Santa Rosa, Calif., September 28, 2001 – SpectraSwitch, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of optical switching and signal conditioning components, has announced the appointment of Jim Hood as Vice President of Engineering. Hood will be responsible for leading the engineering group, focusing on new technology, product development, and manufacturability.

Hood brings to SpectraSwitch over 34 years of engineering experience in the telecommunications industry.  Prior to joining SpectraSwitch, he was VP of Engineering at Onix Microsystems where he was directing the development of MEMS based switching components.  His previous positions have included VP of Engineering at Photometrics and Luxcom, and various engineering management positions at Advanced Fibre Communications, DSC (Alcatel), Rolm/IBM, and Hewlett Packard. 

“In addition to his extensive technical and management experience in telecommunications systems and components, Jim has strong leadership and teambuilding skills with a track record of getting new products into production” says Lindsay Austin, President and CEO of SpectraSwitch, “This, along with his experience in taking start-ups to the IPO phase, makes him an ideal addition to our leadership team as we commercialize our first suite of optical components”.

Hood holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University.

About SpectraSwitch
Based in Santa Rosa, California, SpectraSwitch is a leading designer and manufacturer of optical switching and signal conditioning components. The WaveWalker product family of all-optical components is based on patented liquid crystal technology, and provides versatile, ultra-reliable, and intelligent "optical engines" that meet the requirements of the evolving optical network.  SpectraSwitch investors include Advanced Technology Ventures, CDIB Venture Management, and NIF Ventures.