Corporate Officers

Richard D. Kurtz

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Richard (Rick) Kurtz was elected Chairman of the Board in July 2000, was appointed Chief Executive Officer in February 2003, and assumed the President role in 2006. Prior to joining Advanced Photonix Inc., Kurtz was Director of Strategic Planning for Quantum Compliance Systems Inc., a privately owned software company. From 1976 to 2000, he served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Filtertek Inc., an ESCO Technology company. He has held various sales and marketing positions in electronics, automation and other high tech companies. Kurtz received his BA in Economics from Michigan State University in 1976, and his MBA from Eastern Michigan University in 1980.

Rob Risser

Chief Financial Officer and Director

Rob Risser co-founded Picometrix in 1992, which was acquired by Advanced Photonix Inc., in 2005. From 1982 through 1992, Risser served as a general partner and investor in numerous technology and real estate investments. From 1973 to 1981, he worked for the Bendix Corporation in corporate financial and strategic planning. Risser earned an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1978 and passed the CPA exam in 1975.

Steven Williamson

Chief Technology Officer

Steven Williamson co-founded Picometrix in 1992. Prior to starting Picometrix, Williamson was a research scientist at the NSF-funded Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS) at the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1993. From 1977 to 1988, he was a research engineer at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Williamson earned his B.A. in Physics (Optics) from the University of Rochester, has 35 publications in the field of ultrafast optics and optoelectronics and holds 12 patents and 2 patent applications.