Summer 2006
Technology Alliance Board Elects Marty Smith as New Chair, Welcomes New Members
The Technology Alliance is pleased to announce the election of Marty Smith, partner in Preston Gates & Ellis LLP and a long-time advocate for education, as our new chair. We also welcomed four outstanding business and community leaders to the board at its May 25th meeting: Mic Dinsmore of the Port of Seattle; Michael Martino of Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Tom Vander Ark of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Peter Wilson of Google.
Smith joined the Technology Alliance board in 2002, after serving our organization as a dedicated volunteer for several years. He has shown a strong commitment to public education and improving student achievement through the use of technology. Smith co-chaired the Technology Alliance’s Task Force on Technology in Education and chaired the steering committee that oversaw the Smart Tools Academy, a partnership between the Technology Alliance and University of Washington that trained more than 2,000 school principals and superintendents in the use of technology in education. Smith was a founding chair of the Digital Learning Commons and serves as a member of the board of the Washington State K-20 Network. As a partner in Preston Gates & Ellis’ Intellectual Property Transactions practice group, he represents prominent clients such as Microsoft, Corbis, Amazon.com and Valve.
Smith succeeds Tom Alberg, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, who has chaired the Technology Alliance board since 2004.
“Our organization has continued its record of significant accomplishments over the past two years, particularly the creation of the Life Sciences Discovery Fund, approval of technology transfer legislation, and expansion of our popular Science and Technology Roundtable to Spokane,” observed Alberg. “Marty has been a substantial contributor to these and other major successes of the Technology Alliance over a number of years, and I am confident that, with his vision and leadership, this organization will continue its record of success in promoting education, research and entrepreneurship in our state.”
“I am honored to follow Tom as chair of this great organization, which has displayed time and again its commitment to promoting a strong K-20 education system in Washington as one of the keys to a strong technology economy,” Smith said. “The Technology Alliance is fortunate to have a strong board that combines the expertise and insights of our state’s preeminent business and institutional leaders, and I look forward to working with this remarkable group to advance our goal of a prosperous Washington to benefit all of our state’s citizens.”
Smith’s two-year term as chair began on July 1st. Alberg continues as a member of the Technology Alliance leadership team in the role of chair emeritus, joining the ranks of distinguished past chairs Steve Davis, president and CEO of Corbis; Ed Fritzky, former chairman, CEO and president of Immunex Corporation; and William H. Gates, Sr., co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Technology Alliance is also thrilled to welcome four new board members, all elected to three-year terms:
Mic Dinsmore, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Seattle
Dinsmore, who has spent his career in international trade and transportation, has served as the Port’s chief executive officer since 1992. He chairs the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Seattle branch and the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council, and co-chairs the National Center for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Michael Martino, President & Chief Executive Officer, Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Martino joined Sonus Pharmaceuticals in 1998 as president and chief operating officer, and was appointed CEO the following year. From 1983 to 1998, he held numerous positions within global health care products company Mallinckrodt, Inc. He serves on the president’s advisory board of Roanoke College and the board of directors of the Cascadia Community College Foundation.
Tom Vander Ark, Executive Director, Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Vander Ark oversees the Gates Foundation’s education grant and scholarship programs, seeking to create strong new schools and transform existing schools to offer a personalized and rigorous education and to reduce financial barriers to talented low-income students pursuing higher education. Prior to joining the foundation, Vander Ark served as public school superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools.
Peter Wilson, Director of Engineering, Google
Wilson leads the development of Google applications across real time communications, media and advertising at Google’s development center in Kirkland, Washington. Prior to joining Google, Wilson held a variety of positions with Microsoft, Diamond Cluster Consulting and Accenture.
Progress and Pitfalls: Measuring Washington’s Performance in the Key Drivers of a Vibrant Technology-based Economy
Excellent K-12 and higher education systems, to prepare our kids for the knowledge-based jobs of the future...
Strong research capacity, to generate the discoveries and technologies of tomorrow...
A robust entrepreneurial climate, to support the growth of innovative young companies that create new products, services, and jobs...
These are the essential elements of a successful technology-based economy. In 2003, the Technology Alliance benchmarked Washington’s performance in these critical areas against that of eight peer states with similarly technology-intensive economies: California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas and Virginia. Now, three years later, we measure Washington’s progress and examine the potential pitfalls for our state’s long-term competitiveness.
Alliance of Angels Startup of the Year Award: Sonic Science and Skin Care Prove a Heavenly Mix for Pacific Bioscience Laboratories
Pacific Bioscience Laboratories, the Bellevue-based developer of the CLARISONIC skin care brush, rose above a strong field of six finalists to capture the 2006 Startup of the Year Award, which recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in the Pacific Northwest. The award was presented to CEO David Giuliani and COO Mike Stull at the State of Technology Luncheon in Seattle on May 15th.
Flour Power: WSU Wheat Breeder Kimberlee Kidwell Concludes the 2005-2006 Season of Seattle Science & Technology Roundtable
Some fascinating science goes into the bread that we buy. Oatmeal may be the perennial favorite of the STRT faithful, but as we learned from Dr. Kimberlee Kidwell at the final breakfast of the 2005-2006 season, wheat is really neat.
Learn Something New – Register for the Science & Technology Discovery Series!
Get up close and personal with our state’s leading scientists. Discover groundbreaking research taking place in your own back yard. Experience science and technology like you never have before.
You don’t have to take notes, but you just might find that you want to.
The new season of the Technology Alliance’s popular Science & Technology Discovery Series* starts in September! With programs in Seattle and Spokane, the Discovery Series features presentations on the latest research at our preeminent institutions and innovative companies in an intimate setting.
The Seattle Discovery Series kicks off on September 8th with Dr. Steve Malone, professor of earth and space sciences at University of Washington, sharing his expert insights on the recent volcanic activity at Mt. St. Helens. The Seattle program features ten monthly breakfast presentations from September through June. For more information or to become a member, click here.
The Spokane Discovery Series has expanded! The new season will feature seven breakfasts between September and June, starting with Dr. Lee Siwek, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Sacred Heart Medical Center, on September 22nd. Dr. Siwek will speak about the use of the da Vinci robot in cardiac bypass surgery. For more information or to become a member, click here.
*Formerly Science & Technology Roundtable
Welcome New Alliance of Angels Fellows!
A warm welcome to our 2006-07 AoA program managers: Rebecca Lovell, full-time Preston Gates & Ellis Fellow, and Avniel Dravid, part-time Alliance of Angels fellow.
Our thanks and best wishes to our departing 2005-06 fellows, Edward Hansen and Erik Hanson.
Thank You to Our Geoffrey Moore Workshop Participants!
On July 13th in Seattle, the Technology Alliance was proud to present a special luncheon workshop with Geoffrey Moore, bestselling author of Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado. Geoffrey explored the different ways in which companies innovate and revealed how companies can overcome their own inertia and manage resources more effectively in pursuit of innovation. After the workshop, Geoffrey took the time to chat with members of the audience and sign copies of his latest book, Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution. If you missed it, you can download the podcast here.
The Technology Alliance would like to thank Geoffrey, Kim Ricketts Books, and the following sponsors for their part in making the workshop a great success: Cisco Systems; Enpria, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Windows Live; Onyx Software; and Wells Fargo Bank.