President Joseph Chapman of North Dakota State University and the NDSU Research and Technology Park board of directors has announced the names of 14 area business leaders appointed to two year terms as members of the NDSU Research & Technology Park advisory committee for the incubator/entrepreneurship project. This facility, a technology-focused business incubator, will expand the University's role in the development and commercial application of technology, leading to greater diversification and growth in the economies of North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The incubator will promote development of new technology-based companies, providing access to financing, technical support, market research, management consulting, shared office equipment and flexible physical space. Construction on the building is tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall of 2005.

Members of the advisory committee will serve as outside resources for clients of the center, provide coaching and mentoring, and link the incubator clients to the business community and North Dakota State University.

Dorinda Anderson is the Business Development Director in West Fargo, ND. Anderson is responsible for guiding the city's commercial growth. She previously held a position on the National Business Incubation Association membership services committee.

Barry Batcheller is Director of Technology Growth at Deere & Company. In that capacity he explores growth opportunities for the company based on innovative applications and advanced technology. Batcheller is the founder, and former President and CEO of Phoenix International Corporation. He was named North Dakota Business Innovator of the Year in 1994 and was selected as the Fargo Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year in 1995.

Philip Boudjouk, Ph.D. is the Vice President for Research, Creative Activities and Technology Transfer at North Dakota State University. Dr. Boudjouk has been active as a teacher, researcher and member of the NDSU Department of Chemistry since 1973. He has more than 125 refereed publications and holds eight patents.

Michael Chambers is the President/CEO of Aldevron, LLC. He coordinates Aldevron's gene therapy research and development, oversees strategic acquisitions and evaluates technology transfer opportunities. In 2002, he was awarded the Young Entrepreneur Award from the North Dakota State University College of Business Administration.

Nicholas Colella, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President of Operations at Tessera Technologies, Inc. Nick co-founded nCHIP Inc., Angel Technologies Corporation, and the National Robotics Engineering Consortium at Carnegie Mellon. Currently, he serves on the Science Advisory Board of Zyvex Corporation, a nanotechnologies company, and on the Board of Directors of UltraCell, a fuel cell company.

John Cosgriff is the regional manager of InvestAmerica Venture Group, an investment advising company for venture capital firms. He is also a city commissioner and deputy mayor for the City of Fargo.

Glenn Gengel is currently the Vice President of Manufacturing for Alien Technology in Morgan Hill, CA. Gengel has received eight product and process patents with additional patents pending. He has started production lines or factories for membrane switches, dashboard circuits, electronics packages, flexible plastic displays and RFID products.

Steve Halverson is the Founder and President of Heartland Trust Company in Fargo. He has 33 years of experience in the banking and investment industry. Steve has volunteered his financial expertise to many area groups such as The Village Family Service Center, Fargo Public Schools Foundation, and the North Dakota Department of Banking and Financial Institutions. He was a co-founder of the Association of Independent Trust Companies, a nationwide association of independently owned trust companies. He received the North Dakota National Leadership Award in 1999.

Jay Leitch, Ph.D. serves as Dean of the NDSU College of Business Administration. With expertise in many business related areas like economics, public policy choices and public finance, he has served as a consultant to many organizations, from local government and citizens' groups to the World Bank and several foreign governments. He is a recipient of the Fargo Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Professorship and Faculty Lectureship.

Mark Nisbet has worked for Xcel Energy for more than 22 years, currently serving as North Dakota Principal Manager. He directs community, government and media relations in Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. Nisbet chairs the Center of Excellence Committee on the North Dakota Department of Commerce Foundation Board and is also a board member of the Fargo/Cass County Economic Development Corporation and the Downtown Community Partnership.

Mark Rheault is the Product Strategy Director at EYT, a leading provider of Microsoft Business Solutions to mid-market companies. He has 14 years of experience in the technology industry, including holding product management responsibility for the BeAtHome company's flagship home management system when it was awarded Product of the Year by the Consumer Electronics Association.

Craig Schnell, Ph.D. is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at North Dakota State University. Dr. Schnell provides leadership for NDSU's eight colleges and the Graduate School and Office of Research Administration. Additionally, he directs the activities of Information Technology Services, NDSU Libraries, International Programs, Teaching Support Center, Cooperative Education and the Institute for the Study of Cultural Diversity.

Dale Zetocha has served for nearly nine years as Executive Director of the NDSU Research Foundation and the Director of the Technology Transfer Office at NDSU. The Technology Transfer Office is responsible for handling all intellectual property issues for the university. The NDSU Research Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to own and manage university intellectual property.

Terri Zimmerman has served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Dakota Technologies, Inc. since October 2001. In this capacity she focuses on strategic planning and product commercialization. Zimmerman has extensive business expertise working with small to large private and public companies. While Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Operations at Great Plains Software, she had a leadership role in growing the company from $25 million to $200 million in revenue and led a very successful initial public offering and secondary offering.