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Our Management Team 
Russell Ford
President and CEO
Russell Ford joined ClearEdge Power as President and CEO in May 2009. Mr. Ford has more than 25 years of executive management experience in engineering, product development, manufacturing and operations. Prior to joining ClearEdge Power, Mr. Ford served as CEO of Prestolite Electric, a global tier-one supplier to commercial and military vehicle OEMs; COO of Holley Performance Products; SVP of Operations for Lockheed Martinʼs Aeronautics Division; General Manager of Allied Signalʼs Gas Turbine Division; and other engineering and manufacturing assignments. Mr. Ford is a Summa Cum Laude MBA graduate of Duke Universityʼs Fuqua School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds Six Sigma Blackbelt and Shingijutzu Lean Expert certifications.
Zakiul Kabir
Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Engineering
Zakiul Kabir, ME, BS, joined ClearEdge Power in March 2006 and serves as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Development. Mr. Kabir joined the Company from United Technologies Corporation (UTC), where for more than 13 years he held a variety of engineering and management positions, including head of Systems Engineering for Transportation Applications at UTC Power. His technical expertise includes systems design, analysis and integration of PEM and phosphoric acid fuel cells for transportation and stationary applications, fuel processor development, and systems integration. Mr. Kabir has been awarded several patents, with multiple applications pending. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, City University of New York and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology with degrees in chemical and systems engineering.
Jeff Bouchard
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Bouchard joined ClearEdge Power as Chief Financial Officer in January 2010. Mr. Bouchard has more than 25 years of financial management experience in high-technology companies. Prior to joining ClearEdge Power, Mr. Bouchard served as the Chief Financial Officer at Open Silicon, Inc. He has also served as Chief Financial Officer at Pixelworks, and eVineyard (now Wine.com). During his time at Pixelworks, Mr. Bouchard led their successful initial public offering and completed four acquisitions. Mr. Bouchard has also served in senior financial management positions at InFocus and Sun Microsystems. Mr. Bouchard holds an MBA from Santa Clara University and a BS in Business Administration – Finance from San Jose State University.
Bill Sproull
Senior Vice President, New Business Development
William R. Sproull was part of the ClearEdge Power founding team in 2003 and serves as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. Prior to joining the Company, he was a Director of wireless video start-up Crystal Link Technologies, serving as Vice President of Business Development, until the Companyʼs acquisition in 2003 by Avocent. Earlier, Mr. Sproull served as Vice President and General Manager of the Industrial Business Unit at Planar Systems, a public company specializing in flat panel display solutions for the North American and European markets. During the first 15 years of his career, Mr. Sproull was with Honeywell International, serving in various management positions in sales, marketing and finance in its Aerospace and Defense divisions. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in finance.
Bill Trivette
Senior Vice President, Operations
Bill Trivette joined ClearEdge Power as Senior Vice President of Operations in December 2009. Mr. Trivette brings with him more than 25 years of senior operations leadership experience from such well-respected companies as Holley Performance, Honeywell Aerospace and Allen-Bradley Company. Mr. Trivette has lead the development and implementation of world class Lean and Six Sigma systems, and managed operating organizations that have been consistently ranked among the top performing divisions of Tier 1 companies. Mr. Trivette holds a BS in Business Administration – Operations Management from The Ohio State University.
Mark Colby
Vice President, Field Operations and Service
Mark Colby joined ClearEdge Power as Vice President, Field Operations in June 2009. Mr. Colby has over a decade of executive leadership experience in numerous energy technologies from nuclear to solar. Prior to joining ClearEdge Power, Mr. Colby served as VP and General Manager of EDSA Micro, a global software company for electrical power engineers. He also was President of Residential Products for Envision Solar and spent 23 years in the US Navy including Commanding Officer, USS INGRAHAM (FFG61); Commanding Officer, USS MOUNT VERNON (LSD39); and other nuclear engineering, operations, training and Admiral Staff assignments. Mr. Colby earned US Navy certification as Nuclear Engineer Officer and Nuclear Commanding Officer. Mark Colby is a Summa Cum Laude Master of Science Electrical Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School, and holds a Bachelor of Science Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy.
Leslie Kramer
Vice President, Finance and Information Technology
Leslie A. Kramer joined ClearEdge Power as Vice President of Finance and Information Technology in July 2007. Prior to joining ClearEdge Power, she held positions as Director of Finance and IT for Ann Sacks (Kohler), Director of Strategic Planning for Bunge Foods and Manager of Corporate Planning for Bunge North America. Ms. Kramer has over 12 years of experience in the manufacturing industry and has technical expertise in mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, cost accounting and ERP implementations. She graduated cum laude from California State University, Stanislaus and is a certified public accountant (CPA) and certified management accountant (CMA).
Michael Upp
Vice President, Marketing
Michael Upp joined ClearEdge Power as Vice President of Marketing in June 2009. Mr. Upp brought over twenty five years of sales and marketing experience to ClearEdge. Prior to working for ClearEdge, Mr. Upp was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts for Westec Interactive, a video based security and marketing services firm focusing on national retail and restaurant organizations. Prior to Westec, Mr. Upp was VP of Sales and Marketing for ISICAD, an enterprise Network Management Software firm in Anaheim, California and held senior level sales management positions with ITT and Mitel. He has worked with a number of organizations to develop complex Return on Investment models and has spoken widely at industry events on the topic. Mike Upp graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelorʼs of Arts degree from Arizona State University.