John Lester Miller
CEO
Experienced as a CEO and board member with a track record of serving both non-profit and private companies, specialist in mergers and acquisitions, business turn-around, spin-offs and market expansion. John Miller has expertise in electro optics, laser and infrared business, as a recognized leader in go-to-market strategy development, product development, and government contracts. John is a visible high-impact client relations executive and credible senior executive representative to the marketplace. He has broad executive leadership experience from start-ups to S&P 500 organizations including: solution development, M&A, R&D exit strategies, PAC guidance and full profit and loss responsibility. Mr. Miller is a firm believer in exploiting and enhancing the relationship between science, technology, politics and engineering for increased profits and growth.
Position Targeted
Board of Directors position where his industry, technology, marketing, M&A and business development expertise will be leveraged to infuse insight and accelerate growth in collaboration with other Directors.
Selected Achievements
- Key team member of 11 successful mergers and acquisitions and spin offs at Lockheed Martin, FLIR Systems and the Research Triangle Institute.
- 36 years of experience growing electo-optical technologies into successful businesses.
- Team member that helped take FLIR systems form a NASDAQ delisted company to a $1.6B per year S&P 500 company, with a market cap of over 3.5 billion.
- CTO of FLIR Government Systems and Surveillance.
- Experiences IP and patent advisory and execution, advising on the creation of over 100 patents.
- Author of 4 books, over 100 papers and multiple patents.
- Thirty six years of transitioning electro-optics R&D into business success.
- Excellent track record of hiring people, with over 90% staying over 10 years.
- Provided technical insight to technology trends, future global developments and what FLIR should invest in, helping FLIR grow from a $35M company to a $1.6B company.
Education
- MBA, Management of Technology, Regis University, Denver, CO
- BS, Physics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
- Graduate Studies: Cal State Long Beach and University of Hawaii, Hilo
Governance & Board Positions
- NIBTEC – Chairman of the Board, Director, Board-of-Directors
- Episensors – Director, Board-of-Directors, CTO
- Cascade Electro Optics – CEO, Chairman of the Board
- FLIR Systems – CTO of largest division, participated in corporate board meetings, Co-ordinated worldwide R&D and international product and component development
- SPIE and SENSIAC – Served on numerous conferences committees and program guidance. Co-chair of SPIE’s Infrared Technology and Applications Conference
Professional Experience
Directed numerous electro-optical programs, including: 180 degree FOV military security systems, advanced image processing, degraded visual environment sensors, 3-dimensional stereographic imaging, including the 1st infrared binoculars and goggles, large ceramic telescopes, aircraft monitoring systems, IRSTs, specially purpose cameras, the Multi-Mode Sensor System (a 3d LIDAR imager and HD Infrared), and scintillation mitigation. Served as Technical Lead on patent strategy and patent execution. Help strategize product and technology roadmaps. Determined technologies for investment. Managed small rapid prototyping group. Became main corporate liaison to national laboratories.
- Provided technical lead and assistance on numerous Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) that excelled FLIR’s vertical integration and market penetration.
- Participated in several proposals efforts, with over 50% win rate, serving as expert at ghosting, red-teaming and executive summaries.
- Participated in PAC committee political briefings and activities, promoting infrared
- Led technology development efforts, successfully introducing new technologies into products when market was optimal.
- Developed the world’s 1st infrared binoculars and helmet mount LWIR goggles.
- Provided technical insight to technology trends, future global developments and what FLIR should invest in, helping FLIR grow from a $35M company to a $1.6B company.
- Developed the world’s 1st 1280 by 720 LWIR SLS sensor system.
- Developed and patented a FOVIAL infrared system mimicking the architecture of the human eye. Developed and patented a frequency hopping scintillation mitigation technique, an innovative cooling method for infrared gimbals, and an off-axis reflective telescope with an active tertiary mirror.
- Discovered an interesting infrared phenomena when ice forms on an aircraft surface, patent pending.
- Led several advanced image processing activities, including: scintillation reduction, sub pixel detection, aided target detection, video analytics, intent detection, and advanced temporal local area processing.
- Oversaw effort to integrate an uncooled hyperspectral sensor into a militarized handheld camera.
Served as General Manager of RTI’s Portland Office. Functioned as subject matter expert in infrared lasers and electro-optics. Assisted and supported 2 successful company spin offs.
- Investigated low scatter black infrared coating, developing new coating and enabling a new instrument.
- Supported infrared sensor development, refurbishing and testing at NASA Ames Research Center.
- Supported infrared sensor development and testing at NASA Langley Research Center.
Assessed technologies and developed technology and product roadmaps. Directed several electro-optical programs, including: infrared mine detection, active EO imaging, and infrared aircraft landing systems, special modifications to products for enhanced performance. Served as subject matter expert on phenomenology, modeling and performance estimation. Conducted tests, analysis and programs of how the atmosphere degraded infrared performance.
- Conceptionalized and helped develop a laser Boresight module, which saved lives in the GWOT, by accurately boresighting a laser designator to the EO and IR cameras in flight.
- Wrote and won numerous proposals, including SBIRS, BAAs and conventional contracts.
- Developed a hyperspectral system and integrated it into a gimbal.
- Developed an infrared system, assisting aircraft landing on aircraft carriers.
Led system engineering group of approximately 20 people. Served as Lead Technical Architect on advanced missile warning sensors, specialized cameras, mine detection systems, advanced image processing engines, scanning and staring IRSTs. Contributed as part of a team that integrated GE Aerospace into Martin Marietta.
Served as infrared / electro optical lead on several SDI programs, including Kinetic Energy Weapon, Brilliant Pebbles, NASA programs, classified programs and Brilliant Eyes. Held key positions in several successful proposals some valued over a billion dollars, others a few hundred thousand. Participated in mergers and acquisitions.
Assisted astrophysicists with the facility and instrumentation, conduced original infrared Astronomy Research.