LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
DAVID HARTSHORN
David serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Geeks. He has extensive experience of the satellite, communications and NGO sectors having helped to build and lead the Global VSAT Forum. David has worked in communications for over 30 years in Asia, Europe and North America.
KEVIN SCHWARTZ
Kevin serves as Executive Director for CommunityConnect! at Geeks. He has dedicated 30+ years to education and technology with a passion to solve issues of equity and empower communities. Kevin’s work has been recognized with multiple awards at the local, state, national, and global levels from both the technology and education industries.
ANGIE MAR
Angie serves as the Director of International Programs at Geeks. She joins Geeks with broad experience in the satellite industry having managed the global promotion of key industry platforms, satellite regulatory campaigns, and fundraising. With an MBA & MS in Marketing from Maryland, Angie gained her communications experience at Intelsat and Global VSAT Forum.
ERIN BOWN-ANDERSON
Erin Bown-Anderson, PhD serves as Director of Community Innovation at Geeks. She has 20+ years of service in public education in both urban and suburban communities. She has been a classroom teacher, curriculum designer, professional learning supervisor, technology integration director and assistant superintendent for academics. She has her doctorate in School Improvement and uses design thinking and coaching to promote thoughtful and technical solutions for flexible, resilient systems.
TRAVIS HENEVELD
Travis Heneveld serves as Geeks’ Director of Connectivity Solutions. Travis has extensive experience in the telecommunications sector, including 13 years as the sales lead for multilateral donors and international financial institutions at Motorola Solutions, and 11 years as a strategy consultant with a focus on consortium-building and business planning for wireless technology projects.
SCOTT GOSTISHA
Scott Gostisha serves as Geeks’ Director of Senior Network Engineer. Scott has about 20 years of experience in hands-on background network engineering and security assessments and remediation within information technology industry. He has solid expertise in wireless, satellite, video, and voice communication technologies supporting rural and commercial communities.
JOE SIMMONS
Joe serves as Director of Tech Innovation at Geeks and has extensive experience addressing global connectivity challenges. He formerly managed critical humanitarian response initiatives, including Haiti and Dadaab as the Global Connectivity Director for NetHope, a consortium of over 50 international NGOs. Prior to that, Joe worked in communications for 20+ years at Bell Labs and Cisco Systems.
TANYA MURPHY
Tanya serves as Director of Research and Impact at Geeks. With a doctorate in social anthropology, she brings her extensive experience of research amongst marginalized communities and impact management in the social sector. She founded and runs a small education charity, the Zoe Sarojini Education Trust.
DR. MICHAEL POTTER
Michael is a Co-founder and Executive Director of Geeks and is a business and social entrepreneur. He co-founded NASDAQ quoted pan-European ‘Esprit Telecom’ which was sold to GTS. He is an active business and social investor and was a strategic investor and board member of GlobalConnect AS, Denmark’s leading provider of B2B communications services. Michael was appointed to the team advising the U.S. FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee regarding strategies for helping to close the Digital Divide in the U.S.
JOHN MORRIS
John, a UK based Co-founder & Executive Director of Geeks, was a barrister and investment banker before founding the communications services provider ‘Telecom Europa’. John, an active business and social investor, is also the architect and main author of Geeks’ Model Law on DigOnce! and SatelliteConnect! initiatives. He was appointed to the team advising the U.S. FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee regarding strategies for helping to close the Digital Divide in the U.S.
NIELS ZIBRANDTSEN
Niels, a Denmark based Executive Director of Geeks, is business and social entrepreneur, founded and built GlobalConnect AS, Denmark’s leading provider of B2B communications services which laid 12,500 km of fiber in Denmark and Germany, which was sold to Swedish investor EQT in 2018. Niels also founded inQvation, one of Denmark’s largest incubators for tech start-ups and is an active business and social investor.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
BEN SCHWEGLER, PH.D., M.ASCE
Ben is Chief Scientist at Engie Research China. He Is also a Consulting Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. He was the recipient of the 2002 Henry R. Michel Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
CARA SANTA MARIA
Cara Santa Maria is a science communicator, journalist, producer, television host, and podcaster. She hosts the weekly science podcast “Talk Nerdy” as well as co-hosts “The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe.” Cara is also a correspondent on the Netflix original series “Bill Nye Saves the World.”
CAROL S. GOLDSTEIN
Carol is a Strategic, Financing, Legal Advisor, Banker. For over 25 years, she has been providing strategic and financing advice in the telecommunications, satellite and space sectors formerly at Morgan Stanley, ABN AMRO, EA Markets.
CHRIS STOTT
Chris, a co-founder of Geeks, is a satellite and space entrepreneur and is the founder and CEO of ManSat Ltd which negotiates geostationary orbits and associated radio frequencies for commercial space ventures. The former chairman of the Manna Energy Foundation, Chris brings with him international NGO field and managerial experience from his international work with Life Education Trust International and the Amar Foundation.
DAVE STRITZINGER
Dave is President/CEO Consensus Corporation. He has experience in wireless retail services, logistics and supply chain solutions, start-up veteran, regional education and global operations and management.
DAVID JOHNSTON
David is a serial tech entrepreneur and early contributor to the blockchain ecosystem since 2012. He co-founded the first angel investment group in crypto, BitAngels, and in served as a Foundation board member to the first ever token sale – Mastercoin. David authored “The General Theory of Decentralized Applications,” which defined the “DApp” term for the industry and co-founded the first crypto venture fund, the DApps Fund.
GARY FOWLIE
Gary Fowlie is an Economist, specializing in technology and behavior and has worked in both the private and public sectors. He most recently led an effort at the United Nations to have the importance of information and communications technology reflected in the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals’, which is the first agreed development agenda for the developed and the developing world.
JENNIFER MANNER
Jennifer is the Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar. She holds experience in corporation communications policy and regulation, international law and negotiation, radiocommunications spectrum management, telecommunications policy, satellite and wireless communication and broadband communications with a speciality on new technologies and strategy.
NIALL MURPHY
Niall is a successful technology entrepreneur and investor. He is founder & CEO of internet of things venture EVRYTHNG, and is principal of Kubu Ventures Sarl. He is a member of UK telecoms regulator Ofcom’s spectrum advisory board. Niall was founder of The Cloud, Europe’s largest public WiFi network.
RON GARAN
Ron is a retired NASA astronaut, social entrepreneur, author and speaker. He is currently the Chief Pilot for World View Enterprises, a pioneering high altitude and space company bringing communications technology, sensors and passengers to the edge of space. Ron is also the founder of the Manna Energy Foundation.
JOHN HERRINGTON
John is a retired United States Naval Aviator and former NASA astronaut. As a mission specialist, he made history becoming the first Native American in space aboard the Shuttle Endeavour in 2002. Shortly after retiring from NASA, in order to spur interest in science and engineering among Native American students, Herrington completed a 4,200-mile, 63-day cross-country bicycle ride that occurred in 2008 and was titled Rocketrek. In addition, Commander Herrington also earned a PhD in Education from the University of Idaho in 2014. His research investigated the factors that motivated and engaged Native American students on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation following a NASA summer program. He recently completed is first children’s book, Mission to Space.
CHRISTOPHER SCHROEDER
Entrepreneur, Investor, and Internet/Media CEO, Christopher is a leading expert in emerging markets and the Middle East. Christopher is author of “Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East.” He co-founded HealthCentral.com, backed by top Silicon Valley investors. Christopher was previously CEO and Publisher of The Washington Post, Newsweek Interactive, and LegiSlate.com.
EMMA NICHOLSON, BARONESS OF WINTERBOURNE
Emma is the Executive Chairman of AMAR. She is also a sitting Peer in the House of Lords. She is the Founder President of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and a Founder Member of the Booker Prize Foundation and of the Booker Prize for Russian Fiction. She is also a World Health Organisation Envoy for Health as a Tool for Peace and Development.
JASON SILVA
Jason Silva is an Emmy-nominated and world-renowned TV personality, storyteller, and filmmaker. He hosted 5 seasons of the Emmy-nominated, global hit TV series “Brain Games” featured on NATGEO. Jason’s inspirational videos, “Shots of Awe,” have accumulated over 100 million views across social platforms.
M. AYA KIY
An attorney by training, Aya works on the Government Affairs team of Cognizant Technology Solutions in Washington, D.C. Aya has a background in development and educational work including youth teaching and mentoring organizations including Street Law, Year Up, Habitat for Humanity, and ICARE. She is a registered federal lobbyist with nearly a decade of public policy and advocacy experience in the technology industry.
NICOLE STOTT
Nicole is an artist, SciArt education advocate, aquanet and retired NASA astronaut. She served as a Flight Engineer and Mission Specialist on two missions on the Space Shuttle and to the International Space Station. She is the founder of the Space for Art Foundation and the author of the best selling book "Back to Earth."
VICTORIA ALONSOPEREZ
Victoria, a telecommunications and electronics engineer, is the International Outreach Advisor for GEEKS Without Frontiers. In 2012 she invented Chipsafer, a patented platform that can track cattle remotely and autonomously and was winner of the ITU Young Innovators Competition. She is the special adviser to the International Aeronautical Federation President. Teaching Associate of the Space Engineering Department at the International Space University´s Space Studies Program.