Sue Mecham and Judy S. Riffle

Sue J. Mecham, Ph.D., is Co-Founder and CEO of NALA Membranes, a new-generation membrane company based in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. NALA is developing new chlorine tolerant reverse osmosis membranes from new, chlorine-stable, polymers. Sue has over 25 years of experience building and leading technical and business teams in both industry and academia. Sue’s background is in polymer chemistry and organizational management with a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and manufacturing, sales, and leadership at Acadia Polymers, Polymer Solutions Incorporated, Virginia Tech, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  

Judy Riffle, PhD in polymer chemistry, is the Chief Technical Officer of NALA Membranes. She joined Union Carbide Corp. as a research scientist upon graduation working on synthesis and manufacturing of non-ionic polyols and their incorporation into polyurethane foams. She joined Thoratec Laboratories Corp., then a biomedical start-up company, in 1983 as Vice President of Research and Development. While at Thoratec, she co-directed (with Robert Ward) the synthesis and processing of polyurethanes that later became the materials for their FDA-approved ventricular assist devices and vascular grafts. Dr. Riffle joined Virginia Tech in 1988 as a professor of chemistry, where she taught and conducted research for 31 years. During that time, she mentored 68 graduate students who are now working mostly as polymer chemists and engineers in U.S. industries.

Sue and Judy founded NALA Membranes in 2018 together. NALA’s goal is to commercialize an entirely new set of water purification membranes that are chemically durable against strong oxidants including chlorine to avoid biofouling and to enhance “cleanability”. NALA has been selected for internationally recognized accelerators including MassChallenge and Imagine H2O-Asia, and in November 2021 was presented with a Cleantech award from the NC Tech Association. NALA was awarded National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I and II grants, and receives financial backing by venture and angel investors.