November 2, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: High Voltage Power Systems president named to TAMS board

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High Voltage Power Systems president named to TAMS board

J. Jan Collmer, founder and president of High Voltage Power Systems Inc. in Carrollton, has been named to the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Advisory Board.

Created by the Texas Legislature, the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science is a two-year residential program at UNT that allows talented students to complete their freshman and sophomore years of college while earning their high school diplomas. The TAMS Advisory Board was created as part of the legislation establishing the academy. The nine board members provide TAMS staff with advice on curriculum, student life and admissions. Board members are appointed for six-year terms and can have their terms renewed. Two members are appointed by the president of UNT. Appointing one member each are the Texas governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, the chair of the State Board of Education, the Texas commissioner of higher education, the president of the Texas Association of the Gifted and Talented and the president of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Collmer was appointed to the board by President Norval Pohl. He replaces E.L. "Buddy" Langley, who served on the board and was its chair from its creation in 1989 until his death in June.

Richard Sinclair, dean of TAMS, says Collmer "brings a wealth of experience in the dynamic world of the semiconductor industry."

"He immediately grasped the value of TAMS to the technological future of Texas and was quick to suggest ways to further the goals of the academy. His contacts in the business community will be of great benefit to TAMS," Sinclair says.

Retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander, Collmer was a fighter pilot from 1954 to 1958 and an active reserve pilot at Dallas' Naval Air Station from 1958 to 1966.

In 1979, he founded Collmer Semiconductor, now High Voltage Power Systems Inc., an importer, marketer and manufacturer of industrial electronic components and systems. Collmer continues as the company's president. He previously worked in various engineering management positions for Varo Inc. in Garland. He was elected president of Varo in 1976. Collmer also briefly worked for Texas Instruments in Dallas.

A strong supporter of education, Collmer is a current member of the board of trustees for the University of Dallas and has held various positions on advisory boards and boards of trustees for the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas County Community College District Foundation and Southern Methodist University.

Collmer is also a member of the Texas Aerospace Commission and the board of directors for Southwest Securities. He is a past chair of the board for the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce and past vice chair of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport board. The current president of the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Addison, Collmer has served other museums, including the Dallas Museum of National History and The Science Place.

He received his associate's degree in mechanical engineering and his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington.