Our Team

The Education and Workforce Development Working Group is co-led by Samuel Lofland, Rowan University; Robert Mazzuca, New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP); Pavithra Lakshminarayan, NJ Department of Labor; Sam Gatley, NJIT; and Jack Stafford, Sussex County Community College (SCCC). Lofland is chair of the Physics department and chair of the College Board AP Physics 1 committee with a successful history of curriculum development.  Mazzuca is a Sr. Engineering Manager and has extensive experience working with manufacturers and developing the required workforce training and education for career development and placement into good jobs.  Lakshminarayan is a sector strategist and manages industry sector partnerships for manufacturing by driving public-private partnerships to collaborate and build sustainable and scalable models that addresses workforce, economic and education challenges. Gatley is the Director of Operations at the COMET Center and is a team builder who is passionate about advanced manufacturing. Stafford is SCCC's Optics Technology Program Supervisor, an engineering manager with 15 years experience designing and manufacturing optical products, and a passionate advocate for the Optics and Photonics community.

The Engagement and Communications Working Group is co-led by Jaimie LaCouture, Thorlabs, and Stacey Carrier, Hellma USA. LaCouture is the communications and engagement manager for one of the largest optics/photonics companies in the world with headquarters in our region. Carrier is a technical sales manager with extensive sales and marketing experience in the optics/photonics industry.

The Technology Translation and Entrepreneurship Working Group is co-led by Cari August, OFS Fitel, Susan Schofer, SOSV HAX, Dave McGee, The College of New Jersey, Mark Deguzman, Rutgers University, and Sean Gaughan. August is manager of technology transfer and manufacturing with a long history of business-business and academic-business technology translation. Schofer is Chief Scientific Officer of the HAX accelerator in New Jersey with extensive entrepreneurial and start-up experience. McGee is professor and chair of physics and runs the TCNJ Photonics Lab. Deguzman is the Manager of New Ventures within the Office for Research. Gaughan is an operations and product development professional in photonics, multi-spectral sensing and electromechanical assembly leveraging continuous improvement and operational excellence tools and systems.

The Photonics Research and Development Working Group is co-led by Himanshu Jain, Lehigh University, and Deirdre O’Carroll, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Jain is Diamond Distinguished Chair and Professor with an extensive record of publications, awards and leadership in the field of optical materials. O’Carroll is co-PI on the APT Engine and Associate Professor and graduate program director at Rutgers with a longstanding track record of research excellence in the area of photonic devices.

The Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships Working Group is co-led by Kate Pritchard, Hamamatsu, and Gregory Hollows, Edmund Optics. Pritchard, manager of the research innovation group has expertise growing relationships, conducting market research, bringing new technology to production, and engaging stakeholders. Hollows is the VP of product strategy with over two decades of experience in strategic partnerships and business development.

The Assessment Working Group is co-led by Piotr Piotrowiak, Rutgers University-Newark, and Mohammed Khan, Delaware State University. Piotrowiak is Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Collaborations at Rutgers-Newark and an expert in optical spectroscopy. Khan is a seasoned educator, with a track record of funding that supports research on learning outcomes, citizen science, and broad engagement.

Chithra Adams, an experienced evaluation professional, leads the VentureWell Assessment and Ecosystem Development Project.  Robert Mazzuca, Sr. Engineering Manager with the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program  (NJMEP) who has extensive experience working with manufacturers and developing the required workforce training and education for career development and placement into good jobs, leads the New NJMEP workforce development project study. Brendan Rickards is leading the RCSJ education development project study. Rickards is the Provost and Vice President of Academic Services at RCSJ and leads their collaborative and strategic partnership programs.