ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 3, 2015) - OCTANe, the Orange County business development accelerator dedicated to driving technology industry growth and innovation by connecting ideas and people with resources and capital, today announced nine new members to the organization's already prestigious board of directors. In their new positions, these leaders will be helping to grow the future of the technology and life sciences industries in Orange County.
New members include:
- Ehsan Sadri, director of clinical research, Atlantis Eyecare
- Bruce Fiscus, area vice president ECS, Salesforce.com
- John Casalaspi, vice president of America Sales and Marketing, Seagate Technologies
- Paul Pickle, president and COO, Microsemi
- Edward Sachs, council member, City of Mission Viejo
- Steve Litchfield, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Microsemi
- Reginald Gilyard, dean of the George Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University
- Michael Beebe, senior vice president, ADVI
- Sabing Lee, partner, Knobbe Martens
"We're fortunate to add such a diverse and talented group of business leaders to our board of directors," said Bill Carpou, president and CEO of OCTANe. "With this added insight and experience on the board, I'm confident that we will continue to grow the business ecosystem in the region, furthering OCTANe's mission."
In addition to a very strong and active board, OCTANe has almost 200 advisors providing key subject matter expertise in a variety of functional areas supporting accelerated growth of early stage and existing companies.
Paul Pickle and Steve Litchfield -- two key leaders from Microsemi, a semiconductor company with headquarters in Orange County -- were named to the board of directors.
"Working with OCTANe provides local technology companies with unparalleled opportunities to collaborate with both startups and large corporations, as well as higher education institutions like Chapman University and the University of California, Irvine -- truly leading and uniting innovative minds throughout Orange County," said James J. Peterson, chairman and CEO of Microsemi. "With Bill Carpou at the helm of OCTANe now, I'm proud he selected Microsemi's Paul Pickle and Steve Litchfield for his board of directors, as they will share their skills and knowledge through the organization's various activities and work closely with Bill and the other board members to make a significant impact on OCTANe's success."
Paul Pickle serves as President and COO at Microsemi, where he has worked in various executive positions since 2000. He has over 19 years of experience in technology and manufacturing, bringing considerable executive expertise to the OCTANe board.
Steve Litchfield brings over 10 years of experience to the OCTANe board. He currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Microsemi, where he has provided executive leadership for six years; prior to which he supported Toyota as a production engineer.
Reginald Gilyard, another influential business leader from Chapman University, looks to bring fresh perspective as a board member. Prior to joining Chapman, Gilyard led the U.S. Education Practice as a Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group, a more than $4 billion global management consulting company that advises the world's largest companies and public institutions.
"Chapman University is happy to continue to support OCTANe as they expand the OC ecosystem they have already created for high tech and life science companies. Our support is a reflection of the opportunities that OCTANe creates for Chapman, as a growing and entrepreneurial university, to collaborate with companies throughout Orange County. I am particularly pleased to see Reggie joining Andrew Lyon on the Board of OCTANe. He will be an excellent addition because of his deep knowledge of supporting company growth and performance. Chapman University, and I personally, stand committed to the mission of OCTANe," said Daniele Struppa, Chancellor of Chapman University.
Ehsan Sadri is a board-certified physician with over 10 years of experience in the optometry field. He is trained in treating LASIK, cataract and glaucoma surgeries and recognized for the most progressive ocular surgical techniques. He currently serves as an Attending Physician and the Director of Clinical Research at Atlantis Eye Care in addition to being a thought leader and active speaker at many Ophthalmology conferences.
Bruce Fiscus has more than 28 years of experience in enterprise technology, working with organizations such as Ikon Office Solutions, Xerox, Ricoh, and most recently Salesforce, where he is responsible for leading the ECS Sales teams in the Western USA as the Area Vice President.
John Casalaspi has more than 30 years of experience in strategic sales and business development. He has held executive positions at companies such as Western Digital, Connex, Lantronix, Adaptec and Xyratex International. He currently leads the Seagate Technology team as the VP of Americas Sales and Marketing.
Edward Sachs was elected to the Mission Viejo City Council in November 2014 after being appointed to Mission Viejo's Investment Advisory Commission in January 2013. Ed retired as president emeritus of Pioneer Electronics, USA in April 2009 after building world-class sales and breakthrough distribution techniques within the consumer electronics industry.
Michael Beebe has more than 20 years of experience in public and commercial coding and payment policies and practices, and currently serves as Senior Vice President at ADVI. Beebe advises clients on all aspects of reimbursement and strategic policy planning, and directs AVDI's device and diagnostic practices.
Sabing Lee is a partner at Knobbe Martens, where he specializes in strategic patent procurement, patent portfolio management, intellectual property interferences and other related issues. Lee has more than 18 years of legal experience, and currently represents clients in a wide range of technologies, including medical devices and procedures, clean technology, nanotechnology and steel manufacturing.
OCTANe's Medical Device & Investor Forum (MDIF) will take place November 2-3, 2015 at Hotel Irvine. MDIF addresses the latest in medical device and life sciences technology along with investment trends.
The date for the 2016 Technology Investor Forum (TIF) has also now been finalized. Business leaders will have access to the latest in innovation coming from Southern California on May 18, 2016, also at Hotel Irvine located at 17900 Jamboree Road.
About OCTANe:
OCTANe drives technology industry growth and innovation in Orange County by connecting ideas and people with resources and capital. Its members represent Orange County technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in the OC. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad™-certified companies have received more than $847 million in investment and equity exits. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the Orange County region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
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