Program Overview: Colorado has several strong emerging technology clusters including bioscience, aerospace, cleantech, telecommunications and information technology. The rapid emergence and growth of early stage technology companies present special challenges to startup entrepreneurs and their advisory and management boards. Our panel of speakers, who have extensive experience in starting and financing Colorado biotechnology, aerospace and cleantech companies, serve on the boards of directors of those companies and will discuss management-board issues during the early and growth stages of technology companies. Topics will include how to compensate and reward members of advisory boards and boards of directors with limited cash, how to build an enterprise risk management program , how the focus and composition of the management board should shift as the venture matures and how the board should position the company for the public markets.

Our knowledgeable panel is comprised of the following individuals:

Arlen D. Meyers, MD (Moderator) is Professor of Otolaryngology (Ear Nose and Throat Surgery), Engineering and Dentistry at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver. Dr. Meyers was a member of Colorado Governor's Commission on Science and Technology, is the former Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance for Bioengineering, is cofounder and former director of CU’s MD/MBA program and served as the Director of the Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program at CU’s Bard Center for Entrepreneurship. He is a bioscience, healthcare and healthcare IT business consultant and educator and is the cofounder of four companies, including MedVoy, an early stage medical tourism company, and several biophotonics medical device companies. Dr. Meyers is an advisor to several investment firms, including ClearCreek Partners and the Cynergy Healthcare Fund, and is the founder of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs. He serves on the advisory boards and board of directors of several early stage technology companies and not-for-profits, including the Denver Venture School and the Business Advisory Council of the Colorado Telehealth Network. Dr. Meyers received his B.S. degree from Dickinson College, his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College and did his residency at the University of Pennsylvania. His received his M.B.A. from the University of Colorado.

Robert N. Caruso currently serves as a Managing Partner, and is a co-founder, of B/3 Management Resources, a management consulting and technical services firm. He has extensive senior management experience spanning over 30 years with Fortune 500 multinationals and small to mid-size companies in a number of industries. Mr. Caruso has served as Vice President of Ingenium Technology since 2003. From 1999 to 2001, he was V.P. and General Manager of Applied Science & Technology, a public company at the time. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of American Shipping Company of Oslo, Norway and is on the Board of Directors of ADA-ES of Littleton, Colorado. He is Chairman, Board of Advisors, of BioServe Space Technologies, a space life sciences research center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of Advisors of Design Net Engineering, which provides aerospace engineering services and spacecraft avionics systems to DoD, NASA and commercial enterprises, and TruEffect, LLC, an online advertising company. Mr. Caruso has a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics and B.A. in General Arts and Sciences from Penn State University and an M.B.A. from Wayne State University.

Elliott Husney, an Attorney at Law, is a Managing Partner in Margarita Group, LLC, a Merchant Banking and Financial Advisory Services Company focused on early stage technology and energy businesses. Mr. Husney has been involved in raising capital from Angels, Venture Capital Funds and Strategic Partners. He has a history of direct investments in early stage businesses and served as a Partner in a Venture Capital Fund. A pioneer of solar technology, Mr. Husney co-founded American Heliothermal Corporation in 1974. This manufacturer and distributor of flat plate solar collectors installed thousands of collectors throughout the world. He is a member of the Colorado Clean Tech Initiative and serves on several charitable boards and committees. He has a B.S.B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Denver. After graduation he was a Staff Examiner of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and a Trial Attorney for the United States Securities & Exchange Commission.

Tracy E. Houston is the owner of Board Resource Services. As an advisory to directors and senior officers she provides input on high level, sensitive and complex issues. She is now a partner with the Board Institute, an organization that provides boards with evaluation tools to access performance. She has six years of experience as a sitting director at United Power and is the past chairman of the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable technology. Ms. Houston has provided strategic counsel with appointments that include the presidential task force that developed Colorado’s Report on Race Relations and the Economic Development Advisory Committee in the office of United States Congressman Beauprez. Professional recognitions also include Jefferson County Women of the Year Honoree in 2008 and Alumni of the Year – Metropolitan State College – in 2007. Her 2004 book, Leading By Belonging: A Pathway to Knowing Yourself, explores key leadership traits for sustainable competitive advantage. She received her B.S. – Business Management from Metropolitan State College and her M.A. in Liberal Arts was completed at the University of Denver.