Stephen S. Schwartz, Ph.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board

Stephen S. Schwartz has served as our Chairman of the Board since January 2003. He has been a director since August 2002 when he was elected to the board in conjunction with his appointment as our President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined Asyst in January 2001 as Senior Vice President, Product Groups and Operations and became Executive Vice President, Product Groups and Operations in October 2001. Prior to joining us, he served as President of Consilium, a software company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Materials, Inc., from May 1999 to January 2001. Between May 1997 and May 1999, Dr. Schwartz served as Vice President and General Manager of Applied Materials’ Global Service Business, a supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry. From September 1992 to May 1999, Dr. Schwartz also served as General Manager of Applied Materials’ High Temperature Films Division. From 1987 to 1992, Dr. Schwartz held various marketing, business development and engineering positions at Applied Materials. He has been a director of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, or SEMI, since July 2003.

Michael A. Sicuro
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Michael A. Sicuro joined Asyst in January 2007 as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He has more than 25 years of financial and operating experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Asyst, he was chief financial officer for Progressive Gaming International Corp., a publicly traded technology company serving the gaming industry, from 2004 to 2006. He previously served as the chief financial officer for public companies Lightspan, Inc. from 2001 to 2004 and ITLA Capital from 1996 to 2000. From 1994 to 1996 Sicuro was CFO of Blue Cross of California (WellPoint Health Networks) during its approximately $3 billion conversion from non-profit to for-profit status. From 1981 to 1994 Sicuro held senior financial positions with several other multi-billion dollar organizations, including U.S. Bancorp Mortgage and First Interstate Bancorp. He is a former CPA with Deloitte and Touche. Sicuro serves as a member of the Business Council for the Paralysis Project of America, raising money and awareness for research related to spinal cord injuries. He is a native of Warren, Ohio, and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kent State University, Ohio.

Anthony C. Bonora
Executive Vice President,
Chief Technology Officer and Asyst Fellow

Anthony Bonora joined Asyst in 1984 and was named senior vice president of research and development in 1986, later becoming executive vice president and chief technology officer in April 2000. Before joining Asyst, he held various management positions at Siltec Corporation, a manufacturer of silicon and equipment products for the semiconductor industry. These included vice president of research and development and general manager of its Cybeq division. He was also a recipient of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) Award for North America in 1999 for his significant contributions to the semiconductor industry. Mr. Bonora obtained bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Hitoshi Kawano
Senior Vice President
Automation Solutions Group

Hitoshi Kawano was named a Senior Vice President of Asyst in February 2007. He has served as President of what is now Asyst Technologies Japan since its founding as a joint venture in October 2002. From 1969 to 2002, he was at Shinko Electric Co. Ltd, where he most recently was an executive managing director and board member. He received a bachelor’s degree in Electricity Technology from Kyoto University.

Thomas R. Leitzke
Senior Vice President
Global Operations

Tom Leitzke was named a Senior Vice President of Asyst in February 2007. Since joining Asyst in 2004 as Vice President, Operations, Mr. Leitzke has led a team that is responsible for improving the company’s operational performance and customer satisfaction. He was previously a senior operations executive for Siemens Information Systems, Applied Materials, Inc., and Silicon Graphics, Inc. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indiana Institute of Technology.

Paula C. LuPriore
Senior Vice President
Automation Solutions Group

Paula LuPriore was named a Senior Vice President of Asyst in February 2007. She joined the company in 2002 as Vice President and General Manager, Software, and later assumed additional leadership responsibility for the company’s factory interface and RFID products. Prior to joining Asyst, LuPriore worked at IBM and held several increasingly senior and vice president positions in software and hardware engineering, product management and marketing, and professional services. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics.

Stephen M. Debenham
Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary

Steve Debenham joined Asyst in September 2003 as Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary. Before joining Asyst, he was with myCFO, Inc., a financial services firm, most recently as its Senior Vice President and General Counsel. He earlier served as assistant general counsel for Lam Research. Prior to joining Lam, Mr. Debenham was in private practice with the law firm of Jackson Tufts Cole & Black, LLP, most recently as a partner with its Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Debenham is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of California, Hastings College of Law.