Join fellow alumni, students, faculty and community members on October 16 for a discussion with Kevin Mille ’04 and Ankur Pansari ’04 on the opportunities and demands in the exciting world of high-technology innovation and development. The 2004 Institute of Optics graduates relocated to Silicon Valley upon graduation and quickly embarked on journeys of success in the high-tech and start-up sectors. From start-up software to Fortune500 hardware, they’ll share their experiences and thoughts on the industry and various career paths. This event is free and open to the University community and the general public. Attendees must register online in advance or call (585) 276-3500. Those who register will receive a complimentary River Campus parking pass.
About the Speakers:
Kevin Mille ’04
Sr. Product Support Manager, KLA-Tencor
Experienced engineering manager with a focus on service strategy and change management
Kevin is the top service owner responsible for all Tech Support, New Product Development (NPI), and sustaining business management for KLA-Tencor’s (KT) Optical Metrology Archer product line. Kevin directs a team of engineers and managers based in the US, Israel and Taiwan. He is influential across all areas of KT’s $600M service business in areas such as marketing, operations, supply chain, talent development, and customer satisfaction. Kevin’s normal schedule includes frequent global travel to interface both internally and externally to meet the needs of the business. Kevin started his career at KT immediately following graduation from the University of Rochester. Since then, he has held numerous engineering roles and climbed through management within the Global Customer Group to where he is today. During his career, Kevin has achieved multiple team awards and KT’s esteemed General Managers award for his work leading an optimized preventative maintenance program. Kevin holds a B.S. from the Institute of Optics and has completed graduate courses from the University of California, Berkley.
Ankur Pansari ’04
Co-founder & CEO, Artillery
Experienced software start-up technology executive and angel investor
Ankur is the CEO and co-founder of Artillery — a video game and technology company financed with $11M in top tier venture funding. Ankur is responsible for all company direction, product management, hiring, and finance. Prior to Artillery, Ankur was a member of Facebook’s Platform Partnerships founding team and touched over 250 partnerships during his tenure where his role grew to managing the Facebook experience on more than 100 million devices. Before Facebook, Ankur helped distribute hundreds of millions of Browser Toolbars at Google where he received the highly prestigious OC award — Google’s second highest honor. Ankur has a B.S. in applied math, a B.S. in optical engineering, and a minor in physics from the University of Rochester where he graduated with distinction. Ankur is involved with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America as a former big brother and fundraiser.