Degree(s) and Year(s) Degree(s) Conferred: Ph.D., 1988; M.S., 1985; MBA, 1996
Graduate Academic Program(s) at Penn State: Solid State Science
Current Professional Title: Director, New Product Development
Current Employer: State of the Art, Inc.
Briefly describe your professional career, including your employment history and notable accomplishments
Professional career started with being a research associate at Penn State after my Ph.D. Then as a research scientist at Philip Morris, Inc. R&D center working on creative new electronic products. After completing my M.B.A., I taught Quantitative Business Analysis as adjunct faculty at Averett University in Virginia. Then, I served as a research fellow with Mead Research. I then ran my own virtual corporation (ATA Coatings & Devices). I also was an R&D manager at Rogers Corporation, developing high frequency circuit boards. Finally, I became director of R&D at State of the Art, Inc, developing new high reliability chip resistors.
Please list honors, awards, and professional achievements
- Penn State Graduate Research Exhibition, grand prize winner in Physical Sciences
- Over 20 US patents and several publications
- Productivity improvement awards at Philip Morris
- Selected to Green Think Tank team at Mead Research
- Executive Board of GSAS; Chairman of Global Outreach Committee
Please provide any advice to graduate students related to career exploration
Study the company’s financial statements. Look at their financial position relative to the industry. Study the organization’s structure and ask about the culture of the organization. Weigh their strengths (leader in the field, financially stable, etc.) vs. weaknesses (high turnover, slim chance of upward mobility, etc.). Look for any paradigm shifts in technology that will make the organization grasp at straws in the future. Ask yourself what skills you will gain from working in the organization. Are you looking at the experience as a stepping stone or long term commitment? Lastly, can you see yourself as a good fit, and make a contribution that will be appreciated?