represents the Department of Homeland Security on the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Interagency Working Group on Advanced Manufacturing, aimed at re-establishing American supremacy in this field. As a result of his consistent achievement in the commercialization of technologies and role as DHS’ first Chief Commercialization Officer, Cellucci has received numerous awards from industry, government and business. In addition, he has had the opportunity to interact with high ranking members of the United States government—including the White House, US Senate and US House of Representatives—having provided several executive briefs to three Presidents of the United States and ranking Members of Congress. Cellucci is the first ever U.S. Federal Government representative to the Council on Competitiveness, a prestigious group of senior executives and thought leaders in business and academia focused on ensuring the global competitiveness of the US in technology, innovation, education and industry. Cellucci earned a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania (1984), an MBA from Rutgers University (1991) and a BS in Chemistry from Fordham University (1980). He has also attended and lectured at executive programs at the Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School, Kellogg School and others. Tom and his wife Julie reside in Loudoun County, Virginia and are proud of their children — Laura, Emily, Katie, Brad and Drew. |
