VIASPACE Board of Directors

Dr. Carl Kukkonen: CEO, Chairman, Co-Founder

From its founding in 1998 Dr. Carl Kukkonen has led the VIASPACE team, serving as CEO of ViaSpace Technologies LLC, the predecessor of VIASPACE Inc., and serving as CEO and Chairman today. ViaSpace Technologies incubated several companies based on technologies developed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and patents and software licensed from Caltech.

Prior to founding VIASPACE Dr. Kukkonen was a Caltech employee, serving as Director of the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology (CSMT) and Manager of Supercomputing at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At JPL from 1984 to 1998 he managed several technologies and technical subsidiaries. Dr. Kukkonen established and grew the CSMT into a 250-person operation with a $70M annual budget.

From 1977 to 1984 Dr. Kukkonen worked for the Ford Motor Company as Ford's leading expert on hydrogen as an alternative automotive fuel. As a Principal Research Engineer, he also led a team that developed Ford's first turbocharged intercooled direct injection diesel engine. Dr. Kukkonen received a BS in physics from the University of California at Davis. He earned a MS and Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Purdue. In 1992 Dr. Kukkonen was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.

A.J. Abdallat: VIASPACE Co-Founder

Mr. Amjad Abdallat is a co-founder of VIASPACE and served as the company's COO and VP of Business Development until October 2008. Mr. Abdallat also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of VIASPACE Security, Inc., a VIASPACE subsidiary that focused on government and commercial security applications. Much of the VIASPACE Security business was sold in December 2008.

From 1989 to 1998 Mr. Abdallat was with the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) working in Business Development, Marketing and Program Capture. From 1984 to 1989 Mr. Abdallat was with Control Data Corporation (CDC), working in Business Development. He led and managed teams to capture large government contracts and successfully won many large and complex deals in the government, aerospace and defense, and manufacturing sectors.

Mr. Abdallat received his Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Missouri and a BS from the University of California at Berkeley.

Bernard P. Randolph

Bernard P. (Randy) Randolph is a retired four-star Air Force General and a former executive at the TRW Space and Electronics Group. General Randolph, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 35 years, has extensive experience in both military and commercial development of high technology systems. His last Air Force assignment was as Commander of the Air Force's Systems Command, which was responsible for the development and procurement of all major defense systems.

General Randolph later joined TRW Space and Electronics Group, where he held dual roles as Vice President and General Manager of the Defense Communications Division and Vice President and Special Assistant to the Group General Manager.

He is regarded for his experience in conceptual system design, engineering, and manufacture-from the earliest Request for Proposal response and contract negotiation, through system reviews and final customer product acceptance. General Randolph is recognized for his combination of in-depth knowledge of the Department of Defense procurement process and hands-on industrial program development.

Angelina Galiteva

Ms. Galiteva currently serves as a Chairperson of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE), specializing in strategic issues related to renewable energy, environmental, energy efficiency and overall sustainable policy programs for public and private entities. She is also founder and Principal of New Energy Options, Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors of American Distributed Generation, Inc and TECOGEN.

Prior to July 2003, Ms. Galiteva was the Executive Director-Strategic Planning, for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). In that capacity she was responsible for managing the Departments’ Corporate Environmental Services Business Unit as well as all LADWP’s Green LA Programs and New Technology Initiatives.

Before joining LADWP in 1997, Ms. Galiteva worked for the California Independent System Operator and Power Exchange Trusts and Corporations. Prior to that, Ms. Galiteva worked for the New York Power Authority on conservation, renewable energy and air quality initiatives.

Ms. Galiteva is an attorney with a JD and Masters’ of Law Degrees in Environmental and Energy Law from Pace University School of Law, New York.

Rick Calacci

Mr. Calacci's background includes repeated successes at leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and computer products including Sharp, Toshiba and Sony. As a senior executive, Mr. Calacci has a history of achievement selling to all classes of the retail trade including mass merchandisers, independent retailers, chain and independent drug stores, chain and independent department stores, wholesale clubs and C-stores.

Mr. Calacci is an innovative and energetic leader, skilled communicator/team builder, and adept negotiator. He has the proven ability to analyze products, markets and growth opportunities and introduce strategic and tactical solutions that improve competitive performance while increasing sales, market share, and profits.