Leo Pirela – Chief Executive Officer, President and Board Director
Leo is a veteran Energy Executive who has spent 30 years on strategy, business development, product and services sales as well as managing operations across the value chain of the Energy Industry. Prior to joining StarRotor, He held senior leadership positions at Shell, Baker Hughes, Denbury, VPlus Energy, and Worley. Throughout his career, Leo has worked for BoDs and Executive Teams of startups, middle market companies, and large corporations. He is a licensed engineer and holds a master’s in business administration from Imperial College London. Leo is certified in mergers and acquisitions as well as in Crisis Management. He is also a business school alumnus of Stanford, INSEAD, Wharton and Harvard.
Dr. Mark Holtzapple – Founder, Chief Technology Officer and Board Director
Mark is a professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, and winner of numerous awards for teaching, innovation, and sustainable development. He holds BS and PhD degrees from Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania. He is a co-founder of StarRotor, and inventor or co-inventor of many StarRotor innovations.
David Carrabba – Board Director
David is a prominent businessman in the Bryan/College Station, Texas, area, with interests in agriculture, oil and gas, manufacturing, and real estate. David holds a degree in business administration from Texas A&M University. He is President of Gooseneck Trailer Manufacturing Company, and of GSI Oil & Gas Company.
Russ Conser – Board Director
Russ retired from Shell Oil Company after a 30-year career including Shell Technology Ventures, an internal investment bank, and leadership of GameChanger, a well-known innovation team that develops cutting-edge technologies in the energy industry. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University.
Dr. Carol Holtzapple – Board Director, Corporate Secretary
Carol holds a PhD in biochemistry from Texas A&M University, and is the Research Director at the Flippen Group. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on three US patents.
Craig Carothers – Board Director
With over 25 years of experience in intellectual property capture, commercialization, and risk management, Craig brings a unique perspective to technology management and an ability to help navigate the most complex of legal matters. He is an Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Specialist – NASA Office of Technology Transfer and Licensing; Intellectual Property Investment Banker (transactions totaling over $100M); Recognized as one of the World’s 300 Leading Intellectual Property Strategists (IAM-Media Top 300).
Chris Scotti – Board Director
Chris Scotti is a serial entrepreneur, board member, and long-time supporter of the innovation ecosystem in Texas. He has over 25 years of experience founding, growing and coaching emerging technology companies through relationships with private businesses and economic development organizations, as well as government and research institutions. Scotti’s biggest strength is the ability to converse in both the technical and business worlds, and act as a connector between the two.