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History Mission Vision Values Board Members Advisory
Board Team
History
The concept for the BNSL has its antecedents in an earlier bi-national technology
program-the Materials Corridor Initiative-supported by the U.S. Department of Energy
and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT). The Materials Corridor
Initiative (MCI) focused on advanced materials and materials processes that were
energy efficient and environmentally friendly (sustainable) and involved eight U.S.
Universities in the four U.S. Border States, several national laboratories and their
Mexican counterparts. The MCI was designed to develop and bring new materials and
processes to a commercially "deployable" level for job/wealth creation. Of 23 projects
supported over a five year period, 12 were considered at the end as deployable-two
of which actually became new start-up businesses in the border region.
Starting a few years later but in parallel with the MCI, the BNSL concept began
to take shape in the late 1990's within Sandia National Laboratories' Advanced Concepts
Group as they examined border stress and opportunity disparity issues. The BNSL
was viewed as an opportunity for the U.S.-Mexico border region where, by fostering
sustainable economic development, greater border stability, security and transparency
could be achieved. At the outset the BNSL was, and still is, championed by five
key institutions: CONACYT, the U.S. Department of Commerce/Economic Development
Agency (EDA), the Fundación México-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia (FUMEC), New Mexico's
Economic Development Department (EDD), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). A
plan to create the BNSL evolved during the early 2000's with the strong leadership
of FUMEC and Sandia, combined with the efforts of many other organizations, government
officials, and policy-makers.
In 2003 the BNSL was incorporated as a non-profit entity (the BNSLi) and officially
opened its doors on September 1, 2005. As a bi-national, non-profit entity, the
BNSL is now capable of accepting funding from public and private institutions in
both the U.S. and Mexico as well as able to take the necessary steps to advance
its mission.
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Mission
The Bi-National Sustainability Laboratory has the mission of promoting the advancement of the United States – Mexico border region, focusing on sustainable, technology-based economic development. We will accomplish this mission by promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among policy makers, regional stakeholders, and academia, and by assisting entrepreneurs and small business owners in starting, incubating and accelerating technology-based companies.
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Vision
The BNSL envisions creating an economically rich and vibrant United States/Mexico border anchored by innovative and competitive enterprises.
Mantra
Growing regional wealth through innovation.
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Values
"Sustainability" in the BNSL name signifies a focus on environmental and energy
sustainability as well as economic sustainability. The BNSL sees these goals as
mutually compatible since environmentally friendly and energy efficient technologies
are generally positive attributes of any successfull enterprise. The BNSL strongly
values partnerships with the full spectrum of business entities from start-ups to
fully mature and multinational corporations who have an entrepreneurial and creative
vision. While primarily focusing its effort on emerging, and, thus, potentially
culture-changing technologies, the BNSL will also include appropriate small business
start-ups, if they satisfy or significantly contribute to the technology-growth
goals of the region.
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Board Members
Gabriel Ortiz Hernan - President
Director General, D'Informatica21
Al Zapanta - Vice President
President & CEO, U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Lucinda Vargas - Treasurer/Secretary
CEO, Plan Estratégico de Juarez, A.C.
Jennifer Sue Bond
Senior Advisor, International Policy Studies, Council on Competitiveness
Jorge de los Santos
Director of Pan American Initiatives and Special Advisor to the President, Office
of Pan American Initiatives, Arizona State University
Rolando Gonzalez Barron
President and CEO, Gobar Systems Inc.
Alfredo Román González Fernández*
Secretario de Desarrollo Economico y del Empleo Tamaulipas (*Represented by: Dr.
Julio Martínez Burnes; Director General, Consejo Tamaulipeco de Ciencia
y Tecnología)
William Harris
President & CEO - Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz)
Jaime Oaxaca
Chairman - The Oaxaca Group
Jaime Parada
President & CEO - Instituto de Innovación y Transferencia de Tecnología de N.L.
Robert Sachs
Co-owner and Chairman/CEO - Team Technologies Inc.
Sergio Tagliaprietra
Secretario de Desarollo Economico de Sonora and
President of Industrial Vallera de Mexicali, S.A.
Mary Walshok
Associate Vice Chancellor--Extended Studies, University of California San Diego
Gerry Yonas
Mind Research Network
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Advisory Board
Mike Acosta
Director Border Office - U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) - University
of Texas at El Paso
Ricardo Benavides
Servicios Industriales Peñoles
Scott Bryant
Executive Director - Micro and Nanotechnology Commercialization Education Foundation (MANCEF)
Luis Cárdenas
Director Operativo - Instituto de Innovacion y Transferencia de Tecnologia (I2T2)
Lawrence Chavez
Venture Partner - Flywheel Ventures
Russell R. Chianelli
Professor - Deparment of Chemistry - University of Texas at El Paso
Gil Cisneros
President and Chief Executive Officer - Chamber of the Americas
Jackie Mitchell Edwards
Wealth Management Advisor - Merrill Lynch
Guillermo Fernández de la Garza
Executive Director - U.S. - Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC)
Rogelio G. Garza
Director - Centro de Innovación, Investigación y Desarrollo de Ingeniería y Tecnología - Universidad Autonoma de
Nuevo Leon
Jesus González
Director General - CIMAV
Frank Hoy
Director - Collaborative for Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Cecilia Levine
CEO - MFI International
Julio Martínez Burnes
Director General - Consejo Tamaulipeco de Ciencia y Tecnología (COTACYT)
Jose Manuel Mascareñas Haas
Director Ejecutivo - Fundacion Margarita Miranda De Mascarenas, A.C.
Ron Munden
Partner - EPV Group
Miguel Angel Olin
Retired
Mike Orshan
Solar Sales Director - Patriot Solar Group, Cobham Satcom
Patrick Osio Jr.
Editor - Hispanic Vista
Larry Peterson
Partner/Vice-President - Technology Tree
Homero Ramírez
Quality Assurance Director - Technical Vicepresidency Mexico - CEMEX
Jorge A. Ramos
Chief Economist - The Paso del Norte Group
Leopoldo Rodríguez
Chairman of the Board of Governors - U.S. - Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC)
Lorenzo Rodriguez
President - Senda Micro Technnologies
Paul Short
Verge Fund
Jessica Turnley
President - Galisto Consulting Group, Inc
Steve Walsh
UNM Anderson School of Management
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Team
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