Directors

Partner
Sycamore Partners LLC

Richard Schwarz joined NineSigma in 2004 as Chairman of the Board. Richard Schwarz is a partner in Sycamore Partners LLC, an early stage venture capital firm. Prior to Sycamore Partners, Richard was President and CEO of Laurel Industries, Inc., a privately held chemical manufacturer acquired by Occidental Petroleum Corporation in 1996. Richard is a Director of Associated Estates Realty Corp. (NYSE:AEC) and recently chaired the Visiting Committee at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio.

Schwarz received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University.

President
Royal American Group, Inc.

Bruce V. Mavec has been President of the Royal American Group, a real estate holding company, since its formation in 1972. Mavec is a member of the Council on the Future of Academic Medicine of the Case Western Reserve University. Over the past 25 years, he has been an active business partner in a number of organizations including North Coast Cable Company, Superior Broadcasting, Curtis Wright Partners and the Cleveland securities firm of Prescott, Ball and Turban. Mavec received his bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College.

Paul Stiros joined NineSigma as President and CEO in September 2004. Stiros came to NineSigma from Procter & Gamble where he spent his career and held a number of positions of increasing responsibility in Research and Development in the Fabric and Home Care division. Most recently, Stiros was Director Corporate Function R&D in P&G’s Corporate Innovation and Knowledge group where he worked with service providers in the area of open innovation. Prior to that, Stiros had global R&D responsibility for new business development for the Fabric and Home Care where, among other projects, he was involved with the launch of the Swiffer® dry duster and Swiffer® Wet Jet business. In addition, he was responsible for the Fabric and Home Care global business unit’s licensing and business development effort, with direct P&L responsibility. Stiros holds a number of patents.

Stiros received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northeastern University and a master’s of science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Senior Vice President, Science and Technology (retired)
United Technologies

Dr. John F. Cassidy Jr. retired in 2005 from United Technologies where he was Senior Vice President of Science and Technology. In this role Cassidy was responsible for the day-to-day operation of United Technologies' central R&D facility. These responsibilities included directing the company's global technology activities and establishing research collaborations with industrial organizations, universities, and government laboratories worldwide. United Technologies, a $36 billion company, provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the building infrastructure and aerospace industries. Before joining United Technologies in 1989, Dr. Cassidy worked at General Electric's Corporate R&D Laboratories and General Motors Research Laboratories. He serves on the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Advisory Council to the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Dr. Cassidy is also a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

A native of Troy, New York, Dr. Cassidy earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Managing Director
River Cities Capital Funds

Dan Fleming began his private equity career with Cincinnati-based Walnut Investments in 1997 and later joined River Cities in 2001. Fleming has been involved in a diverse set of investments over that time including business and marketing services, software applications, and consumer-oriented products and services. Former investments include the Build-a-Bear Workshop, Deals extreme value stores, and Simon Delivers, Inc. Prior to private equity, Fleming held various technology-oriented positions including design engineering at Kodak, and operations management with Owens-Illinois and Procter & Gamble. He also worked in strategic consulting with Towers Perrin. Upon returning to Cincinnati after business school, he rejoined P&G where he held several positions in financial analysis and strategic planning for the company's laundry, chemical, and diaper businesses.

Fleming graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S., cum laude, in Engineering, and received an MBA from the Harvard Business School with an emphasis in Finance and Business Strategy.

Principal
Blue Chip Venture Company

Prior to joining Blue Chip in 1997, John McIlwraith was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Quantum Health Resources, where he led business development efforts including new drug launches and managed care initiatives. Prior to Quantum, he was a Partner with Jones Day Reavis & Pogue and led the Firm's Venture Capital Practice Group. While at Jones Day, he represented firms such as Morgenthaler Venture Partners and Primus Venture Partners, as well as a number of early stage companies.

McIlwraith serves on the Board of Advisors for Arbor Partners, Isabella Capital, and the Ohio Innovation Fund. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of Gazelle TechVentures.

McIlwraith received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hillsdale College and a Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation
Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Mehregany is the former Chairman of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Case Western Reserve University and serves as the Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation. He is Co-Founder and Chairman of FLXmicro, Inc., which commercializes silicon carbide MEMS technologies. He also founded and served as President of Advanced Micromachines Inc. which was acquired by Goodrich Corporation in 1999. He has over 250 publications describing his work, holds 15 U.S. patents, and is the recipient of a number of awards/honors. Mehregany received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and holds an M.S. from MIT, and a B.S from University of Missouri, both in electrical engineering.

Partner
Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

John Mino is a Partner in the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold. Mr. Mino belongs to various practice groups including partnerships, LLCs and joint ventures, private investment funds, general corporate, and public utilities and telecommunications. He received a B.S. and J.D. degree from Georgetown University.

Akihiko Suwa helped launch NineSigma Japan, a subsidiary of NineSigma, Inc., in 2006. Prior to joining NineSigma, Suwa was a Senior Consultant with the Research and Consulting Division of The Japan Research Institute, Ltd. There he developed an alliance with NineSigma and the Battelle Memorial Institute. He conducted numerous NineSigma projects for world-class Japanese companies primarily focusing on technology in-sourcing and new business development. Prior to The Japan Research Institute, Suwa was an Associate with McKinsey & Company Inc. in Japan where he conducted projects in automotive, energy, pharmaceutical, information technology, and other focus areas. He holds a B.S. degree in Applied Physics from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.