Meet Our Judges

Many thanks to the judges of  the 2007 New Product Innovation Competition:

Aaron Bromberg

Aaron is a Technology Strategist in the Home Entertainment Division at Bose Corporation in Framingham, MA. He is responsible for assessing technology and market trends, and creating the long-range product strategy for the division. Additionally, Aaron works with product managers and engineers to plan the features and functions of future Bose products. Prior to joining Bose, Aaron was a management consultant in Deloitte Consulting Growth and Innovative practice. He received his BS from Cornell University and his MBA from Duke University.

A. Joseph DiBiase

In addition to having practiced law for more than nine years, Joseph has held several positions in fields as diverse as publishing, software, and education. Most recently he served as Vice President of Business Development at PCi Corporation, a leading banking software company. In this position, he was involved in addressing the technological, research, and compliance needs of clients and other software companies through the application of existing products and technologies. A life-long early adopter of new technologies, he has been on numerous committees evangelizing the benefits of technology in streamlining processes, automating repetitive tasks, and in selecting and improving technologies for various organizations.

Joe lives on the North Shore, where on any given weekend he can be found performing home-brewed science experiments with his two daughters, building a new computer, or assisting his friends and relatives with their technological challenges. He is a 1988 graduate of Suffolk University Law School.

Dr. John N. Driscoll

John is the founder and Technology and Marketing Manager of PID Analyzers, LLC. PID Analyzers develops and markets portable and process instrumentation using technologies such as photoionization, flame ionization, GC, Infrared, UV, electrochemistry. Prior to founding PID Analyzers, he founded and was President of HNU Systems, Inc. and developed the first commercial photoionization detector for measuring ppb levels of VOCs in the environment. John is also the founder, President and Chairman of the Environmental Business Council of New England.

John is the author of over 100 published papers and has presented his papers at many conferences.

John earned undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from the Franklin Institute of Boston and Suffolk University. He also earned a graduate degree in physical chemistry from Boston University and a graduate degree in business from Suffolk University.

Avrum Mayman

Avrum is responsible for New Product Management of Bose Corporation’s Lifestyle Home Theater systems. In this role, Avrum is responsible for long range planning, setting the product vision, creating product definitions, working with the development teams to ensure the vision becomes reality, and launching the product into the marketplace. In addition to his 5+ years experience at Bose, Avrum has held a variety of marketing, strategy, and business development roles in a variety of industries including financial services, logistics, and software manufacturing. Prior to these roles, Avrum spent five years as an Engineer on the Space Shuttle’s Orbital propulsion systems, where he helped return the fleet to launch after the Challenger disaster. Avrum holds a BA in Physics from Vassar College, an MS in Aero Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School.

Mary K. Murray

Mary is a Principal with Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds. Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds is a full-service intellectual property law firm founded in 1980. Many of the attorneys are patent agents and technology specialists who represent many independent inventors, start-up companies, corporations of all sizes including Fortune 500 companies, as well as academic and research institutions. These inventors, companies and institutions are located in the Boston area, across the United States and around the world. 

Mary has served on United States Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, and National Science Foundation grant review panels. She was a member of the editorial board of the journal Biology of Reproduction and several national and international scientific committees. She has authored or co-authored over fifty research publications and given research presentation at national and international scientific conferences, as well as lectures on intellectual property law at universities.

Since joining the firm in 1997, Mary has written and prosecuted patent applications in the biological, chemical and material sciences; drafted legal opinions, license agreements, intellectual property agreements, and confidentiality agreements; and participated in intellectual property litigation and trademark prosecution.

Mary received her BS in physiology and biosphysics from the University of Illinois, her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from
University of Illinois Health Science Center, and her JD from Suffolk University Law School. 

Robert Creeden

Bob is Managing Director of the Center for Innovative Ventures (CIV) at Partners Healthcare, where he oversees the creation and launching of new ventures generated from Partners innovative research discoveries.

Bob has spent more than twenty-five years focusing on commercialization new technologies and promoting emerging business, including fifteen years early stage venture capital investing experience and culminating in his 2005 appointment by Partners to establish the CIV. Previously, he was general partner at Egan- Managed Capital, a $150 million dollar Boston- based venture fund, after having served as vice president of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation , a 25 year old early stage venture firm that funds technology-based companies in Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, he gained strategic operating expertise as a COO/CFO with start-up ventures and as a management consultant with Control Data Business Advisors. 

Katerina Papp

Katerina is Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Commercial Banking Division for Eastern Bank. In this capacity, she manages medical device/ life sciences specialty banking group. She manage 72 banking relationships, over $220mln in commitments. As Portfolio Manager, Commercial Banking Division, she managed 54 banking relationships with over $150mln in commitments. Her day to day activities include but are not limited to underwriting and structuring new and existing business, periodic financial, collateral, and industry analysis, credit committee presentations, site visits and management assessments, and loan documentation.

Clara Chow

Clara is Principal and Founder of Cura Consulting Group and has an extensive background in management and sustainable development. This includes the creation of a framework for green business/sustainable enterprise. Her expertise in this area covers strategy and market development for a clean technology start-up, industry analysis for an environmental management software firm, environmental evaluations of energy alternatives for a Cypriot consulting company, and green innovations to improve corporate social responsibility for an international financial institution. Also, in partnership with GfK NOP, a global market research and consulting firm, her projects include: analyses of customer value and positioning for one of the largest international express delivery companies as well as assessments to measure the awareness and effectiveness of regulatory outreach and communication efforts for a federal agency. Prior to founding Cura Consulting Group, Clara was part of the management team at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  

Chris Lyons

Chris founded Lyons Media Inc. in 2003 and publishes RFID Product News Magazine, and e-solutions the twice monthly eNewsletter for the RFID industry. Lyons Media also produces webinars for both industries.

Chris is a 25 year veteran of the publishing industry with experience as; Sales and Training manager at The Donnelley Directory Company, Associate Publisher of Printing Impressions Magazine, Founder of Periscope Inc., the first on-line business to business publishing company (founded in 1991), Group Publisher of Reed Business Information Printing, Publishing and Packaging properties including Graphic Arts Monthly, Converting Magazine, Digital Design and production, The Graphic Arts Blue Books, Quick Print Products Magazine, World Leaders in Print and all associated web sites, and databases. Chris has also served as COO of WMI the premier consumer magazine insert producer and Vice President of Business Development at Scholastic Publishing in New York.

Edward J. Keefe

Edward graduated with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Maine, MBA from Suffolk University and a MS in Taxation from Bentley College. He is responsible for the oversight of the finance and administration activities, information technology and reporting to the Limited Partners. Prior to joining M/C Venture Partners in October 2004, Keefe was Vice President of Finance of Atlas Venture, a leading international early-stage venture capital firm, investing in communications, information technology, and life sciences companies. Previously, he also served as Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis at Instrumentation Laboratory, Tax Consultant at Coopers and Lybrand, and as a Senior Financial Analyst at Raytheon Company. He is also is a member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Private Equity CFO Association and the Treasurers’ Club of Boston.

Gaurav Tewari

Gaurav is a Senior Associate at Highland Capital Partners focusing on technology with specific experience and interest in internet, digital media, mobile and online marketing technologies. Gaurav represents Highland on the boards of GlobalStreams, StyleFeeder and Top Ten Media.

Prior to joining Highland Capital Partners, Guarav was a Corporate Strategy Manager at Microsoft Corporation, where he worked with the top leadership to define and implement corporate-wide growth opportunities via organic initiatives and acquisitions. Before Microsoft, Guarav was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he led strategic projects for Fortune 100 companies across a number of verticals, including high tech, financial services, healthcare and energy. At McKinsey, Guarav extensively advised senior management on investments and divestitures, operational improvement and organizational initiatives, and in developing and executing technology strategy roadmaps.
 
Gaurav holds seven US technology patents. He has authored nine published works of research and has spoken at various conferences.