Board of Directors
Vice Admiral George R. Sterner, United States Navy (Retired)
Chairman
George Sterner was elected Chairman of the Company in March 2005 and has served on the company’s Board of Directors since March of 2002. Admiral Sterner joined Raytheon in 1999 as the company’s Naval Mission Area Executive. He retired in 2005 after three years as Vice President for Strategic Pursuits at Raytheon. From 1998 to 1999, he served as Vice President – System Integration for Walt Disney Imagineering and directed the technical aspects and delivery preparations for the MS Disney Wonder cruise ship. Admiral Sterner spent 36 distinguished years with the U.S. Navy including four years as Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (1994 – 1998), until his retirement in 1998. Admiral Sterner is currently co-owner and managing director of Sea Systems Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm in Vienna, Virginia.
Joe M. Allbaugh
Director
Joe Allbaugh was elected to the Board of Directors in October 2005. He was appointed to serve as Senior Advisor to the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Campaign in October 2007, a role in which he will advise the campaign on general strategy and homeland security. Mr. Allbaugh served as the FEMA Director under President George W. Bush until March 2003. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., he was Chief of Staff to then-Governor Bush of Texas and was the National Campaign Manager for the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign. Mr. Allbaugh is currently the President and CEO of the Allbaugh Company, LLC, which formulates corporate strategies designed to create new opportunities and expand competitive advantage for private sector clients. He also serves as a Director on the boards of Emergent Biosolutions Inc. and the National Rifle Association.
J.C. "Jim" Rushing III
CFO and Director
Jim Rushing was elected to the Company’s Board of Directors in September 2003 and served as Chairman from January 2004 until March 2005. Mr. Rushing became Chief Financial Officer of Brisben Water Technologies in March 2005 and served as Treasurer. Mr. Rushing founded Corporate Resources Consulting Group, Inc., a consultancy providing experienced financial and operational management leadership services. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Rushing served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Isolyser Company, Inc., where he co-led a major financial turnaround. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Rushing served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of New Life Corporation of America. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Rushing was Vice President of Finance at BBA Nonwovens, a $500 Million division of a British based company. The financial integration of a major acquisition, doubling the size of global operations, was Mr. Rushing's major focus in 1996. The new operations were managed for a profitable double-digit return on sales by the second year of operations.
Michael R. "Mickey" Donn, Sr.
Executive Vice President and Director
Mickey Donn was elected to serve on the Board of Directors in March 2005 and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brisben Water Systems in August 2006. Mr. Donn previously served as a consultant, Director of Communications, Managing Director, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Treasurer for Brisben Water Technologies since 2000. Mr. Donn was Project Manager for the Company’s Environmental Protection Agency Verification testing. From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Donn served as the President of the 1700-member Miami-Dade County Fire Fighters Association, for which he previously served as Vice President and Treasurer since 1982. Mr. Donn coordinated relief efforts for the Miami-Dade fire fighters following Hurricane Andrew. Additionally, he set up and coordinated the Brisben Water relief effort in Waveland, MS following Hurricane Katrina. From 1978 to 1980, Mr. Donn conducted day-to-day operations of Dade Oil Company as General Manager.
Barry Hechtman
Director
Barry Hechtman was elected to serve as a company director in March 2005. Mr. Hechtman owns and manages an accounting firm in Miami, Florida. Previously he served as Chief Financial Officer of Banana Boat managing inventory controls, computer system installation and financial statements, and assisting in the multi-million dollar sale of the business. Mr. Hechtman’s previous work included serving as a Controller of a division of Exxon Corp, Staff Auditor at Deloitte, Touche, and Staff Accountant at a local CPA firm.
Charles Vinick
Director
Charles Vinick was elected to serve on the Board of Directors in August 2006. Mr. Vinick currently serves as President of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound and is a consultant to Clipper Windpower and Aquantis ocean energy development. His more than two decades with Cousteau international environmental organizations included several leadership positions: Executive Vice President, Ocean Futures Society; Vice President, Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute; and Vice President of the Cousteau Society. His responsibilities included operations and management, fundraising, financial and business development. His prior experience also includes Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College and Assistant Dean of the University of Southern California’s College of Continuing Education. Mr. Vinick’s previous consulting roles include interim positions as President of the Immaculate Heart College Center and Director General of Parc Oceanique Cousteau in Paris, France. He has consulted to King International Group of Los Angeles, the Reid Family Foundation, the Catalina Island Conservancy, and SMR Energy Inc. of New York. Mr. Vinick currently serves on the boards of Ocean Futures Europe and Heal the Ocean.
Floyd R. Farleigh
Director
Mr. Farleigh was elected to serve on the Board of Directors in October 2007. He joined Brisben Water in 2004 with an extensive professional background in the financial services industries. Previously, he served as Director of Investor Relations with a company associated with Gastar Exploration Ltd., playing a key role in the effort to bring Gastar to the public market. Prior to that, Mr. Farleigh served as a partner with Conquest Energy Inc, a company developing and marketing investment opportunities; and as President of Arkoma Royalty, a company formed for the sole purpose of sponsoring direct (deeded) ownership of oil and gas minerals rights and leases. Since 1987, his concentration has been in the oil and gas industry, giving him extensive knowledge of the quality of opportunities available today. In 1969 he helped formulate one of the pioneer financial planning firms in the country. He began his career in 1964 as a life underwriter, which led to the desire to offer a broad based array of financial services. Mr. Farleigh has served as a licensed securities broker, an investment adviser, a principal in syndicated offerings and a marketing consultant for companies desiring to enter the syndication field. Mr. Farleigh is certified as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Charter Financial Consultant (ChFC). In the early 1960s, he served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and on Active Reserve.
*Admiral William Owens, United States Navy (Retired)
Chairman Emeritus
William Owens previously served as Chairman of Brisben Water and was elected Chairman Emeritus upon completion of his service to the Company. Admiral Owens is Chairman and CEO of AEA Holdings, Inc. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nortel Networks. Prior to becoming CEO at Nortel, Admiral Owens was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Teledesic LLC and President, Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the U.S.’s largest employee-owned high-technology company. Prior to joining SAIC, he was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 1991 to 1993, he was the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments. Admiral Owens served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in 1990 and 1991. Between 1988 and 1991, he served as senior military assistant to Secretaries of Defense Carlucci and Cheney. Admiral Owens sits on the public boards of Nortel Networks and Daimler Chrysler AG, and on several philanthropic boards including the Carnegie Foundation, Brookings Institution and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
*Admiral William Owens is no longer a Board member.
*Jean-Michel Cousteau
Director Emeritus
An explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer for more than 40 years, Jean-Michel Cousteau is founder and president of the Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit marine conservation organization. the eldest son of undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel travels the globe as the "voice of the ocean," meeting with world leaders and policymakers, educating young people, documenting stories of change and hope, and lending his reputation and support to help energize alliances for positive change. At the 2001 Winter and 2004 Summer Olympic Games, he was chosen to represent the environment, literally carrying the torch for the Earth into the Opening Ceremonies. As a former member of the Brisben Water Technologies Board of Directors, Mr. Cousteau has played a leading role in helping the Company form eco-alliances with shipyards and ship operators to protect the ocean environment from industrial pollution. Going forward, Mr. Cousteau will work with Company executives and the world's oil exploration companies to help them with produced water issues for the protection of the world's oceans. Mr. Cousteau served on the Brisben Water Board of Directors from August 15, 1999 until April 2005.
*Jean-Michel Cousteau is no longer a Board member. He continues to serve on the Advisory Board.