Dr Brian Barge will step down as president and CEO of CMC Microsystems on or before July 31/07, depending on when a search for his replacement yields results. He has no plans to retire but has not divulged his future intentions. Barge took over the top spot at the Kingston ON-based CMC (formerly Canadian Microelectronics Corp) in 2000, following four years as president of the Ottawa Economic Development Corp and a 24-year stint at the Alberta Research Council where he rose to the position of president and CEO. While at CMC, he transformed the organization, broadening its scope of technology assistance and funding. Most recently, CMC received $48.5 million in renewal funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, although other components of its strategic plan remain unfunded. Barge holds a physics degree from the Univ of Saskatchewan and an MA and PhD in meteorology from McGill Univ....