Dr. Duncan currently provides independent consulting services to private sector companies, academic institutions, and research organizations in support of specific projects focused on life sciences/biotechnology research and development.
Prior to his retirement, Dr. Duncan served as the President of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) from 2001-2009. Prior to joining KCALSI, Dr. Duncan was Vice President of Technical Operations at Midwest Research Institute, providing oversight for MRI’s six technical divisions. From 1995 to 1999, Dr. Duncan was responsible for MRI’s Strategic Marketing Program and the activities of MRI regional marketing representatives. From 1988 to 1995, Dr. Duncan was President and Chief Operating Officer of Oread Laboratories, Inc.
He is a past member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Chemical Society, International Association of Radiopharmacology, and International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. Since 1985 he has been a member of the International Isotope Society (IIS), where he served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board and on the editorial board of the Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of The University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. (CRINC), the Missouri Biotechnology Industry Organization, BioKansas, KCALSI, and the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kansas State University Olathe. He has received numerous awards, including the Animal Health Industry “Iron Paw Award” in 2016, the Ernst & Young 1992 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the MRI Council of Principal Scientists Science Award in 1981 and the Enterprise Award in 1997. He received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Oklahoma State University in 1972.
Dr. Francois Sauer is a Special Advisor of the SHINE Program at the Center for Health and Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Founder of “Sauer and Associates, LLC” a Leawood Kansas based consulting firm that, as a catalyst, helps executives manifest to the fullest their own talents. Francois has expertise in systems thinking, human relations, and international operations (Latin America and Europe). As a catalyst, author, philosopher and scientist his proven problem-solving approaches are both innovative and pragmatic. His passion is to stimulate, in scientists and executives, the inner development of their own cognitive and creative processes. Author of “Relearn, Evolve, and Adapt: An Essay to Integrate Creative Imagination with Socially Conditioned Thought and Behavior”. His book demonstrates how we are the architects of our lives and become what we think about. (http://relearnevolveandadapt.com/)
Over the past three decades Francois has delivered organizational improvements and profitable business growths. He has served as a CEO, executive, adviser, and consultant to large enterprises as well as start-up ventures. His tenure has included Banamex (Health Services executive), DEC and AT&T, and CEO of Cerner International, subsidiary of Cerner Corporation https://www.cerner.com/).
He excels in aligning multiple constituencies, fostering collaboration between diverse groups, and integrating human capital, information capital, and organization capital. These strengths allow him to effectively deliver the organization’s customer value proposition and the targeted financial results. He is adroit at creating the requisite human relationships to integrate technology with the business processes necessary to promote organizational improvement and profitable business growth.
In the business world Francois is a board member of CritiTech and a manager of its four subsidiaries. He also is an adviser to myTwin, LLC.
In the non-for-profit world, Francois is a member of the System Dynamics Society (MIT), the Supercourse (distributed by WHO) and the Kickwood Society of the American Red Cross, as well as a former board member of Baker University and a former board member of the KC American Red Cross and of the KC International Relations Council.
Dr. James L. Spigarelli, Ph.D. served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Midwest Research Institute Inc. (MRI)., from 1999 to October 2009. Dr. Spigarelli guided a staff of 1,800 scientists and technical professionals performing research in more than 48 scientific and technical disciplines, including the field of energy of Midwest Research Institute. His management responsibilities also included the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. During his first 17 years with MRI, his research activities focused on environmental analytical sciences with an emphasis on chemical agents, their degradation products, and agent demilitarization. He has also been active in the field of corporate governance. Dr. Spigarelli served as Vice President of MRI since 1978 and served as its Senior Vice President since 1991. He served as Executive Vice President of MRI since 1997, Chief Operating Officer since 1998 and President and Chief Executive Officer since 1999.
Dr. Spigarelli started his career with MRI in 1970 after serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps at Rocky Mountain Arsenal. He has been the Chairman of Civic Council’s Kansas City Area Life Sciences Initiative since 1999. He serves as Vice Chairman of Science Pioneers, a Kansas City organization promoting student science and math programs. He served as Chairman of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, from 2000 to 2005. He served as Vice Chairman of Midwest Research Institute Inc. since October 2009. Dr. Spigarelli serves as Board Member of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, Kansas State University Research Foundation, Sceptor Industries Inc. in Kansas City and the Colorado Energy Science Center. He serves on the board of the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. He serves as Director of Kansas National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility Task Force. He serves as Trustee of Rockhurst University, Kansas City, the Kansas City Regional Animal Health Corridor Advisory Board and of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He serves as Member of the board of Advisors of MyMedicalRecords, Inc. Dr. Spigarelli serves as Member of Board of Advisor of Favrille Inc. (also called as MyMedicalRecords.com, Inc.). He has been a Director of Midwest Research Institute Inc. since October 2009. He served as Independent Director of Alternative Energy Sources, Inc., from January 16, 2007 to January 4, 2008. He serves as Member of Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Board and of Kansas City Area Development Council.
His numerous Honors and Awards include recognition by Silicon Prairie Technology Association as its Technology Leader of the Year for 2000, Pittsburg Alumni Meritorious Achievement Award, Rotary Business Executive of the Year, Rotary Service Award for Professional Excellence, and Alumni Fellow Award, Kansas State University. Dr. Spigarelli holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Chemistry from Pittsburg (Kan.) State University and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Kansas State University.
Dr. Bala Subramaniam is the Dan F. Servey Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Kansas (KU). Subramaniam earned a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the A. C. College of Technology, Chennai, India and his Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He has also held visiting professorships at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and Institute of Process Engineering, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland. Subramaniam’s research interests are in catalysis, reaction engineering and crystallization. In particular, his research harnesses the pressure-tunable physicochemical properties of unconventional solvents such as supercritical fluids and gas-expanded liquids in multiphase catalysis to develop resource-efficient technologies with reduced environmental footprint. He has authored 180+ refereed research publications and 29 issued patents, edited 2 books, presented invited seminars at nearly 100 academic institutions and companies, and given keynote/plenary lectures at nearly 50 conferences.
Subramaniam is the Director of the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), initiated as a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (NSF-ERC), and now a successful center known for its unique industry collaboration model and multi-scale approach to delivering innovations. In partnership with member companies (including ADM, BASF Catalysts, BP, ConocoPhillips, Chevron Phillips, DuPont, Eastman Chemicals, Evonik, ExxonMobil, Invista, Procter&Gamble, Reliance Industries, SABIC, Solvay and UOP), the CEBC is developing and providing licensing opportunities for novel sustainable technologies related to fuels and chemicals. Subramaniam is also a co-founder of CritiTech, Inc., a pharmaceutical company with a mission to commercialize the production of fine-particle compounds based on his group’s inventions.
Subramaniam is the associate editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering and chair-elect of the 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Green Chemistry. He serves on the editorial boards of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Engineering Technology. He has also been on the scientific and organizing committees of several international symposia in catalysis and reaction engineering, co-chairing the Eighteenth International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE-18, Chicago, 2004) and the Joint India-U.S. Chemical Engineering Conference on Energy and Sustainability (Mumbai, 2013). He has also served as the President of ISCRE, Inc., and serves on the Board of Directors of the Organic Chemical Reactions Society (ORCS).
Subramaniam has received several awards for teaching and research, including the Dow Outstanding Young Faculty Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE); a Silver Anniversary Teaching Award and H.O.P.E. (Honor for the Outstanding Progressive Educator) award finalist recognitions from KU; the Henry Gould Award for Teaching and a Sharp Teaching Professorship from the KU School of Engineering; Higuchi Research Achievement Award, the highest recognition for research given by KU; a “Distinguished Catalyst Researcher” lectureship from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and a “Chemcon Distinguished Lectureship Award” from the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers. Subramaniam is a Fellow of the AIChE, the ACS Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division, and the National Academy of Inventors.
Michele has almost 30 years of Finance, Business Development & Marketing experience working within the high tech, real estate, mortgage & insurance industries. As Chief Investment Officer, managed $7MM+ investment portfolio spread over 40 companies in high tech industries, and invested ~$6MM over 40 transactions in 6 years. Responsibilities include deal assessment, diligence and closing documents. Investment Committee approved 95% of deals presented.
As Global New Product Introduction (NPI) Leader & Master Black Belt, reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, developed a digitized process for $10B business, used by all 4,000 employees worldwide in 6 months. Global process enabled the launch of 24 products in the first year. NPI process enabled launch of 51 products world-wide in 3 years increasing annual revenue derived from new products by $184MM over the same time-period. Improved speed to market with design of digitized NPI tool including a customization wizard, administration tools to enable real time process changes and project tracking tools to provide real time metrics including deal pipeline and time in process.GE Master Black Belt trained to drive continuous process improvement.
As Vice President of E-Commerce Business Development, led the investment of $10M in Lendingtree.com which subsequently went public more than doubling in value in 6 months.
As Director of Business Development, reporting to Interealty’s President, evaluated business opportunities and advised executive staff on issues critical to sale process and related negotiations that resulted in GEAC purchasing Interealty in 1998. Divested Interealty’s Public Record divisions located in Chicago and Florida for $850K resulting in a $600K annual increase in operating income.