MANUFACTURING & TECHNOLOGY
{ TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS }
KJELL STAKKESTAD
DR. GARY DIRKS
Director ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability sustainability.asu.edu Dirks is director of ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability, which provides leadership and coordination for university sustainability initiatives. He is also director of LightWorks, an initiative that capitalizes on ASU’s strengths in solar energy and other light-inspired research. He is also the Julie Wrigley chair of Sustainable Practices and a professor of practice in the School of Sustainability and distinguished sustainability scientist. Business advice: “Be bold in commitments you make and do everything in your power to achieve them. Ethics matters.” Toughest challenge: “Understanding how the Chinese system works and understanding how I and my company could work with China to achieve mutually beneficial goals.”
JASON PISTILLO
President and CEO University of Advancing Technology uat.edu Pistillo is a second-generation educator steeped in the values of creating unparalleled opportunities that harness real change and innovation. He has developed groundbreaking educational models, designed real-time curriculum information structures and launched best-of-class intake systems. Utilizing innovative curriculums, Pistillo has proven new learning theories while continuously developing young technology leaders. Business advice: “There are three things: 1) Uphold your institutional mission. 2) Have industry relationships that allow you to develop your curriculum and groom your students to serve the greater needs of the community. 3) Never stop learning. As an educational institution, lifelong growth and learning must be one of your values.”
GEORGE SLESSMAN CEO and product architect IO io.com
For nearly two decades, Slessman has been a technology visionary and leader. He has founded, built, and successfully exited multiple businesses in his career, creating more than $1 billion in equity value. Slessman’s forte is disruption – inventing and synthesizing software, data and energy technologies in unique ways that have enabled the transformation of business and mission performance for more than 1,000 enterprises and organizations. Business advice: “Get a job doing something that excites you. That is the foundation for success — your success.” Professional strengths: “A willingness to do the ‘work’ and a fundamental need to change the status quo ... to reinvent things for the better.” 134 ABL | Nominate at azBIGmedia.com
President and CEO KinetX Aerospace kinetx.com
In 1993, Stakkestad helped found KinetX Aerospace. As the orbit dynamics lead for the development of the IRIDIUM satellite ground control system, he developed the initial orbital dynamics requirements for the ground system. He led the orbit trade study that chose the company to implement the requirements, worked as the liaison between the development and operational staffs and was part of the initial operations team that assembled the IRIDIUM constellation. Industry’s needs: “If we had a vibrant advocacy group fighting for the aerospace industry, you would see commercial space and space work in Arizona grow dramatically. Arizona is a place where people want to come. The only drawback is that we have to do something about the education system.”
TOMAS GORNY CEO Nextiva nextiva.com
Gorny is a Polish-born American entrepreneur. He is the cofounder, chairman and CEO of Unitedweb, a holding company that invests in disruptive technologies, and Nextiva, a cloud communications company that currently serves more than 100,000 businesses. Business advice: “A track record is pointless, or at least I feel they are overrated. It’s all about what you’re doing now and what you plan to do in the future.” Superpower: “It would be the ability to never need to sleep. I’d always be wide awake (no coffee needed), and I’d be able to do all of the things I want to do but don’t have time for.” Dream dinner: “It would be Einstein. He was brilliant and changed the way people looked at the world forever. Rather than going out, I would prefer a late-night conversation over cookies.”