Management team..
Jess A. Jankowski
Mr. Jankowski joined the board in February 2009. He has served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer since that time. After joining the Company in 1995, Mr. Jankowski held offices including Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, Treasurer and Controller. From 1990-1995 he served as Controller for two building and public works contractors in the Chicago area, during which time he had significant business development responsibilities. From 1986 to 1990, he worked for Kemper Financial Services in their accounting control corporate compliance unit, serving as unit supervisor during his last two years. Mr. Jankowski holds a B.S. from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Loyola University. He has served on the TechAmerica Midwest Board since 2008 and was an active member of the TechAmerica Midwest CFO Committee from 2006 through 2008. He was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Nanobusiness Commercialization Association in 2009. Mr. Jankowski was also appointed to the Romeoville Economic Development Commission and served from 2004 to 2010. He has also served on the advisory board of NITECH (Formerly WESTEC), an Illinois Technology Enterprise Center focusing on the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies from 2003 to 2008. In 2009, Mr. Jankowski was appointed to the board of directors of the Northern Illinois Technology Foundation, an economic development and technology transfer entity that is part of Northern Illinois University. The Company believes that Mr. Jankowski’s long-term and intimate experience with Nanophase operations, along with his financial and management expertise, makes him a valuable member of its Board of Directors.
Frank J. Cesario
Mr. Cesario joined the Company in June 2009 as Chief Financial Officer. He brings more than 10 years of CFO and controller experience at manufacturing entities. Prior to joining Nanophase, Mr. Cesario served in a similar capacity with ISCO International, Inc., a global supplier of telecommunications equipment, as well as Turf Ventures LLC, a chemicals distributor. He began his career with KPMG Peat Marwick and then served in progressively responsible finance positions within Material Sciences Corporation and Outokumpu Copper, Inc. Mr. Cesario holds an MBA (Finance) from DePaul University and a BS (Accountancy) from the University of Illinois, as well as a CPA license from the state of Illinois.
Nancy Baldwin
Ms. Baldwin has served as the Director of Human Resources and Information Technology since joining the company in 2000. In September of 2008, she was appointed as the Company’s Vice-President of Human Resources and Investor Relations. Prior to joining Nanophase, she served as Vice-President of Human Resources at iLink Global, and Chief Human Resources Officer at the Marketing Store, a global supplier to McDonald’s Corporation. Previous experience includes 14 years at Arthur Andersen, LLP & Andersen Consulting, LLP in various positions. Ms. Baldwin has a B.S. in Education from Western Illinois University and post graduate studies at Northern Illinois University. She is currently an active member of the Will County Three Rivers Manufacturing Human Resources Association.
David W. Nelson
Mr. Nelson joined the Company in April 2007 as VP of Sales and has served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing since September 2008. He is an executive who brings over 15 years of business development experience. Before joining Nanophase, Mr. Nelson started and managed the LCD business for Eastman Chemical Company. Prior to that, he was a consultant with Mercer Management Consulting working on corporate strategy development and implementation. Mr. Nelson has also started two consumer goods manufacturing companies and has served as National Sales Manager for Pelouze Scale Company. He holds a B.S. in Marketing from Miami University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Patrick G. Murray
Dr. Murray joined the company in 2001 and has been focused on dispersion product development and technical support for business development. As Vice President of Research & Development, Dr. Murray has over 15 years of experience in the areas of polymer synthesis, particle dispersion, chemical process development and technical project management. Dr. Murray holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Illinois Benedictine College (Benedictine University) and a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining Nanophase, Dr. Murray held various research and management positions at Nalco Chemical Company.
H. Glenn Judd
Mr. Judd joined the Company in 2000 as a senior process engineer. In December of 2009, he was appointed as the company’s Vice President of Operations. In his 9 years within the company, he has served in progressively responsible engineering positions and has been instrumental in developing, building, and improving the company’s engineering and production capabilities. He has 20 years of experience in the area of chemical process scale-up, particle dispersion technology, and manufacturing support. Before joining Nanophase, Mr. Judd held various research and engineering positions at the Eastman Kodak Company, and prior to that, spent time as an intern at Michigan Biotechnology Institute while attending college. He graduated with Honors from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and currently holds a professional engineering license.
