NorTech’s staff brings a wealth of experience to addressing technology opportunities in our region
Dorothy C. Baunach
President & Chief Executive Officer
Dorothy C. Baunach is President and Chief Executive Officer
of NorTech. Previously, Dorothy was Deputy Director of
Cleveland Tomorrow where she directed the start-up of NorTech as an outgrowth
of the Technology Leadership Council.
NorTech is now an independent not-for-profit organization with many
collaborative relationships throughout the region. Its primary financial supporters are the Fund
for Our Economic Future and the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP). From 1988 to 1995, Dorothy was the founding
President of the Edison BioTechnology Center (EBTC) and served again as Interim
President in 2000 and 2001 to help reshape the organization and lay the
strategic groundwork for the formation of BioEnterprise and BioOhio,
organizations ensuring the growth of the healthcare and bioscience industries
in the region and statewide.
Prior to starting EBTC, Dorothy was Vice President of
Enterprise Development, Inc. (EDI), now JumpStart, an organization affiliated
with the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University,
dedicated to educating, recognizing and providing services to entrepreneurial
companies. Since 1983, through EDI,
EBTC, Cleveland Tomorrow and NorTech, Dorothy has helped the start-up and
development of numerous technology-based businesses and technology-based
economic development programs throughout Ohio.
In 1993, she received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award
for her support of entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio. In 2006 she earned the
designation of Rainmaker by Northern Ohio Live and also received the
Cleveland Engineering Society’s (CES) Leadership Award for her efforts to
support technology in the region and support the mission of CES. She also received the Richard A. Shatten
Leadership Award from GCP in 2008.
During 25 years as a technology-based economic development
professional, Dorothy has served on start-up company and non-profit
organization boards and several state and national councils, commissions and
panels. She is the current treasurer of
the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition (OFCC) and a current board member of One
Community, the Northeast Ohio Regional Health Information Organization and the
Center for Creativity and Innovation affiliated with the National Inventors
Hall of Fame. She is an Advisory Board
member of the Ohio Innovation Fund and NEOSA.
In addition, she is a visiting member of the boards of BioEnterprise,
Ohio Polymer Strategy Council, OFCC and JumpStart, Inc. She also currently sits as an appointee of
the Governor on Ohio’s Industry Technology and Enterprise Advisory Council
(ITEAC). Dorothy served as the 125th
president and long-time board member of the Cleveland Engineering Society.
A graduate of Wittenberg University with a bachelor’s degree
in biology, magna cum laude, Dorothy earned an MS in biology from the
University of Dayton and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at
Case Western Reserve University.
Chris Mather
Director, TechLift
Vice President, Entrepreneurship
Chris Mather joined NorTech in 2004 after 25 years in sales, marketing and general management of high tech electronics businesses. Mr. Mather came to Northeast Ohio in 1996 as President of Gould Instrument Systems in Valley View, and later became Chief Executive Officer of Apsco Inc. in Perry. Most recently, Mr. Mather was President/CEO of Ion Optics, Inc., a Waltham, MA based maker of MEMS based infrared devices, where he raised $6.4 million in venture capital and led the company into defense and sensor markets. Mr. Mather holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA.
C
hris Varley
Vice President, Energy and the Environment
A respected expert in technology commercialization and corporate innovation, Chris Varley has led change management and new business creation efforts for several major corporations including AT&T, CompuServe, Prentice-Hall, and The Walt Disney Company. As New Market Development Vice President for AT&T Labs, Mr. Varley was responsible for the creation of a venture development and investment group focused on commercializing emerging technologies outside of traditional AT&T markets. He also served as a key advisor to Scotland’s New Media Partners and to NESTA, the UK’s National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts.
Sonja Thomas
Vice President, Operations and Talent Strategy
Sonja Thomas joined NorTech in September 2006 after 12 years in Information Technology. Prior to joining NorTech, Sonja was a 2005 CORO Fellow in the Cleveland Executive Fellowship program through the Cleveland Foundation. Sonja’s professional career also includes 10 years at NASA Glenn Research Center as a Business Systems Analyst and NASA Scholar. She is currently an adjunct IT professor at Cuyahoga Community College and is part of the 2007 Cleveland Bridge Builders flagship program. Sonja holds an MBA and Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems degree from Cleveland State University.
Dave Karpinski 
Vice President, Technology Innovation
Manufacturing and Electronics
Dave Karpinski joined NorTech in May 2007. Prior to joining NorTech, Dave was Director of Engineering for Demag Plastics Group, a plastic injection molding machinery manufacturer located in Strongsville, OH. He led an international design team to develop the latest product line of injection molding machines for Demag. He brings over 20 years experience in a wide variety of sectors within the manufacturing industry including controls, plastics, rubber, primary metals, metal forming, defense and services. Dave holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Kelly Coolbaugh South
Director of Communications and Programs
Kelly Coolbaugh South joined NorTech in September 2005. Prior to joining NorTech, Kelly was a public relations account executive at Helsel and Associates, a public relations and communication counseling firm specializing in public relations services for clients in the high tech industry. Kelly’s professional career has focused on strategic communications planning, program implementation, media planning and public relations for start-ups, business-to-business companies, non-profit organizations and universities. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona.
Bonnie West
Administrative Coordinator
Bonnie West joined NorTech in April 2007. Prior to joining NorTech, Bonnie served as the executive assistant for the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, at Case Western Reserve University. She also provided support for the Board of Trustees at Case and the Board of Directors at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Throughout her career, Bonnie’s focus has been general office management and supervision, along with meeting and event management. A graduate of Kent State University, Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies. She is currently pursuing her Certification in Event Management from George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Christie St. Angelo
Executive Assistant to the President
Christie St. Angelo joined NorTech in February 2008. Prior to joining NorTech, Christie worked for nearly seven years at Progressive
Insurance. Christie’s dynamic background at Progressive gave her experience in
IT, the art collection and Workers’ Compensation where she performed a variety
of administrative and analytical tasks. Christie
also served on the Board of Trustees for the Lake Erie International Model
United Nations (LEIMUN) which hosts simulations of the United Nations for high
school and college students. Her focus
with the LEIMUN organization was event management and volunteer
coordination. Christie plans to pursue
her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies at Cleveland State University.
Olivia Robinson-Bulls
Administrative Coordinator
Olivia Robinson-Bulls joined NorTech in March 2008. Olivia
brings to NorTech 8 years of professional office experience. Previously, she worked at BayForce Technology
and Cleveland State University. In both
positions, Olivia served as the focal point and liaison for ensuring the
effective and timely completion of administrative tasks and functions within
other departments and to various levels of management. Olivia holds a BA in Business Management, a
MBA in Human Resources as well as a Certificate in Paralegalism. Olivia's educational background and
experience allows her to fully embrace her new role as NorTech’s Administrative
Coordinator.
NorTech Fellows
Alexis R. Abramson, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow,
Commercialization and Nanotechnology
Alexis
R. Abramson joined NorTech in May 2007. Her role is to stimulate collaboration and commercialization of nanotechnologies through her activities as Executive Director of the Nano-Network. Alexis also maintains a position as Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Alexis obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002 where
she was a National Science Foundation Fellow, and her B.S. and M.S.
degrees from Tufts University in Medford, MA. Her research focus has
been in the general area of nanotechnology with a current focus on
understanding and manipulating nanoscale energy transport in
nanocomposites, nanostructures and biological materials. She has also
been involved in biomimetic research to explore how the natural world
has taken advantage of specific nanoscale phenomena. She is the author
of a number of publications in her research field. More recently,
Alexis has been working with the Northeast Ohio business and
research communities to stimulate innovation through nanotechnology.
Brian Keaton, MD
Health Information Technology
Brian F. Keaton, MD, FACEP is a recognized leader in the fields of emergency medicine, medical education, medical informatics, organized medicine, and government affairs. He trained in emergency medicine and is core faculty at Summa Health System’s Department of Emergency Medicine in Akron, Ohio. He directs the Summa Center for Emergency Medical Informatics, co-chairs the system’s CME program, and serves on the Summa System Improvement/ Patient Safety Steering Committee. He is President-Elect of the American College of Emergency Physicians ACEP , and, as such, represents the interests of 24,000 emergency physicians and 114 million patients. He serves on the boards of two high-level public-private collaboratives focused on health information exchange, the eHealth Initiative and Connecting for Health. These groups are working to create and implement a nationwide health information network. Dr. Keaton is a member of the American Health Information Community’s AHIC Biosurveillance Breakthrough Group. AHIC is chaired by HHS Sec. Michael Leavitt and the workgroup is chaired by CDC Director Julie Gerberding. Closer to home, Dr. Keaton is leading an effort to create a regional health information organization RHIO linking healthcare providers, resources, and patients in northeast Ohio. Dr. Keaton is Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine NEOUCOM . He is a tireless worker who has been the recipient of several prestigious state and national awards. He and his wife, Stephanie, will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. They are the proud parents of two grown children. At NorTech, Dr. Brian Keaton is directing the development of the Northeast Ohio Regional Health Information Organization NEO RHIO, supported by NorTech and One Community staff.