Company - Management Team
Andrew Skinner is a seasoned chemical industry executive with extensive experience in both mature and developing technologies and markets. Andrew received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Immediately prior to joining Starfire, Andrew was Manager of New Products and Commercial Development for Schenectady International's Electronic Specialties Business. In this role, Andrew drove sales penetration into the Asian electronics industry with particular focus in China. Prior to Schenectady International, Andrew held a variety of positions in General Electric's Silicones Products Business in Waterford, NY. These positions included Global Business Leader - Fluids and Operations Manager for Fluids. These roles in the silicones business focused on the Coatings, Textile Automotive, Electronics and Personal Care Industries. Andrew also attended General Electric Company's Manager Development Course in Crotonville, NY.
Walter Sherwood earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science from RPI in 1986. He is the founder of Starfire® Systems and led the company from 1988 until recruiting a new management team in 2001 to lead the growing business. Concurrent with his early years at Starfire, he directed the development of ceramic composites for high temperature gas reactors while at the GE operated Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. During his nine years at Knolls (1986-1994), Dr. Sherwood advanced from "individual contributor" to manage a team tasked to develop a viable fabrication process for ceramic components destined for testing in nuclear reactors. Dr. Sherwood worked with a team of six people in the critical path of a $10 million program, which was completed on time and within the allocated budget. He has directed the development of a new class of inorganic, fire resistant resins called Polyramics® that are selling into a wide variety of markets. Dr. Sherwood is the author of two patents and named on five more applications relating to products in the transportation, energy, electronics, and aerospace industries.
Guillermo Borges has over 20 years of varied experience in science and technology laboratories that range from R&D to production to QC. Early in his career, he helped develop one the first robotic systems designed for chemistry laboratories at J&J - McNeil Pharmaceutical – improving assay efficiency by over 300%. He has held supervisory and project lead responsibilities that included successfully organizing and directing a team of engineers to manage a >$6 million technical program at Lockheed Martin. Since joining Starfire in Spring 2006, Mr. Borges immediately assumed the role of program manager and principal investigator for FIRST, a program that involves extensive technical coordination and administrative oversight of leading outside laboratories and universities. Funding for this program may eventually surpass $10 million, at the current rate of financial support. Mr. Borges was recently promoted to Director of the Advanced Materials Laboratory for his contributions and forward charging attitude.
Careers 
