Board of Directors
James (Jim) Barrett
Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
James (Jim) Barrett
Mr. Barrett has over 20 years of leadership experience in multiple areas within IT software and services organizations. As a founder of Softential Inc., Mr. Barrett built an extremely successful systems integration organization with a network of more than 12,500 associates across 38 global locations which was eventually acquired by Cyient Limited in 2014. While at Eltrax Systems Inc., Mr. Barrett grew sales from $0 to $40M and was a key member of the management team that orchestrated and negotiated acquisition by Verso Technologies Inc.. Mr. Barrett earned his BS in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.
Carolyn Hollander
Director
Carolyn Hollander
Ms. Hollander is a global strategist responsible for developing and implementing growth paths with sector leadership, across all business spectrums. Ms. Hollander has worked globally with commercial enterprises and the U.S. Government to craft innovative solutions that bridge the gaps in military and Special Operations Forces in defense systems, cyber security, and most recently in medical and humanitarian health arenas. She is recognized for combining technology and operational skills to address requirements and mission needs. With a focus on the mission of improving outcomes of operations, she supports the operator, the missions, first responders, NATO, and other foreign governments. Ms. Hollander holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California.
Jaci Tomek
Director
Jaci Tomek
Ms. Tomek has more than 25 years of industry experience in cybersecurity, strategic business development, corporate strategy, sales and customer acquisition. She founded TomahawX Technologies, a consultancy to build, grow and operate high performing sales teams for cybersecurity companies in all phases of growth. She serves as a senior advisor to Next Peak. Committed to cyber security, she currently leads the Cortex initiative for Palo Alto Networks in public sector and has led sales and strategy efforts in Federal and Commercial markets for Lookingglass Cyber Solutions, NetWitness (Acquired by RSA), and Riptech (acquired by Symantec). MX. Tomek holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from SUNY, Geneseo and Cybersecurity Certificates from Harvard.
Edward Mede
Director
Edward Mede
Mr. Mede has over 10 years of investment and advisory experience in private equity markets. With more than 20 years’ experience in Healthcare holding a variety of leadership positions within Abbott Laboratories, ranging from Engineering, IT, Marketing, Sales, and Country Management. Mr. Mede is also the founder, and owner,of several businesses across the globe specializing in residential and commercial Real Estate development and management. His undergraduate degree is a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin -Madison and a Master’s in Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
Brett Paulson
Director
Brett Paulson
Mr. Paulson has over 20 years of leadership experience as a growth-oriented executive, with demonstrated success in restructuring and expanding under-performing businesses. At KETRA, Mr. Paulson completed a fiscal and cultural overhaul, turned EBITDA positive within a year, and ultimately positioned the company for its acquisition by Lutron. At Narrate, Mr. Paulson developed a technology that he then patented. He raised $10M, built out the product and team, and sold the company to Verifone. At Gridspace, he revived a machine learning company and successfully closed multiple accounts with Fortune 50 financial services. At Texas Instruments, he restored and originated customer relationships resulting in record-breaking retention and a $175M increase in yearly revenue. Brett holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Stanford University.
Seth Kay
Director
Seth Kay
Mr. Kay has over 15 years of advisory experience in capital markets and is the co-founder of Aphelion Capital Corp., the capital pool company whose qualifying transaction was the RTO merger with EdgeTI Inc. Mr. Kay is a self-employed market consultant with a wide breadth of experience in Canadian capital markets. Throughout his career, Mr. Kay has served as a director and/or officer of numerous public companies in Canada. Mr. Kay holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.
Brian Groody
Director
Brian Groody
Brian Groody is a Global VP in the Oilfield Services and Equipment (OFSE) segment at Baker Hughes. Prior to his current role, Brian served as the Vice-President of the North America Onshore OFSE business since 2020. He started his career at Schlumberger as a field engineer in Texas. During his 28 years in the industry, he has held senior leadership positions across numerous sectors of the industry including services, product manufacturing, fabrication, and construction. His experience included 10 years abroad with assignments in Venezuela, France, Angola, Kazakhstan, and Russia. In support of the oil and gas industry, Brian is Immediate Past Chairman of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council and a board member of the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University. Brian earned a BS degree in Geology from Princeton University.
