Aram Kovach

Aram Kovach embodies the intersection of technology, innovation, and strategic foresight. With a storied career spanning several decades, Aram has carved out a niche as a visionary leader and a pragmatic problem solver. As a member of the Advisory Board, he brings a wealth of experience from his roles as a technologist, entrepreneur, and consultant, where he has consistently driven growth, spearheaded technological advancements, and fostered innovation across a diverse array of industries.

Aram's journey is marked by his ability to foresee market trends, harness the power of emerging technologies, and implement strategies that propel organizations towards their future state. His expertise in software development, project management, and digital transformation initiatives has made him a go-to advisor for businesses looking to navigate the complexities of the digital age. Aram's approach is deeply rooted in a philosophy that merges the technical with the practical, ensuring that solutions not only solve immediate problems but also pave the way for sustainable success.

Beyond his technical prowess, Aram is recognized for his commitment to mentoring the next generation of leaders. He is passionate about sharing his insights and experiences, believing that knowledge exchange is crucial for innovation and growth. His leadership style is characterized by collaboration, transparency, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, principles that have guided his contributions to our Advisory Board.

Aram's involvement in our organization extends beyond strategic advice. He is actively engaged in shaping our future direction, identifying new opportunities, and ensuring that we remain at the forefront of our industry. His unique blend of skills, coupled with his forward-thinking mindset, makes him an invaluable asset to our board and to the broader community we serve.

Hugh Cathey

Hugh Cathey has worked in the technology sector for most of his career, leading both public and private companies in software, telecommunications/ broadband, e-commerce, and healthcare technology, among others. He has guided his companies into acquisitions, two IPOs, and a number of growth and financing initiatives. Hugh currently serves as Chairman and CEO of ChromoCare, a leader in genetic testing for patients focusing on individual medication compatibility.

Bill Forquer

Bill Forquer is a Principal at Priiva Consulting Corporation whose clients achieve improved strategic decision making through a deep understanding of competitive response using game-theory methodology.

Additionally, Bill pays-forward as an advisor, investor, and board member to startups and deserving organizations. As CEO, Bill launched RealWeld Systems to disrupt the welding education market which was acquired a short 2.5 years later. Previously, in an 11-year executive tenure at Open Text Corporation, Bill led a variety of marketing, acquisition, alliance, and new initiatives as the company grew revenue 15X during his tenure. Bill began his career at Battelle Laboratories developing library and litigation software that subsequently spun-off to become Information Dimensions where he ultimately became CEO.

Bill holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics Education and a M.S. degree in Computer & Information Science, both from The Ohio State University. Bill is former board chair of I Am Boundless, Inc. He volunteers his time supporting Soap Box Derby racing and mentors for The Ohio State University Techstars program.

Manfred Frey

After a long career spanning from research (Battelle Memorial Institute), software development (Information Dimensions Inc.), IT market research (International Data Corporation), Manfred became a founder and later CEO of a publicly listed Venture Management firm active in 7 countries including USA and Canada.

In the past years Manfred helped a couple of US based and Canadian software companies to enter European markets and became a strategic consultant in applications of Blockchain technologies and decentralized Artificial Intelligence.

Manfred currently serves on supervisory/ advisory boards of 5 US based and German small cap companies.

Manfred holds a master’s degree in techno/economics from the prestigious University of Karlsruhe.

Dr. Juan D. Alfonzo

Dr. Juan D. Alfonzo is currently the Mencoff Family Executive Director of the Brown RNA Center and until recently was an Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and the former Director of the Center for RNA Biology at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on the study of tRNA processing and modification in various organisms, including humans. The Alfonzo laboratory uses a multi-pronged approach that involves a combination of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Biophysics, and omics to characterize various modification and tRNA processing enzymes. A major emphasis of the Alfonzo laboratory is the enzymology of modification enzymes to understand the basis for substrate specificity and to connect such studies with how intracellular compartmentalization affects tRNA modification and function. He was the recipient of an OSU Distinguished teaching award and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. He obtained his Ph.D. in Microbiology at Indiana University followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA working on the Biochemistry of RNA editing and modification in trypanosomes.

Dr. Alfonzo published an editorial in Nature Genetics in 2022 titled, “A call for direct sequencing of full-length RNAs to identify all modifications,” in which he and his co-authors outlined future research needs related to mapping and sequencing RNA chemical modifications. This has led to a National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) panel, for which Alfonzo is a member. The NASEM panel recently released a consensus study to call for a major investment by the Federal Government on new RNA sequencing and modification mapping technologies. This project is estimated to be 4-5 times the size of the Human Genome Project in scope.

See https://www.brown.edu/academics/biology/molecular-cell-biochemistry/graduate/people/juan-alfonzo

Professor Patrick A. Limbach

Patrick A. Limbach, Ph.D., is an Ohio Eminent Scholar and professor of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. He has served as Vice President for Research for the University of Cincinnati since 2016 and is the current Board President for the University of Cincinnati Research Institute. His research lab has been focused on the identification, quantification, and sequence placement of modified ribonucleosides with an emphasis on characterizing and understanding the modification profiles of transfer RNAs from a variety of organisms. He and his group have developed numerous mass spectrometry-based approaches, tools, and reagents for the analysis of modified RNAs.

He was a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) consensus study committee that authored the 2024 report “Charting a Future for Sequencing RNA and Its Modifications: A New Era for Biology and Medicine” which outlines a 15-year roadmap to enable end-to-end sequencing of RNA and its variety of modified nucleosides. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a lifetime member of Phi Kappa Phi. He received his B.S degree from Centre College (Kentucky), his Ph.D. from Ohio State University training under Professor Alan G. Marshall, and conducted post-doctoral training at the University of Utah in the laboratory of Professor James A. McCloskey.

See https://researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/limbacpa