A 12-member advisory board comprised of leaders from industry, business development groups and research organizations will provide guidance to WIST as it shapes priorities and works to transfer new technology from the laboratory to commercial use.
Board members include UW-Stevens Point alumni Ed Buehler, vice president and business manager for NewPage's Specialty Papers; Tad Campana, paper mill superintendent at Thilmany's Kaukauna mill; Lori Dehlinger, executive director of the Portage County Business Council; Leon Ostrowski, founder and coordinator of the Central Wisconsin Business Angels, LLC, and a founding partner in Planned Innovation Institute; and Troy Runge, director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative. Other members include Barb Fleisner, executive director of Centergy, Inc.; H. Tony Hartmann, chief executive officer of Great Lakes Ag Energy; Dave Mead, chief executive officer of C5·6 Technologies; Francis J. Podvin, chairman of the board of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.; Kelly Rooney, area manager for Veolia Environmental Services in Central Wisconsin; Tom Sweeney, a member of the preconstruction group at J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc.; and Theodore Wegner, acting director of the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.
Executive Director Paul Fowler said the institute is fortunate to be able to draw on the considerable talent and experience represented on the board.
"We are excited to have a cross section of accomplished representatives from various sectors." Fowler said. "We appreciate their willingness to serve."
You can read more about the advisory board members here.
Through its three divisions, WIST offers laboratory services, outreach education, and research to create sustainability solutions for businesses and organizations. Technology and ideas developed by WIST and its partners will spur economic growth in Wisconsin and the region and help all of us preserve and protect a healthy environment for future generations.