James R. Von Ehr II is the Founder and Chairman of the Zyvex group of companies: Zyvex Technologies, Zyvex Labs and in Singapore: Zyvex Asia and ZyCraft.

Von Ehr is recognized as a respected leader within the nanotechnology industry and speaks frequently at industry conferences worldwide. He founded the Texas Nanotechnology Initiative and the Feynman Grand Prize in Nanotechnology. His significant gift established the University of Texasat Dallas NanoTech Institute. He has also endowed the James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair of Science and Technology at UTD, held by the late Nobel Laureate Alan G. MacDiarmid (Chemistry Prize in 2000). In 2006, he endowed the James Von Ehr Scholars program at Michigan State University, funding scholarships for 16 engineering undergrads.

Von Ehr was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in June 2003. In 2004, he was named Distinguished Alumni of both Michigan State University and The University of Texas at Dallas. Also in 2004, he received the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Leadership Award. In 2006, he received the Claud Erickson Award, MSU’s highest Engineering Alumni award, as well as MSU’s Computer Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. He holds six patents in software and nanotechnology.

David E. Daniel is the fourth president of The University of Texas at Dallas. He received his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and served on the faculty at UT Austin from 1980 to 1996. In 1996, he moved to theUniversity of Illinois, finishing his service there as Dean of Engineering before being appointed UT Dallas' president in 2005.
 
Dr. Daniel’s professional work has been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which awarded him its highest honor for papers published in its journals (the Norman Medal), and on two separate occasions awarded him its second highest honor, the Croes Medal. He was also awarded the Presidents’ Award in 2007 and the OPAL (Outstanding Projects and Leaders) Award for Education for 2010. In 2000, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the nation’s most prestigious organization recognizing engineering achievement.
 
In 2005 through 2008, Daniel served as Chair of the External Review Panel of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which reviewed the facts surrounding the performance of New Orleans’ levees during Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 Daniel served as President of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST), which is an organization comprised of all Texas residents who have won Nobel Prizes or been elected to one of the three National Academies. In July 2010, Daniel was appointed by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council to a committee investigating the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The committee is charged with conducting a technical analysis of the accident’s causes and recommending measures to prevent similar disasters in the future. Daniel serves on the Sandia Corporation Board of Directors, which oversees management of Sandia National Laboratory. He also serves on boards of numerous Dallas-area organizations, including the Dallas Regional Chamber.
 
During his presidency, UT Dallas has doubled its research expenditures, initiated or completed $300 million of construction of new buildings, added 33 new degree programs, raised $125 million in private funds and won two national collegiate championships in chess.
 
He has advocated widely for UT Dallas to become one of the nation's top research universities, focusing on hiring exceptional faculty members, attracting top students, delivering a quality education, expanding diversity and partnering with the community in research, education, outreach, the arts, and technology commercialization. The approach that he suggested for creating more top-tier research universities in Texas gained widespread support that led to two legislative initiatives that pumped more than $500 million of state funds into this effort. His work on this legislation led to his being named a finalist for “Texan of the Year” by the Dallas Morning News in December 2009.
 

 Arun Bhikshesvaran has more than 15 years of experience in the wireless communications industry.  He has been with Ericsson since 1995 and is currently senior vice president of strategy and chief technology officer for Ericsson North America. Bhikshesvaran is responsible for identifying Ericsson's long-term vision, defining the overall company strategy and driving business value creation for Ericsson’s customers.

He has served in a variety of roles within the industry, including multimedia and infrastructure solutions, systems solutions and integration, field engineering, R&D and global product marketing.

Bhikshesvaran holds a masters degree in electrical engineering and has completed a post graduate executive program at Columbia Business School. He serves on the board of directors of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC).

Comerica’s Technology & Life Sciences Division can provide companies with the resources they need to realize their vision. Comerica’s products and services are tailored to meet the demands of emerging technology and life science companies throughout their lifecycle.
 
Now in its second decade, Comerica’s Technology & Life Sciences Division has fueled thousands of success stories. Their strengths include extensive experience in technology, life sciences and venture services, strong relationships with top-tier investors and the proven ability to add value with other financial services. Comerica offers growth capital lines, equipment loans, working capital lines, international trade finance, treasury management, institutional trust, investment management, retirement plans and executive and personal banking services.
 
With offices nationwide from Boston to Silicon Valley, Comerica Technology & Life Sciences Division can provide expert financial services to companies in every stage of their lifecycle.
 
See the technology and life sciences section of Comerica’s website for more information.