JEOL USA Management Team

Dr. Hidetaka Sawada
Managing Director

Dr. Sawada is a world-renowned expert in aberration corrected electron microscopy. His expertise includes the development and installation of the aberration-corrected (Cs) Transmission Electron Microscopes for Oxford University, Lehigh University, and Oak Ridge National Lab, and the GRAND ARM at University of California at Irvine. Dr. Sawada obtained his PhD in Engineering (Material Science) from the University of Tokyo. He joined JEOL, Ltd. In 2002. Most recently he served as General Manager of the Technical and Development group in the Electron Microscopy Business Unit of JEOL, Ltd. in Akishima, Japan before moving to JEOL USA in April 2021.

Robert Pohorenec
President

Bob Pohorenec was appointed President of JEOL USA in 2019. A thirty-five year veteran of JEOL most recently as Vice President and General Manager of Sales and Service, Bob has held senior management positions in customer service, sales, operations and product development.  As President of JEOL USA Bob oversees JEOL’s business operations in the United States and throughout the Americas through JEOL’s subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. Bob is a graduate of Northeastern University.

Dr. Thomas Isabell
Vice President, JEOL USA

Dr. Isabell was promoted to Vice President in April 2020. He has been a member of the JEOL management team since 2003, most recently as Director of Product Management, overseeing a team of product managers and scientists responsible for sales support, customer technical support, instrument demonstrations and analytical development for JEOL scientific instrument products. Previously he served as Director of the Transmission Electron Microscope product division, managing a team of scientists and working closely with customers to help keep JEOL at the forefront of TEM technology in materials and life sciences research. He has been instrumental in the introduction of the ARM series TEMs and CryoARM TEMs.  Prior to joining JEOL, Dr. Isabell held positions in business development at EmiSpec in Tempe, Arizona and applications support at Fischione Instruments in Export, Pennsylvania. Dr. Isabell received a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.

Naoki Shimura, Assistant Managing Director, JEOL USA Service

Naoki Shimura is Assistant Managing Director of JEOL USA and the Assistant General Manager for JEOL’s service operations throughout the Americas, which includes 12 service offices in the U.S. and additional offices in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Mr. Shimura joined JEOL in 1999 as a Field Service Engineer in Japan after first gaining experience as an electron microscope user in a hospital environment doing pathology work. In his first assignment with JEOL, he supported the installation and maintenance of electron microscopes. He was instrumental in training service engineers when he moved to JEOL Asia In 2006. When JEOL began development of the ARM300F Field Emission Atomic Resolution Microscope in 2012, he took on responsibilities in product development and support.

Most recently he served as Field Solutions Business Operations Support Manager in Japan while continuing his focus on the ARM300F microscopes. We welcomed Mr. Shimura to the JEOL USA office in Peabody, Massachusetts in May 2021.

Collette Hanlon
Vice President, Human Resources

Collette joined JEOL USA’s management team in 2009 and skillfully navigated us through a variety of complex employee relations initiatives. Her innovative approach to Human Resources management contributed to the enhancement of our employee programs and communication channels. 

Collette’s credentials bridge over 20 years as a senior manager with responsibilities in all functional disciplines of Human Resources. Promoted to JEOL’s Board of Directors in April 2014, the addition of Collette’s expertise, insight and judgment will provide an important dimension to the Board of Directors and a new perspective to its deliberations. 

Collette holds her degree in Business Administration from Salem State University and resides on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Peter Genovese
Chairman Emeritus & Senior Advisor

Pete Genovese is Chairman Emeritus of JEOL USA and Senior Advisor to JEOL, Ltd. Pete served as President of JEOL USA from 2009 to 2019 and Corporate Officer to JEOL, LTD. and has held key positions in the JEOL sales organization for 38 years, including: Vice President and General Manager of the Sales and Marketing Division for electron optics and analytical instrumentation; Manager of the New England regional sales area for electron optics; and Assistant Sales Manager of JEOL USA's regional sales offices. Mr. Genovese received a B.S. in Economics from Boston College and an Executive M.B.A. from Suffolk University, and is a member of several microscopy societies throughout the U.S.

Robert T. Santorelli
Chairman Emeritus & Senior Advisor

Robert Santorelli, Chairman Emeritus, has held the positions of Chairman of the Board, President, CEO and COO during his 35-plus years at JEOL USA, Inc. Additionally, he has served as President of JEOL's subsidiary companies in Mexico and Canada.

Mr. Santorelli has been instrumental in guiding the company to become a stable, well-recognized organization made up of many dedicated, long-term employees located throughout the Western Hemisphere.

He began his career in the U.S. Air Force gaining technical knowledge and expertise in the area of electro optics. Bob selected a two year tour of duty in Japan and developed first hand understanding and appreciation of the Japanese people and their culture of respect and humility. He received his business education at Leslie College's Program for Business and Industry, Suffolk University, and Newbury Jr. College (Boston) and also studied at the University of Maryland Far East Asian Division (Japan).

Customers, employees and colleagues have come to know Bob's counsel, dedicated to corporate values of stability, honesty and integrity. Along with his new role as Chairman Emeritus, he will serve as the Senior Advisor to support both JEOL USA and JEOL Ltd. (Tokyo) business activities.

Chris Rood
National Sales Manager

Chris Rood joins the management team after nearly 15 very successful years as the Sales Manager of the Southwestern United States for JEOL USA. Chris has a background in electron microscopy and ran the SEM lab at Sandia National Labs before coming to work for JEOL USA as an Application Engineer. Chris has a degree in Geophysics from UC Riverside and an MBA from Santa Clara University. As the National Sales Manager, Chris will oversee sales activities for all products in North America. With his positive attitude and easy demeanor, Chris is a welcome addition to the USA management team.