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Executive Profiles

Dr. Michael F. Helmstetter, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Dan E. Arvizu, Executive Vice President MRI and
Alliance President, Director of NREL

Dr. Tom Sack, Senior Vice President and Director of Technical Operations

Tom Fleener, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Lyla Perrodin, Vice President and Chief Information Officer


Helmstetter photoDr. Michael F. Helmstetter
President and Chief Executive Officer

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Research Institute, Dr. Helmstetter guides a staff of 2,800 scientists and other professionals performing research in more than 48 scientific and technical disciplines, including the field of energy at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. MRI has managed and operated NREL since its inception in 1977.

Dr. Helmstetter became President and CEO in 2009, having served MRI as Executive Vice President and Director of Research Operations. In that position, he participated in the planning, development, and implementation of MRI’s strategic operating goals. Dr. Helmstetter  managed MRI’s divisions located throughout the U.S. including MRI’s Kansas City, Missouri, headquarters, as well as several major laboratories in Florida and Maryland.

Dr. Helmstetter previously served as Senior Vice President and Director of Research Operations, and prior to that served (respectively) as MRI’s Director of Technical Operations and as MRI’s Director of East Coast Operations—encompassing MRI’s divisions in Florida and Maryland. His efforts were instrumental in the growth and stability of the Florida Division, where he provided overall direction to this state-of-the-art, nationally recognized biodefense research laboratory. He played a key role in MRI’s quick-start establishment of the National Capital Region Division in Rockville, Maryland, a critical laboratory serving the greater Washington, D.C., area.

Education

Ph.D., Oceanography, Old Dominion University
B.S., Aquatic Biology, Allegheny College.

Honors and Awards

  • Who’s Who in the South and Southeast , 1996
  • Who’s Who International , 1996
  • Who’s Who in the World , 1994
  • Who’s Who in Science and Engineering , 1992
  • Who’s Who in America , 1992
  • Atlantic Estuarine Research Society “Best Paper” Award, 1991
  • Phi Kappa Phi, 1990
  • Atlantic Estuarine Research Society “Best Paper” Award, 1990

Board Member or Trustee:

  • Current, Board of Directors, KU Medical Center Research Institute; Member KU Medical Center Research Committee
  • Current, Veterinary School Board, Kansas State University
  • Current, Board of Directors, Labconco Corporation
  • Current, Board of Directors, Dycor Technologies, Ltd.
  • Current, Board of Directors, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute
  • Current, Advisory Committee, KSU Biosecurity Research Institute
  • Current, Finance Committee, KU Medical Center Research Institute

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photo of Dr. Dan E. ArvizuDr. Dan E. Arvizu
Executive Vice President MRI and
Alliance President,
Director of NREL

Dan Arvizu is MRI Executive Vice President, Alliance President, and Director of NREL. MRI is one of the two entities in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, that manages the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy. NREL is the country’s premier facility for the research, development, and deployment of energy form sun, wind, and plant life.

Dr. Arvizu has more than 30 years of experience in managing facilities and operations in the national laboratory environment as well as the commercial sector. Prior to joining NREL, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Technology officer for CH2M Hill. He joined CH2M Hill in Englewood, Colorado, in 1998 as Vice President and Director of the Energy and Industrial Systems Business Group, a newly created group. In 2002, after successfully leading the energy group into becoming a $100-million operation, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the Federal and Industrial Client Sector, spanning seven business groups with combined annual revenues exceeding $2.5 billion. He held this position until his appointment to NREL.

Education

Ph.D. and M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, New Mexico State University.

Honors and Awards

  • National Science Board
  • Army Science Board for the Department of Defense
  • National Coal Council for the Department of Energy
  • Board of Directors for the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Conference
  • “Top 50 Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology” by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology Magazine
  • Technology Fellow of CH2M Hill
  • Hispanic National Achievement Award for Executive Excellence
  • Distinguished Alumnus, New Mexico State University

Community Involvement

  • Board of Advisors for the Greater Metropolitan Denver Salvation Army
  • Corporate Advisory Board for the Colorado School of Mines

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Dr. Tom Sack
Senior Vice President and Director of Technical Operations

Tom Sack was promoted to Senior Vice President and Director of Technical Operations in 2009. Dr. Sack joined MRI in1985 as a mass spectrometrist in the Chemical Sciences Division. He has led a variety of programs throughout his tenure, most notably a series of programs that have grown into MRI’s largest business area - chemical defense. He served as the Director of the Chemical Science Division from 1999 until his promotion to Regional Vice President and Director of Midwest Operations in 2006. 

Education
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
B.S., Chemistry, Rockhurst College

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Tom Fleener
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Fleener participates in MRI’s overall strategic business and financial planning, provides comprehensive financial and logistical support, and directs the Finance and Accounting, Materials Management, and Facilities Management Departments. Mr. Fleener also serves as an officer of MRI and staff the Audit and Finance/Investment Committees of MRI’s Board of Directors. 

Education
M.B.A., University of Texas
B.S., Business Administration, Trinity University

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Lyla Perrodin
Vice President and Chief Information Officer

As Vice President and CIO, Ms. Perrodin is responsible for enterprise-wide Information Technology (IT) and associated integration of data systems and processes, as well as compiling critical information for business planning and providing future vision of technology and systems related to MRI’s business objectives and goals. Her responsibilities for MRI’s Research Operations include IT Operations, Applications Delivery, and Records Management, IT Security, Process and Systems Integration, and Business and Competitive Intelligence units. Additionally, Ms. Perrodin provides the corporate interface for information systems and capabilities at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the laboratory that MRI co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Education
B.S., Business Administration, Drake University
M.B.A., Loyola University

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