Advisory Board
Who We Are
Joseph Spilman, MBA
Optimax
CEO
Bio
Joseph Spilman is the Chief Executive Officer of Optimax Systems, a leading U.S. manufacturer of high‑precision optics and optical systems. He officially took on the CEO role in November 2024 after serving three years as President, and he has been part of the Optimax leadership team for over 10 years, advancing through key roles in sales, marketing, and business development.
With two decades of experience in the optics and photonics industry, Joseph brings deep technical expertise and strategic business insight to the company. Prior to joining Optimax, he held leadership roles at ArmorLine Corp., where he managed commercial operations, and at II‑VI Inc., focusing on industrial and defense laser optics.
Joseph holds a bachelor’s degree in optics from the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics, and an MBA from the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
Jenifer Bunis
Westlake Photonics
Principal
Bio
Jenifer Bunis is a native of Buffalo, New York, and in 1986, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Armed with this unique and highly specialized degree, she moved to Boston to begin her career at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where she worked as a research associate in the Laser Radar Group, under the Star Wars defense program. After two years in this role, she decided to move away from pure research and towards a more commercial venture. She joined Questek, a manufacturer of Excimer lasers, as an applications engineer. Upon the sale of Questek four years later, Bunis accepted a position as the first Sales Engineer for Synrad, then a small CO2 laser startup in a Seattle suburb. Bunis stayed at this company for almost twenty years, growing the company and her responsibilities along the way. From a sales engineer to executive vice president, Bunis gained valuable experience in operations, business development, sales, and supply chain management.
Bunis’ years of industry experience culminated in joining the board of Rofin-Sinar, an international laser and systems manufacturer, acquired by Coherent in 2016. Bunis then started Westlake Photonics, a photonics consulting firm specializing in talent acquisition, business development, and M&A. Bunis brings 25+ years of experience in management of all aspects of laser/photonics business including components, systems, and applications, as well as an extensive personal/business network in photonics.
Turan Erdogan, PhD
Plymouth Grating Laboratory, Inc.
President
Bio
Turan Erdogan received SB degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and his PhD from University of Rochester. He completed postdoctoral work at AT&T Bell Labs. He is currently President of Plymouth Grating Lab (PGL). He has been studying, teaching, and practicing optics for over 40 years. His previous experience includes serving as site leader for Melles Griot; CTO and VP of Business Development for IDEX Optics & Photonics and IDEX Health & Science; co-founder of Semrock, Inc., which was acquired by IDEX; and a tenured professor at The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester.
Turan has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications and over 50 major conference talks and holds more than 30 issued patents, with about half of these covering optical devices in mass production today. A dedicated volunteer, he is President-elect of Optica and has served on the Optica Board of Directors and a number of councils and committees. He has chaired the FiO-LS conference, OFC, and topical meetings. He is also a Fellow of Optica and a recipient of the David Richardson Medal and Adolph Lomb Medal.
Susan Houde-Walter, PhD
University of Arizona
Director, Professor, CEO, Advisor
Bio
Susan Houde-Walter is a distinguished leader in optics and photonics with a career spanning academia, industry, and national defense. She served as Director and Professor at the Center for Imaging Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology, CEO of LMD Power of Light Corp., and co-founder of LaserMax, Inc., following a long tenured professorship at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics; she is currently an adjunct professor at the Jim Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona. Her honors include the Keeper of the Flame Award from the National Women’s Hall of Fame and Commander’s Awards for Public Service from both the U.S. Air Force and Army. She has served on the U.S. Air Force Science Advisory Board, the U.S. Army Science Board, the National Academy of Sciences Intelligence Science and Technology Experts Group, and others. A prolific inventor and scholar, she holds 28 U.S. patents, authored over 100 publications and invited talks, and has chaired external review teams for leading optics institutions.
Mark Tolbert, PhD
TOPTICA Photonics
President & CEO
Bio
Mark Tolbert is President and CEO of TOPTICA Photonics Inc., a global leader in high‑performance laser systems for scientific and industrial markets. Based in Pittsford, NY, he has overseen major expansion of TOPTICA’s North & South American operations, fueled by growth in quantum technologies, biophotonics, and advanced metrology.
Tolbert’s background blends technical expertise and business strategy. He studied physics at the Rochester Institute of Technology and earned an MBA from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. Early in his career, he founded Aurora Systems, now a consultancy focused on entrepreneurship and executive development. He later held leadership roles at EXFO Burleigh as General Manager and Director of Sales & Marketing, at GS Plastic Optics as a director, and at Eagle Mountain, Inc. as Vice President, where he led a successful turnaround and merger.
Joining TOPTICA in the early 2000s, Tolbert guided its evolution from a small distribution presence into a full-scale U.S. operation with R&D, manufacturing, cleanroom production, and engineering support. Today, TOPTICA Photonics Inc. is the company’s largest subsidiary and a core contributor to its global innovation pipeline.
Under his leadership, TOPTICA USA has delivered sustained double‑digit growth and expanded its workforce and facilities. A major milestone came in 2022 with the opening of a state‑of‑the‑art Pittsford facility featuring ISO‑class cleanrooms, expanded labs, and modernized production lines—an investment supported by regional economic development efforts that created and retained dozens of high‑tech jobs.
TOPTICA’s U.S. team supports advanced markets including quantum, precision spectroscopy, biophotonics, holography, and semiconductor inspection, and plays a key support role in flagship systems such as the Guide Star Laser for global observatories.
Tolbert is widely recognized for fostering innovation and strengthening the national quantum ecosystem. He collaborates closely with research institutions, startups, and government partners and serves on the board of Qunnect, a quantum networking company. His leadership continues to advance high‑value manufacturing, technology commercialization, and STEM engagement across Upstate New York.