Staff

Dr. Jeffrey S. Pilgrim, President

Dr. Jeffrey S. Pilgrim is President and founder of Vista Photonics. He formed the corporation in June 2003 to develop and commercialize optical gas sensing technologies. Before starting Vista Photonics, Dr. Pilgrim worked as a Senior Research Scientist in a similar research and development environment where he developed diode laser-based trace sensing techniques including wavelength modulated photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS), frequency modulated resonance locked PAS, intracavity PAS, and phase modulated external cavity diode lasers (ECDL). He has invented several ECDLs for trace gas detection and telecommunications. While working in Tucson, Arizona, Dr. Pilgrim developed ultra-high sensitivity trace gas sensors based on intracavity laser spectroscopy using diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) laser systems. He has designed and built DPSS systems at near and mid-infrared wavelengths. From 1995-1997 he was a postdoctoral research associate at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California where he worked in gas phase chemical kinetics. His work utilized direct absorption, frequency modulation, and multiple pass absorption techniques. As a graduate student at the University of Georgia, Dr. Pilgrim worked with time-of-flight mass spectrometry using laser spectroscopy in supersonic molecular beams.

Dr. Pilgrim's accomplishments and interests include:

1) development of DPSS trace gas sensor systems,
2) development of non-dispersed intracavity laser spectroscopy,
3) simultaneous dual two-tone frequency modulation for radical-radical kinetic studies,
4) precise determination of vinyl radical heat of formation,
5) spectroscopic studies of weakly-bound metal containing clusters and complexes,
6) photodissociation studies of metal-carbon clusters including nanocrystals and metallo-carbohedrenes,
7) trace gas detection with photoacoustic spectroscopy,
8) external cavity diode laser development.

Dr. Pilgrim has authored 32 publications and holds 13 US patents along with 16 international patents.

Melissa Pilgrim, Chief Administrative Officer

Melissa Pilgrim is co-owner and Chief Administrative Officer for Vista Photonics, Inc. She is responsible for the daily administrative management as well as long-range financial planning and budgeting, finance, business and contractual services, human resources, facilities planning, and executive management of the company.

Melissa holds a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Georgia and is a member of the National Contract Management Association. Before joining Vista Photonics full-time, she was an Assistant Vice President and Marketing Officer in the financial industry. She has over twenty years of experience in the areas of office, personnel, project management, marketing and financial reporting.

As CAO, Melissa oversees the following areas: Accounting, Human Resources, Contract Management, Purchasing, Marketing, and Compliance. She also serves as the Chief Financial Officer and the Secretary/Treasurer on the Board of Directors.

William Wood, Chief Engineer

Bill Wood is Chief Engineer for Vista Photonics. He is an expert in circuit design, computer programming and digital signal processing and has been with the company since July 2005.

Bill holds a B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering and has over twenty years of experience in analog and digital electronics development, programming, user interface development, and systems integration. Bill has designed and built sophisticated electronics and developed proprietary software for complex optical trace gas detection systems. He has implemented various control architectures for running laser diode based trace gas detection systems, external cavity lasers, and diode pumped solid state lasers.

While at Vista Photonics, Bill has designed electronics for systems containing multiple lasers which allow for precise, independent, control of laser temperature and laser current. He has integrated these analog circuits with digital processors for system control and data analysis. Bill has developed automated gas control systems, including hardware, software, and user interfaces, which allow for evaluation and calibration of gas sensors developed at Vista Photonics.

J. Taylor Pilgrim, Quality System Manager

Taylor Pilgrim joined Vista Photonics in November 2017. He attended both New Mexico Junior College and Santa Fe Community College, and worked as a Field Service Technician at Comcast/Xfinity prior to joining the Company. Taylor is a member of the American Society for Quality and has received Certified Lead Auditor training and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) training. He is tasked with the obligation to ensure all company products meet customer expectations and demands using key performance indicators. He maintains our focus on customer quality improvement activities across the organization by overseeing all product development procedures to identify deviations from quality standards. Taylor performs and coordinates internal quality audits and assures appropriate levels of corrective actions. He is always on the lookout for opportunities for improvement and the development of new, efficient procedures.

Bailey Montano, Support Specialist

Bailey Montano joined Vista Photonics in June 2020. She attended New Mexico State University and studied Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining the company, she worked with a contractor at White Sands Missile Range that managed telecommunication throughout the range. After completing the NASA Electrostatic Discharge Level 1 course, Bailey became the ESD Facilities Monitor for Vista Photonics. She is in charge of maintaining all ESD requirements to ensure compliance with ANSI/ESD and NASA standards. Bailey is also responsible for providing administrative support and assists with purchasing, inventory, and compliance. In addition to these duties, she works with the Quality department to oversee the Bonded Inventory and document deliverables storage.

Paul Kitsmiller, CAD Technician

Paul Kitsmiller (PK) joined Vista Photonics in March 2022. Previously, he worked 16 years as a Manufacturing Engineer for Jabil Defense and Aerospace. Prior to that, he attended Colorado Mesa University and studied Computer Aided Design and Drafting while also working for Hamilton Sundstrand as a top tier Aerospace Machinist with engineering responsibilities. PK is a U.S. Army Veteran having served 3 years active duty in Army Aviation working on Helicopter powertrain systems. PK provides CAD modeling/drafting and mechanical design support to Vista Photonics. He is responsible for creating and maintaining Engineering drawings, and designing of custom tooling and fixturing. He also assists with manufacturing process development, BOM management, materials research, dimensional inspection, mechanical assembly, and procurement activities.

Matthew Grossweiler, C Programmer

Matt Grossweiler joined Vista Photonics in June 2024. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a BS in Computer Engineering. Previously, Matt worked for several years in industrial automation, maintaining and developing Real Time Operating Systems applications. He is highly skilled in designing and implementing embedded systems.

Zachary Pilgrim, Production Engineer

Zachary Pilgrim joined Vista Photonics in January 2025. He graduated with honors from New Mexico State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. While in school, Zachary interned at NASA Johnson Space Center in the Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory and received the NASA Outstanding Achievement Award for preparing flight critical hardware. At NMSU, he worked with the Eichman Research Group and the Foduazi Research Lab. After graduating from NMSU, Zachary worked as a Production Engineer at Dow Chemical in Seadrift, TX for over two years. At Vista Photonics, he assists in the development and assembly of the detection and monitoring instruments. He also supports the Quality System Manager with ensuring compliance to the AS9100 certification.