Leadership Team
RICHARD GUSTAFSON
Richard became the president and CEO of PowerLight in 2013, two years after he started with the company as an independent consultant. His role has included a focus on technology, operations, capital structure, market assessment, and business development for military and commercial operations. When it comes to his work, Richard most enjoys solving complex challenges with great teams to make a difference for customers while elevating the team’s capabilities to create value. “I like working and developing relationships with people who share my passion for building and doing well by doing good,” he says. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Richard is energized by a sport that reflects his motivators at work—McLaren Mercedes Formula 1, for its combination of technology, speed, teamwork, strategy, and propensity to push human limits. In the community, Richard provides advisory and support for university business/entrepreneurship programs. He, himself, graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor of science in Business Management.
TOM NUGENT
Since starting his work on optical wireless power as the first CEO and president of PowerLight predecessor LaserMotive 10 years ago, Tom has shifted into the CTO role. Prior, he was a project scientist at Intellectual Ventures Labs, a multidisciplinary early-stage R&D laboratory in Bellevue, Washington. While there, he was involved in the Photonic Fence project that used lasers to kill mosquitoes, as well as in unpublished medical device projects. He also once served as the research director at LiftPort Inc. One of Tom’s proudest achievements was helping the LaserMotive team win the 2009 NASA Centennial Challenge for power beaming. His pride continuously extends beyond this moment, however, for bringing together disparate technologies and people to make novel solutions to technical problems. About the technology, he says, “I particularly enjoy turning science fiction into reality, and seeing how amazed people are when they think about ways they could use it.” Tom holds a bachelor of science in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master of science in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT. He also has a certificate in Japanese from the University of Pittsburgh.
BOB ZAK
Initially as an advisor and now as COO, Bob brings a mix of tech startup and large operational leadership experience to PowerLight. As SVP at Ecova (now Engie), he led a diverse operational group 950+ strong and was part of the executive team that executed the sale of the company for over $330M. Bob also has startup experience in the Smart Grid and Sustainability domains where, as a founder and CEO, he has painted the walls, built teams, raised venture capital, led development groups that produced scalable solutions and worked closely with international partners. He believes the key to working relationships, almost without fail, is being on the same page regarding expectations. Bob holds a B.S. in Industrial Distribution from Central Washington University and attended the University of Alabama Birmingham’s School of Business Special Studies, Industrial Distribution Program
KATHERINE ROWE
Kathy joined PowerLight in 2022 to help lead our technology strategy and commercialization efforts. She brings a wealth of product development experience on technology based projects that changed industries, including supercomputing, medical instruments, and aerospace systems and components. Kathy began her career as a design engineer with Polaroid Corporation developing injection-molded optics. She joined Physio-Control Corporation (Eli Lilly) as an engineer and rose to a number of senior technical, project management, and manufacturing leadership positions. At Tera Computer Company, Kathy held both manufacturing and engineering roles, culminating as VP Manufacturing for Cray Inc., after Tera acquired Cray Research. She holds a Master of Science degree from MIT in Management of Technology, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. She holds a Professional Engineering license in the State of Washington, recently completed studies in 3D printing, and is a proud member of the Advisory Board for DO-IT programs at the University of Washington.
MIKE HARTNETT
Mike is VP of Business Development on the PowerLight team supporting our market development and commercialization efforts. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in the international telecom, technology, and defense markets and has worked successfully from venture capital backed startups through multinational corporate planning. Mike began his career as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Norwich University, a Master’s Degree in International Security Studies from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and is currently conducting Ph.D. research into how the global adoption and diffusion of technological innovations are impacting international security and development.
KATE MARSHALL
Joining the PowerLight team in 2022, Kate brings 30 years of experience in all aspects of bringing new products to market. At Amazon Kate led the program management team for the full system and system integration of their last mile delivery robot. During her time at Philips, she led product development projects as early in development as identification of customer market segmentation and new customer insights all the way though products launched to the global market for their Sonicare product line. Working at Synapse provided her with the opportunity to lead projects on many of the latest technologies including AR/VR, IIoT, wearables and home healthcare. Kate has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from University of Pennsylvania.
Board Members
CLAES OLSSON
Over the course of 45 years, Claes has held a variety of position across many industries. In addition to serving our company as the chairman of the board and previously as a senior business advisor, he is the director of the board for EoScene Corporation. He is also the president, CEO and founder of CRH International Inc., providing consulting, advisory, and management; extended knowledge throughout Europe and North America; venture and angel financing; and real estate investments. Claes was also the president, CEO, founder and chairman of the board for PowerIt Holdings, Inc. Under his leadership, its subsidiary, PowerIt Solutions, completed successful funding rounds of more than $18 million, and grew to include more than 70 employees and contractors across three countries. Notably, in 2010, PowerIt Solutions was ranked No. 71 in the Deloitte Technology Fast™ 500. From all of his years in building companies, he has learned that open communication is the key to success, believing “If you can’t talk about it, you can’t solve the problem.” He has also found that he particularly enjoys working with young entrepreneurs, giving them advice arising from his years of experience in supporting numerous international companies. Claes graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1988, from Lunds University, Sweden, with a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting in 1973, and Helsingborg Technical College in Sweden with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1969.
SCOTT I. ANDERSON
Scott is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Northeast Wireless Networks, LLC, where he has served since 2013. He has significant experience & knowledge ranging from Telecommunication and Defense industries to mergers and acquisitions, having been involved in several successful exits. Prior to joining Northeast Wireless Networks, LLC and since 1997-98, Scott has been a principal in Cedar Grove Partners, LLC and in Cedar Grove Investments, LLC, an investment partnership and a private seed capital fund, respectively. From 1986 until 1997, Mr. Anderson was employed by McCaw Cellular Communications and AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., where he served in various legal and M&A-related positions, including Senior Vice President of the Acquisitions and Development group. Scott is also Chairman of the Board at Opanga, Inc. as well as serves as a member of the Boards of Kratos Defense and Security, Inc., Globys, Inc. and Anvil Corporation. He graduated from the University of Washington magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in History. Mr. Anderson earned his Law degree (J.D.), with highest honors (valedictorian) from the University of Washington Law School.
Our Advisors
BARRIE GRAHAM
Barrie is a senior advisor at WR Hambrecht+Co, an investment banking firm in San Francisco. Barrie is also an advisor to several startup companies and a board member of Truett Hurst Winery. Prior to joining WRH+Co, Barrie was the president and chief executive officer of Exchange Bank in Santa Rosa, California, and a senior manager of Wells Fargo in San Francisco. He is on two for-profit boards and several not-for-profit boards. He serves as the chairman of the Marines Memorial Foundation in San Francisco, as a former marine infantry officer. Barrie has a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University and a degree in Industrial Engineering from Clarkson University. He is also a graduate of the Executive Management Program at Harvard University, and a graduate and past chairman of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
Johan Bjorklund
Johan is a senior executive leader applying rich industry experience with strategic and operational focus in building and growing business. He has gained broad international market expertise leading business success in the US, APAC, and EMEA with a record of creating profitable business models in emerging business segments for software, hardware and services. His broad functional background includes executive P&L management, business development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, customer service, vendor management, and integration and business optimizations.
Kent Williams
Kent is an advisor to innovative companies in the automotive, life science and alternative energy sectors. He assists companies commercializing efficient and environmentally friendly powertrain and lidar technologies. He advises battery and battery recycling companies. He serves as managing member of Vista Asset Management LLC. He received his MBA from St. Mary’s College of California and BA from University of California at Berkeley.
LTG Stephen Lanza (Ret.)
LTG Stephen Lanza spent over 30 years filling numerous roles in the US Army. Most recently, he served as the Commanding General for the US Army I Corps, Joint Base Lewis McChord and Combined Joint Task Force Courage. He has commanded Soldiers at every echelon from Platoon to Corps, including the 5th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; and the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. LTG Lanza’s operational deployment experience includes Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia; Operation Joint Guard, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Kosovo; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and Operation New Dawn, Iraq. His senior staff assignments include Chief of the Joint Capabilities Division, J8, the Joint Staff; Deputy Commanding General for V Corps, US Army Europe and Seventh Army; and G3, Chief of Operations, US Army Europe and Seventh Army. LTG Lanza earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and has Master’s degrees from Central Michigan University, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the National Defense University. He was also a Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI, an educational program for leaders in US national security and foreign policy. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and serves on the advisory board for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and is a Trustee for St. Martin’s University.
Luis Spinelli
Luis is the former CTO of Coherent, Inc., a leading global supplier of lasers and photonics technology. As part of his role, he led IP management and created/managed the Advanced Research Unit (ARU), which was responsible for the acquisition and development of new technologies including Optically Pumped Semiconductor and High-Power Fiber lasers. Luis also created and managed the Optics RD Group, which included a facility incorporating various film deposition platforms with the goal of advancing thin film technology.
tim jenks
Tim is the former Chairman and CEO of NeoPhotonics Corporation, a leading global
supplier of lasers and optoelectronic products that transmit and receive
high-speed digital optical signals for Cloud and hyperscale data center
internet content provider and telecom networks. The company was the
world's primary supplier of tunable lasers that emit the ultra-pure light that
is required for the highest speed over distance fiber optic communications
links. Tim led NeoPhotonics for more than 20 years, from venture-funded
start-up to public company. The company merged with Lumentum Holdings in
2022.
Tim previously served in positions of increasing
responsibility at Raychem Corporation, a materials engineering company which
was acquired by Tyco International Ltd. (now TE Connectivity Ltd.) in
1998. He is a former nuclear-power trained naval officer, having served
on multiple nuclear surface ships. Tim holds a MBA degree from the Stanford
Graduate School of Business, a SM degree in nuclear engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BSME degree in mechanical
engineering and marine engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy.