- Knowledge Foundation’s management has extensive backgrounds in high technology, corporate start-ups, customer service, investment banking, publishing and operations management. In addition to their primary duties as officers, all have significant backgrounds in sales and marketing. Collectively, the management team has been founding principals in 12 companies and provided consulting services to 66 additional start-up companies.
Dr. Richard Ballard, Ph.D. – Chief Scientist Scientist, is a physicist by education and innovative technology pioneer by
vocation. For the past 30 years Dr. Ballard has been a leader in knowledge science and semantic technology development. While at UC Irvine, Ballard was cited for the first application of artificial intelligence to conceptual learning (Expert Systems in Business). A founder of the Apple Education Foundation with Steve Jobs in 1978, he began work on semantic web applications in support of educational publishing and game development. His research lead him into Star Wars missile defense programs, which emerged in the early 1990's, into the development of semantic web and decision management tools that have been deployed at the highest levels of governement. Ballard's revolutionary knowledge science and declarative semantic technologies are now moving the world from the Information Age into the Knowledge Age. Ballard has received 128 software citations, developed 21 Educational Software Workshops, 3 Management Software Workshops and his current 10 Week Professional Knowledge Engineering course. Ballard has been published in 35 publications and technical reports. Ph.D. UC Berkeley; Fellow NASA Institute for Space Physics, Columbia University. "About the Inventor"
Dennis L. Thomas, EVP, Corporate Development - has worked with Dr. Ballard since 2002. Thomas has spearheaded t
he development and implementation of KF’s strategic business plan and operational infrastructure. His background includes more than 30 years private and public business experience as a senior executive. As CEO with a turn-around financial services venture, Mr. Thomas increased contract placements from $18 million per year to $164 million, and increased profits by 1000%. Mr. Thomas has managed project teams and operating staffs up to 60 individuals. Experience includes full P&L responsibility, strategic business and market planning, financial development, operations, marketing and sales of complex product and services, technical infrastructure, human resources and corporate governance. Technical skills include database management systems, work-flow analysis, process modeling and implementation, eCommerce, accounting and operations. Mr. Thomas has a BA from the University of California, Irvine. Other education includes business law, accounting and professional sales.
- Janet J. Pettitt – Vice President Training and Certification. Ms. Pettitt is founder of Interactive Productions, where Dr. Ballard launched his career in knowledge science and engineering. Pettitt managed programmers, knowledge engineering production personnel, performed knowledge engineering training for partners and clients, and provided sales support. With 16 years of hands-on experience as a Master Corporate Software Trainer, Pettitt is in charge of the development and implementation of KFI's training and certification program. Ms. Pettitt has a B.A. from Fontbonne College, years of teaching experience at Flourissant Valley Community College and Holy Names Academy in Missouri.
- Jeffrey A. Ballard – Knowledge Engineering Project Manager. Jeffrey Ballard has worked closely with thi
s father for the last ten years and is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable Knowledge Project Managers in the business. Mr. Ballard’s background includes management expertise with the Toshiba Corporation, Senior IT Manager & Network Administrator, Hughes Power Products & Raytheon Advanced Products; Senior Project Manager with Technology Consulting Group, responsible for management of budgets, subcontractors and deadlines, business continuity, disaster recovery and strategic planning. Mr. Ballard also supported NASA’s Space Shuttle astronaut’s T-38 aircraft at Ellington Field, Houston TX, developed computer graphic representation of Quality Flow Diagrams (QFD), produced presentations and graphics for briefings for flag-level officers. Education includes California State University.
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- STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORS:
- Paul Ulyett, Principal Business Advisor, has nearly three decades of wide-ranging business experience with some of the world’s leading companies. He has considerable experience in a number of vertical markets and industries in
cluding financial services, healthcare, high technology, manufacturing, and the service sector. His skills have been in demand on both sides of the Atlantic as well as Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Paul leads the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiatives for RiechesBaird clients, enabling them to attract and retain profitable customers and create a sustainable competitive advantage.
Paul spent seven years at Oracle Corporation, most recently as Vice President, Marketing. His responsibilities included the marketing of Oracle’s technology, applications, services and consulting products, a $10B business spanning nearly 100 countries. He also led the business requirements and definition teams for a number of corporate-wide initiatives and was responsible for the implementation of a number of these projects. Other responsibilities included overseeing a North American sales force responsible for more than $250M annual revenue.
Paul is a sought-after keynote speaker and presenter, most recently at events organized by The Direct Marketing Organization, Software Council of Southern California, AeA, International Association of Business Communicators and TechBizConnection, where he is also a board member. Paul is a member of the highly prestigious speaker panel of TEC International, the world’s largest chief executive leadership organization.
Paul earned a National Certificate in Control Engineering at the Royal Navy Engineering College, Portsmouth, England.
Mills Davis – Strategic Marketing Advisor - Mills Davis brings more than twenty-five years experience as a professional services executive, consultant, researcher, industry analyst, and system integrator specializing in new ventu
res, business development, strategic marketing, consultative sales, and proposal development. All phases of solution delivery including practice management, executive briefing, diagnostic audit, needs and requirements analysis, strategy, business case and ROI, solution design and implementation, training and deployment, transition management, and project management Next-wave IT, strategy, integrated service platforms, enterprise integration, web-enabled content/media solutions, e-business, process design, technology assessment, market research, market development programs, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, multi-company R&D programs. Mills work with Knowledge Foundations, Semantic–Knowledge technology has included business development, research, strategic marketing and sales strategy, and business plan development for next generation knowledge (not IT) platform engineering business (2003-present).
David McQuiggan – Financial & Business Development - Recently associated with Knowledge Foundation
s through participation at Dr. Ballard’s First Course in Knowledge Engineering, McQuiggan's background includes senior level management and CEO experience with both private and public companies focused on commercializing emerging technologies. McQuiggan has managed operations in Asia, Europe and the US including responsibility for a 600-employee flat-panel manufacturing plant in Beijing and a 230-employee UK public company. He has been a board member for a number of public, private and joint-venture companies in the UK, US and Taiwan. McQuiggan brings experience in P&L management, strategic planning, operations, marketing, corporate sales, and product development. He has an MBA from Yale University in Connecticut and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Bath in England.
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- BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Richard L. Ballard, Ph.D. - Chairman of the Board
- Jan Pettitt - Vice Chairwoman of the Board
- Robert
Ballard, Ph.D., Director - Famed oceanographer, underwater archaeologist and scientist who discovered the Titanic, Galapagos thermal vents and recently awarded a research ship by Congress to conduct globally communicated, interactive, deep sea explorations. Dr. Ballard provides KFI with globally tempered leadership, a wide breadth of influence within the political, business and scientific communities, and acute business acumen. Ballard has been key to financial support, the introduction of high-level strategic partner relationship opportunities and on-going exposure through corporate circles. Ph.D. Univ. of Rhode Island, 1974
- Gordon Run
ner is a principal of The Hamburg Group, a La Jolla, California management consulting firm. Mr. Runner specializes in defining and implementing business improvements supported by innovative technology for government, early-stage and international companies. Mr. Runner gained experience with KFI's technologies while engaged with an international professional services organization to assess and realise the value of Knowledge Management. Gordon is working in association with other firms that include the development of an enterprise business systems architecture for a high-profile prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy. In 1995 Runner was AT&T Vice President responsible for establishing the global network of laboratories to construct and certify the interoperability of complex enterprise data warehouse systems. He built facilities in Europe, Asia and the US that were interconnected as a “Virtual Lab” to conduct cross-boundary interoperability certifications. Runner began as an engineer with IBM, working in the field with customers, in Europe, and with IBM’s research laboratories and product development organizations. He also has held CIO/CTO positions with leading New York City corporations including J. Walter Thompson, Helmsley-Spear, and units of The New York Times, and McGraw-Hill.
- Paul Ulyett, Principal Business Advisor, has nearly three decades of wide-ranging business experience with some of the world’s leading companies. He has considerable experience in a number of vertical markets and industries in
cluding financial services, healthcare, high technology, manufacturing, and the service sector. His skills have been in demand on both sides of the Atlantic as well as Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Paul leads the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiatives for RiechesBaird clients, enabling them to attract and retain profitable customers and create a sustainable competitive advantage.
Paul spent seven years at Oracle Corporation, most recently as Vice President, Marketing. His responsibilities included the marketing of Oracle’s technology, applications, services and consulting products, a $10B business spanning nearly 100 countries. He also led the business requirements and definition teams for a number of corporate-wide initiatives and was responsible for the implementation of a number of these projects. Other responsibilities included overseeing a North American sales force responsible for more than $250M annual revenue.
Paul is a sought-after keynote speaker and presenter, most recently at events organized by The Direct Marketing Organization, Software Council of Southern California, AeA, International Association of Business Communicators and TechBizConnection, where he is also a board member. Paul is a member of the highly prestigious speaker panel of TEC International, the world’s largest chief executive leadership organization.
Paul earned a National Certificate in Control Engineering at the Royal Navy Engineering College, Portsmouth, England.
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