Jess Jankowski

President & Chief Executive Officer
Nanophase Technologies Corporation

Nanophase Technologies Corporation, a charter member of the NanoBusiness Alliance, is an FDA-regulated developer and manufacturer of advanced material solutions as well as the first, and one of the few, publicly traded pure-play nanomaterials companies.  Mr. Jankowski joined the Company in 1995 as Controller, helping to take Nanophase public in 1997.  He is the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and a board director.  Mr. Jankowski has previously held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance.  Prior to Nanophase, he served as Controller for two building contractors in the Chicago area for four years, during which time he had significant business development and governmental relations responsibilities.  Prior to that he worked for Kemper Financial Services for four years in various roles. 

Mr. Jankowski holds a B.S. in accountancy from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago. In 2009, Mr. Jankowski was appointed to the board of directors of the Northern Illinois Technology Foundation, an economic development and technology transfer entity that is part of Northern Illinois University. He was also elected to the TechAmerica Midwest Board in 2008.  He was also appointed to the Romeoville Economic Development Commission, an organization focused on fostering local new business growth, where he has served since 2004. He has also served on the advisory board of NITECH, an Illinois Technology Enterprise Center focusing on the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies from 2003 to 2008.  He has served as a Board Trustee for the Joliet Montessori School, a mission-driven alternative school established in 1969 and located southwest of Chicago, since 2008.  Mr. Jankowski remains active in supporting Nanophase, and the Illinois nano- and high-tech communities in the State of Illinois and in Washington DC. 

As a responsible corporate citizen, Nanophase remains committed to best practices in corporate governance, having several former “Fortune 500” CEOs on its majority independent board of directors, and is proudly SOX-404 compliant.  Additionally, Nanophase’s facilities and processes were recertified in 2009 to ISO9001:2000, the internationally recognized standard of manufacturing and quality excellence, and ISO14001:2004, the international environmental management standard.  Nanophase operates all manufacturing facilities in compliance with State and Federal hazardous waste (RCCA), air emissions, and wastewater permits, while meeting or exceeding applicable OSHA, TSCA, and hazardous materials requirements.  In 2009, Nanophase employees reached a new safety record achieving over 1,000,000 continuous working hours without a lost time accident.