Founder of The Aris InstituteTM and Senior Advisor for Technology Enterprise Development to the President of Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Melissaratos served as Secretary of Business and Economic Development for the State of Maryland from 2003 to 2007.

He worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation for 32 years, retiring as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Science and Technology, responsible for research and development. Before that he was Chief Operations Officer for the company's Defense Electronics Group, responsible for $3.2 billion dollars in sales.

He also founded Armel Scientifics, LLC, which has invested in over 30 start-up companies in advanced technology.

Aris has co-authored with N.J. Slabbert the book, INNOVATION: THE KEY TO PROSPERITY which is a survey of the role of technological innovation in American and global history.

Showing how technological innovation and scientific advance have been the world's great engines of transformation, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, the authors point out that the innovative spirit does not arise spontaneously to bestow its benefits on societies, but rather has to be nurtured carefully by cultural conditions that favor and welcome innovation.

They call for a renewal of America's commitment to technological innovation, believing that this will enable the United States to transform the present economic climate into a new age of plenty which will include effective responses to problems of environmental challenge and energy resources.

America's greatest wealth, the authors contend, lies in its intellectual capital, which, wisely used, can make the 21st century a golden age of prosperity for the world.

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Dr. Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D., D.Sc., US National Medal of Science laureate 2006, Director of the United States National Science Foundation 1998-2004, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1996, writes:

"A powerful book ... The recipe for beginning technological leadership ... delightfully easy reading ... a recommended reading for those who need to understand the intricacies of technology and innovation in the 21st Century ... a very strong contribution to our understanding of the global economy and the role of technology."

Dr. Colwell is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland Center For Bioinformatics And Computational Biology and at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Chairman of Canon US Life Sciences. She is former President of both the American Society for Microbiology and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Dr. Colwell has been awarded 40 honorary degrees.

"This book's motivating, thought-provoking message could not have come at a better time for America and the world. It is a stimulating, readable and valuable overview of technological innovation's role as the creative engine of our civilization."

-- The Honorable Jacques S. Gansler, Professor and Roger C. Lipitz Chair, Director: Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, former United States Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

"By identifying and vividly explaining innovation, technological advance and education as driving forces of the U.S. economy, Melissaratos and Slabbert excitingly signpost the way out of America's crisis of confidence. All business, government and educational leaders will benefit from this timely, nationally and internationally relevant work, which convincingly shows that industrial and manufacturing ingenuity is an engine of limitless economic growth potential."

-- Emily DeRocco, President of The Manufacturing Institute and the National Center for the American Workforce, Senior Vice President of the National Association of Manufacturers, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor 2001-2008

"There is only one way out of the country's economic, environmental and energy mess and it is described with rare clarity in this book."

--Richard McCormack, Editor & Publisher, Manufacturing & Technology News

"We urgently need the excellent antidote to pessimism that Melissaratos and Slabbert offer. They remind us of the power and adventure of human intelligence. Essential reading for everyone who is in any way concerned with public policy or entrepreneurial development."

-- Gilbert F. Decker, Science Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Research, Development & Acquisition (1994-1997); former Chairman, Army Science Board. Mr. Decker has also served as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences' Board of Army Science & Technology, as Trustee of the Association of the U.S. Army, and as Executive Vice President of Engineering & Production, Walt Disney Imagineering.

"This wise and well-written book, inspired by an immigrant's optimism, shows lucidly how and why America must marshal its capacity for innovation and ingenuity in order to compete in the global marketplace of the 21st century."

--George Vradenburg, Executive Vice President, AOL-Time Warner (retired), and Herb Miller, Chairman, Western Development, Co-Founders of The Chesapeake Crescent Initiative, which works with leading universities, federal agencies, venture capitalists, high-tech firms and state and local governments to develop new innovation models for 21st-century America.

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The Aris Institute is an organization of thought leaders addressing global geopolitical issues in business, science, technology, education, art, environment, economics, government and health.

Founded by Aris Melissaratos, the institute will leverage the latest in digital communications platforms and real-world events to share ideas and promote progressive thoughts and actions for a better world.

(read more about Aris Melissaratos here)

OUR MISSION

• To engage thought leaders to share ideas, network, and bring to light technology's role in creating prosperity and peace in the US and abroad.

• To produce content that is shared, syndicated, and subscribed to by like-minded individuals who want to make a difference in their industry, country and lives.

• To produce events both real-world and virtually online that can reach, teach, and move millions of people.

• To sponsor learning programs that will advance these initiatives and bridge the knowledge/experience gap between academia and industry.