The Optical Society (OSA) has announced that Dr. Gregory Quarles has joined The Optical Society as Chief Scientist. In this position, Dr. Quarles is responsible for the scientific infrastructure of the society. This includes content development for OSA incubators, annual meetings and the establishment of partnerships with research laboratories around the world. Quarles is a globally recognized leader for his strategic partnerships with the federal government, industry and academia, as well as his innovative work in the progression of global materials research, specifically developing new laser devices for medical, military and industrial applications.

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that Patrick Hope has joined the organization as the executive director of its Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA). He comes to MITA from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) where he served as the senior director of legislative policy.

To accelerate Civilight North America’s commitment to offering high quality and high performance indoor LED lamps in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the company has appointed five new lighting industry veterans to sales and marketing positions. The new national sales and marketing team will service distributors, specifiers and lighting professionals. The vice president of sales and the marketing director will report directly to Jeffrey E. Lagaly, CEO of Civilight North America.

Rubicon Technology announced that Raja Parvez will step down as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Board has appointed William Weissman, currently CFO, as interim CEO to ensure a smooth transition and to lead Rubicon’s executive team. Chairman Don Aquilano will lead a Board search for a permanent CEO with the assistance of a leading executive search firm.

Xicato continued to expand its sales team and announced the addition of LED lighting specialists Charles Scheibler and Nick Gibbs to its sales team. Charles is based in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and will serve Xicato’s customer base throughout the mid-west. Nick is based in the United Kingdom and will serve customers in the UK and Nordic region.

Bridgelux, announced semiconductor industry veteran Dr. Cem Basceri has joined its Executive Staff. Basceri will serve as CTO and oversee the technology and product development programs at Bridgelux.

Cree, Inc. announced the appointment of Norbert Hiller as Executive Vice President Lighting, effective immediately. Hiller brings more than two decades of commercial and operational LED lighting leadership to his new role. Hiller has served as Cree’s Executive Vice President LEDs since October 2011.

Evolucia Inc., a global LED lighting solutions company, today announced that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President (EVP), Charles Rockwood, has resigned from the Company for personal reasons.