Mes: enero 2021

BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Omega Optical Holdings, LLC (Omega or the Company), a leading precision optics platform backed by Artemis Capital Partners (Artemis), announced today that Dr. Michael J. Cumbo has been appointed President and CEO, effective February 1^st. Dr. Cumbo brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the optics and photonics industry to Omega.

Artemis formed Omega Optical Holdings, LLC in August 2020, upon the acquisition of Omega Optical, LLC, a manufacturer of precision optical filters and coatings, and plans to target further complementary acquisitions. Dr. Cumbo will lead all strategic and operational initiatives to position the platform for long-term growth.

Dr. Cumbo is an experienced optics and photonics industry leader with a successful track record of building world-class optical technology companies in the life science, defense & aerospace, semiconductor, and industrial OEM markets. Cumbo joins Omega from his previous role as CEO at AIM Photonics, the U.S. Defense Department’s $600 million photonics hub in Albany, NY, where he will continue to serve as the Chairman of AIM’s Leadership Council. Prior to AIM Photonics, Cumbo spent 30 years driving growth and technology development at market-leading optics businesses across the globe, most recently serving as Vice President at AMETEK-ZYGO and as President of IDEX Optics & Photonics.

«We are very pleased to welcome Mike as President and CEO of Omega,» said Peter A. Hunter, Managing Director at Artemis and Chairman of Omega. «He has a deep technical and business background in optics, and he also has a proven track record of successfully building great companies and moving technologies and teams from research to production. We are excited about Omega’s potential, and we are confident in Mike’s ability to help build an innovative, world-class optics platform.»

«I am honored and excited to join the Omega team and partner with Artemis in building the Omega Optical Holdings platform,» Cumbo said. «I look forward to working closely with Omega’s management team, employees, customers and suppliers to build an agile organization that solves mission-critical technology challenges for our customers and meets the growing global demand for high precision, no-fail optical coatings, components and assemblies.»

Dr. Cumbo holds a Ph.D. in Optics, an M.S. in Optical Engineering, and a B.S. in Physics from the University of Rochester, as well as an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. He has 11 patents and authored 22 technical journal papers and conference proceeding articles.

Omega Optical
Founded in 1969, Omega Optical designs and manufactures precision optical filters and coatings enabling mission-critical applications for global OEM customers in a wide range of industries, including life sciences, environmental monitoring, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and more. Specializing in complex, high-performing thin film band pass filters, the Company has a breadth of capabilities and experience to support full customer life cycle needs from design to prototyping to volume production. Omega is ISO 9001:2015 and ITAR compliant. For more information on Omega Optical, please visit: www.omegafilters.com

Artemis
Founded in 2010, Artemis Capital Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on acquiring and growing manufacturers of differentiated industrial technologies, including optics and photonics. Artemis seeks to partner with companies that have strong established management teams, outstanding engineering capabilities, unique products, and expanding niche markets. For more information on Artemis, please visit: www.artemislp.com.

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SOURCE Omega Optical (an Artemis company)

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The National Audubon Society («Audubon») today announced the appointment of two key senior hires to join the organization’s leadership team following broad national searches. Dr. Elizabeth Gray will join Audubon as President and Chief Conservation Officer, reporting to CEO David Yarnold. Dr. Gray will be the first woman to hold the title of President in the organization’s 115-year history. Jamaal Nelson has been appointed Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer, and will also report to David Yarnold. These appointments will become effective March 8 and March 1, respectively. Audubon has also announced the promotion of David Ringer to Chief Network and Communications Officer.

Audubon Board Chair, Maggie Walker, said, «This is an exciting moment for Audubon as we welcome two outstanding leaders – Elizabeth and Jamaal – to the organization’s executive team. Elizabeth’s exceptional credentials as a scientist, fundraiser and strategic leader will give Audubon much-needed executive capacity as we continue to grow. While we did not originally set out in our search to hire for the role of President, meeting Elizabeth presented us with a golden opportunity to build on a doubling of our budget over the past decade and our vastly increased influence and capabilities. She and David will make a terrific team.»

Ms. Walker continued, «Audubon and its Board and leaders are all deeply committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of what we do and how we operate every day. That is why we could not be more excited to welcome Jamaal to lead Audubon on this journey. The organization will benefit greatly from his expertise in advancing social and environmental justice as we work together to put our values into practice.»

Dr. Elizabeth Gray 
Dr. Elizabeth Gray is a renowned expert in the field of conservation and climate change. She was selected after an extensive search process involving both internal and external candidates, led by Isaacson Miller. During the search process and in recognition of the outstanding candidacy of Dr. Gray, Audubon elected to split the roles of President and CEO. Dr. Gray will serve as President and Chief Conservation Officer, with responsibility for the organization’s conservation, policy, international, and science teams, as wells as the national network of chapter organizations. As CEO, Mr. Yarnold will continue to serve as the organization’s senior leader, strategist and fundraiser. Dr. Gray will report to him, as will the heads of development; equity, diversity and inclusion; operations; state offices; and marketing.

Trained as an ornithologist, Dr. Gray has spent more than three decades as a dedicated conservationist, spending considerable time in the field nationally and abroad. She joins Audubon from The Nature Conservancy where she most recently held the role of Global Managing Director for Climate. Dr. Gray has a significant track record on climate change leadership at the national and global level including: serving as a global spokesperson for the Conservancy’s climate change work at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings; launching regional programs in climate adaptation and natural climate solutions across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean; and, publishing numerous scientific papers focused on her research in climate-impacted areas such as Latin America, East Africa, Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Gray served as one of five members of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Gender Equity Council, advising the CEO, President, and COO/General Counsel on gender issues across the organization. She founded the first urban conservation program in Washington, D.C., and has worked to empower the next generation of conservation leaders through a young professional’s network and youth advocacy program. Dr. Gray earned her Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Washington and holds an A.B. with highest honors in psychology from Harvard University. She will be based in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Yarnold said, «When we embarked on the search for a Chief Conservation Officer, we could not have imagined a better candidate than Elizabeth. Her unmatched track record as a global leader on climate and conservation, together with her deep commitment to diversity and inclusion make her the ideal fit for our organization. Audubon will benefit tremendously from her strategic and creative approach, not to mention her scientific and policy expertise. I am thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to our team as President and look forward to working alongside her to build an Audubon for the future.»

Dr. Elizabeth Gray said, «Audubon’s mission resonates deeply with me; my love of birds began as a college student when I studied how homing pigeons navigate. I am excited and honored to join the Audubon team as President and CCO. I look forward to working with Audubon’s wonderful talent to advance new and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.»

Audubon’s conservation priorities reflect the opportunity that a bipartisan membership base offers. From working across the aisle on climate and clean energy, to a «30×30» agenda for America’s lands and waters, to bedrock bird conservation policies, Audubon brings 115 years of trust and an entrepreneurial approach to bear for birds and people and the places they need.

Jamaal Nelson 
Jamaal Nelson will join Audubon as Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer.  His appointment is the culmination of a national search process that included internal and external candidates and was led by Russell Reynolds.

Mr. Nelson is a widely recognized leader in issues of diversity and inclusion and has a  track record in helping some of the most important and visible  organizations in the country transform their cultures in support of social justice. Mr. Nelson previously served as Partner and Advisor with The Management Center, a nonprofit management consulting and leadership development organization that supports social justice leaders in building and running more effective organizations. In this role, Mr. Nelson led DEI, coaching, and organizational effectiveness services to leading national nonprofits and their leaders, including organizations such as Generational Citizen, the NAACP, American Red Cross, Common Cause, the Legal Defense Fund, and the Democratic National Committee.

Mr. Nelson also held various leadership roles at Leadership for Educational Equity, a nonprofit leadership development organization focused on supporting civic leaders who are working to end the injustice of educational inequity. He continues to serve a senior advisor to the Executive Director of LEE. In addition to these roles, Mr. Nelson’s career spans many years in education and labor organizing. Mr. Nelson holds an M. Div. from Harvard Divinity School and received his B.S. with honors in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University. He will be based in New York.

David Yarnold commented, «There has never been a more important time in Audubon’s history – or the history of the conservation movement – to ensure that we are fostering a workplace that values and lifts up diverse voices, ensures everyone feels that they belong, fights systemic racism and injustice, and that our work in communities does the same. Jamaal stood out for his deep expertise and experience leading organizations through transformational change – and for his strong values and commitment to justice. He is the passionate, experienced, and accomplished leader that Audubon needs and we will again budget an additional discretionary $1 million to help jump start our ED&I work — as we did this year. I look forward to working with Jamaal to ensure Audubon lives up to its mission of being an Audubon for all.»

Jamaal Nelson said, «I am honored to be joining Audubon at this important moment in the organization’s history. Audubon’s mission is one that I admire greatly, and I am looking forward to driving positive change in the conservation movement so that it is more inclusive and equitable for the BIPOC community especially. The passion and talent that I have seen across Audubon’s staff and leadership make me excited for what we will be able to accomplish towards this goal.»

David Ringer 
In addition to the appointments of Dr. Gray and Mr. Nelson, Audubon has announced the promotion of David Ringer to Chief Network and Communications Officer. This elevation follows the changes made to the organization of Audubon’s executive team with the now-separate roles of CEO and President and reflects the expanded scope under Mr. Ringer’s responsibilities. Mr. Ringer joined Audubon in 2009 and was appointed as the organization’s first Chief Network Officer in 2016.

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.

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SOURCE National Audubon Society, Inc.

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Two years after becoming the first battery of its kind to be connected to the California grid to help support reliability and maximize the use of clean energy, the vanadium redox flow (VRF) battery based at a San Diego Gas & Electric substation is again breaking new ground. This time, the emerging battery technology is being tested as a means to help achieve zero-emission microgrids – a tool to keep communities and critical facilities powered with clean energy during adverse weather conditions and Public Safety Power Shutoffs. (Videos and Photos Available Here)

With the support of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), SDG&E and Sumitomo Electric (SEI) launched the demonstration project in 2017.  The collaboration was recently extended for another year through the end of 2021, to further test the battery’s microgrid capabilities and maximize its ability to support the grid with ancillary services such as voltage and frequency regulation. Unlike the most prevalent energy storage technology (stacked cells of lithium-ion batteries), the flow battery being tested consists of tanks of liquid electrolytes and pumps. It began participating in the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) wholesale electricity markets in December 2018 and was used last summer to help minimize the impact of rotating outages during a record heatwave.

«Long-duration energy storage and microgrids are both key to helping California meet its clean energy, reliability and resiliency goals. We need breakthrough technologies to achieve 100% renewable energy on our grid and to power microgrids during emergencies,» said SDG&E CEO Caroline Winn. «SDG&E is proud to play a role in developing innovative solutions, like the flow battery technology, to help solve California’s climate-related challenges.»

Flow battery systems have an expected lifespan of more than 20 years and could have less degradation over time from repeated charging cycles than other chemical battery technologies.

«This project is cutting-edge and serves as the proving ground for integrating flow batteries into microgrids,» NEDO Executive Director Sato Yoshiteru said. «We are determined to contribute towards developing innovative solutions to environmental and energy challenges, such as improving grid reliability, which are among the most important issues for the State of California.» 

«I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to GO-Biz, San Diego Gas & Electric and NEDO for implementation of the Sumitomo flow battery in California. This is a reliable, long-duration technology that offers a high degree of operational freedom and fire safety, using non-flammable and re-usable electrolyte. Based upon these advantages, I’m confident the flow battery contributes to grid reliability in California. I am determined to help California reach its clean energy goals. I look forward to continuing our partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric,» said Hideo Hato, Senior Managing Director of Sumitomo Electric.

In 2015, NEDO signed an agreement with GO-Biz to test flow battery performance in a demonstration setting. NEDO then contracted with Sumitomo to implement the project.  The flow battery provides 2 MW/8 MWh of energy, enough to power the equivalent of about 1,000 homes for up to four hours.

«California has proven time and again that addressing climate change is good for our environment, it’s good for future generations, and it’s good for our economy – spurring new technologies and creating new markets on a regular basis,» said Tyson Eckerle, GO-Biz’s Deputy Director of Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development. «We continue to be proud international partners with NEDO as this game-changing technology brings new opportunities and renewed economic growth through renewable energy.»

Since unveiling the project in 2017, SDG&E has been researching if flow battery technology can economically enhance the delivery of reliable energy to customers, integrate growing amounts of renewable energy and increase the flexibility of grid operations. Like other energy storage systems, the flow battery absorbs or releases electrons as needed to help maintain grid stability. For example, soaking up surplus solar energy generated in the middle of the day and discharging it to the grid during peak evening hours.

SDG&E has been a leader in integrating energy storage, as well as developing microgrids. In 2013, SDG&E began operating the first utility-scale microgrid in America – the Borrego Springs Microgrid. Last year, it received a federal grant to upgrade the Borrego system to run on 100% renewable energy.  In 2017, SDG&E unveiled what was then the world’s largest lithium-ion battery storage facility. To date, SDG&E has about 100 MW of energy storage projects completed or contracted and is working to add more.

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SOURCE SDG&E