SPEAKERS

Dr. Linda Bowman, President, Community College of Aurora – Welcome

Brian Vogt, Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade –What to Expect for the remainder of 2005.  Economic Development for 2005.

Brian Vogt was appointed by Governor Owens as director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade in March 2004. In this position, he oversees a wide range of economic development activities, including domestic and international business development, small business programs, as well as the Colorado Tourism Office and the Colorado Economic Development Commission. Vogt also serves as a member of the Governor’s cabinet, a member of the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology, a member of the Governor’s Homeland Security Task Force, as the Governor’s designee on the Colorado Economic Development Commission and the Financial Review Committee.  He is also the Acting Secretary of Technology. Prior to working for the state, Vogt spent 18 years as the president of the South Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Louis Hornyak, Executive Director, Colorado Nanotech, Inc. -Are You Nano-Ready?

A brief introduction to nanoscience and technology will be followed up by a discussion about the current state of science and technology education and workforce and what we need to do here in Colorado to enhance those programs.

Dr. Hornyak is the current director of the Colorado Nanotech Initiative, Inc.  This group is responsible for bringing awareness about the promise of nanotech to Colorado institutions and its citizens.  Dr. Hornyak received his PH.D. in materials chemistry at CSU and worked five years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  He is currently in the physics department at the University of Denver.

 Terry Harrison, Dept. Chair of Biology, Arapahoe Community College - Nanotech at Arapahoe Community College

 Martha Jackson, Dept. Chair of Science, Community College of Aurora - Biotech at Community College of Aurora

 Zelda Bailey, Director, Boulder Laboratories, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – The Universal Technician

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) develops and promotes measurements, standards, and advanced technology.  Nearly 60 percent of the staff of about 2,600 employees are scientists and engineers, 20 percent are administrative and clerical, and another 20 percent are technicians.  Technical training in areas such as electronics, computer science, and mechanical engineering are desirable, but technicians are not limited to particular skills and training.  NIST programs are not routine and great flexibility is required from the staff.  The most desirable traits in technicians are overall intelligence, drive, and creativity so that specialized skills can be learned on the job

Zelda Chapman Bailey is the Director of the Boulder Laboratories of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  She manages of the Department of Commerce site, and oversees the facilities and technical infrastructure for NIST Boulder's more than 700 scientific staff and associates.  The Boulder Laboratories of NIST are engaged in a wide range of research activities in measurement science, including time and frequency standards, electromagnetics including superconductivity and electromagnetic fields, optoelectronics, chemical engineering, materials reliability, laser physics, quantum and optical physics, and computational methods. The labs have strong partnerships with industry, other government agencies, and universities.

After graduation from Indiana University with a degree in geology, Zelda began her career as a hydrogeologist with U.S. Geological Survey in Indiana, specializing in ground-water flow modeling applied to ground-water availability and contamination.

Her USGS career took her to Tennessee where she managed several projects; to Puerto Rico where she was Assistant District Chief for Operations in the Caribbean; and to Colorado where she was Associate District Chief for Hydrologic Studies and served terms as Acting District Chief for Colorado and for Wyoming. Before she came to the Department of Commerce, Zelda spent three years with the National Park Service as the founding Director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute.

Dr. Mary Ann Roe, E-Portal Coordinator, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment - The Technology Workforce: Colorado’s Gold Collar Employees

 Developing and maintaining a competitive technology workforce for rapid commercialization of Colorado R&D may be our greatest challenge in the next decade. Advanced and emerging technology is sophisticated and requires knowledge-based applications of mathematics and science. Yet much of the work in technology commercialization—rapid product development, maintenance and repair of complex equipment and after market technical support also requires skills.  Not the work of the engineer and greater than the capability of an operator or assembler—a techno-professional who wears a gold collar. 

Mary Ann Roe, Ph.D. is Coordinator for development and implementation of e-Colorado, the State’s e-Learning Portal for Workforce Development. As an employee of the Workforce Development Programs for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Dr. Roe facilitates communication and work with e-Colorado partner organizations—the Colorado Community College System, the Adult Basic Education and Family Literacy System, and the Colorado Workforce System.  

Dr. Roe is also coordinating a Colorado Institute of Technology project for The Women’s College of the University of Denver.  A shared effort of CU Boulder, CU Denver, and The Women’s College, the project is developing processes to provide information technology (IT) career awareness to community college women, the need for women in IT, as well as the need for undergraduate education to enter this career path. 

A graduate of the Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Roe has studied technology infrastructure in various parts of the world, and has written extensively on technical education and manufacturing.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association, the Colorado Nanotech Initiative, and the Advisory Board for the Women’s College Applied Computing Program at the University of Denver.

Dr. John Sladek, Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center - University of Colorado Health Sciences Center – Fitz

John Sladek, Ph.D. currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and is Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience in the School of Medicine. His office oversees over 3000 human clinical trial protocols and basic research for five schools that comprise the Center including the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Graduate Studies as well as 42 Centers and Institutes. He has oversight responsibility for close to $300,000,000 in annual research expenditures and all regulatory compliance related to research. This includes laboratory animal resources, environmental health safety and others. He is the chief advocate for research at the health sciences center.

Vice Chancellor Sladek also maintains an active, NIH funded research laboratory studying neural repair mechanisms including the use of human neural stem cells in a primate model of Parkinsonism. His laboratory is supported by three NIH grants. He has authored approximately 200 scientific publications and edited several books in the field of neural repair. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Experimental Neurology for the past 15 years. From 1982 through 2001 he chaired Departments of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester and the Chicago Medical School.  He is past president of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago Chapter and was founding President of the American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair. He received his B.A. from Carthage College, where he serves as a Trustee, his M.S. from Northwestern University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. from the Chicago Medical School. He currently serves as Chair of the Neurology merit review committee for the Veterans Administration and is a frequent member of NIH study sections. He recently served as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the NIH. He is a member of numerous professional societies including Alpha Omega Alpha, Sigma XI, AAAS and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a frequent speaker at other universities and has presented over 300 invited lectures.

Cliff Brown, President, President, ADA Technologies, Inc. – ADA Workforce needs in Nanotechnology

Cliff is the President of ADA Technologies, Inc. With over thirty years of experience Cliff has worked in the broad arena associated with Department of Energy technology programs, Engineering services, and small business management and development. Twenty years plus at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory were started with BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering. His initial R&D experience included work in reactor fuel processing, coal conversion technology and environmental control technology. Along the way Cliff discovered that his orientation is more toward program development and management. In the early 1990’s he was both a Section Leader in ORNL’s Chemical Technology Division and a National Program manager for the DOE’s Mixed Waste Technology Program. Work in these venues earned him an AIChE Engineer of the Year award in 1994. Professional and personal wanderlust landed Cliff in Colorado to work for a few years in the Rocky Flats technology program office. His small business career was launched in 1996 when he started an office of an engineering services company. The office grew to 85 people in less than two years through winning a series of government services contracts. Cliff joined ADA Technologies, Inc. in March of 1999 as the Vice President of Operations. In October 2000 he became a principal owner and President. Cliff, his partner Russ Farmer and members of ADA are transforming the company into a vibrant small business that focuses on the commercialization of technology that is developed through federal funding such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and other programs. Amended Silicates, LLC is a stellar example of the success of this transformation process.

Ken Fly, Amgen, Associate Director, Training and Development – Biotechnology Workforce needs

Richard Bolin, Market Analyst, NREL Technology Transfer Office - NREL Technologies

Booker Graves, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Workforce Development -The Role of the State in Emerging Technologies 

Booker “Tally” Graves is a local consultant and businessman. He served as consultant to the highly acclaimed concessions program at Denver International Airport. He is the former owner of the York Street Café and spent many years as General Manager of Airport Concessions at several major airports throughout the nation. Tally grew up in St. Louis Mo attending public schools and Harris Teacher’s College in that city. Booker T. has a strong civic service background as well.  Included is his tenure on the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Coalition to Close the Achievement Gap, America’s Family, S.I.G. of the ITAA, Second Judicial Review Commission, the Colorado Restaurant Association Board of Directors, and several nonprofits.  He was appointed by then Governor Romer to serve on the Business Commission on Childcare Finance and the Colorado Early Childhood Care and Education Commission.  Governor Bill Owens appointed him Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Development for the state of Colorado.