David Nislick is an Independent Board member and former Chief Executive Officer of Excelitas Technologies Corp.  David founded Excelitas when he spun the optoelectronics business unit he led as President out of PerkinElmer in 2010, selling it to Veritas Capital. He then led the sale of the Company to AEA Investors in 2017 and again in 2022 to an AEA led Continuation Fund.  Over his 15 year tenure leading Excelitas, David grew the business from $250M of revenue to over $1.2BN of revenue creating over $2.4BN of equity value for his owners. 

Prior to joining PerkinElmer, Dr. Nislick held senior marketing and corporate development roles with Corning Incorporated, Oak Industries and Axsun Technologies and he started his career as an M&A banker at CS First Boston.  David attended the London School of Economics and holds a B.A. in Economics from Middlebury College and Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Business Economics from Harvard University.

In addition to sitting on the Excelitas Board, David holds an Advisory Board position at MGH Newton Wellesley Hospital and he advises the CEOs of a number of Industrial Technology angel investments.    David and his wife Mara live in Newton, MA where they raised three children. 

Why CWE?

Over the course of my career I have been most fortunate to have mentors to guide me and provide a sounding board for sharing major career decisions.  Once I retired, I thought about how I could engage with an organization that provided similar types of mentorship and development.  When I was introduced to CWE, I knew I found the right place.   CWE’s mission to support women entrepreneurs is so worthwhile and compelling and their dedicated Staff are exceptional.  I look forward to helping this extraordinary organization grow and thrive.