ORLANDO, Fla. -- Optium Corporation, a fiber-optics manufacturer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Kalkhoven as chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Kalkhoven joins Paul Suchoski, Optium’s CEO; Eitan Gertel, Optium’s President and CTO; Morgan Jones of Battery Ventures; Mike Guthrie of Texas Pacific Group Ventures; and Greg Smith of Corning on Optium’s board.Dr. Suchoski indicates that “Kevin is extremely well-respected by our employees, the financial community, our customers, and our strategic partners. His access and experience are unmatched in the industry. Eitan Gertel and I look forward to working closely with Kevin as we transition Optium into a volume-manufacturing operation and prepare the company for a public offering.”Mr. Kalkhoven was the CEO and Chairman of JDS Uniphase from 1993 to 2000. During his tenure, he transitioned Uniphase from a $15 million privately-held laser manufacturer into a billion dollar fiber-optics leader. Mr. Kalkhoven is a regular keynote speaker at technology conferences and was noted in the May 2000 Worth magazine as one of America’s Top 50 CEOs. He is presently a partner with KPL Ventures, which invests in early-stage fiber-optic and wireless companies.In a separate release:CHALFONT, Pa. -- Optium Corporation, a fiber-optics manufacturer, today announced the appointment of Robert Choe as senior sales account manager for the western region. Choe, who will report to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Anthony Musto, will be responsible for the company's West Coast sales operations. “Choe brings to Optium a high-level of sales experience in the fiber optics market which will help us continue to establish a position in the western region,” said Musto. “He is well-established as a sales professional and understands the customers’ needs and technology.”Choe joins Optium Corporation from Oplink Communications, where he led the company's business development efforts as regional account manager. His responsibilities included managing key accounts and building partnerships and programs with contract manufacturers. While at Oplink, Choe greatly increased the company's western regional sales and partnerships. His prior experience also includes positions as western region account manager for 3Com as well as Applied Materials. Optium Corp.