Dominic Speer
Dominic Speer worked full-time for Wasatch Photonics team from 2006 to 202, and now acts in a consulting role. As the former Technical Manager at the Logan, Utah facility, Dom fulfilled several roles including R&D, grating design, preparing technical quotations, process engineering, custom grating production, to overseeing the quality department. Dom has been a key contributor to Wasatch Photonics’ grating business with his diverse perspective of all aspects of volume phase holographic gratings and ability to understand our customers’ specific requirements to make sure the finished product performs correctly. Dom is a graduate of Utah State University, where he received a BS degree in Physics. He has 20+ years experience in the field of holography.
Dominic Speer
R&D consultant, GratingsJeff Taylor
Jeff is a seasoned operations manager and supply chain professional with over 20 years of experience in the consumer goods industry. As the General Manager at Wasatch Photonics’ Morrisville, NC site, Jeff ‘s goal is to build reliable, repeatable processes that produce consistent quality and on-time deliveries. He implements Six Sigma, Lean, and other continuous improvement methodologies at Wasatch Photonics to drive a culture of “winning the hour = winning the day” and to achieve sustainable results in the facility. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management, and Operations from Indiana Wesleyan University, and is a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Jeff Taylor
General Manager, NC FacilityJoel Johnson
As Director of Operations at the facility in Logan, Utah, Joel oversees all aspects of manufacturing Wasatch Photonics’ volume phase holographic gratings and holographic optical elements. Joel brings experience in managing industrial manufacturing teams spanning design, purchasing, shipping, and finance. As an experienced mechanical designer, he takes a hands-on approach to operations management, keeping a strong customer focus throughout the process.
Joel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems from Utah State University and an MBA in Business Administration and Management from Western Governors University.
Joel Johnson
General Manager, Utah FacilityAlexis Calvert
As the Vice President of Operations at Wasatch Photonics, Alexis Calvert plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence and ensuring the company’s success. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Meredith College and a Graduate Certificate from North Carolina State University. Her educational background has equipped her with a strong foundation in business management and leadership. Before joining Wasatch Photonics, Alexis worked as a Program Manager at Eaton, where she honed her skills in project management, process optimization, and team collaboration. Her contributions were instrumental in enhancing operational efficiency and achieving organizational goals.
As VP of Operations at Wasatch Photonics, Alexis oversees critical aspects of the company’s operations, including supply chain management, production processes, quality control, and strategic planning. Her commitment to excellence ensures that Wasatch Photonics continues to deliver cutting-edge solutions to its clients.
Alexis Calvert
VP of OperationsTravis Cannefax
Travis joined the Wasatch Photonics team in 2019 and oversees the company’s Quality Assurance processes. He is excited to help grow and mature the Wasatch Photonics Quality Management System and to promote a strong quality-centric culture within the company. Travis has worked 19 years in the Quality world, with 16 years in medical device manufacturing. Travis hold BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah, and is an ASQ certified Quality Manager and Quality Engineer.
Travis Cannefax
Quality DirectorChristopher ‘Tiff’ Hopkins
Tiff Hopkins is an accomplished supply chain professional with a wealth of experience and expertise. His dedication to advancing end-to-end supply chain management has made him a valuable member of the Wasatch Photonics senior management team. Tiff holds a prestigious Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designation from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). This certification, launched in 2006, has been earned by over 13,000 professionals across 78 countries. It signifies mastery of supply chain management best practices and specialized knowledge. Additionally, he is a Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM 7.0) and a certification from the International Consortium for Agile Business Management (ICGB).
As Supply Chain Director, Tiff helps Wasatch Photonics to successfully navigated complex supply chain challenges, optimizing processes and driving efficiency. His strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities have led to significant cost savings and improved customer satisfaction. As a seasoned professional, he has collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance supply chain visibility, demand planning, and inventory control.
Christopher ‘Tiff’ Hopkins
Supply Chain DirectorMatt Piland
Matt Piland has been Chief Financial Officer of Wasatch Photonics since January 2020. Matt has more than 25 years of experience across all areas of accounting and finance within manufacturing, technology, logistics, and entertainment industries. For the last 15 years, Matt has held the role of CFO at several companies, both divisions/subsidiaries of large, global organizations as well as privately held corporations. He has had responsibility for accounting departments throughout North America, and in Europe and Asia. In addition to finance, HR, and IT, he has at times led operations, supply chain, and customer service functions.
At Wasatch, Matt has responsibility for all administrative aspects of the business. By being very involved in the detail while also helping to set the strategy, he has proven to play a key role in the successful growth of organizations. Along with the rest of the management team, Matt is very optimistic about the future at Wasatch Photonics.
Matt holds a BS in Accounting from Northern Illinois University, as well as an Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.
Matt Piland
Chief Financial OfficerDavid Creasey, PhD
As Chief Executive Officer for Wasatch Photonics since February 2017, David oversees the operations, growth, and strategy for our gratings, spectroscopy, and OCT products. Trained as a laser spectroscopist, he brings a deep technical understanding of optical technology and applications to the company’s product roadmap and vision. Under his leadership, Wasatch Photonics continues to leverage its position as a technology innovator while expanding its systems and infrastructure to become a world-class OEM supplier.
David brings 20 years’ experience in sales, OEM business development, product development strategy, and marketing of spectroscopy, laser, and optoelectronic instrumentation. In his previous role as VP of Sales and Marketing at a leading spectroscopy company, he was responsible for significant year-on-year growth, as well as the development of several new spectrometer and application-ready products. He brings a strong OEM focus to Wasatch Photonics, having served in manager and director-level positions in Europe and globally for manufacturers and distributors of lasers, spectrometers, detectors and related systems throughout his career.
David holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Leeds, as well as a PhD in Chemistry for his work in remote instrumentation for atmospheric sensing.
David Creasey, PhD
Chief Executive OfficerCicely Rathmell
As the Vice President of Marketing at Wasatch Photonics, Cicely plays a crucial role in promoting the company’s products and driving marketing strategies, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and its real-world impact. Her expertise spans areas such as spectroscopy, optical filters, fiber optics, optical coherence tomography and ultrafast lasers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Chemistry from the University of New Brunswick, and a Masters in Physics from McMaster University. She is passionate about making complex scientific concepts accessible to a wider audience.
Cicely is a seasoned journalist and an expert in the field of spectroscopy. With a passion for connecting people and technology, she has made significant contributions to the scientific community. She has written extensively for publications such as Photonics.com and Spectroscopy. Her articles cover topics ranging from nanostructured SERS substrates to the application of Raman spectroscopy in the food industry. She has also written about the development of diode array spectrometers in the 1990s, and how these instruments revolutionized spectroscopy by providing instant spectra in a compact, low-cost footprint. See a full list of citations here.
Cicely Rathmell
VP MarketingMichael Matthews
Michael joined Wasatch Photonics in 2016 as the Vice President of Business Development at the Morrisville facility, and now leads the spectroscopy division. Michael’s background in Materials Science and Optics position him to quickly grasp customers’ technical requirements for gratings and spectroscopy applications, while his start-up and international business experience informs the strategic deployment of Wasatch’s technical capabilities to target emerging market needs.
Michael brings experience in strategy, OEM sales and business development of spectroscopy products to Wasatch Photonics, having served in manager and director-level positions at a spectroscopy company in Europe over the previous 7 years. His understanding of process engineering and operations positions him well to serve Wasatch Photonics as it grows.
Michael holds a BS and MS in Materials Science engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), and an Engineering Management MS and MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.