Roger Vogel, Chairman, President and CEO of Vante Medical Technologies Elected as Arizona Technology Council's Chairman of the Board

PHOENIX, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Signaling its commitment to maintaining a first-class level of governance from across Arizona, the Arizona Technology Council today announced that Roger Vogel, chairman, president and CEO of Vante Medical Technologies as its Chairman of the Board and Bob Witwer, vice president of Advanced Technology for Honeywell Aerospace as its Vice Chairman. Both positions will be up for re-election in October, 2013 for one year terms. Charles Vermillion, CEO, OneNeck IT Services Corporation now serves as Chairman Emeritus.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120203/MM47146LOGO)

The Council also elected Jacque Westling, partner, Quarles & Brady as a new Director to serve a three-year term.  All changes were ratified in a unanimous vote during a regular session of the Council's Board of Directors' meeting on April 18, 2013.

"First and foremost, we are grateful for the leadership Chuck Vermillion provided during his tenure as Chairman," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. "As we begin to implement our new vision and strategic plan, Roger's election marks a unique milestone for the Council as our first Chairman from a Tucson-based company. He is an excellent business visionary with deep roots and a powerful personal commitment to both Southern Arizona and the state."

The Arizona Technology Council's executive officers and board of directors serve in an advisory and fiduciary role by representing the interests of the state's technology industries in the Council's strategic planning and on-going operations. This translates into topnotch ideas and wisdom that turn into executable programs that benefit all members.

"The Arizona Technology Council is the driving force behind making our state the fastest growing technology hub in the nation; connecting and empowering Arizona's technology community," said Vogel. "As we continue to create and articulate member value, we will focus on our strategic plan that includes developing and attracting innovation capital and talent while maximizing our public policy impact. I look forward to serving with this world-class Board of Directors to identify and develop the technology programs Arizona needs."

Vogel joined Vante, a developer of high precision manufacturing solutions for the medical device industry, in March 2005 after a 20 year career with IBM where his last position was Vice President and General Manager of the IBM Tucson laboratory. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An Arizona resident for 28 years, he is very active in the community serving as Vice Chairman of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Vice Chairman of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and as a director for the Campus Research Corporation of the University of Arizona. 

Witwer has over 30 years of aerospace experience, including leadership roles on the A320 Flight Management System, Boeing 777 Airplane Information Management System, and Honeywell Primus Epic avionics system. In his current role, he is responsible for defining the technology strategy and developing the pre-TRL6 technology for all of Honeywell Aerospace's products; propulsion engines, auxiliary power units, air management systems, electric power systems, flight controls, avionics, and sensors. He is also an officer on the Board of Directors for the Challenger Space Center in Peoria, AZ.

The Arizona Technology Council's current Board of Directors includes 41 members, seven of which are officers. Companies represented include:

Alerion, American Express, Arizona State University Office of Knowledge and Enterprise Development, AT&T of Arizona & New Mexico, Avnet, Axosoft, Boeing, Bryan Cave LLP, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cox Communications, Ernst & Young, Fennemore Craig, P.C., Greenberg Traurig LLP, Honeywell, Infusionsoft, Insight Enterprises, Intel Corporation, International Research Center, IO, KPMG, Lumension Security, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, MSS Technologies, OneNeck IT Services, Powers Investments, Quarles & Brady LLP, Raytheon Company, Ryley Carlock & Applewhite, Signature Technology Group, Suntron Corporation, Telesphere, Terralever, TGen, The Board Institute/SSA Executive Search International, Ltd., 360 Vantage, Tucson Embedded Systems, University of Arizona Tech Launch Arizona, University of Phoenix, Vante, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Western Alliance Bank.

About the Arizona Technology Council
The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona's premier trade association for science and technology companies.  Recognized as having a diverse professional business community, Council members work towards furthering the advancement of technology in Arizona through leadership, education, legislation and social action. The Arizona Technology Council offers numerous events, educational forums and business conferences that bring together leaders, managers, employees and visionaries to make an impact on the technology industry.  These interactions contribute to the Council's culture of growing member businesses and transforming technology in Arizona. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.  

SOURCE Arizona Technology Council