ION Management Team
Dr. Alfred “Buz” Brown, CEO and Chairman
Dr. Brown has over 30 years technology commercialization and venture creation experience, including large and small companies, academic and venture capital roles, with particular expertise in start-ups in the areas of therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, software and technology based businesses. Previously, Brown served as BCM Technologies’ President where he directed all investments, provided management assistance and served on the board to more than eleven early-stage portfolio companies. Brown joined BCMT from Yale School of Medicine, where he served as Director of the Office of Cooperative Research and developed an international reputation for creating venture backed start-ups. Companies created with Dr. Brown’s assistance include Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Applied Spine Technologies, HistoRx, Kemia, RibX Pharmaceuticals, and VaxInnate. Prior to Yale, Brown served as founder and CEO of Penn Technology Group, Knowledge Express Data System and Ontyx, Inc. (now Apelon, Inc.). He started his professional career at SmithKline & French Labs in immunology and cancer research and later assumed responsibility for strategic planning and biotechnology business development.
Claude “Corky” C. Corkadel III, Executive VP Operations
Corky Corkadel is a veteran executive in the energy industry, with well over 3 decades of experience in oil and gas, chemicals, alternative fuels, IGCC, and coal-to-liquid technology. Prior to joining ION, as a Partner with Future Fuels LLC Mr. Corkadel has been actively involved in developing power, fuel and chemical projects based on the gasification of coal. Corkadel previously was Vice-President for Rentech, Inc., where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of Rentech’s subsidiary companies and participating in coal-to-liquids (CTL) projects, including the lead on the DKRW licensing project. Mr. Corkadel retired from Mobil Oil Corporation after working in a broad range of positions including President of Mobil Philippines, Planning Manager for Mobil Nigeria, Marketing & Strategic Planning positions with Mobil’s Alternative Energy businesses (including coal-to-liquids, oil shale and tar sands projects), and Global Director for their Specialty Products business (asphalts, waxes, solvents and process oils). He has also been involved in several start-up companies in the Rockies area since retiring from Mobil. Mr. Corkadel is a graduate of Colorado School of Mines with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering with a minor in Mineral Economics and received his MBA in Finance from Drexel University.
Dr. Jason E. Bara, VP Engineering, Inventor
A co-inventor of ION’s core technology, Bara brings ION a strong record of achievement and innovative research in the fields of CO2 capture, room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), polymer membranes, nanostructured materials and synthetic organic chemistry. Bara was awarded the prestigious rank of Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he earned a global reputation for innovation and achievement in the field of gas separations research. Bara has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, primarily in the area of room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) solvents and polymer-based materials for CO2 capture. Dr. Bara is named as an inventor on several U.S. and world patent applications and has given numerous talks to technical audiences worldwide. Bara received degrees in chemical engineering from CU-Boulder (Ph.D.) and Virginia Commonwealth University (B.S.). As an undergraduate, Bara was president of ChemEngine, a consulting firm composed entirely of VCU Engineering students serving local and multi-national companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. After finishing his doctoral work at CU-Boulder, Bara became devoted to launching a clean-tech start-up in the Boulder area, ultimately founding ION Engineering.
Chip Corboy, Chief Financial Officer
Chip is a financial executive with over 15 years in public accounting, including five years as an audit partner where he concentrated on emerging growth companies and private equity firms in Colorado. Chip has extensive experience with venture capital firms and their respective portfolio companies, assisting emerging companies with strategic transactions and financing, with mergers and acquisitions, and to establish, grow and improve their financial infrastructure. In addition, Chip has experience with private and public upstream and midstream energy companies, in particular companies in the natural gas gathering, processing and transportation segment of the industry. Chip is a graduate of the University of Colorado - Boulder Leeds School of Business, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Colorado.
Linda Olsson, Sr. Director, Marketing, Competitive Intelligence and Project Mgmt.
Linda joins ION after launching and leading the Boulder Innovation Center’s Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Program, helping entrepreneurs grow their companies and serving as a commercialization partner with the University of Colorado. She brings over 25 years experience working in the electric utility industry and helping companies in a variety of industries design and achieve high performance strategies. Previously, Linda consulted with U.S. and international clients for A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm for over thirteen years. Other experience included consulting to utilities across the U.S. with XENERGY, Inc. and leadership roles in marketing, resource planning and strategic decision studies with Salt River Project, an Arizona-based electric and water utility. Linda is an industrial engineer, having earned a M.S.E. in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, at Arizona State University and a B.S. at the University of Arizona.