Maria A. Thompson is President and CEO of Ann Arbor based T/J Technologies, Inc. T/J Technologies is a recognized leader in advanced materials design and synthesis and focuses on the design and development of materials whose architecture is controlled at the nanometer (10-9m) scale. The company creates high rate anode and cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, and other alternative energy technologies. In January 2006, T/ J Technologies became a subsidiary of A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of next generation lithium ion batteries.

T/J Technologies has attracted national and regional recognition. NASA Headquarters honored T/J Technologies in 2005 with a “Special Recognition Award” presented by NASA Administrator, Dr. Michael Griffin. T/J Technologies was also named one of “50 Companies to Watch in Michigan” and Crain's Detroit Business chose the company as one of the “20 Largest Technology-Based Companies”. In 2003, Ms. Thompson was invited to speak to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business as part of the Small Business Administration’s 50th Anniversary. T/J Technologies was awarded two prestigious and highly competitive Advanced Technology Program (ATP) Grants from the National Institute of Standards and Technology for the development of new battery anode materials and fuel cells. In March 2000, T/J Technologies received the Nunn/Perry Award from the Department of Defense for its ultracapacitor development with Lockheed Martin. The award was established in 1995 in honor of former Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Defense William Perry. In 2005, Minority Enterprise Advocate Magazine honored Ms Thompson as one of “Fifty Influential Minorities in Business, a national recognition. Business Direct Weekly chose Ms. Thompson as one of 2004’s “Most Influential Women”. In 2000, Ms. Thompson was named one of Metro Detroit’s Innovators by Crain’s Detroit Business. Additional recognition includes awards from NASA Glenn and features in Fortune Small Business (2/05), Black Enterprise, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the Ann Arbor News.

Ms. Thompson is a member of Ann Arbor SPARK’s Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for the Wright Fuel Cell Council, The Michigan Small Business Foundation and the Board of Trustees for Daycroft Montessori School and Greenhills School. She also served for 6 years on the Advanced Technology Advisory Board for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and is a former member of several non-profit organization boards. Ms. Thompson graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in industrial design. She was awarded a Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellowship and returned to the University of Michigan to earn a Masters of Business Administration degree. Prior to starting T/J Technologies, Ms. Thompson worked at Steelcase and IBM, where she earned numerous company awards. She and her husband, Dr. Levi Thompson, have 2 daughters, age 13 and 11.