Kyma Technologies, Inc., a leading supplier of crystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) and gallium nitride (GaN) and related products and services, today announced three recent staffing promotions and a key new hire.

Heather Splawn was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.  Heather joined Kyma in 2010 as Director of Business Development and was later promoted to Vice President of Operations.  She received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Duke University in 2009.

Kevin Udwary was promoted to Director of Engineering.  Kevin joined Kyma in 2007 as Wafering Engineer and was later promoted to Engineering Team Leader.  Kevin has previous industry experience in the growth, characterization, and fabrication of crystalline AlN grown by physical vapor transport (PVT).  He received a B.S. in Physics from Siena College.

Jacob Leach was promoted to Director of Production.  Jacob joined Kyma in 2010 in the role of Characterization and Device Engineer.  He received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University earlier that year.

Also, recently joining Kyma is Karen Nield in the role of Director of Finance.  Karen has a strong track record in corporate finance, having formerly served in several executive finance roles, including most recently the position of VP Finance at ParagonDx, LLC, a spinoff of Gentris Corporation which is moving its operations to another state.  She received a B.S. in Accounting from UNC Charlotte and a B.S. in Marketing from UNC Chapel Hill.

Keith Evans, Kyma’s president & CEO commented, “Heather, Kevin, and Jacob have demonstrated great leadership and a clear dedication to building customer satisfaction and shareholder value.  And Karen brings key experience and energy into a role that is critical for our next stage of growth.  I look forward to working with them and the rest of our team to continue to bring innovative green materials to the rapidly growing markets for high efficiency lighting and electricity.”

About Kyma Technologies:

Kyma is a leading supplier of crystalline nitride semiconductor materials including gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN), and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) and related products and services.

The market for nitride semiconductor devices was $12B in 2010 and is expected to reach $90B over the long term, including $60B in visible lighting applications and $30B in power electronics applications.

Kyma’s materials products enable higher electrical efficiency in all of their customers’ applications, in support of a greener tomorrow.

For more information about Kyma Technologies, visit www.kymatech.com, e-mail info@kymatech.com, or call the company directly at 919.789.8880.

Kyma is a registered trademark of Kyma Technologies, Inc.