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Emerald Executive Team

Joseph E. Besecker

Chairman, President and CEO
Emerald Asset Management, Inc.

Mr. Besecker is Chairman, President and CEO of Emerald Asset Management, Inc., parent company to Emerald Advisers, Inc. Mr. Besecker founded Emerald in 1991. He has over twenty years experience in the money management business, starting his career as an investment professional with Merrill Lynch and E. F. Hutton. Mr. Besecker has been a key investor and provided expertise to a number of early-stage venture capital projects. He was an initial investor and provided advisory support to BlackLight Power, Inc., The Investor Broadcast Network, and Auction Inn. He has been recognized for his achievements in the venture capital community with nominations as a finalist of both the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr. Besecker has received national recognition for his work as an investment analyst, and appears frequently in the national financial media. He was named as a Home Run Hitter by Institutional Investor magazine, and was invited to lecture at Oxford University in 1998, discussing his extensive work on the Year 2000 problem. He has been quoted in various international media, including: The Wall Street Journal, Institutional Investor, Fortune, Bloomberg Business News, The New York Times, USA Today, Associated Press, Dow Jones News Service, Standard & Poor's and MarketWatch.

Edward F. Pohl

Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer
Emerald Asset Management, Inc.

Mr. Pohl serves as Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company. He also directs the Company's financial and personnel management and IT functions. Prior to joining Emerald in 2001, Mr. Pohl was the President of Pohl Associates, a management consulting firm, since 1987. The firm specialized in business planning for technology-based companies. In addition, Mr. Pohl was Chief Executive Officer of Funex, Incorporated, a software and hardware developer, since 1990. Before establishing Pohl Associates, Mr. Pohl served as Chief Financial Officer and VP of Business Development for Business Systems Inc. of Greenville, South Carolina. He served as CFO for Domesticom Inc., Domestidyne, Inc., and The HiLife Channel in New Orleans, Louisiana, and also worked for Price Waterhouse in the audit, tax, and management consulting areas. Mr. Pohl has an MBA from Tulane University.

James Meehan

Mr. Meehan serves as Chief Compliance Officer for EMFINC. Mr. Meehan oversees general compliance and is responsible for information technology relating to client service/portfolio accounting. Previously, he worked at ChaseMellon Shareholder Services and RHI Consulting. He received his B.S. from Duquesne University and an MBA from Western New England College.

Emerald Portfolio Management Team

Kenneth G. Mertz II, C.F.A.

President
Emerald Advisers, Inc.

Mr. Mertz is Chief Investment Officer and President of Emerald Advisers, Inc.; past Trustee and Vice President of the Emerald Mutual Funds; Chief Investment Officer, PA State Employees' Retirement System (1985-1992); Member, Association of Investment Management Research (CFA Institute); past Trustee, PA State University Endowment Council (1998-2004); past Member, Pennsylvania State University Research Foundation; Trustee, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Board of Pensions (Present); and past Chair, President, & Director of Central Pennsylvania Investment Managers. Mr. Mertz has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and in USA Today, and has served as speaker at various investment seminars and programs across the country. He has been a guest on CNBC's Mutual Fund Investor and has been interviewed several times on CNBC. Mr. Mertz graduated from Millersville University with a B.A. in Economics.

Stacey L. Sears

Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager
Emerald Advisers, Inc.

Ms. Sears is Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Emerald Advisers, Inc. She co-manages the Forward Emerald Growth Fund and is a member of the Portfolio Management team. Additionally, Ms. Sears maintains research coverage of retail, apparel, consumer goods and consumer technology companies. She has been quoted in Fortune, Money, the Dow Jones News Service and various regional newspapers. Ms. Sears received a B.S. in Business Administration from Millersville University and an M.B.A. from Villanova University.

David A. Volpe, CFA

Mr. Volpe is Managing Director and has over 15 years of investment experience. He is co-manager of the Emerald Mid-Cap Growth portfolio and a member of the Portfolio Management team. He also assists with institutional marketing and client service, research, and strategic planning. From 1990 to 2000 he served as First Deputy City Controller of the City of Philadelphia, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Controller's Office, and was a member of the Philadelphia Municipal Pension System Investment Committee. From 1996 to 2000, he was also Chief Investment Officer of the Philadelphia Gas Works Pension System, where he was responsible for all aspects of that entity's pension fund. Prior to working for the City of Philadelphia, Mr. Volpe was a senior budget analyst for the Pennsylvania State Senate Appropriations Committee, and served as an alternate member on the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System and Pennsylvania School Employees' Retirement System. Mr. Volpe was Chairman of Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell's Finance transition team following his 1992 election to office. He is a board member of the Venture Investment Forum of Central Pennsylvania and a member of the Association of Investment Management Research (CFA Institute). Mr. Volpe earned a B.A. in Political Science from Potsdam College and a Masters in Public Administration from Penn State University. He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2002.

David P. Chu, CFA

Mr. Chu is a Portfolio Manager with Emerald Advisers, Inc., and has 15 years investment experience. He is Co-Manager of the Emerald Mid Cap Growth portfolio and a member of the Portfolio Management team. Additionally, Mr. Chu maintains research coverage of the Healthcare Services industry. Previous to Emerald, he was a portfolio manager with Invesco Fund Small Company Growth Fund, where he managed the Healthcare sector. Prior to Invesco, Mr. Chu was a portfolio manager with Morgan Stanley on both the Small Cap and Mid Cap funds. Prior to this, he was a portfolio manager and research analyst with Bank of America, and a research analyst with Wachovia Bank. Mr. Chu has served as a speaker at various investment and industry conferences across the country, and is a member of the Association of Investment Management Research (CFA Institute). Mr. Chu received a BS in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Emerald Marketing Team

Daniel W. Moyer, IV

Executive Vice President and Secretary of Emerald Advisers, Inc.

Mr. Moyer currently serves as Executive Vice President and Secretary of Emerald Advisers, Inc.; Former President and Director of Sales and Marketing for the Emerald Family of Mutual Funds. In these capacities, he directs Emerald's efforts in corporate communications, marketing/sales and business development. In addition, he serves as corporate liaison to various federal and state regulatory bodies that govern Emerald's affairs. Mr. Moyer has over 24 years of combined experience in the Lancaster area with national and regional securities firms. He was the branch manager for five years with both Butcher & Singer, Inc. and Financial Management Group, Inc., and is fully registered with the NASD as a general securities sales supervisor. Mr. Moyer attended Penn State University.

John V. Thompson, Jr.

Senior Vice President
Emerald Advisers, Inc

Mr. Thompson is Senior Vice President of Emerald Advisers, Inc. He is responsible for oversight and implementation of institutional sales and marketing efforts. Mr. Thompson has 17 years of investment experience as an analyst, portfolio manager, and marketer. After beginning his career as a credit analyst with Meridian Bank (1983-1986), he worked as a financial consultant with Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. (1986-1988), and then as an analyst, portfolio manager and marketer with Cashman, Farrell and Associates (1988-1995). Mr. Thompson graduated from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Business Administration.

Francis J. McIntyre

Vice President
Emerald Advisers, Inc

Mr. McIntyre is Vice President of Marketing/Emerald Advisers. He has over thirty years experience in the financial industry and is responsible for the marketing of Emerald financial products and services. He was previously Regional Financial Manager with Deluxe Corporation, responsible for corporate policy, financial, production, and employee retirement planning. Just prior to joining Emerald, Mr. McIntyre was Regional Marketing Director with Planco, Inc. He holds a degree in Social Science with a Psychology minor, and has completed additional course work in Economics at Ursinus College.

Elliot H. Foster

Vice President
Emerald Advisers, Inc

Mr. Foster is Vice President of Marketing/Emerald Advisers. His responsibilities include the sale and marketing of Emerald's array of products and services. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Foster was a financial consultant for a Pennsylvania-based investment brokerage firm, where he specialized in designing and implementing retirement plans for individuals and corporations. Mr. Foster received a B.S. in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from Penn State University

Serena W. Tenant

Serena Tenant joined Emerald Advisers, Inc., as a Special Consultant in January 2005 and, in May 2006, became Assistant VP of Business Development. Ms. Tenant works as part of the team to strengthen communication, improve Emerald's relationships with the present client base, and develop new clients. She also works to promote existing products, with special emphasis on Emerald's newest Mid Cap Growth, Large Cap Core, and Fixed Income products. Prior to joining Emerald Advisers, Ms. Tenant was an elected Trustee for the City of Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Retirement for eight years. Some of her accomplishments include introducing the DROP Plan, the Pension Adjustment Fund, and the Opportunities Fund to the Board. Ms Tenant was the Disabilities Coordinator for the Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia PA, for eleven years and, prior to that, was a City of Philadelphia Police Officer. Ms. Tenant is the Immediate Past President of Mid Atlantic Plan Sponsors (MAPS); a former Executive Board Member of the National Conference of Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS); Chair at the Keystone House Hospice in Wyndmoor, PA; and Chair of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Security Professionals (NASP/Phila.).

Thomas A. Dattilo

Mr. Dattilo, Vice President of Emerald Advisers, oversees the construction and implementation of Emerald's Large Cap Core portfolios. He works closely with Emerald's sales, marketing and client retention team to develop new clients and service current relationships. He has close to twenty five years of experience in managing portfolios for government pension funds in Pennsylvania. In 1987, Mr. Dattilo launched and played a major role in the development of two western Pennsylvania investment firms which grew to over $200 million of assets under management. Mr. Dattilo served on the County Pension Plans Best Practice Committee for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, and was a co-author of the County Pension Plans Best Practices manual. Mr. Dattilo is recognized by Nelson's Who's Who on the Bloomberg Multimedia System. He is a graduate of LaSalle University and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Emerald Research Analysts

Joseph W. Garner

Director of Research

Mr. Garner is Director of Emerald Research, and a member of the Portfolio Management team, as co-manager of the Forward Growth Fund. Mr. Garner's research efforts are focused on small and mid-sized firms in the Business Services, Capital Goods, Consumer, Financial Services, and Technology sectors. In 1997, he was named as a Home-Run Hitter by Institutional Investor magazine, and has appeared on Bloomberg Television and CNBC. He also has been quoted in Fortune, Bloomberg Business News, USA Today, Dow Jones News Service, Standard & Poor's, MarketWatch, Investor's Business Daily, Wall Street Journal, and other media. Mr. Garner currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Millersville University Foundation and Chair of the Board's Investment Committee. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Garner was the Program Manager of the PA Economic Development Financing Authority (PEDFA); an Economic Development Analyst with the PA Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Development; and an Industry Research Analyst with the Pittsburgh High Technology Council. Mr. Garner received an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Economics from Millersville University.

Stan Corker

Director of Technology Research

Mr. Corker is Director of Technology for Emerald Research. Mr. Corker leads the Emerald Technology Research Team. With over 21 years in the computer industry, Mr. Corker has held key positions in engineering, sales, and marketing with both large and small computer equipment manufacturers. Prior to joining Emerald in 1996, he held the position of Director of Storage Research with International Data Corporation (IDC), where he provided market research and consulting services to leading computer and computer equipment manufacturers. He has been widely quoted in various national and trade media, including Investor's Business Daily and The Wall Street Journal, as an industry expert in computer storage. Mr. Corker graduated from Essex University with a B.A. in Computer Science, where he later conducted five years of postgraduate research in computer networking systems.

Steve Amsterdam

Sr. Research Analyst

Mr. Amsterdam is a Research Analyst for Emerald Research. Prior to joining Emerald Asset Management in 2001, Mr. Amsterdam founded SA Venture Consulting, a corporate positioning and strategy consultancy specializing in early-stage technology firms seeking venture capital. Previously, he was a founding managing director of Pennsylvania Early Stage Partners ("PA-ESP"), a $50 million venture capital fund associated with Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE), focused on early stage technology companies. The fund provides equity capital ranging from $250,000 to $2,000,000. While at PA-ESP, Mr. Amsterdam focused on Internet, electronic commerce, and enterprise systems investing and served as a director of seven portfolio companies. From 1991 through the formation of PA-ESP in 1997, he was a senior associate with TL Ventures, an $800 million venture capital management company also associated with Safeguard. While working with TL Ventures, he was directly involved with companies in electronic commerce, network management, multimedia training, residential management systems, 3-D software, and telemarketing. Mr. Amsterdam served on Philadelphia Mayor John Street's transition advisory team and was an advisor to former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell's e-Commerce Commission. He is a graduate of Lehigh University.

Joseph A. Besecker, M.D., FAAP

Research Associate

Dr. Besecker is a Research Associate for Emerald Research focusing on Life Sciences research. He practiced pediatrics for 37 years in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Lancaster General Hospital from 1968 to 1980. Dr. Besecker has been the Clinical Instructor to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Penn State Medical School from 1970 to present. He served on the Board of Directors at Lancaster General Hospital from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Besecker is a graduate of Penn State University and Jefferson Medical School.

Alfred J. Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Research Associate

Dr. Cooke is a Research Associate for Emerald Research focusing on Life Sciences research. Prior to joining Emerald, Dr. Cooke practiced orthopedics in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1971 through 1998. He has published various papers in the Journal of Bone Joint Surgery and the Journal of Orthopedics. Dr. Cooke graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame and received his M.D. from Jefferson Medical School, where he did both his internship and residency.

Derek L. Fisher

Research Analyst

Mr. Fisher is a Senior Analyst, Emerging Technologies, for Emerald Research. Mr. Fisher focuses his research efforts on emerging growth companies in the computer software, information technology, healthcare services and medical devices industries. He began his career at Emerald as an intern in 1995. Due to his generation of ideas, networking and due diligence skills, he progressed to Research Analyst in 1996 and to Senior Research Analyst in 2000. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Fisher attended the University of Delaware.

Harry Z. Rosengart

Research Consultant

Mr. Rosengart is a Biotech and Life Sciences Consultant for Emerald Research. He is President and CEO of HK & Associates, an investment and consulting firm, specializing in financial and strategic advice to small and medium-sized companies with an emphasis on life sciences. Mr. Rosengart is the founder of LigoTech, Inc., a privately held DNA / RNA and macromolecule bioseparations company, employing 14 individuals. For three years, he served as Chairman of its Board of Directors, President and CEO and is currently a Member of the Board of Directors. He raised $5 million in two equity rounds of capital. During his tenure, Mr. Rosengart consummated several licensing transactions, acquired Affinity Biotechnology and successfully integrated the acquisition into LigoTech and launched a number of products. Mr. Rosengart is also co-founder of SunPharm Corporation, an anti-cancer drug development-stage company. He is active in a number of civic and professional organizations and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from Rutgers University.

Scott B. Blumenthal

Research Analyst

Mr. Blumenthal serves as a Research Analyst for Emerald Research. Mr. Blumenthal focuses his research efforts on the Capital Goods, Industrials, Materials, Aerospace, Construction, and packaging industries. Prior to joining Emerald, Mr. Blumenthal had eight years of experience in senior financial positions with various emerging growth companies and technology startups. He also served as a Business Consultant with Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has been involved in business transactions as diverse as raising venture capital, taking a company through a troubled debt restructuring, and three private company sales. Mr. Blumenthal received an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh and graduated cum laude with a BSBA in Operations Management and Business Logistics from Ohio State University.

Brian Miles

Research Analyst

Mr. Miles serves as a Research Analyst / Assistant to the Portfolio Management team for Emerald Advisers. He maintains research coverage of retail, apparel, and consumer goods. He began his career at Emerald as an intern in 2003. Mr. Miles graduated cum laude from Millersville University with a BS in Business Administration, with concentrations in Accounting and Finance. Currently, he is pursuing a Masters of Accounting and Professional Consultancy degree from Villanova University.

Terry Smith, MBA

Mr. Smith is a Research Analyst for Emerald Research, focusing on the Life Sciences. He spent the Summer/Fall of 2005 as an Intern at Emerald before joining the firm in the Fall of 2006. Mr. Smith will receive his PhD in Integrative Biosciences – Molecular Toxicology at the Pennsylvania State University, Hershey Medical Center – College of Medicine, in Fall 2006. He has co-authored several research abstracts and articles on 'the molecular signaling pathways involved in hormone induced cholesterol metabolism' for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, as well as for the Society for Investigative Dermatology's annual international meetings. He received his MBA from the Pennsylvania State University (2004), where he also was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma National Business Honor Society. Mr. Smith received his BS degree in Biology (with a minor in Chemistry) from Messiah College in 2000.

Nishit Trivedi, PhD, MBBS, MBA

Dr. Trivedi is Vice President of the Life Sciences Team for Emerald Advisers, Inc., focusing on Biotech and Medical Device companies. Dr. Trivedi received his PhD in Pharmacology in 2005 and pursued his post-doctoral fellowship at Gittlen Cancer Foundation before joining Emerald. He has published several research articles in leading journals in the fields of oncology and dermatology and, at the 2004 Annual AACR Conference, Dr. Trivedi was the recipient of an award from the American Association for Cancer Research and AFLAC for his research efforts on melanoma. While at Penn State College of Medicine, he received the Rite Aid Graduate Fellowship Award in Pharmacology. Dr. Trivedi received both a PhD and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University. He completed his medical internship in 1999 and received his medical degree (MBBS) from Bombay University, India.