BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Newport’s Board of Directors currently consists of the following six members:

Kenneth F. Potashner was elected to the Board in 1998. He served as the Board's Lead Independent Director from August 2003 to August 2006. In September 2007, Mr. Potashner was appointed as Chairman of the Board. From May 2003 to present, Mr. Potashner has been an independent investor. From 1996 to May 2003, Mr. Potashner was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maxwell Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of ultracapacitors, microelectronics, power systems and high voltage capacitors, and he also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Technologies from 1996 to October 1998. From November 1998 to August 2002, Mr. Potashner was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of SONICblue Incorporated (formerly S3 Incorporated), a supplier of digital media appliances and services. Mr. Potashner was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Disk Drive Operations for Conner Peripherals, a manufacturer of storage systems, from 1994 to 1996. From 1991 to 1994, he was Vice President, Worldwide Product Engineering for Quantum Corporation, a manufacturer of disk drives. From 1981 to 1991, he held various engineering management positions with Digital Equipment Corporation, a manufacturer of computers and peripherals, culminating with the position of Vice President of Worldwide Product Engineering in 1991.  Mr. Potashner also serves on the boards of directors of several private companies and serves on the board of directors of one other public company, Applied Solar, Inc.

Robert L. Guyett was elected to the Board in 1990. Since April 1996, Mr. Guyett has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Crescent Management Enterprises, LLC, a financial management and investment advisory services firm. From May 2003 until May 2007, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maxwell Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of ultracapacitors, microelectronics, power systems and high voltage capacitors. From May 1995 to December 1996, he was a consultant to Engelhard Corporation, an international specialty chemical and precious metals company. Between September 1991 and May 1995, Mr. Guyett served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Engelhard Corporation. From January 1987 to September 1991, he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Fluor Corporation, an international engineering and construction firm. Mr. Guyett also currently serves as the Treasurer and a director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.  Mr. Guyett serves on the board of directors of one other public company, Maxwell Technologies, Inc.

Michael T. O’Neill was appointed to the Board in April 2003. Since November 2000, Mr. O’Neill has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Miragene, Inc., a biotechnology company. From May 1995 to October 2000, Mr. O’Neill served as an independent consultant to several private companies in the biotechnology industry. From 1973 to 1995, Mr. O’Neill was employed by Beckman Instruments, Inc., a manufacturer of automated analytical systems for the life and health sciences market, in various management positions, most recently as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Operations from 1993 to 1995, and as Group Vice President, Life Sciences Operations from 1989 to 1993.

C. Kumar N. Patel was elected to the Board in 1986. Dr. Patel was Vice Chancellor-Research, University of California, Los Angeles from 1993 to 1999, and in January 2000 he was appointed to the position of Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Since February 2000, Dr. Patel has also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pranalytica, Inc., a company involved in ultra-low level trace gas detection technologies. Previously, he was employed by AT&T Bell Laboratories, a telecommunications research company, as Executive Director of the Research, Materials Science, Engineering and Academic Affairs Division from 1987 to 1993 and as Executive Director, Physics and Academic Affairs Division from 1981 to 1987. He joined Bell Laboratories in 1961.

Robert J. Phillippy joined us in April 1996 as Vice President and General Manager of our Science and Laboratory Products Division. In August 1999, he was appointed to the position of Vice President and General Manager of the U.S. operations of our Industrial and Scientific Technologies Division (now a part of our Photonics and Precision Technologies Division), and in July 2004, he was appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer. In September 2007, Mr. Phillippy was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board. Prior to joining us, Mr. Phillippy was Vice President of Channel Marketing at Square D Company, an electrical equipment manufacturer, from 1994 to 1996. He joined Square D Company in 1984 as a sales engineer and held various sales and marketing management positions with that company prior to his election as Vice President in 1994.

Peter J. Simone was appointed to the Board in March 2003.  Mr. Simone currently serves as an independent consultant to several venture capital firms and venture-funded private companies.  Mr. Simone was Executive Chairman of SpeedFam-IPEC, Inc., a semiconductor equipment company, from June 2001 to December 2002 when it was acquired by Novellus Systems, Inc.  He served as a director of and a consultant to Active Controls eXperts, Inc. ("ACX"), a leading supplier of precision motion control and smart structures technology, from January 2000 to August 2000, and was President and a director of ACX from August 2000 to February 2001 when it was acquired by Cymer, Inc.  He served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Xionics Document Technologies, Inc., a provider of embedded software solutions for printer and copier manufacturers, from April 1997 until Xionics' merger with Oak Technology, Inc. in January 2000.  Mr. Simone's previous experience includes seventeen years with GCA Corporation, a manufacturer of semiconductor photolithography capital equipment, holding various management positions including President and director.  Mr. Simone also serves on the boards of directors of several private companies and serves on the boards of directors of three other public companies, Cymer, Inc., Monotype Imaging, Inc. and Veeco Instruments, Inc.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD