Creating a safer
and smarter future

Blair LaCorte is an accomplished leader and strategist with a long history of leveraging his change management skills to drive operational alignment and company growth. Prior to AEye, he served as global president of PRG, the world’s largest live event technology and services company. He was also CEO of XOJET, one of the fastest growing aviation companies in history and the largest private charter company in North America. He also served as a managing director and operating partner at TPG, a premier private equity firm with over $91B in global investments. LaCorte has held numerous executive and general management positions in private and public technology and investment companies throughout his career, including: VerticalNet, ICGE, Savi Technologies, Autodesk and Sun Microsystems. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maine and holds an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where he later served as an executive fellow at the Center for Digital Strategies. He has garnered numerous patents across several domains, served on the Senate’s High Tech Advisory Board, and has been named an “Innovator of the Year” by NASA. LaCorte is an investor and astronaut in training with Virgin Galactic, as well as an investor in Moon Express, designer of the next generation of robotic spacecraft systems.

Luis Dussan is a 20+ year veteran of the aerospace and defense industry. During his career at Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, Dussan’s research and development interests included smart and innovative sensor solutions for applications involving Information, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), Targeting, Fire Control, LADAR/LIDAR and Autonomy. He started his career at NASA working for the Jet Propulsion Lab in the Deep Space Network that communicated with NASA planetary and deep space probes. He then spent the bulk of his career at Lockheed Martin in their Missiles and Fire Control Division working in the Advanced Concepts group and developing state-of-the-art ISR and Targeting systems, such as the well-known LM Advanced Targeting Pod found in virtually every major US airborne military asset. After LM, Dussan went to Northrop Grumman Laser Systems and took the post of Chief Technologist where he was responsible for managing that division’s Electro-Optical Sensors R&D.

Dussan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, an MS in Quantum Optics and an MS in Optics & Photonics. He put his PhD in Computational Physics on hold to start AEye.

Bob Brown comes to AEye with over 30 years of financial experience, completing over $20 billion in financing and M&A transactions. He has held CFO roles at Velodyne Lidar, Cepton Technologies, and VeriSilicon (SHA:688521). Earlier roles include VP positions at Cadence Design Systems (CDNS), LSI Corporation (acquired by Avago/Broadcom for $6.6 billion) and GetThere (acquired by Sabre for $757 million). Prior to that, Bob held several roles in finance at Hewlett-Packard. He started his career in banking with Security Pacific National Bank. Bob holds a B.S. in Business from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Tewell joins AEye from Velodyne Lidar, where he served most recently as Chief Operating Officer. During his career, Tewell has held progressively senior roles in both hardware and embedded software across industry-leading high technology companies, including NVIDIA, Freescale, NXP and VeriSilicon. He brings more than 30 years of engineering and operations experience, including two decades in automotive electronics.

T.R. Ramachandran brings over 23 years of experience in the technology industry to AEye, including global product launches and related marketing activities. Prior to AEye, he led marketing and product management at LiDAR companies Cepton and Velodyne. His deep experience in the LiDAR industry extends across several key markets, such as autonomous vehicles (AV), advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and security. Among his prior roles, he also served as a Vice President at LSI Corp. and helped pave the way for its acquisition by Broadcom (Avago) in 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Southern California, with a focus on InGaAs optoelectronics, as well as scanning probe-based imaging and nanotechnology.

Stephen Lambright has more than 20 years experience in bringing new products, technologies, services, and ideas to the marketplace. He has led marketing, strategy, product and services organizations at leading technology companies such as Autodesk, Informix, Narus, NetObjects, and Savi. Steve was also the founder and CEO of Apprion – an innovative leader in industrial wireless technology. More recently, Steve led marketing and business development for XOJET, a pioneer in private aviation, and was the global head of marketing for PRG, the world’s largest entertainment technology company. Lambright holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Andrew brings decades of leadership experience negotiating technology-related transactions at high-growth companies. He has served at several Fortune 1000 companies, where he was responsible for negotiating domestic and international transactions, mitigating risk and legal exposure, and ensuring public company compliance. Most recently, he served as Vice President and General Counsel (US) at Renesas Electronics Corp., an automotive and industrial technology company with annual revenues of $6.7B in 2020. Prior to that, Andrew held General Counsel roles at a number of technology-driven companies including Intersil Corp., Ikanos Communications, Bell Microproducts, Inc., and LSI Logic Corporation. Andrew holds a BA in Sociology from UCLA and an MBA and JD from Santa Clara University.

Brent is a results-focused leader with a track record of building high-performance, cross-functional teams that deliver unprecedented growth and global market expansion. He began his career as a Sales Engineer at Intel, eventually rising to Chief of Staff, where he worked hand-in-hand with the GM on marketing, strategies, and operations for a $25B business involving 2000 employees. He also served as Chief of Staff to the CEO and led the Global Channel business at LSI Corporation. Most recently, Brent was the VP of Global Sales of the Data and Devices Division at TE Connectivity, where he delivered $1B+ revenue and led a 300+ person global organization driving interconnect component sales at cloud, enterprise, and telecom OEMs. Brent holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Florida.

Jordan is responsible for AEye’s global automotive business, as well as for defining and managing the ongoing execution of AEye’s strategic business goals with partners, investors, and internally. Jordan was formerly an Operating Partner at Tri-Valley Capital, an early-stage investment firm focused on fostering companies at the intersection of hardware, software, and data. He co-led investments into a number of enterprise software-enabled companies, including AEye, Deep Sentinel, Vivalnk, 4DS, and more. Prior to Tri-Valley Capital, Jordan was the Co-Founder and Head of Business Development for VIRES Aeronautics, a startup focused on improving the aerodynamics of vehicles through new methods in mechanical design. A sought-after speaker frequently quoted in business and automotive publications, Jordan has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30, Informa Tech Automotive Inspiration of the Year, and Kairos 50. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, with a concentration in engineering leadership.

Carol DiBattiste is Chair of AEye, Inc. Ms. DiBattiste is an experienced public and private company senior executive, with a background in heavily regulated markets and government agencies. Ms. DiBattiste most recently served as the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary at ComScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), January 2017 to June 2020, a global information and analytics company that measures advertising, content, and the consumer audiences across media platforms. Ms. DiBattiste served as Senior Advisor for Appeals Modernization, Office of the Secretary from May 2016 to August 2016, and from August 2016 to January 2017 she served as Executive in Charge and Vice Chairman, Board of Veterans’ Appeals, both with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Ms. DiBattiste served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Privacy, Security, and Administrative Officer with Education Management Corporation (OTC: EDMCQ) from March 2013 to March 2016. Prior to that, she held senior executive roles at public companies, including Geeknet (NASDAQ: GKNT), from 2011 to 2013, which was acquired by GameStop (NYSE: GME); ChoicePoint (NYSE: CPS), from 2005 to 2008, which was acquired by Reed Elsevier/Lexis Nexis; and Reed Elsevier, from 2008-2011, (RELX PLC). Ms. DiBattiste also held several senior leadership positions in the U.S. Government at the Departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, including the Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, a Senate confirmed position, and Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.

She currently serves on the board of Wayside Technology Group (NASDAQ: WSTG), June 2020 to present, a value-added information technology distribution and solutions company, and on the board of Giant Oak, December 2019 to present, a private behavioral science-led machine learning company which supports the identification of unknown risks for government and financial institutions. She also serves as an operating advisor for Liberty Hall Capital Partners, March 2020 to present, a private equity leader in aerospace and defense. Ms. DiBattiste holds an L.L.M., Law from the Columbia University School of Law, a J.D. from Temple University School of Law, and a B.A., Sociology-Criminal Justice from LaSalle University. She is Directorship Certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Chair of the Board
Member of the Compensation Committee
Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Member of the Audit Committee

Prof. Dr. Gottschalk worked in various divisions at Daimler-Benz AG, including Assistant to the CEO, Plant Manager Mannheim (Engines, Buses, Foundry) and President of Mercedes-Benz Brazil from 1972 to 1996. In 1992, he was appointed ordinary member of the Managing Board of Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for the Commercial Vehicles Division (trucks, vans, buses) worldwide. From 1997 until 2008, Prof. Dr. Gottschalk served as President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). Prof. Dr. Gottschalk also had various responsibilities in the national and international industry over the years: he was President of the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) in Paris and Vice President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Prof. Dr. Gottschalk is also founder, Owner and Managing Partner of AutoValue GmbH, Frankfurt, a provider of automotive expertise. Prof. Dr. Gottschalk is also a member of supervisory boards of various publicly-listed companies such as Schaeffler AG, Jost Werke AG, and Compagnie Plastic Omnium SA, Paris. Since November 2020 he has served as a Member of the Supervisory Board of Benteler International AG. Prof. Dr. Gottschalk, born in Lübeck, Germany, studied economics at the Universities of Hamburg, Saarbrücken and Stanford, California. He earned his doctorate in 1971 at the University of Hamburg.

Member of the Audit Committee
Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Timothy Dunn most recently served as an Operating Partner at TPG Capital, a private equity firm with more than $50 billion of assets under management. Prior to TPG, Mr. Dunn served as Chief Financial Officer at Hotwire from 2001-2005. Mr. Dunn served as Gap, Inc.’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer between 1998 and 2001. Prior to joining Gap, Mr. Dunn worked at PepsiCo in a series of finance and strategic planning roles. Over the course of his career, Mr. Dunn held several international roles, including in London as the Chief Financial Officer for Pizza Hut International for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Earlier in his career, Mr. Dunn served as the Controller for PepsiCo Restaurants International and the Chief Financial Officer for Gap’s Domestic and International businesses. Mr. Dunn worked for PWC and is a CPA (inactive) in California. Mr. Dunn has served on private and public company boards, including Chair of the Audit Committee for two TPG portfolio companies — Ellucian, an ERP software company for higher education, and Vertafore, software company for insurance carriers, brokers, and agencies – as well as Nordstrom’s Federal Savings Bank, a credit card bank owned by Nordstrom. Mr. Dunn is also Chair of the Board for St Anthony Foundation, a preeminent non-profit in San Francisco. Mr. Dunn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Chair of the Audit Committee
Member of the Compensation Committee

Wen Hsieh has served as member of AEye’s Board since 2016 as the representative director of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he is a General Partner since 2006. Before that he was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company from 2001 through 2006. Mr. Hsieh holds a B.S and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a Biology Minor from the California Institute of Technology.

Member of the Audit Committee

Sue Zeifman has spent her career managing global marketing and multi-layered programs for storied consumer and tech brands. Most recently, she spent nine years as Apple’s head of Global Marketing Production, where she was responsible for a global team of more than 400 staff and agency personnel directing the worldwide management of marketing content, as well as creative and production services. Prior to Apple, Zeifman was SVP and director of Strategic Creative and Production Services at Young & Rubicam, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, where she managed global accounts such as Hitachi, AMD, Electronic Arts, Adobe, Dell, Microsoft, Lincoln-Mercury, Chevron, and Clorox.

Luis Dussan is a 20+ year veteran of the aerospace and defense industry. During his career at Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, Dussan’s research and development interests included smart and innovative sensor solutions for applications involving Information, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), Targeting, Fire Control, LADAR/LIDAR and Autonomy. He started his career at NASA working for the Jet Propulsion Lab in the Deep Space Network that communicated with NASA planetary and deep space probes. He then spent the bulk of his career at Lockheed Martin in their Missiles and Fire Control Division working in the Advanced Concepts group and developing state-of-the-art ISR and Targeting systems, such as the well-known LM Advanced Targeting Pod found in virtually every major US airborne military asset. After LM, Dussan went to Northrop Grumman Laser Systems and took the post of Chief Technologist where he was responsible for managing that division’s Electro-Optical Sensors R&D.

Dussan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, an MS in Quantum Optics and an MS in Optics & Photonics. He put his PhD in Computational Physics on hold to start AEye.

Blair LaCorte is an accomplished leader and strategist with a long history of leveraging his change management skills to drive operational alignment and company growth. Prior to AEye, he served as global president of PRG, the world’s largest live event technology and services company. He was also CEO of XOJET, one of the fastest growing aviation companies in history and the largest private charter company in North America. He also served as a managing director and operating partner at TPG, a premier private equity firm with over $91B in global investments. LaCorte has held numerous executive and general management positions in private and public technology and investment companies throughout his career, including: VerticalNet, ICGE, Savi Technologies, Autodesk and Sun Microsystems. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maine and holds an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where he later served as an executive fellow at the Center for Digital Strategies. He has garnered numerous patents across several domains, served on the Senate’s High Tech Advisory Board, and has been named an “Innovator of the Year” by NASA. LaCorte is an investor and astronaut in training with Virgin Galactic, as well as an investor in Moon Express, designer of the next generation of robotic spacecraft systems.