Dr. Thomas G. Brown
Director, Institute of Optics
Thomas G. Brown has been on the faculty of the Institute of Optics since July of 1987, has held the rank of full professor since 2008, and is currently the director of the Institute of Optics and a Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor. Professor Brown is a fellow of Optica and SPIE, is editor in chief of the Journal of Modern Optics, and serves as chair of the annual multidimensional microscopy conference (Photonics West). He was the founding director of the Robert E. Hopkins Center for Optical Design and Engineering, the architect of the optical engineering curriculum at the Institute of Optics, served as a program co-chair for the centennial program of Optica, and is former president and honorary member of the Rochester Local Chapter of Optica. He was foundational in establishing the plans for the Test, Assembly, and Packaging program within AIM Photonics and currently serves as the academic co-lead for Test, Assembly, and Packaging within AIM Photonics.
In 2017, Dr. Brown received a Goergen award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. His professional affiliations have included Optica, SPIE, the Materials Research Society, and the American Physical Society. He has served as referee for numerous professional journals, and has served on the Technical Program Committee for the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, Photonics West, Optics and Photonics (the annual meeting of SPIE), Opto-Northeast, and Frontiers in Optics (the annual meeting of Optica). He has authored over 95 publications, ten patents, three book chapters, was an editor for the four-volume Optics Encyclopedia, and served as co-contributor of articles entitled Light and Polarized Light for the 2008 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia.
Jenifer Bunis
Principal, Westlake Photonics
Jenifer Bunis is a native of Buffalo, New York, and in 1986, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Armed with this unique and highly specialized degree, she moved to Boston to begin her career at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where she worked as a research associate in the Laser Radar Group, under the Star Wars defense program. After two years in this role, she decided to move away from pure research and towards a more commercial venture. She joined Questek, a manufacturer of Excimer lasers, as an applications engineer. Upon the sale of Questek four years later, Bunis accepted a position as the first Sales Engineer for Synrad, then a small CO2 laser startup in a Seattle suburb. Bunis stayed at this company for almost twenty years, growing the company and her responsibilities along the way. From a sales engineer to executive vice president, Bunis gained valuable experience in operations, business development, sales, and supply chain management.
Bunis’ years of industry experience culminated in joining the board of Rofin-Sinar, an international laser and systems manufacturer, acquired by Coherent in 2016. Bunis then started Westlake Photonics, a photonics consulting firm specializing in talent acquisition, business development, and M&A. Bunis brings 25+ years of experience in management of all aspects of laser/photonics business including components, systems, and applications, as well as an extensive personal/business network in photonics.
Dr. Milton Chang
Managing Partner, Incubic Management
Milton Chang is the author of Toward Entrepreneurship and managing partner of Incubic Management. He was president of Newport and New Focus, which he took public, and the companies he incubated resulted in six IPOs and seven acquisitions. The companies he currently works with include Aurrion (acquired by Juniper Networks), MBio Diagnostics, YesVideo, and Protein Fluidics. He is a trustee of the California Institute of Technology and has recently served on the SEC Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. He also served on the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology for NIST and the authoring committee of the National Academies’ Optics and Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation. He writes a business and management column for Laser Focus World.
Dr. Chang earned his B.S. engineering degree with highest honors from the University of Illinois and PhD from the California Institute of Technology, and received distinguished alumni awards from both U of I and Caltech. He also attended the Harvard Owner/President Management Program (OPM) and was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). He is a fellow of the IEEE, the OSA, and the Laser Institute of America, and is past president of IEEE Photonics Society and the Laser Institute of America.
Dr. Stu Elby
Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering at Madison Square Garden Ventures
Dr. Stuart Elby is senior vice president, advanced engineering at Madison Square Garden Ventures, where he is responsible for the development of new media and entertainment technologies spanning video, acoustic, haptic, sensory, and camera platforms that will be deployed in MSG Sphere venues. Previously, Elby served as senior vice president, cloud strategy and network technology at Infinera Corporation where he is responsible for the P&L of their data center networking product portfolio targeted at cloud and data center operators. He also leads R&D activities in the area of packet-optical optimization.
Prior to Infinera, Elby served as VP and chief technologist of Verizon Labs and Verizon Digital Media Service. During his tenure at Verizon, he had significant influence in the architecture and development of Verizon’s networks and services platforms including the migration to packet voice, the adoption of MPLS, introduction of wavelength switching/ROADM platforms, the first live Carrier 100G long haul circuit, and automated digital media distribution services. He serves on several university and industry advisory boards. Elby holds a B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an MSEE and doctorate from Columbia University.
Dr. Stephen D. Fantone
Founder and President, Optikos Corporation
Dr. Stephen D. Fantone received his B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management from MIT, and his PhD from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester (U of R). He has been a senior lecturer in the MIT M.E. Department since 1995. Dr. Fantone is the founder and president of Optikos Corporation. Established in 1982, Optikos is an engineering and instrumentation firm for clients developing medical devices and diagnostics, virtual reality and consumer products, aerospace and defense systems, and automotive sensing and imaging applications. Optikos also develops and markets metrology instruments.
Dr. Fantone is an OSA Fellow, and has served in many leadership roles and on many of its boards, including 18 years as treasurer. Dr. Fantone received OSA’s Distinguished Service Award, which was ultimately renamed after him personally. Dr. Fantone serves on the advisory committees for both the U of R Hajim School Dean, and the Institute of Optics Director. He has received both the University’s Distinguished Alumnus and Distinguished Scholar Awards. Dr. Fantone serves on the board of the Hertz Foundation and as chairman of the Pioneer Institute. Previous board membership included Zygo Corporation, Rofin-Sinar Technologies, Inc. and Benthos, Inc. (Chairman). He has been awarded over 65 patents covering a broad range of optical technologies.
Don Golini
Founder, SANICA Ventures and Chairman of the Board, Luminate Accelerator
Don Golini is a successful entrepreneur with extensive experience in the development, management, and commercialization of new technologies. Through SANICA Ventures, Golini provides consulting and advisory services, serves on a number of boards and advisory committees, and is an angel investor.
Prior to that, as president and founder of QED Technologies, Golini licensed a university technology and developed products that succeeded in global markets. QED was acquired in 2006 by Cabot Microelectronics and Golini stayed on as president until 2010. Previously, Golini managed the research program at the Center for Optics Manufacturing at the University of Rochester, and worked on large optics manufacturing and R&D at Itek Optical Systems in Lexington, Mass. Golini served as an adjunct professor at the Simon School of Business, on the Hajim School Dean’s Visiting Committee, and the executive committee for the URochester Technology Development Fund. He was chairman of the Rochester Angel Network, worked as an EIR at NextCorps, and continues to advise a number of companies.
A former president of the OSA Rochester chapter and named on seven U.S. patents, Golini now resides on the New Hampshire seacoast, serves as a catalyst for MIT’s Deshpande Center, and is passionate about startups and entrepreneurship. He is an OSA Fellow, and received his B.S. in Optics from the University of Rochester and M.S. in Electro-Optics from Tufts University.
David Heller
Chief Executive Officer, Heller Industries
David Heller is CEO of Heller Industries, the leading manufacturer of soldering and curing machines serving the electronic assembly and semiconductor packaging industries. With corporate headquarters in New Jersey, Heller Industries has production facilities throughout North America and Asia. Since its founding in 1960, Heller Industries has pioneered convection reflow soldering. During the next decade, lean manufacturing was introduced, which led to a significant increase in market share. Heller also led a transition from domestic to global manufacturing and is known worldwide as the leader in thermal process solutions.
Early in his career, Heller ran capital improvement and day-to-day operations for the Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Test Lab at the Rochester Products Division, General Motors Corporation. He also worked as a Power Train Operations Manager at Chrysler Corporation. Currently, he serves as an advisor to technology and medical startup companies. Heller holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University.
Michael Jackman
Chief Operating Officer, Leidos Health Group
Michael Jackman oversees the day-to-day operations of the Leidos Health Group while working in close collaboration with the group’s leadership team to deliver a range of solutions and services designed to meet today’s healthcare challenges.
Prior to joining Leidos, Jackman served as an operating partner at Ardan Equity Partners, a private equity firm exclusively focused on healthcare enterprise software. His primary responsibility consisted of collaborating with health executives to build platforms designed to accelerate company growth. Before that, Jackman was CEO of Mach7 Technologies, where he led the business in health imaging modernization, enterprise data sharing, and patient data consolidation. Jackman also served as the CEO for the Americas Region of GE Healthcare’s HCIT Division where he was the leader responsible for business in Latin America, the U.S., and Canada. He has also held senior executive roles for Carestream Health, iSOFT Health Group, and Eastman Kodak where he led Kodak healthcare R&D globally.
Jackman’s career started at IBM where he was vice president of Systems and Technology, Personal Systems Group for close to two decades. Michael holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Rhode Island in electrical and electronics engineering.
Dr. Duncan Moore
Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship, University of Rochester
Dr. Duncan Moore has led a distinguished 40-year career in academia, research, business, engineering, and government. Since joining the University of Rochester in 1974, he has served in myriad positions, from professor to director of the Institute of Optics to dean of engineering and applied sciences to vice provost of entrepreneurship.
Moore is an expert in gradient-index optics, computer-aided design, optical system manufacturing, medical optics, and optical instrumentation. He is highly regarded for promoting technical entrepreneurship and for educating researchers on how to look for market opportunities, evaluate technologies, and determine business opportunities. Moore was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, received the Edwin H. Land Medal, is also a fellow of SPIE, OSA, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the IEEE, and the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering.
Moore was associate director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he advised President Bill Clinton on U.S. technology policies. Moore is the founder and former president of the Gradient Lens Corporation, chaired the Hubble Independent Optical Review Panel, and served a one-year appointment as the science advisor to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia.
Dr. Ryne P. Raffaelle
Vice President for Research and Associate Provost at Rochester Institute of Technology
Dr. Ryne P. Raffaelle is the VP for research and associate provost at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He is the former director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Lab of the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to serving at NREL, he was the academic director for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and director of the NanoPower Research Laboratory at RIT. He has worked as a visiting scientist at the NASA-Glenn Research Center, NASA Kennedy Research Center, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is the author of over 200 refereed publications and is the managing editor of Progress in Photovoltaics, published by Wiley Interscience. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from University of Missouri-Rolla, and B.S and M.S. in Physics from Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Darius Sankey
Managing Director, Innovation Acceleration Capital
Dr. N. Darius Sankey is a seasoned executive in the venture capital and technology industries. Dr. Sankey is currently a founder and managing director of Innovation Acceleration Capital. Sankey has served as a managing director at Sway Ventures, and Ocean Tomo, leading their Innovation Management Practice. Before his work with Ocean Tomo, Sankey served as a senior director of portfolio management at Intellectual Ventures, a managing director at DFJ – Zone Ventures, and a board member for several companies including Unium, 3Discovered, Siimpel Corporation, and Neven Vision (acquired by Google).
Sankey has worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and held strategic planning, consulting, and R&D positions at RAND and AT&T Bell Laboratories. He holds a Ph.D. in Optical Engineering from the Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, and a B.S. in Physics and Electrical engineering from MIT. He is also an adjunct professor at the Rady School of Business at the University of California, at San Diego (UCSD).
James S. Senall
President, NextCorps
Jim Senall joined NextCorps (formerly High Tech Rochester) as president in 2009, and in that capacity leads the NextCorps team towards their mission of creating entrepreneurship and innovation-based regional growth. During his tenure at NextCorps, the organization has launched several new initiatives including a software accelerator program, clean tech accelerator, and a statewide entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) program. Through these and its other offerings, NextCorps has served more than 800 client companies over the past 5 years.
Senall’s prior experience includes co-founding the Rochester Angel Network in 2005, which he continues to lead as its managing director; experience with multiple startup companies; engineering and manufacturing roles at multi-billion-dollar firms; and teaching graduate level courses in tech entrepreneurship. Senall has served in various board roles including chairman of the Business Incubator Association of New York State, board member of the New York State Economic Development Council, board member of Adarza Biosystems, Executive Committee member of the University of Rochester’s Tech Development Fund, Investment Committee member of Launch NY’s seed capital fund, and board member of Rochester Angel Network and the Rochester Angel Fund. Senall holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the Simon Business School, University of Rochester.
Barry Silverstein
Director, Center for Extended Reality, University of Rochester
Barry Silverstein joined the University of Rochester faculty in 2026 as director of the Center for Extended Reality after having served as the senior director and chief technology officer of optics and display in Meta’s Reality Labs.
While leading optics and display at Meta for seven years, Silverstein’s research focused on creating the world’s smallest and most efficient visual imaging systems including uLED, LCoS, and laser scanning engines, novel lightweight high index of refraction materials, waveguides using volume holography, polarization volume holograms and surface relief gratings. Between his time at Meta, IMAX, and Kodak, Silverstein is a seasoned expert in the research, development, and commercialization of optical systems, laser projection, sensing, imaging/printing, space imaging, and optical recording.
Silverstein is a 2024 winner of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award for contributions to the design and development of the IMAX Prismless Laser Projector. He is responsible for 100 awarded U.S. patents as well as multiple successful patent and technology license transfer programs.
Linda Smith, ASA
President, CERES Technology Advisors, Inc.
Linda Smith has more than 25 years of experience in merger & acquisition advisory, product management, sales, and engineering. She founded CERES in 2005 to serve photonics technology companies that were underserved by generalist investment banks and business brokerages. At CERES, Smith sources and leads buy and sell side M&A advisory engagements with clients spanning a full spectrum of photonics-enabled markets — from multi-billion-dollar corporations and private equity firms to entrepreneur-operated privately held companies.
Smith is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA), specializing in the valuation of businesses with core photonics technology. Smith’s market experience, prior to CERES, crosses optical components and lasers, clinical and analytical instrumentation, medical devices, telecommunications, and semiconductor equipment. She held senior marketing and sales management positions at market leaders, Thermo Fisher Scientific/Newport/Spectra Physics, and QIOPTIQ/LINOS/Excelitas. She also held executive product marketing positions at venture capital funded companies commercializing integrated optics and MEMS technologies.
Smith is a member of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women. She is a recognized leader in the photonics community. As fellow of SPIE, the International Society of Optics and Photonics, she serves on its Financial Advisory Committee, chaired technical conferences in biophotonics, and is frequent lecturer in technology entrepreneurship. She holds a B.S. in Optics from University of Rochester and MBA from Babson College.
Marc Tricard
Vice President & General Manager of Optical Solutions Business, MKS Instruments
Marc Tricard is the VP and general manager of the Optical Solutions Business (OSB) at MKS Instruments, a publicly traded company with more than $4 billion in revenues (NASDAQ: MKSI). With more than 1,100 talented individuals located in the U.S., Canada, China, Israel, and Romania, OSB encompasses multiple businesses dealing with optical components (e.g. flats, spheres, aspheres, cylinders, freeform, etc., but also gratings, thin film filters and replicated optics), high-performance thin film coatings (from IR, to visible and DUV), complete optical assemblies (IR, visible, DUV, and even EUV) and optical sensing products. OSB services leading customers in a wide range of markets including semiconductor, life and health science, aerospace & defense, research, and industrial applications.
Prior to joining MKS Instruments, Tricard was division vice president – optics for Zygo Corporation (part of Ametek) and had various management and technical roles at QED Technologies (now part of Entegris) and Saint-Gobain Corporation. Tricard has an M.S. in Materials Sciences and Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Diplôme d’Ingénieur from l’École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers, Paris-France. He has authored and presented numerous papers, been granted several patents, and is a past board member of the European Society of Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen).
Edward White
NYS Photonics Board Governor Appointee
Ed White currently serves as the Governor’s selection on the New York State Photonics Board of Officers. He is also the immediate past chairman of the National Photonics Initiative (NPI), an alliance of top scientific societies uniting industry and academia to raise awareness of photonics. Prior to that, White served as associate VP of Test, Assembly, and Packaging, and a Corporate Outreach Executive for AIM Photonics. In this role, Ed was responsible for launching the new AIM Photonics facility and ongoing business operations.
A native of New York State, White began his career at Kodak after earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester. He later went on to earn his MBA, also from the University of Rochester. After leaving Kodak in 2009, White founded Edward White Consulting, LLC.