Board of Advisors
Kevin Watkins - Energy Industry / Commercialization Kevin Watkins is the Engineering
Vice President of PNGC Power. Mr. Watkins leads and manages the operations and recent
capacity expansion of the Coffin Butte Resource Project, a 5.7 MW landfill-gas-to-energy
generation facility. Kevin is responsible for directing technology and resource
demonstration activities including the Ocean Wave Energy Demonstration Project and a
multi-year fuel cell demonstration. He leads the evaluation of emerging and conventional
generation resources for inclusion in integrated resource planning. Mr. Watkins has 10
years experience in the planning, design and engineering of high-voltage transmission
systems and over 25 years experience in planning, evaluating and operating generating
resources. Prior to PNGC Power, Kevin was a Senior Resource Analyst for the Pacific NW
Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC), and Section Chief, Resource Supply Section for the
Bonneville Power Administration. Kevin serves on both the Generating Resource Advisory
Committee for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and the Small Scale Energy Loan
Program Advisory Committee for the State of Oregon. Kevin is a Registered Professional
Engineer in Oregon. "Sustainable Profitability" is Kevin's idea.
Dennis Powers - Technology Commercialization / Investments Dennis Powers is currently
the Managing Partner of Cornerstone Management Resources. CMR is a successful consulting
firm focusing on all aspects of business development and revenue acceleration for emerging
and mid-market companies. He has successfully completed numerous projects involving
strategic planning, business plan creation, sales channel development, marketing
communication programs, merger/acquisitions and assistance in raising early stage funding.
Mr. Powers is also an Executive in Residence at the Oregon Technology Business Center, a
leading incubator in Oregon, Chair of the Portland Angel Network, and an active angel
investor.
Steve Morris - Technology Commercialization / Business Incubation Steve Morris is the
Executive Director of OTBC and the Managing Director of OregonStartups.com. He has more
than 25 years of management experience in the software, service, and semiconductor test
industries at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Integrated Measurement Systems, Cadence
Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, and Credence Corporation. Prior to joining OTBC, he
founded OregonStartups.com, providing consulting and web-based advice and information or
startup companies. He founded Teseda Corporation and served as CEO from 2001 to 2005, and
prior to that founded two internal startups in larger companies. He holds a B.A. in
mathematics from Reed College and a Masters of Science degree from Carnegie-Mellon
University Graduate School of Industrial Administration (now The Tepper School of
Business).
Greg Horner - Research & Technology Development Greg Horner is a founding member
and CTO of Tau Science Corporation. Based in Beaverton, Oregon, Tau Science is a 2008
startup that develops novel test and measurement tools for solar photovoltaic
manufacturing lines. Prior to Tau Science, Greg held engineering management and staff
scientist positions at FEI, KLA-Tencor, and Keithley Instruments. He holds a B.A. in
Astrogeophysics from Colgate University, an M.S. in Applied Physics from Colorado School
of Mines, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from C.U. Boulder. He performed his
graduate research in solar cell and materials characterization at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory and has received 15 patents and published more than 30 technical papers
in the field.
David McFeeters-Krone - Technology Licensing/Commercialization: Federal Labs Mr.
McFeeters-Krone has Principal at Intellectual Assets Corporation has a strong background
in licensing from positions with MIT, NASA, and Intel. He has provided Intellectual
Property strategy services to DoD, NASA, Sharp Technology Ventures, Tektronix, Deloitte,
OHSU, Providence Medical Center, PSC Inc., the National Technology Transfer Center, and
numerous small firms. Prior to forming his firm, he served as CenterSpan's Vice President
of Strategic Planning and prior to that at Intel where he represented internet
communication technologies, seeking outside (and internal) partners to commercialize Intel
Labs'ą°²oducts. Mr. McFeeters-Krone is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and
the Federal Laboratory Consortium; a contributing author for the Association of University
Technology Managers' Technology Transfer Practice Manual; and often presents on IP
business issues. He holds a Physics degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from
the University of Pittsburgh. He serves on the advisory boards of Innovation Assets Group
and Stragellan; is a adjunct professor at Portland State University; and is a recent
recipient of the Portland Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" award.
Dixie Lee Samuels - Leadership & Strategy Dixie Lee has over 18 years experience
as an advisor and consultant to businesses across a variety of sectors. A former CEO
herself, she has participated in two start-up business ventures, led a turnaround in a
family business, and established The Entrepreneurs' Forum, a development program for
leaders of emerging companies in Oregon. Dixie has led CEO learning groups, served as
chairwoman of advisory boards and works with executives in the areas of strategy,
executive development, and organizational transitions. Dixie Lee has a passion for helping
companies -- and the individuals who lead them -- thrive as they face the inherent
challenges of growth and change.
Patrick Wheeler - Management Contract Services
Patrick brings more than 30 years of banking and financial services experience to his
clients. He has worked with a wide range of established and emerging companies to develop
and implement sound financial and personnel practices. As a Regional Manager for a
regional bank, he oversaw several lending and operational units. He has financial services
industry, international trading and contract CFO expertise. Patrick held executive roles
(General Manager) at Lamb Industries and (CEO) at Digital Connex, LLC. He holds an MBA in
Corporate Finance / Banking and is the principal of Management Contract Services.