Management Team
Scott A. Pearson
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Pearson has over 17 years of experience leading a wide range of technology-based companies and organizations. His management experience includes start-up companies, turnaround situations, acquisition integrations, and large commercial and institutional firms. Mr. Pearson's professional experience spans a broad range of industries including uninterruptible power systems (UPS), electric vehicles, electronics assembly equipment and materials, digital imaging, and defense systems. Most recently, as President, Americas of Powerware Corporation (a leading UPS provider), Mr. Pearson oversaw a $480 million operation, significantly increasing its market share, profitability and cash flow. Mr. Pearson holds an M.B.A. from MIT's Sloan School of Management, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts.
Dr. Paul Osenar
Chief Technology Officer
Co-Founder of Protonex
Dr. Osenar has extensive fuel cell experience that includes proton exchange membrane development and characterization, PEM stack and system design, and fueling solutions (4 patents issued, 9 pending). He frequently speaks at industry and scientific meetings about fuel cell technology and industry development. Dr. Osenar has broad experience in the development and productization of advanced materials and systems. Specifically, he has worked in thin films for the electronics industry, traditional polymer synthesis, organic synthesis, and novel composite materials synthesis, and application in nanotechnology. His educational background is in materials science, engineering, polymer science and organic chemistry. Dr. Osenar received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Illinois.
John J. Connolly
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Connolly brings over 26 years of exceptionally strong financial and operations experience to Protonex. He has significant experience in the financial management of both public and early stage high growth technology companies, as well as a broad understanding and record of achievement in helping grow successful companies. Most recently he was Chief Financial Officer at geoVue, a leading provider of real estate location intelligence solutions. He previously served as CFO at Robotic Vision Systems and Davox Corporation, and held key financial and operational management positions at IRIS Graphics and Instrumentation Laboratory. Mr. Connolly holds an M.B.A. from Babson College and a B.S. in Accounting from Bentley College.
Greg Cipriano
Vice President, Marketing & Military Development
Mr. Cipriano has over 25 years of experience in high technology and is a successful serial entrepreneur. Mr. Cipriano has founded, successfully built, and sold three businesses. He was the founder and former CEO of both Internexsys and Affinity, and a co-founder of HealthCom. His extensive business, marketing and product development experience includes OEM and end user products for the communications, healthcare, military and clean energy markets. Mr. Cipriano has held executive positions at California Microwave, Prime, Instrumentation Labs, and PR Mallory. He is a board member of Internexsys and a founding board member of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition. Mr. Cipriano received a B.S in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and attended the MIT Sloan School of Management, Executive Program.
Dr. Caine Finnerty
Vice President, SOFC Operations
Dr. Finnerty, a world expert in solid oxide fuel cells, offers Protonex over 17 years of education and experience with analytical chemistry and SOFC development and has played a key role in the development and implementation of micro tubular technology worldwide. Most recently, Dr. Finnerty was a founding member of Nanodynamics Energy, Inc. and its Chief Technology Officer. While at Nanodynamics, he built a multinational team of engineers and scientists and led this group to develop an industry leading SOFC technology, and successfully integrated that technology into portable SOFC systems operating on various fuels that have been tested and operated globally. Dr. Finnerty completed his post-graduate programme in 1998 at Keele University (Staffordshire, UK).
Bob Barry
Vice President, Product Engineering
Mr. Barry has over 30 years of experience in the development and manufacture of commercial hardware and system products. Most recently, he served as Director of Engineering for Presstek, a supplier of high-tech digital imaging products. Mr. Barry has held R&D leadership and executive positions at Eastman Kodak and Polaroid Graphics Imaging, where he led numerous successful product commercialization programs. Mr. Barry has managed R&D investments for businesses at Kodak and Polaroid Graphic Imaging, directed a $30M privately held spin out from Polaroid, and has generated significant patent portfolios. Mr. Barry received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University.
Michael McCarthy
Vice President, Commercial Business Development
Mr. McCarthy has over 21 years of experience in power and military technologies, with emphasis on developing markets for cutting edge technologies. He has extensive international business and product development experience, spending almost half of his business career in Asia, and excels at developing market channels for new products. Prior to joining Protonex, Mr. McCarthy held management and engineering positions at American Superconductor Corporation, GE Osmonics, Stone & Webster Engineers and Constructors, Donaldson Company and Alliant Techsystems/Honeywell Incorporated. Mr. McCarthy received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University and has been awarded one patent by the USPTO, with two patents pending.
David A. Ierardi
Vice President, Operations
Mr. Ierardi has over 25 years of experience successfully bringing new products to market. Mr. Ierardi has over 25 years of global operations and manufacturing experience with specific capabilities in new product introduction, logistics, supply chain management, quality, cost reduction, and contract manufacturing selection and management. . Prior to joining Protonex, Mr. Ierardi has held senior level positions at RSA-the security division of EMC, Telco Systems, Integral Access and Lucent Technologies and has set-up manufacturing operations in multiple locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Ierardi holds a Masters degree in Computer Integrated Manufacturing from Brigham Young University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lowell.
Phil Robinson
Vice President, Electronics & Power Systems
Mr. Robinson has over 22 years of start-up, technology and senior management experience with an emphasis on product and strategy development. His forte is developing cutting-edge products based on disruptive technologies and growing market demand for these technologies. Prior to joining Protonex, Mr. Robinson served as Vice President of Engineering at Amperion, LAN Access, and NetVantage. He has also held senior management positions at 3Com including as CTO of their Consumer Products Division and CTO and R&D Manager of their Cable Access Unit. Mr. Robinson has served on the HomePlug consortium board of directors, chairs the Consumer Electronics Association R7.3 Data Communications sub-committee, and has authored/contributed to several IEEE 802 and IETF standards. Mr. Robinson received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has been awarded eight patents by the USPTO.