February 15, 2006 Washington, D.C. -- The Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) announced that Arpad Bergh will retire as president of OIDA effective February 17, 2006. According to a press release, OIDA's board of directors has elected Dr. Michael S. Lebby, current executive director of OIDA, to succeed Bergh upon his retirement. Bergh will continue at OIDA as president emeritus.
"Arpad's distinguished career at OIDA has transformed the association and solidified OIDA's standing as a respected North American OE resource worldwide," remarks Lebby.
Bergh was a co-founder of OIDA and has served as its president since 1991. He also played a major role in the formation of the International Coalition of Optoelectronics Industry Associations (ICOIA), which has 10 members in the U.S., Europe, the Pacific Rim, and Australia. Bergh joined OIDA after a distinguished career at Bell Laboratories and Bellcore. He holds 11 patents, has authored more than 30 papers on semiconductor materials and devices, and has co-authored a book on light-emitting diodes. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a member of OSA and SPIE. Bergh received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Physical Chemistry.
"Michael is well qualified to provide leadership to OIDA and to member organizations," comments Bergh. "He will continue to foster productive relationships with OSA, IEEE-LEOS, CPMT, SPIE, and other related trade associations."
Lebby joined OIDA as Executive Director in early 2005. He holds more than 170 U.S. patents issued in optoelectronics. In 1985, Lebby's research took him to AT&T Bell Laboratories, followed in 1989 by a move to Motorola's corporate research laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1998, Lebby joined AMP as a member of its global optoelectronics division's management team. At AMP he was responsible for growing the fiber-optic datacom and telecom business through external interactions that included mergers, acquisitions strategic alliances, and technical strategic planning. In 1999, Lebby joined Intel as a corporate investor and was responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and closing private placement equity deals in the optical networking, component, and semiconductor arenas. In 2001, Lebby founded a fiber-optics company, Ignis Optics, where he served as the CEO, president, and as a board member, in addition to acting as VP of sales, marketing, and as as business director. Ignis Optics was acquired by Bookham Technology in 2003; Lebby became responsible for corporate and technical strategy at Bookham. At its meeting in November 2005, the IEEE Board of Directors elected Lebby an IEEE Fellow for contributions to optoelectronics technology.
"OIDA's focus will be to broaden the horizon of optoelectronics, develop a pre-eminent membership base, and leverage government connections," comments Lebby. "We want to become the primary reference in OE and maintain a focus on quality."
OIDA says it grew out of the idea that North American optoelectronics industry users and suppliers, working in partnership with academia and the U.S. government, could create a strong and growing competitive industry. Since its inception, the group's membership has grown to include most major producers of optoelectronics components and equipment, as well as a significant number of small companies and university affiliates.