United by shared conviction, humanitarian spirit and the know-how necessary to solve many of today's global and local water-related issues, the individuals on our team are in the business of creating products, technology, systems and increased awareness in all matters relating to creating and sustaining more accessible water. Their combined efforts will result in the creation of safer, healthier lives.
The founder of over fifteen companies, six of which have become world/category leaders, McGovern has also been lead negotiator/principal in over twenty-five (25) global join ventures; As chairman of McGovern Capital, a global investment, strategy and licensing provider to business, he is also affiliated with McGovern & Associates, a corporate law firm specializing in both technology and intellectual property. Since its inception in 1989, McGovern Capital has also been one of three owners of KX Industries, L.P., the largest manufacturer and worldwide source of carbon air and water purification filters. KXI holds over 60 issued patents and has created and supplied the initial "end of the tap" filters ($US 500 million market) for both Procter and Gamble under the "PUR" brand and Clorox under the "Brita" brand. In 1996, KX Industries invented and supplied the first refrigerator water filters - currently a $US 300 million market.
McGovern is also renowned for his nanotechnology involvement, serving as co-chairman of Angstrom Publishing LLC. Angstrom Publishing LLC and Forbes Magazine co-publish a global monthly Nanotechnology newsletter, entitled The Forbes/Wolfe NanoTech Report.
For the last 12 years, McGovern, has helped spearhead the development, launch, distribution and licensing for Tristrata, the world's leading supplier of skin care products marketed to/through dermatologists and plastic surgeons. NeoStrata is sold in 70 countries and has attracted (43) licensors/partners - including Avon, L'Oreal, Beiersdorf and Estee Lauder; many consider Tristrata's licensing success within its categories to have been the most successful licensing program of a consumer technology.
In addition, McGovern is also one of the three (3) founders of SoBe Beverages, a nutraceutical beverage that grew to $250mm in three years - and sold to Pepsico in 2001 for $US 370 mm.
McGovern is a Cornell University Trustee and the current Co-Chair of its Intellectual Property Tech Transfer Management Committee. He also Chairs Entrepreneurship@Cornell and teaches Global Innovation and Commercialization at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Business. McGovern graduated form Cornell in 1970 and in 1975 graduated from St. John's University School of Law.
McGovern is a member and board member of Cornell's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and its Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab (see Stu Hart below). In 2007, Cornell University honored McGovern as its worldwide Entrepreneur of the Year.
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. is an American music impresario, conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. He is best known as the producer of two of the top-selling records of all time: the album Thriller, by pop icon Michael Jackson, which sold 104 million copies worldwide, and the charity song "We Are the World."
In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. That same year, he became the first African-American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of In Cold Blood. Jones was also the first (and so far, the only) African-American to be nominated as a producer in the category of Best Picture (in 1986, for The Color Purple). He was also the first African-American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1995. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African-American, each of them having seven nominations.
His resume also includes an extensive list of social and philanthropic causes. Through his Project Q foundation, a joint initiative with the Harvard School of Public Health, Jones is actively working with NGOs such as UNICEF, the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative and the Inter-American Development Bank, among others, to improve the health and well being of millions of children in developing countries such as Rwanda, South Africa and Asia. TWI is proud to have a visionary of Quincy's international stature and relationships as part of its team.
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Prof. Dr.Fitzgerald is the Merton C. Flemings SMA Professor of Materials Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as being Visiting Professor of Management and Visiting Professor of Engineering at Cornell University. He received a BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 1985 from MIT, and later earned a PhD in the same discipline from in 1989 from Cornell University. Professor Dr. Fitzgerald performed research at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the areas of novel materials and devices. In 1999, he became an SMA fellow in the Singapore-MIT Alliance working in research and development collaboration with the country of Singapore for nearly a decade.
Prof. Dr. Fitzgerald's interests include nanoengineered materials, novel devices, and heterostructure energy devices. He has served on the Editorial Board of Materials Science and Engineering Reports since 1995, as well as on the Board of the Materials Research Society from 2003-2006. Prof. Dr. Fitzgerald is also founding director of the Business of Science and Technology Initiative at Cornell. He currently has more that (50) issued US patents with several others pending. He has been the author and co-author of more than 200 technical papers.
In addition to his academic experience, Prof. Dr. Fitzgerald has operated in the private business sector, specializing in the commercialization of core technologies - and has gained considerable expertise through his direct involvement in multiple start-up companies. His experience includes being founder, co-founder, or founding team member in AmberWave Systems Corporation, Contour Semiconductor, Paradigm Research, LLC, 4Power LLC, and, now, The Water Initiative.
IP Specialist with over 20 years of Intellectual Property experience in both domestic and international patent enforcement and intellectual property protection. Brian is a partner in McGovern Capital LLC and McGovern & Associates. Brian has extensive experience as a strategist in intellectual property protection and in devising and implementing proven systems to protect intellectual property globally and to maximize the economic value of intellectual property assets. Brian has published on topics relating to patent enforcement as a means of maximizing intellectual property assets, his viewpoints have been frequently quoted in industry publications as well as other high profile media. Foley is a noted speaker on intellectual property issues, and has been featured at s numerous prestigious symposia, including the Nanotechnology Investing Forum in Palm Springs,CA - as well as other legal education seminars, conferences and a variety of other symposia dedicated to cutting edge technological issues. Foley has worked in diverse industry segments, such as water filtration, clean technology, semiconductors, digital imaging, chemicals, mechanical devices, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Foley has also enjoyed an extensive record of successful litigation in areas relating to intellectual property and has negotiated and drafted hundreds of intellectual property license agreements and related contracts. He is a 1984 cum laude graduate of New York Law School, where from 1982 - 1984, he was a member of the Law Review.
A 37 year international business veteran, Pat has earned reputations as both a globally innovative brand builder and an innovative marketing powerhouse - renowned for his ability to expand into new (geographic, demographic and psychographic) markets. As Director of Marketing at Coca-Cola, he was responsible for the launch of Diet Coke. While at Coca-Cola he also served as President of eleven countries, (Southeast and West Asia). Garner also occupied key roles in product development, commercial management and manufacturing. As mentioned, Garner is responsible for managing the launch of the most valuable new brand in the company's history, Diet Coke, Diet Coke was named 'Brand of the Decade' by Advertising Age. While SVP of Marketing - Coca Cola Japan, Garner launched numerous other innovative new products/brands functioning as models for the company's worldwide beverage portfolio (Coffees, Teas, Juices, Sports & Energy Drinks, Water, and etcetera. As President of Coca-Cola in Southeast and West Asia, Garner also acquired significant local knowledge of manufacturing and bottling.
Outside the beverage industry, Garner has held executive positions: Nextel Communications (SVP of Consumer Marketing, and The Motley Fool (CEO). Garner successfully launched Nextel's first 'pre-paid' wireless service - Boost Mobile, an edgy, youth-oriented brand and pilot marketed in California. As SVP of Nextel Communications, Pat championed Nextel's focus on new consumer segments, which resulted in consumer sales increases of (+53%) and accounted for (38%) of Nextel's total new subscriber growth.
Fortune 100 Consultant, Professor, Cornell University CJGS,founder of Cornell Center of Sustainable Global Enterprise and author of numerous leading papers and seminal articles on worldwide sustainability business models. Hart is one of the world's leading authorities on the implications of sustainable development and environmentalism relative to business strategy. He is the S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell University's Johnson School of Management; he is also the founder of the school's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and the Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab.
The Lab has is comprised of (7) global facilities, including those at the Indian School of Business and the Tec Monterey, Mexico, which combined with the (5) other facilities constitute the TWI network. Prof. Hart has taught strategic management and founded both the Center for Sustainable Enterprise (CSE) at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the Corporate Environmental Management Program (CEMP) at the University of Michigan. Prof. Hart has published over 50 papers and authored or edited five books. He wrote the seminal article "Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World" which helped launch the movement for corporate sustainability. With C.K.Prahalad, Prof. Hart also wrote the groundbtreaking 2002 article "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". His new book, "Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems" has reinforced his position as a leading authority on capitalism in the developing world.
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Jarrett McGovern serves as the Creative Director for The Water Initiative™. Jarrett graduated from Cornell University in 2003. After graduation, he worked for Media Ventures Productions in Los Angeles and helped produced the movie "Waiting." In 2004, he relocated to Miami and worked for the Miami Marketing Group where he specialized in event marketing and corporate sponsorship. In 2006, he moved to New York and served as a Sales Manager and worked closely with the marketing group for Oxia, a company that provided personalized oxygen systems. Currently, he is the founder and Manager of several small start-up companies in real estate, consumer goods and entertainment.
Jeff Parker is managing director of the Parker Family Limited
Partnership. He is also the co-founder and retired CEO of CCBN, a web-based information services company, and the founder and managing director of Private Equity Investments, a venture capital firm focusing on start-up and early stage companies. As the founder and CEO of several other successful service companies over the past twenty five years, Jeff brings an operating perspective to the companies in which he invests, as well as a wealth of financial expertise and an extended network of domestic and international business contacts. In 1980, Jeff founded Technical Data Corporation which he subsequently sold in 1986 to Canadian publishing giant Thomson Corporation. In 1982, he became Chairman and CEO of Business Research Corporation, and in 1983 founded First Call Corporation. Under his leadership, Thomson Financial Services (TFS), as the group is now known, became a major provider of proprietary financial information to the investment and corporate communities.
Prior to starting Technical Data, Jeff served as a Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Investments. He has also held management positions at Smith, Barney, Loeb Rhoads, and A.G. Becker. In addition to being an active advisor to many early stage financial services companies, he also is a Venture Partner with GrandBanks Capital (Boston), Chairman of the Board of FirstCoverage (Toronto) and a Director of Mainstream Data (Salt Lake City). Jeff is a Trustee Emeritus, Presidential Counselor and a Foremost Benefactor of Cornell where he founded the Parker Center for Investment Research at the Johnson School. An alumnus of Cornell, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1965, a Master of Engineering in 1966, and a MBA in 1970.
In 2001, Parker was inducted into the Johnson Graduate School of Management's Hall of Honor, the Johnson School's highest award, and was also selected Cornell University's 2001 Entrepreneur of the Year. Jeff is currently Chair of the Johnson School Advisory Council, and is Co-Chair of the University-wide Entrepreneurship@Cornell (EPE) Program Advisory Council.
Mr. Wells is a specialist in environmental and low income, "base of the pyramid," markets with long experience in Mexico and Latin America. He was instrumental in introducing the concept of base of the pyramid markets as an important business opportunity to Mexico in 2001 when he organized the first conference in Mexico on Business Opportunities in the Base of the Pyramid with the Monterrey Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he worked with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop and promote its "Opportunities for
the Majority" initiative under which the IDB provides financing to business ventures that address the economic and social needs of Latin America's "majority" in an ethical and responsible manner.
A hallmark of Mr. Wells' approach has been the involvement of local entrepreneurs in base of the pyramid markets. With that objective he has worked in Mexico and Peru to prepare local small businesses to participate in market economies. Mr. Wells is an active participant in the Base of the Pyramid Learning Laboratories in the United States and Mexico, and he was a member of the multi-stakeholder group that developed the Base of the Pyramid Protocol. In 2007 he developed and conducted the first comprehensive training course in Mexico on business opportunities in the base of the pyramid applying the concepts. Mr. Wells is a native Spanish speaker and has worked with businesses, multilateral financial institutions and governments throughout Latin America.
He is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a Master's degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has also completed all the requirements except the dissertation for a doctorate in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
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Twenty-plus years experience working in business, capital
formation, operations and law, including work with emerging technology companies and venture capital, with a nanotechnology background. Michael advises executives on business issues, strategy implementation and business plan execution. He has advised emerging growth companies on financings (private and public offerings), mergers & acquisitions, and business matters, and advised investment banks on public offerings. In addition, Michael had led and negotiated business deals for technology licenses for Lehman Brothers.
Earlier in his career, Michael worked in product development at Procter & Gamble where he developed consumer products and worked on cross-functional teams during the start-up for new product introductions. Michael has a Bachelors of Science, honors, in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Juris Doctor, honors, from Boston College Law School.
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Professor Thompson is the Stavros Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Professor Thompson's research focuses on processing of thin films and nanostructures for use in electronic and electromechanical devices and systems. He has authored over three hundred technical papers, and co-edited six conference proceedings.
Professor Thompson has also actively served as a consultant to high-tech businesses, legal firms, and academic institutions. He received his S.B. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, and his S.M. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University, the latter in 1981. He was an IBM postdoctoral Fellow in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT in 1982, and joined the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT in 1983. Prof. Thompson's professorial honors include a UK SERC Fellowship for research in the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science at Cambridge University in the 1990-91 academic year, and an Alexander Von Homboldt Research Award for Senior US Scientists in the 1997-1998 academic year. Prof. Thompson served as the president of the Materials Research Society in 1996 and continues to serve the MRS, particularly in the area of programming.
Professor Thompson is currently the MIT Co-Chair of the Program for Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems in the Singapore-MIT Alliance and he serves as a driver leader for the MARCO multi-university Interconnect Focused Research Center.
Earned his BSc in Physics from Purdue University in 1981, and his MSc and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1983 and 1986, respectively. He worked at the Physical Sciences and Engineering Research Division of Bell Labs from 1986 until 1999. He joined the faculty of UCLA in 1999 as a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Ya-Hong Xie's research interests center around the enhancement of sensors and the functionality of silicon materials and nano-structured materials. Ya-Hong Xie has published over 130 papers in refereed journals, and holds 22 US patents with 12 applications at various stages pending. He is a member of the American Physical Society, the Materials Research Society, and a senior member of IEEE. In addition to his teaching and research activities, Ya-Hong Xie also serves as a technical consultant for prestigious law firms. He is also a member of the technical board of directors of Amberwave Systems.