Management Team
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: Chief Operating Officer, VP Business Development, Co-Founder
Mr. Amjad Abdallat is a co-founder of VIASPACE and serves as the company's COO and VP of Business Development. Mr. Abdallat also serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of VIASPACE Security, Inc., a VIASPACE subsidiary focused on government and commercial security applications.
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.
Stephen J. Muzi: CFO and Treasurer
Mr. Stephen J. Muzi is responsible for all accounting, financial reporting, treasury and budgeting activities. He is also responsible for ensuring that proper internal financial controls exist and that procedures are in place to safeguard company assets. Mr. Muzi joined ViaSpace Technologies LLC as Controller in 2000.
Prior to joining VIASPACE, Mr. Muzi was a Corporate Controller of Southwest Water Company, a NASDAQ company with revenues in excess of $100 million. In this position, he was responsible for all SEC reporting requirements as well as Board of Director reporting. He managed the company's line of credit banking relationships, risk management program, internal audit program, and income tax requirements. He also made presentations to investment brokers and analysts. Mr. Muzi was with the Southwest Water Company from 1988 to 2000.
From 1985 to 1987 Mr. Muzi was a senior auditor with BDO Seidman, a national CPA firm. Mr. Muzi received his BS degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Deep Domain Expertise
In addition to the experience and abilities of its internal team, VIASPACE benefits from the domain expertise of leading experts serving on its scientific and business advisory boards, its teaming partners, and an informal global network of respected researchers, technology analysts, engineers and investors.
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