Winter 2007
Vision and Leadership for Washington’s Long-term Economic Success: Technology Alliance Welcomes New Members of the Board
The TA continuously strives to bring together visionary leaders from Washington’s science and technology sector to advance our goals of excellent education systems, strong research capacity and a robust entrepreneurial climate. We are proud to welcome five outstanding individuals to our board of directors overseeing TA programs and activities that strengthen our state’s competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy.
The new members, who were elected at the board’s September meeting, bring a wealth of expertise and proven leadership in business, higher education, research and economic development:
Dr. Elson S. Floyd is president of Washington State University, one of our country’s most productive research universities. Before assuming the leadership of WSU, Dr. Floyd served for four years as president of the four-campus University of Missouri after having spent more than four years leading Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
From 1995 to 1998, Dr. Floyd was chief administrative and operating officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also previously served as executive director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board and in various leadership positions at Eastern Washington University. Dr. Floyd holds a bachelor of arts in political science and speech, a master of education in adult education, and a Ph.D. in higher and adult education from UNC Chapel Hill.
Bruce Helberg is market manager for the Northwest region at Silicon Valley Bank, overseeing all sales and relationship management in Washington, Oregon and western Canada. Prior to joining Silicon Valley Bank, Helberg was based in Honolulu serving as a media and telecommunications lender for First Hawaiian Bank and Bank of Hawai'i.
Bruce takes an active interest in technology and entrepreneurship in Washington and Oregon and sits on the board of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Northwest. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hawaii Loa College and a master’s degree in Japanese business from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Michael Kluse serves as interim laboratory director for the Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. Prior to this appointment, Kluse oversaw all of PNNL’s national security business, including science and technology for the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. He previously was vice president and general manager of Battelle’s Navy Sector and vice president of operations for its Defense Systems and Technology Business Group.
Kluse first joined Battelle as a defense and space systems research scientist following his service as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He holds a bachelor of science in systems analysis from Miami University and a master of science in industrial and systems engineering from Ohio State University.
David Tang is a partner in K&L Gates LLP, concentrating in the areas of foreign investment, cross-border financings and transactions, secured financing, and real property transactions. Tang served as managing partner of the firm from 1995 to 1999. Based in the Seattle and Hong Kong offices, he has more than 25 years of transactional experience in the Greater China market.
He currently chairs the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Prosperity Partnership’s Higher Education Working Group, and is immediate past chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Tang is active in a number of professional and civic organizations, including policy, international trade, the arts and education. He holds an A.B. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Columbia University, and attended The Hague Academy of International Law.
Tay Yoshitani has served as CEO of the Port of Seattle since March 2007, carrying out policies set by the Port Commission and leading Seattle’s seaport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Previously, Yoshitani was senior advisor to the National Association of Waterfront Employers, providing industry expertise on port security and environmental issues.
As executive director of the Port of Oakland, he led a significant expansion of the seaport and airport, and he was credited with creation of the first master plan in his capacity as executive director of the Maryland Port Administration. Yoshitani also spent six years as deputy executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
As we embark on our second decade of advancing Washington education, research and entrepreneurship, we thank all of our board members – new and renewing – for supporting the vision and mission of the Technology Alliance.
Advancing the “Virtuous Cycle” of Education, Research and Entrepreneurship: Highlights of the 2007 Technology Institute
Every other year, the Technology Alliance convenes a group of business leaders, heads of education and research institutions, and state policymakers to discuss the key issues facing Washington’s science and technology sector and how we as a state can bolster our long-term economic competitiveness. The retreat provides a unique opportunity to hear from state and national experts about our position in the global innovation economy and to discuss in depth how we can advance Washington’s future economic success.
At the 2007 retreat, a combination of keynote presentations, case studies and interactive panel discussions guided participants toward identifying strategies to position Washington for prosperity, focusing on strengthening the “virtuous cycle” of K-12 and higher education, research capacity and entrepreneurial climate in our state.
The College & Work Ready Agenda: Improving the Odds of Student Success
Last year, the Technology Alliance joined forces with a number of business and labor organizations across Washington State to focus on transforming our education system to prepare students to be successful in higher education and 21st century careers. Last month, the coalition drew a line in the sand on an issue that figured prominently at the Technology Institute: the preparation gap between high school and postsecondary education.
Two More MBA Students Get Their Wings as Part of Alliance of Angels Fellowship Program
Alliance of Angels, the Technology Alliance program that advances early stage investment and entrepreneur education, has ramped up its activities in recent months with the help of two new, part-time program managers: Jacob Miller, the 2007-08 William H. Gates, Sr. Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and 2007-08 K&L Gates Fellow Kevin Kirn.
Let There Be Light: New Series Flicks a Switch on Nanophotonics
Cell phones no thicker than a credit card. Clean, inexpensive power whenever and wherever it’s needed. Computers that operate literally at the speed of light. All of these and more will be made possible through nanophotonics, proving that good things really do come in small packages.
Holding Our Breath: Dr. David Sherman of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute Takes on Tuberculosis
At the November 9th breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series, Dr. David Sherman, tuberculosis program director at SBRI, discussed the spread of TB across the globe and how researchers are working to develop new drugs to fight this tricky disease.
Stay up to date with the Technology Alliance
Make it your New Year's resolution to update your contact information with the Technology Alliance. Email Kristin Osborne with new or changed email, mailing address, or phone number. Thanks.
A new angle
Check out the new blog of the Alliance of Angels--The Angel Angle--providing an inside look at angel deals, entrepreneurial innovation, and startup activity in the Pacific Northwest.
