Viaspace, Inc. (VSPC)

Dr. Carl Kukkonen: CTO, Co-Founder

From its founding in 1998 Dr. Carl Kukkonen has led the VIASPACE team, serving as CEO of ViaSpace Technologies LLC, the predecessor of VIASPACE Inc., and serving as CEO from its formation through July 9, 2015. On July 10, 2015, Dr. Kukkonen became Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Company. ViaSpace Technologies incubated several companies based on technologies developed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and patents and software licensed from Caltech.

Prior to founding VIASPACE Dr. Kukkonen was a Caltech employee, serving as Director of the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology (CSMT) and Manager of Supercomputing at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At JPL from 1984 to 1998 he managed several technologies and technical subsidiaries. Dr. Kukkonen established and grew the CSMT into a 250-person operation with a $70M annual budget.

From 1977 to 1984 Dr. Kukkonen worked for the Ford Motor Company as Ford's leading expert on hydrogen as an alternative automotive fuel. As a Principal Research Engineer, he also led a team that developed Ford's first turbocharged intercooled direct injection diesel engine. Dr. Kukkonen received a BS in physics from the University of California at Davis. He earned a MS and Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Purdue. In 1992 Dr. Kukkonen was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.

Angelina Galiteva

Angelina Galiteva was appointed by California’s Governor Jerry Brown and subsequently approved by the State Senate to the California Independent System Operator Corporation Board of Governors. The Independent System Operator is responsible for the reliable operation of the electrical grid in the state of California and for the efficient integration of the 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard mandate.

Ms. Galiteva, is also a Principal at NEOptions, Inc., a renewable energy and new technology product design and project development firm. Her industry experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and head of its Green LA, Environmental Affairs and New Product Development Organization. While at the municipal utility, she was responsible for strategic positioning and the environmental compliance departments. Her career includes working with the California ISO and Power Exchange on their initial launches and she also worked as a power analyst for the New York Power Authority.

Ms. Galiteva graduated from Pace University School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree and an LL.M. degree in Environmental and Energy Law. She specialized in electric utility strategic policy analysis and decision making focusing on pending industry transition and integration of renewable energy technologies in the utility mix.

Ms. Galiteva works to advance the use of renewable energy and distributed energy technologies worldwide. In the non government organization (NGO) arena, she is the founder of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute and also serves as the Chairperson for the World Council for Renewable Energy. Both organizations are dedicated to the successful deployment of renewable energy technologies and the policies that support them on a global scale.

Kevin L. Schewe, MD, Chairman

Kevin L. Schewe, MD was appointed to the VIASPACE Board of Directors on January 19, 2012. Dr. Schewe is a Board-Certified Radiation Oncologist and a Fellow of the American College of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Schewe has devoted his 25-year medical career and practice in the fight against cancer. He currently serves as Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the Red Rocks Medical Center in Golden, Colorado and also at the Thornton Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology in Thornton, Colorado. The two cancer centers are co-owned by Dr. Schewe and HealthONE, the Colorado Division of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) which is the largest private operator of healthcare facilities in the world and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Dr. Schewe has also developed a premium line of skin care and cosmetic products that help to naturally heal, protect, repair and subsequently maintain not only the damaged skin of cancer patients, but also individuals who have experienced skin damage resulting from aging, dryness, UV exposure, other illnesses, and environmental pollution. These products are manufactured and sold by Dr. Schewe’s company Elite Therapeutics http://www.elitetherapeutics.com/.

Mr. Haris Basit, Vice Chairman

On July 10, 2015, Mr. Basit was appointed CEO of the Company and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Basit co-founded Almaden Energy Group (AEG), LLC which partners with VIASPACE to grow Giant King Grass in the USA for animal feed. Since 2012, Mr. Basit has been providing Corporate Strategy Consulting to senior executives of publicly traded companies to help identify new growth opportunities and partnerships. Mr. Basit currently serves on a technical advisory committee to UNOS, a private, non-profit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system. He was a consultant to Liebman and Associates, the premier clean energy lobbying firm in Washington, DC. He has provided entrepreneurship mentoring for University of California Berkeley MBA students. He started his career as a Staff Engineer at IBM moving on to became a Manager at Rockwell International, a Manager at Bell Labs, Vice President of Business Development for OEA International and then Founder/CEO of both Multigig, Inc. and Mobius Power, LLC. Mr. Basit received his MSEE from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1986. He also earned a BSEE from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1984.  On July 25, 2017, Haris Basit resigned as CEO of Viaspace, Inc, effective July 31, 2017.  Basit will become Vice-Chairman of the Viaspace Board of Directors.