Board Members

Meet the Board of Directors

Rich Mavrogeanes
President & CEO
Discover Video

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Raymond A. (Tony) Allen III
CTC's Board Vice Chair, Mr. Allen is a Managing Partner of The IMPACT Group, a boutique consultancy of experienced senior executives from diverse industry backgrounds that bring angel investment and strategic management consulting to start-up technology businesses, turnarounds and a broad range of public, private and nonprofit sector organizations. He brings more than 20 years of global strategic, environmental and operational management consulting experience to the companies he assists with strategies that result in profitable, accelerated growth of both product and service businesses.

Prior to joining The IMPACT Group, Mr. Allen co-founded Spear Technologies, Inc. in 1997, for which he acquired venture capital to fund and served as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Operations and as a Member of the Board of Directors. In the two-year period that followed, Spear became the leading supplier of Enterprise Asset Management Software to the Public Transportation Industry. Prior to founding Spear, Mr. Allen was Vice President of Operations for Tenera, Inc. a publicly held management consulting firm that served the global energy and transportation markets.

Mr. Allen began his career in 1982 as a scientist and project manager in the consulting engineering field with the E.C. Jordan Company, one of the oldest privately owned engineering companies in the country. When the company was acquired by Combustion Engineering in 1987 and then Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) in 1988, he served as a Project Manager and General Manager where he successfully won and managed contracts with values up to $175 million. In 1991, Mr. Allen was appointed Vice President of Operations and was responsible for the start-up and management of a multi-office region in the southeastern U.S. that grew from start-up to $45 million in sales in 4 years. In 1995, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Strategy and Management Systems.   www.groupimpact.com

Lucy Baney

Lucy Baney, is the President and CEO of Access Technologies Group, Inc. (ATG), a provider of e-learning tools and solutions. Ms. Baney's technical career included jobs as a Systems Programmer, an application programmer and a Systems Engineer. She moved into sales with IBM becoming a sales manager and a branch manager. She ultimately served as an assistant to the chairman and CEO before becoming an executive in product development and marketing. 

After 19 years with IBM, Ms. Baney left to pursue an entrepreneurial path founding ATG as an Internet application development company focusing on the development of e-learning courseware, simulations, and authoring tools. Her most recent venture with e-learning, includes developing a derivative of her patented Simentor® product which will enable disadvantaged people to learn appropriate social interactions (soft skills) that will help them get and retain jobs. In January Ms. Baney was awarded the 2007 Women of Innovation Award for Community Innovation and Leadership by the Connecticut Technology Council. www.atghome.com

Jon Baronowski

Jon Baronowski is a Partner with Ernst & Young. www.ey.com

James Boyle, PhD.

Jim Boyle is a co-founder and the Director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI), a business/educational unit within Yale University with the mission of mentoring students with new
venture ideas. Prior to forming YEI, Boyle was previously responsible within the Office of Cooperative Research (OCR) for the licensing and venture startup of a number of engineering-based technologies. Before joining OCR, he developed and actively managed the University's largest corporate research alliance, managing a large array of both Yale and external scientists in bioimaging-based collaborations. Earlier, Boyle co-founded and grew a predictive analytics consulting practice, providing both technical and pricing guidance on new product development to a wide array of Fortune 1000 companies in the scientific equipment industry.

Boyle began his entrepreneurial career while still a Yale graduate student, developing novel instruments for characterizing trace biomolecules with the support of the National Institutes of Health, and later commercializing these devices through a wide array of OEM partnerships as part of a Yale startup.  www.yale.edu/yei

Kevin Burns

CTC's Chair of the Task Force III - Innovation Ecosystem Committee, Kevin Burns is President and co-founder of Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI, North Haven, www.precision-combustion.com), and is active in technology development in Connecticut. PCI develops and manufactures advanced catalytic reactors and systems for Energy sector applications, including fuel processing, air cleaning, combustion, oil and gas production, and chemicals manufacturing. Kevin’s interest in technology development has included consideration of how a state or region can create an entrepreneurial growth atmosphere that will enable and stimulate startup, emerging and mature stage companies to generate sustainable technology-based industries with high quality jobs. Kevin earned an MBA in Management with distinction from Wharton and a BA in public policy from Princeton University, where he was also a University Scholar and a Woodrow Wilson School Scholar.  www.precisioncombustion.com

Michael Cantor, B.S., J.D.

Born in Hartford, CT, Michael Cantor was admitted to bar in 1984, Connecticut and U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; and registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Cantor, a partner in the firm, graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science with honors in Chemical Engineering / Materials Engineering in 1980. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut in 1983. Mr. Cantor is an Adjunct Professor in Patent Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, Connecticut Patent Law Association, American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, International Trademark Association; Tau Beta Pi. www.cantorcolburn.com

Christopher M. Cerrito
Chris Cerrito is a partner at the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro LLP.  He is a transactional attorney who focuses his work on solving the business needs of venture capital investors and start-up companies, as well as middle market and Fortune 1000 corporations, particularly in the technology sector. In addition to serving as outside general counsel to companies across various industries, Mr. Cerrito regularly represents both buyers and sellers in middle market mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. He also has significant experience in the representation of members of joint ventures, as well as the joint venture entities themselves. Mr. Cerrito also regularly represents clients in connection with significant licensing and other strategic transactions. www.dicksteinshapiro.com

Oni Chukwu
Oni Chukwu is the Executive Vice President and CFO of Triple Point Technology. www.tpt.com

James Cioban, B.A., M.A.
CTC's Vice Chair, Jim Cioban is President and CEO of Cierant Corporation, a developer of applications for multi-channel interactive marketing and publishing. Jim has over 21 years of experience in technology marketing, direct sales, channel management and business consulting.

Prior to leading Cierant and serving as its technology visionary and application evangelist, Jim served for 12 years as President of Technical Marketing Systems, a marketing communications and design firm with a focus in B2B and technology markets. Before Technical Marketing Systems, he served in a variety of sales and product marketing capacities at IBM Instruments Inc., an analytical instrumentation subsidiary of IBM Corporation. Jim also co-founded High Tech Type, an early stage output service bureau, and served as an executive officer and board member for REI, a regional real estate investment firm. He is President of the Bright Star Foundation, a non-profit education innovation foundation, and serves on a variety of regional educational and economic development boards. He has a B.A. in Biochemistry and an M.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College.  www.cierant.com

Glenn M. Cunningham, B.A., J.D.

Mr. Cunningham is a partner at Shipman & Goodwin’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and a member of the firm's seven-person management committee. Glenn’s trial practice includes the prosecution and defense of unfair competition, non-competition agreement, trade secret, trademark, patent and copyright cases. Glenn represents publicly traded and privately held companies in intellectual property and technology cases throughout the United States. Glenn has been a Lecturer in Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law teaching Trial Advocacy for nearly a decade. He is a frequent lecturer who has been called upon to provide legal commentary to the media in areas of the law such as illegal music downloads over peer-to-peer networks.  www.shipmangoodwin.com

Robert C. Daigle, B.S., M.B.A.
Mr. Daigle was appointed Vice President of Research and Development, Chief Technology Officer of Rogers Corporation in July 2003. In this position, Daigle is primarily responsible for leading Rogers'
efforts in developing products and acquiring technology to drive the Company's growth for the future. Since January 2006, he has been serving as Chairman of the Board at Rogers Chang Chun Technology Co., Ltd., a joint venture of Rogers Corporation and Chang Chun Plastics, Co., Ltd., located in Taipei, Taiwan.  Daigle joined Rogers in 1988, serving as Development Engineer in Research and Development. He remained in R&D for six years and then transferred to Corporate Marketing. In 1996, he joined the Microwave Materials Division (now Advanced Circuit Materials Division) as Engineering Manager and was promoted to Division Manager in 1997. In 2001, he was promoted to Vice President of the Advanced Circuit Materials Division (ACMD) at Rogers. He has led ACMD through significant changes and achieved great success during his tenures as Division Manager and Vice President.  Mr. Daigle has a B.S. in Chemical & Materials Engineering, UConn and an M.B.A from Rensselaer. www.rogerscorp.com.

Kate Emery
Kate is the Founder & CEO of Walker Systems Support, as well as the Founder of Social Enterprise Trust (reSET). To find out more about Kate, here's an article from the Hartford Courant.  www.thewalkergroup.com.

John Emra
Mr. Emra is Regional Vice President External & Legislative Affairs for AT&T's Connecticut operations, and is responsible for overseeing the company's relationships with local, state and national officials and managing the company's external affairs directors. In addition, he manages the company's annual charity drive in the state through the SBC Foundation. Emra previously served as the national spokesperson in Washington, DC, for SBC Communications Inc., on legislative and regulatory matters. Prior to that posting, he was the SBC spokesperson for all legislative and regulatory issues for the company in Connecticut.

Patricia Fisher

CTC's Chair of the Task Force II - Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) Committee, one of its founding partners, Patricia A. P. Fisher is one of the founding partners of JANUS and now leads as its President and CEO. A twenty-five year veteran in the field, Ms. Fisher has consulted with business and government organizations worldwide on security, forensics, and business recovery issues. She has made significant contributions to two books on information security, writes regularly for a variety of publications, and has been interviewed on both radio and TV on numerous occasions as an expert in the field.

With a clear vision, Ms. Fisher has embarked on a path to solidify JANUS as one of the premier companies in the country dedicated solely to information security and business recovery services. www.janusassociates.com

Chris Friday
Mr. Friday is the Senior VP of Information Systems and CIO for Mohegan Sun.  In this vital role, Friday oversees the Information Systems division which includes the Systems Infrastructure and Engineering department, as well as the Customer and Application Services department.  He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College in Wellesley, MA.  Chris resides in North Stonington, CT with his wife Elizabeth, son Alexander and daughter Sophia. www.mohegansun.com

Rob Friedland
Robert J. Friedland was a co-founder of Proton Energy Systems in 1996.  Today Mr. Friedland serves
as the President and CEO of Proton Energy Systems  Mr. Friedland is a recognized expert in the hydrogen energy industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to Proton Energy Systems.  Before becoming President and CEO in July 2008, Mr. Friedland served as the COO, Senior VP of Hydrogen Generation, Senior VP of Products and Manufacturing and VP of Operations. Mr. Friedland joined
Proton Energy from Hamilton Sundstrand, a division of United Technologies, where he was the
Program Operations Manager of Navy and Electrochemical Systems. Mr. Friedland earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University and his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Currently, Mr. Friedland is a Director of the National Hydrogen Association and chairs the Financial Compliance Committee.  He has delivered numerous papers and presentations on
current and future uses of hydrogen. http://www.protononsite.com/

Elliot Ginsberg                                                            
As President and Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Elliot Ginsberg identifies and directs the formulation, implementation and execution of innovative economic development tools/programs to promote the region’s technological capabilities. He works closely with CCAT’s Board of Directors to carry out CCAT’s mission, goals and objectives - B.A., Economics, Franklin & Marshall College; J.D., University Of Connecticut School Of Law. 
http://www.ccat.us

Andy Greenawalt

CTC's Chair of the Task Force II - Technology-based Economic Development (TBED) Committee, Andy Greenwawalt founded Continuity Engine, Inc. after 10 years as Founder and CTO of Perimeter eSecurity. Perimeter eSecurity pioneered the security as a service industry and has been one of the fastest growing companies in the country with over a dozen awards to its credit. While at Perimeter, Andy
also served on the board of directors. Andy is currently the President of Gnostic Ventures, a company that advises on security investments, speaks on SaaS and the creation of value, and invests in
SaaS companies. He studied philosophy and linguistics at UMass Amherst and is an Entrepreneur Partner at CTech.  www.continuity.net

Richard Harris, J.D.
Rick Harris,  CTC's Board Secretary, is resident in the firm's New Haven office, leading Day Pitney's Technology & Intellectual Property Business group. His practice includes structuring, negotiating and documenting the acquisition, disposition and recapitalization of technology-related business enterprises and assisting clients in the implementation of a broad range of strategic outsourcing arrangements.

He has advised large financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies, and multinational manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies in connection with their multi-year, multimillion-dollar IT and telecommunications outsourcing and managed services arrangements.
In addition, Rick advises leading technology companies in connection with computer and other technology licenses, technology transfer and joint venture agreements, system development agreements and copyright, trademark and trade secret matters. Much of Rick's technology licensing practice is devoted to the transfer and commercialization of technology from research universities around the United States to private industry.

Rick regularly lectures around the country and writes on intellectual property law topics relating to computer technology and technology outsourcing. Most recently, Rick's presentations include programs entitled "Technology Outsourcing in the Financial Services Industry: Contingency Planning - A Contractual Approach to Managing Uncertainty" in Stamford, Connecticut and "Negotiating Telecommunications Outsourcing Deals: Major Issues in Integrating Managed Services Agreements" in Dallas, Texas. In the Spring of 2004, he joined representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice and federal and state law enforcement agencies in a panel discussion entitled"Cyberthieves in Corporate Vaults," presented at a seminar sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association. Rick is also a Director, and past Chair, of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut. www.daypitney.com

Paul Hermes

CTC's Board Vice Chair , Paul Hermes is the Chief Technology Officer, Surgical Solutions for Covidien. He resides in North Haven, CT. www.covidien.com

Rick Huebner

CTC's Co-Chair, Membership and Operations Committee, Mr. Huebner is President & CEO of Visual Technologies, Inc., a software development and technology consulting firm in Hartford, Connecticut and has more than 20 years of experience in technology: designing, developing, consulting, and managing projects.

Mr. Huebner serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut World Affairs Council.  He is active in the Connecticut Technology Council, serves as co-chair for Connecticut’s IT Cluster, and participates in the Governor’s Competitiveness Council.  He is also active in various community and civic organizations in his home town of Portland, CT.  These include serving on the board of directors of the Swedish Cemetery, participating as member of Zion Lutheran Church’s property committee, and acting as Advancement Chairman and committee member for Boy Scout Troop 2.  Rick has a B.S. from Lehigh University.  www.visualtechnologiesinc.com

Jack Hughes

In November 2000, Jack Hughes founded TopCoder on the premise that talent and skill are the determinant factors in the quality and utility of software  - and software has become central to the global economy.

In both his own programming experience and as co-founder and chairman of Tallan Inc., a provider of web-enabled business solutions, Hughes recognized that while successful projects were driven by superior programming skills, the talent was unqualified and largely unrecognized. TopCoder's mission is to create objective ratings that place high value on the programming industry's best and brightest, and build opportunity and community for programmers through ongoing programming tournaments and employer connections. Under Hughes' tenure as chairman at Tallan, the company was recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in North America four years in a row by consultancy firm Deloitte & Touche and by Inc. magazine for its outstanding performance. In 2000, CMGI, Inc. acquired a majority ownership of the company.  Hughes holds a B.S. degree in computer science from Boston College. He is director and vice chair of the executive committee and chair of the strategy committee for the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation. www.topcoder.com

Chris Kalish
Chris Kalish, CTC's Immediate Past Chairman of the Board, is an independent consultant working on IT projects and is .  Prior to 2012, he served as the Director and Chief Technology Officer of the GE Edgelab , where he managed strategic corporate initiatives from New Product Introductions (NPIs) and Market Entrance Strategies to stochastic risk modeling and econometrics. Prior to his tenure at GE, Chris was a Technical Fellow at PepsiCo, where he was responsible for global systems architecture and technology strategies. Chris has research experience in parallel systems and hardware and compiler design, and has led applied studies in emerging technologies, such as biometrics, sales force automation, and broadband wireless technologies. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. www.thekalishes.com

Miles Lasater

As Founder and COO, Miles Lasater has provided leadership to take Higher One from an idea among a few college students to a publicly traded company serving over 5 million students. At Higher One he is responsible for delivering on customer, client, employee and shareholder expectations – the doing and getting it done part.  Along the way to a 2010 IPO, Higher One was recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine and Entrepreneur magazine. www.higherone.com

Prior to founding Higher One, Miles was a member of the invention team at Walker Digital, where he worked on intellectual property for companies such as Priceline and Retail DNA. (They actually called him something like an “inventor intern” and paid him to read about stuff he was interested in anyway.)  Previously, he worked in Silicon Valley as a computer consultant (a fancy way of saying he worked with computer servers and spent a lot of time on ladders or hands/knees installing wiring). During college, he was Rookie of the Year at Flying Colors Painting where he managed a residential painting franchise.

Active in the New Haven community, Miles is on the board of the Yale-New Haven Hospital and has served as a member of the Port Authority of New Haven and Yale’s Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility. Recipient of the Elm-Ivy Award, Miles was recognized by the Mayor of New Haven and the President of Yale for strengthening partnerships among the New Haven and Yale communities. As an extension of his interest in civic life, social entrepreneurship and technology, he co-founded SeeClickFix, a Government 2.0 start-up which is growing quickly. He has served as volunteer tax preparer and is the creator of Cluefest, an annual city-wide scavenger hunt. (Yes, it’s silly, but fun! He invites you to join in some time.)  www.higherone.com

Richard Leone
CTC's Chair of the Task Force I - Community Committee, Richard Leone is the President and CEO of COCC, Inc. He has 20 years experience in the information technology and accounting industries. As COCC’s leader, Mr. Leone is presiding over the unprecedented migration of all the company’s customers to its state-of-the-art INSIGHT relational core system.

Leone is a recognized speaker on topics ranging from bank technology to service strategies and support methodologies. He is a member of the Economic Development Commission in Farmington, Connecticut and was awarded a CPA designation from the state of Connecticut in 1985.  www.cocc.com

Peter Longo CPA,CFA  

Peter Longo is the President and CEO of Connecticut Innovations. He joined Connecticut Innovations in 1995.  He manages CI’s array of initiatives, including its venture capital investments, laboratory infrastructure fund and support service initiatives.  Under his leadership, CI introduced the Pre-Seed Support Services Program, Connecticut Clean Tech Fund and CTech, an entrepreneurial assistance initiative.  Additionally, Peter oversees the administration of the ratepayer-funded Connecticut CleanEnergy Fund.

Peter has invested in over 20 early-stage investment opportunities across a variety of technology sectors, leading CI investments in Achillion Pharmaceuticals (bioscience), CYA Technologies (software), Nufern (photonics), Perimeter eSecurity (IT infrastructure), Post-N-Track (software) and Transaction Methods (IT infrastructure).  He serves on the boards of CYA Technologies, ExeCue (software) and Post-N-Track. He is a board observer of Perimeter eSecurity and Transaction Methods.

Prior to being named president and executive director of CI in 2007, Peter was a member of CI’s investment team and most recently was chief investment officer for CI.  He also previously served as controller of CI before he joined the investment team.  Peter is a certified public accountant and a chartered financial analyst. He earned a  bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut and holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Hartford. Peter also served six years in the Connecticut Army National Guard.  www.ctinnovations.com

Joe Lubenstein
Joe Lubenstein is Director of Cronus Partners LLC Investment Firm.  He leads the firm’s efforts in the aerospace and defense supply chain. The former President of Kaman Aerospace Corporation, a diversified aircraft structures and components company and a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation (KAMN), he previously had a 30-year career with Pratt and Whitney that included senior management positions in Engineering, Finance, Manufacturing Operations, Program Management, Quality Assurance, and Commercial and Military Spare Parts. Mr. Lubenstein is currently engaged by the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) as the Industry Partnership Coordinator for The Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science.

Frank J. Marco, J.D.
Frank Marco, Partner at Wiggin and Dana LLP, a full service law firm in New Haven, has experience which includes six years in the General Counsel's office of General Electric Company, where he was also General Counsel to General Electric Venture Capital Corporation. This gives him a unique background in the venture capital process. 

In honoring Frank with its "Distinguished Service Award," Connecticut Innovations, Inc. described him as "a driving force in the growth of high technology in Connecticut." Frank is a Director and past Chairman of the Connecticut Venture Group and a founder of the central Connecticut chapter. He was a co-founder of the Connecticut Technology Council, where he was secretary and a Board and executive committee member, and is a director nominee, is a member of the Connecticut Software Cluster Advisory Board, the Operating Committee of Connecticut United for Research Excellence and is a director nominee, and is a co-founder of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut. He was Chairman of "Crossroads," a regional venture fair, for 2001 and 2002 and is a member of the Steering Committee. He is a member of the Technology Transfer Advisory Board of the Governor's Council on Economic Competitiveness. www.wiggin.com

Rich Mavrogeanes
Rich Mavrogeanes is President and Chairman of Discover Video, a new Connecticut high technology company that delivers innovative network video solutions. Rich is also the Founder and former CTO of VBrick Systems, which delivers products and systems for real-time and on-demand video over networks, and which achieved a #1 marketing share in the Video Enterprise Business. Mr. Mavrogeanes has been in the communications industry for some 35 years. Before founding VBrick, he was a senior executive at several other young companies including Avidia Systems, SNT, in the defense industry at Dataproducts Corporation, and GDC.

He writes a monthly column for Streaming Media magazine, received the "Innovator of the Year" award from Business New Haven, was named one of 15 industry executives to Federal Computer Week's "Federal 100" list for making a difference in Federal Information Technology, and has
received the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur Of The Year Finalist" Award. Rich also serves on the
Connecticut State Commission for Education Technology Commission, and several industry and
non-profit boards. www.discovervideo.com

Andy McCarthy

Andy McCarthy is the VP of Engineering & Technical Operations, Western NE Region, Comcast. www.comcast.com

Alan Mendelson

CTC's Assistant Treasurer and Vice Chair of the Task Force II Technology-based Economic Development (TBED) Committee, Alan Mendelson is a Founder and General Partner of Axiom Venture Partners, a firm with over $200 million under management that invests in both IT and Health Sciences, particularly Biotechnology. Prior to founding the venture capital firm, Mr. Mendelson had a 24-year career in investments at Aetna Life & Casualty where he was responsible for building its $135 million venture capital portfolio of direct and partnership investments that led to realizations of over $400 million. He was also a Founder of Thermoscan, now a $100 million subsidiary of Gillette. He presently serves on the board of one public company, and is a Director or observer on five. Mr. Mendelson has also been involved in technology development in the State of Connecticut for over 20 years.

He chaired the finance committee of the first Technology High Tech Task Force under Governor O'Neill in 1984 and since then has been involved in several other initiatives. He currently is a member of the Investment Committee of Connecticut Innovations, and a Director of the Connecticut Technology Council and the MIT Enterprise Forum. He has received the Leadership Award from the Connecticut Venture Group, of which he was a prior President, as well as the Distinguished Service Award for Connecticut Innovations. Among his activities outside of Connecticut, he is a Director of the National Research Center for Women and Families in Washington, D.C. and a member and former Co-Chairman of the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences in Claremont, CA. Previously, he was the President and CEO of Aetna, Jacobs, and Ramo, where under his direction, ES Jacobs and Company realized approximately $200 million on $40 million of invested capital. He has also done extensive consulting on the entrepreneurial activities of several large companies including Glaxo, Texas Instrument, DuPont and IBM.  Mr. Mendelson concentrates on the biopharmaceutical sector, particularly therapeutics. Mr. Mendelson has an undergraduate degree in economics and a law degree.  www.axiomventures.com

Frank Milone
Frank Milone is a Partner at Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina's Assurance and Advisory Services.  His in-depth knowledge of businesses in technology, medical devices, manufacturing and service was already well established when he co-founded FML. More than a decade of audit and advisory experience with Ernst & Young made his thinking invaluable to companies that have since benefited from his expertise. ADVO, Inc.; The Stanley Works; NetKey, Inc.; Ikonisys, Inc.; and SmartEquip, Inc. are just a few of them. The range of his experience includes companies in all life stages—from the start-up with complex needs to the public company looking for expert financial advice or Sarbanes 404 expertise. He has a BS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and is the Hartford Chapter President of the Connecticut Venture Group. www.fmlcpas.com

Matthew Nemerson

CTC's President and CEO, Matthew has spent his career building stronger communities by leading creative organizations, promoting entrepreneurship and growth policies and starting and assisting innovative businesses in Connecticut. Since 2003 he has been President and CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC), an organization dedicated to stimulating the growth of the state’s innovation economy. Previously, he was Executive Vice President & COO of Netkey, Inc. a start-up software firm in Branford which was acquired by NCR. Through events, partnerships and advocacy, CTC facilitates support in the state for technology- led economic growth. It fosters the creation of
a culture of innovation that will lead to investment and job expansion due to an attractive global reputation and policies. In 1983, after running a business in Washington D.C., Matthew was the founding Vice President of the Science Park Development Corporation, the inner city tech park and incubator complex affiliated with Yale University utilizing the former Winchester Rifle factory complex.

He left Science Park to become president for the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the affiliated
Regional Leadership Council. During his 13 years there, he founded and ran a downtown development corporation.
Before Science Park, he was publisher of the national policy magazine The Washington Monthly, a reporter for  Fortune Magazine, a staff director for a committee of the Connecticut State Legislature and worked for the late U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff (D-CT). Matthew is a 1978 graduate of Columbia College (BA) in the City of New York, the
Yale School of Management in 1981 (MPPM aka MBA) and has attended the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina. He lives in New Haven with his wife, Marian Chertow, professor of Industrial Ecology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and his two daughters. Among various volunteer activities, Matthew is chairman of the  New Haven Parking Authority, has recently been on the Connecticut United Way Board  and is a member of the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board. From 2009 to 2011 he was the volunteer chair of TECNA, the association of technology councils from across the USA and Canada.  www.ct.org

Chuck Pagano
Chuck Pagano, CTC's Chairman of the Board, joined ESPN prior to its debut on September 7, 1979 as a technical director, was named to the newly created post of Executive Vice President, technology in 2005. He is responsible for all technology sectors within ESPN, including television, radio, and new media, as well as research and development. Prior to this position, Pagano served as senior vice president, technology, engineering and operations (1999 - 2005), where he led his department and oversaw engineering, operations, facilities and new technology.

At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention (2004) in Las Vegas, he was awarded the "Technology Leadership" award from Broadcasting and Cable Magazine as recognition for his many contributions to sports television production and high definition television (HDTV) technology rollout, implementation, and planning. www.espn.com

David E. Parekh
David Parekh is Vice President, Research, and Director at United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), for United Technologies Corp. Parekh came to UTC from the Georgia Tech Research Institute, where he was Deputy Director. Earlier in his career, Parekh held several important program leadership and principal investigator roles at Boeing Phantom Works and in the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories.

Parekh holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and master's degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from Stanford University, as well as a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. www.utc.com

Leon A. Pintsov, M.S, Ph.D.
Mr. Pintsov is Chief Scientist & VP, International Standards and Advanced Technology at Pitney Bowes. He has been with Pitney Bowes for more than 15 years and has held positions of increasing responsibility in operations, strategic marketing, postal automation and advanced concepts and development. Mr. Pintsov is an internationally recognized authority in the field of postal payment security and payment applications in electronic commerce.

He is also recognized as an expert in the field of computer imaging and optical character recognition. Mr. Pintsov is an inventor and co-inventor in 31 US and international patents. He holds an M.S. degree in Mathematics Magna Cum Laude from the University of St. Petersburg (Russia), an Executive M.S. degree in Management Science from the Hartford Graduate Center of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and
a Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics from the Institute of Telecommunications Engineering in St. Petersburg. www.pwb.com

Ernst Renner
Mr. Renner is the founder, managing member and CEO of NEOS LLC and Vgo Software, Inc., respectively. Ernst is responsible for the strategic direction of both companies. NEOS provides full-spectrum solutions for the enabling of enterprise services to clients from the Fortune 500 to medium sized businesses. In 2003, Ernst launched Vgo Software, which provides products and services for the modernization market. He has driven international expansion of both companies with customers in the US, EU, UAE, Japan and Australia. Ernst speaks internationally on emerging technologies and how businesses can best leverage them. Ernst has over 18 years of business and technology experience and is a graduate of ESCU with a BS in Computer Science.
www.neosllc.com.

Eric Rosow
Eric Rosow, Entrepreneur, was Vice President & General Manager of Sunrise Patient Flow for Allscripts Corporation, and also served as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Premise.  In that position, Mr. Rosow was responsible for establishing the strategic direction of Premise's growth and expansion initiatives and defining the Company's leadership as a provider of performance optimization solutions.

Mr. Rosow has over 18 years of biomedical engineering and executive healthcare management experience, and holds six patents, has written more than 50 academic papers and book chapters, co-authored one book and has presented at such notable conferences as the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), IQPC's Best Practices in Optimizing Patient Throughput, the National Association for Healthcare Access Managers (NAHAM), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

Mr. Rosow earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Trinity College, and received his Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Hartford Graduate Center/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His professional affiliations include memberships in: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS); the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE); the Data Warehouse Institute; the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS); the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI); and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

William Rucci
Bill Rucci joined Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) in 1993, to consolidate and lead their IS infrastructure organization. In 2000, Bill was given the title of Chief Information Officer for the company. That role expanded in 2002 to CIO for HSB Group.  Prior to joining HSB, Bill spent twenty years with Aetna Life and Casualty. He focused on Information Systems management; leading application development, directing IT technical services, and setting IS strategy from a corporate perspective.

Bill is a long time member of the Society for Information Management (SIM). Through this organization he and the other members share effective solutions, and spend time investing in the community (developing student's career interest in IS at the high school and college level).  As a 2006 & 2007 board member for the Connecticut Technology Council, a Connecticut based industry group, Bill has the opportunity to influence the state's understanding and positioning to attract and retain technology based companies in the region. He also is an active participant in the Greater Hartford Arts Council, an organization whose purpose is to develop and support an appreciation of the Arts in central Connecticut. Bill was also the 2004 HSB Campaign Chairperson for the United Way. www.hsb.com

Joe Savage
CTC's Treasurer, Joe Savage is Executive Vice President of Webster Commercial Banking and is responsible for directing Webster Bank's commercial operations and wealth management. He joined Webster in April 2002. In 2003, Savage assumed oversight responsibility for the newly formed Webster sales council, an internal organization that brings together teams of sales professionals from the company’s commercial banking, business and professional banking, wealth management, insurance and treasury business lines to develop cross-selling opportunities. Under his direction, the group has more than doubled its sales volume.

Prior to joining Webster, Mr. Savage was Executive Vice President of the Communications and Energy Banking Group for CoBank in Denver, Colorado. An active leader in professional and community organizations, Savage also serves on the boards of directors for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and the MetroHartford Alliance. He received a B.A. from Manhattan College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Seton Hall University. www.websterbank.com

Al Subbloie
Recognized as a telecommunications technology and Internet pioneer, Al Subbloie brings a visionary approach to Tangoe. In 1984, after leaving Andersen Consulting, Al co-founded and served as CEO of Information Management Associates (IMA). Al was among the first to develop and market both call center voice and data solutions for integrated sales, marketing, telemarketing, and customer service activities. He guided the growth of this market leading company to more than $50M in sales, and more than 300 customers in seven offices worldwide. In 1997, Al co-founded Buyersedge.com, an Internet company in the field of reverse auction.

Al is credited with one of the patents for reverse auction theory, the leading Internet paradigm in most shopping sites today. (Ensera acquired Buyersedge.com.) Al also founded Freefire, a web-enabled eCRM customer interaction software, supporting email response, chat, and remote telephony in an ASP model involving complex data distribution requirements. (Freefire was subsequently acquired by Teletech Holdings.) Al served on the board for Acsis, Inc., the leading provider of RFID device management technology solutions (which, under Al's leadership, was sold to Safeguard Scientific in Dec. 2005) and currently serves on the Board of NYC-based Operative Inc.

Al has also served as Chairman of the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) and now serves as a Board member for the CTC. As president and CEO of Tangoe, Al has led the vision of the company to become the leading software provider in the Telecom Expense Management (TEM) space. Prior to IMA, Al received a degree with honors in Economics from Trinity College.   www.tangoe.com

Gio Tomasi
It’s no wonder that Gio Tomasi studied physics while in college. In many ways, the success of RSL Fiber Systems, which he co-founded in 2001, is all about “physics” – that is, the dynamic, interactive and conducive environment he has nurtured, and which has been so central to the company’s growth and prosperity.

For Tomasi, a recognized leader in the fiber optic cable industry with more than 25 years as an entrepreneur, senior executive and development engineer, success is all about putting the right people in the right place at the right time to allow the “magic” to happen – the unabashed exchange of inspiration, knowledge and ideas that results in the most innovative solutions to the most difficult technological challenges. “We have a dynamic environment here where we exchange ideas without worrying about titles or chains of command,” Tomasi says. “It’s critical for me to step back and let the ‘chemistry’ happen.” That chemistry has made RSL Fiber Systems Connecticut’s fastest growing technology company in the advanced manufacturing segment, winning the Connecticut Technology Council / Marcum LLP award in 2010.www.rslfibersystems.com

Chris Van der Stad
Chris Van der Stad is the Vice President of IT / R&D for Open Solutions, Inc. www.opensolutions.com

Matt Walton
Matt Walton is CEO of MyCare, Inc. a healthcare information technology company in Westport CT. Over the course of a thirty year career, Mr. Walton has served as both a founder and senior executive of both large and small enterprises. He has successfully started, grown and sold companies in the health care, information technology, professional services and homeland security industries. Mr. Walton has also been actively involved in the development of open data standards for health care and emergency management having served as Chairman of the Emergency Interoperability Consortium. Mr. Walton is engaged in developing companies in the health care sector in association with a number of venture companies and private equity firms. Mr. Walton resides in Westport, CT with his wife and son. www.samihealth.com

Kevin Williams
Kevin Williams has held various engineering and management positions over the last 24 years. Presently, Kevin leads engineering teams in Tolland, CT; Ikast, Denmark; and Shanghai, China. In addition to his duties as CTO at Gerber Technology, Kevin was formerly the Chairman of the Technology Advisory Board of Gerber Scientific, Inc. and a member of the GS, Inc. Senior Management Team.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He holds over 20 U.S. and foreign patents and is a former member of the Computer Systems Technical Advisory Committee (CSTAC) at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C.

Ira Yellen
CTC's Vice Chair of the Task Force I - Community Committee, Ira has a background in public relations, marketing and design, and oversees a wide range of marketing and communications projects for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofit organizations. FEC clients served include: Connecticut Community College System; Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, University of Connecticut (Schools of Education, Business and Continuing Education), Deloitte & Touche, LLP; Hospital for Special Care; Laidlaw Transit, Inc.; ADVO, Inc.; CIGNA; Hartford Hospital; United Healthcare; and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

A graduate of Pratt Institute, Ira started his career as a designer of residential renovation projects in Brooklyn, New York. While working with Margaret Mead in the early 1970s, he began exploring the relationships that intertwine commerce, civic institutions, society and human nature - a perspective that continues to influence his work today. As a chronicler and fund-raiser for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island restoration project during the 1980s, Ira applied his entrepreneurial skills to help raise more than a $100,000 for the preservation of this important national monument.

With his company First Experience Communications, Ira has developed his strategic skills to encompass leading-edge practices including integrated marketing communications, electronic commerce, and interactive multimedia projects.

His company has a unique niche in public education and public relations by creating communication models for school districts and large non-profit and regional organizations in the State of Connecticut. Ira currently counsels in marketing and public relations to over 40 school systems in the following areas: crisis communications; community relations; budget and referendum issues; technology; curriculum improvement; diversity and inter-district issues; and internal communications. firstexperience.com

Rita Zangari

Rita Zangari has over 30 years of economic development experience, and is currently Executive Director, Technology Partnerships and Licensing at the University of Connecticut. Previously, she served as Director of the University’s Office Technology Commercialization (OTC) and as its Associate Director, creating new economic development and tech transfer initiatives while acting as Executive Director of the Technology Incubation Program. This business incubator supports the success of technology ventures at three UConn campuses. Rita also served as the State’s Deputy Commissioner for Economic Development and held a variety of economic development leadership positions supporting small and large businesses. She was responsible for State initiatives and legislation supporting technology business development, including the Office of Bioscience, the Crossroads Venture Group (CVG) Business Plan Competition, and industry cluster programs in the bioscience, aerospace, plastics, insurance and maritime sectors.

Rita is experienced in planning and implementing economic development initiatives and is very familiar with the region’s business community. A founding member of the Connstep Board of Directors, Rita served for more than ten years building the effectiveness of this NIST supported manufacturing extension service. She served on the board of the nonprofit Connecticut Economic Resource Center for a similar period. Rita was honored by the Connecticut Turnaround Managers Association (TMA) with the inaugural TMA Public Service Award and was named Public Official of the Year at the 2004 Team Connecticut Rally. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut. www.uconn.edu