National Center for Manufacturing Sciences picks new CEO

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) on July 25 announced that Richard (Rick) B. Jarman will succeed Richard F. Pearson as president and chief executive officer on September 4, 2007. Jarman comes to NCMS after a distinguished career at Eastman Kodak Company, where he was the director of technology partnerships. In this role, he was a driving force in forging alliances with industry and government to improve commercialization processes through innovation and new technology.

"Richard Pearson has provided outstanding leadership for NCMS during his tenure and has decided to retire," said NCMS bard chairman Richard Morley. "Rick Jarman has the vision and drive to make NCMS the premier resource for the North American manufacturing community. His career is a testament to the power of collaboration."

"NCMS is a nationally recognized leader in cross-industry collaborative project management," said Jarman. "I look forward to working with our member companies and customers to lead our company into an era where innovation and collaboration strengthen the business of our manufacturing base."

Jarman co-founded the Infotonics Technology Center near Rochester, N.Y., by bringing together several major corporations, and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels in 2001 making the center a reality. This shared-use infrastructure established a world-class research and development center in photonics and microsystems. As a state-of-the-art prototype and pilot fabrication facility, it will enable innovation and the rapid commercialization of new products.

Jarman serves on several industry boards including NCMS, related to his work in building collaborative alliances. He is the co-author of the book, "Collaborative R&D: Manufacturing's New Tool" published by John Wiley & Sons, N.Y., in April 1999.

"Rick Jarman has the experience and vision to lead NCMS," said Pearson. "His firsthand experience working with policy makers and his expertise in collaboration will bring a fresh perspective on how NCMS can continue to enhance North American manufacturing."

Jarman began his Kodak career in 1978 with the Business Systems Division and held a number of advancing marketing and management positions. In 1988, he represented Kodak on the President's Commission on Executive Exchange. Here, he played a key role on the trade committee during the commission's meetings in the USSR and Western Europe and served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Production and Logistics in the Pentagon, providing executive counsel on issues such as Total Quality Management and bolstering the Defense Industrial Base.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org.