Leadership, Team and Board

On a day to day basis Lightening Energy is led by Michael Epstein, CEO and President;  Dr. Christopher K. Dyer, Chief Technical Officer; and Duncan Culver, Director of Engineering and Manufacturing .   In brief, the Lightening Energy team includes leading scientists and engineers with combined experience of more than 100 years in the powering technology field.  Our collective accomplishments for example include including advanced powering innovations for aviation, aerospace, telecommunications, transportation, backup power and medical devices. 

Additionally, Lightening Energy is governed by a four-member Board of Director comprised of executive and non-executive members: F. Chandler ("Chan') Coddington, Gerald Hale, Christopher Dyer and Michael Epstein.  Our board of directors brings extensive experience in business and industry, entrepreneurship, and in the introduction off advanced technology. 

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Michael Epstein, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Co-Founding Board Director

Mr. Epstein was among the founding team and senior management at USCAR (a joint venture of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors).  He also brings over 20 years experience as an entrepreneur.  For more than a decade at USCAR, he managed a portfolio of programs that advanced automotive-related technology towards commercial feasibility.  He served as a member of the USCAR's management committee, chaired its business and policy groups, and was instrumental in drafting the original program plan for the “Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles.”   PNGV included automakers, national laboratories, and the White House.  It advanced several key energy technologies including advanced batteries and hybrid electric vehicles. 

Mr. Epstein has successfully led several automotive and non-automotive technology ventures.  He was awarded by USCAR "for many accomplishments and tireless effort."  He also has served as Advisor and Director to several prominent companies including Chameleon Systems,  PlasmaSol, and Vianix.  He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Carnegie-Mellon and Boston University. 

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Christopher Dyer, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founding Board Director

Dr. Dyer is well recognized internationally as a leader in developing both batteries and fuel cells for high tech applications.  His accomplishments at Bell Laboratories, Telcordia and Motorola included inventing innovative power supplies for satellite systems and portable electronic devices.  He is an important leader in the battery and fuel cell power industry through his Editorship of the prestigious international Journal of Power Sources – the world’s leading peer-reviewed journal for batteries, fuel cells and capacitors, which reports on the latest advances in all these fields. Dr Dyer has a Ph.D. from Cambridge University in the UK.

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F. Chandler Coddington, Co-Founding Board Director

Mr. Coddington, brings several years experience as investor and Founding-Director in carefully selected ventures.  He has participated in notable achievements including LifeBank USA where he served on its board of directors until its sale to Celgene; PlasmaSol Corp. that was sold to Stryker, and Hunterdon County Micro Brewery.  He also is founding Director of Kaesu.com and is a Founding Director Vemics, a provider of multipoint video/voice and data technologies and services.   Mr. Coddington brings over 40 years of experience in the insurance and financial industries.  He is presently a Director of the Hilltop Community Bank.  He also has served on various advisory board positions including Travelers, St. Paul, Cigna, and Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. Further, he has maintained an active role in many community efforts including United Way, Overlook Hospital, Summit Chamber of Commerce, and the YMCA. Mr. Coddington served 4 years in the United States Army as an infantry officer and retired as a Captain.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine.

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Gerald Hale, Co-Founding Board Director (Chairman-elect)

Mr. Hale is currently President of Hale Resources Inc., an industrial/natural resource investment and management company.  Gerald was formerly a Director of and Executive Vice President of Engelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation, Menlo Park, NJ, where the initial precious metal auto catalyst was developed, and President of Chemetron Inc, Chicago, IL, a multi million dollar diversified producer of computer and automotive components. He has served and continues to serve as director of several companies such as Bio-Oxidation, Inc., NJ Manufacturers Insurance Company and the NJ Business and Industry Association and is affiliated with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.

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Duncan Culver, Director of Processing and Manufacturing

Mr. Culver has 37 years of experience in materials development, product design and manufacturing, the last 12 years involving lithium ion and lithium metal batteries.  He was a member of the Telcordia Technologies team that invented the world’s first lithium polymer battery, where he worked on scale-up processes and supported a successful licensing program.  His position prior to joining Lightening Energy was Director of Manufacturing with Lithium Technology Corporation, where he managed design and implementation of high-energy and high-power integrated battery systems for applications that included aviation, submarine and electric vehicles, for customers that included Boeing, NASA, and US Navy.  As Director of Process Development with two other battery companies: Solicore and Caleb Corporation, he brought battery technologies for smart-cards and low-cost consumer applications from laboratory to pilot-scale manufacturing.  He holds degrees in metallurgy and corrosion science from Manchester University (UK), and is registered as a Professional Engineer.

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