Daily News Briefs

Nic Pignati, president and CEO of advanced optical products maker New Focus, will replace R. Clark Harris as chairman of the company's board of directors, effective Oct. 24. Harris will also step down as chief strategy officer. The company also announced it has formed a nominating and governance committee of the board, to be chaired by Peter Bordui. Robert Marsland has assumed the newly created position of New Focus Fellow, in which he will work closely with the CTO office on external business development and technology and roadmap development. . . . John Sudol, vice president of operations at Sensors Unlimited, a near-infrared imaging solutions provider, has been elected to the national board of directors of the American Electronics Association.