Proven management team in commercializing technology, global management, and ocean services
MANAGEMENT TEAM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JOHN W. GIBSON, JR
President and Chief Executive Officer
Brings decades of leadership experience from the oil and gas/energy industry, including roles at Gulf, Chevron, Halliburton and Parker Drilling Company
Served as the Chairman and CEO of Flotek Industries, Inc., an oil and gas technology and data company, from 2020 to 2023
Earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Earth Science from Auburn University, and a Master’s Degree in the same field of study from the University of Houston
JIMENA BEGARIES
Interim Chief Financial Officer
Over 20 years of progressive leadership in Finance and Accounting, primarily within the oil & gas sector. Proven ability to lead financial transformation initiatives, streamline complex reporting structures, and drive alignment between corporate finance and field operations.
Extensive international experience across Latin America, North America, and the Middle East, supporting various financial processes from financial planning and analysis to bankruptcy processes and financial controls.
Since April 2025, Jimena has joined Flexible Consulting LLC, a financial and accounting consulting firm, as Senior Financial Consultant. Prior to joining Flexible Consulting LLC, Jimena held various strategic roles, including Operational Controller and Director of Consolidations and Internal Reporting, at Weatherford International plc from 2004 to May 2025.
Jimena holds a BS in Economics from Lehigh University and an MBA from Universidad Catolica Argentina.
MICHAEL "MIKE" FERRIER
General Counsel
Experienced senior executive and general counsel with a proven record of executing complex commercial transactions, managing risk, and supporting strategic business growth. Michael has served as General Counsel for multiple organizations, including GivePower Foundation and Nova Ukraine, and as Assistant General Counsel at Berry Corporation
Over 20 years’ experience in-house, complemented by a decade in private practice, with broad global experience across the energy, infrastructure, and nonprofit sectors. He has lived and worked internationally and advises on cross-border transactions, compliance, and regulatory matters
Michael has partnered with executive leadership to drive growth initiatives, including renewable energy projects, international expansion, and strategic transactions. He has built and led legal, compliance, and HR functions, developing scalable frameworks to support evolving business needs
Earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boston College and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law
ROBERT "BOB" CHRIST
President SeaTrepid Operations
Dual B.S. Degrees in Aviation and Accounting from Louisiana Tech University
Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) as well as ATP-rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor
30+ Years in the Subsea Business including Oceaneering, VideoRay and SeaTrepid
ROV Committee Chair of the Marine Technology Society
Published widely including co-author of The ROV Manual with Robert Wernli (available on Amazon)
AMEEN ALBADRI
Vice President, Engineering
13+ years of experience in electronics and systems design for harsh environments and highly regulated industries, with a proven track record of leading technical teams to successfully transition products from R&D to production and commercialization.
Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Houston
JASON CLOSE
Vice President, Growth & Go-To-Market
Over 20 years of experience in the energy and technology sectors, with leadership roles spanning sales, product management, marketing, customer success and software development across domestic and international markets.
Prior to Nauticus, served as an executive and officer at publicly traded Computer Modelling Group (2019–2023 where he led product commercialization and drove revenue growth initiatives.
Holds a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and is a licensed Professional Engineer.
KJERSTIN (KJ) EASTON
Vice President, Software
Advanced autonomy and robotics expertise: Ph.D. in Robotics from Caltech with deep experience in AI, perception, geospatial data, and multi-robot systems.
Proven innovator from Google and beyond: Former engineering leader at Google, developing AI-driven perception and autonomy systems and translating cutting-edge research into real-world products.
Experience in complex field environments: Led development of intelligent systems across dynamic marine, urban, natural, and indoor environments.
Leader of high-performing engineering organizations: Extensive experience building and guiding globally distributed, multidisciplinary teams to deliver reliable, production-grade systems at scale.
DANIEL DEHART
Vice President, Field Operations
KRISTIN MOORMAN, PMP
Vice President, Corporate Development & Administration
STEVE WALSH
Vice President, Sales
Led the sales effort at SeaTrepid International for 18 years and overall organization for the past 9 years.Served as National Sales Manager for leading trade publications in the Commercial Truck Fleet and Automotive markets at Penton Publishing.
Directed Athletic Development efforts at Nicholls State University, The University of Kansas, and Northwestern University.
CHUCK CLAUNCH
Chief Software Architect & Principal Software Engineer
William "Bill" Flores
Chair of the Board
Dr. Jim Bellingham
Board Member
35 years in Marine Robotics
Currently serving as Bloomberg Distinguished Professor for the Whiting School’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Applied Physics Laboratory and as the Executive Director of the Institute for Assured Autonomy
Previous founding Director of the Center of Marine Robotics at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, founder of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Laboratory at MIT, and co-founded Bluefin Robotics
Responsible for research expeditions around the world and development of small, high performance Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) used within the military, industry, and scientific communities
Earned an S.B., S.M. and Ph.D. in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John W. Gibson, Jr.
Board Member
Brings decades of leadership experience from the oil and gas/energy industry, including roles at Gulf, Chevron, Halliburton and Parker Drilling Company
Served as the Chairman and CEO of Flotek Industries, Inc., an oil and gas technology and data company, from 2020 to 2023
Earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Earth Science from Auburn University, and a Master’s Degree in the same field of study from the University of Houston
Dr. Adam Sharkawy
Board Member
Decades as a successful entrepreneur, investor and inventor with 23 issued U.S. patents and numerous international patents
Currently a founder and managing partner at venture fund Material Impact
Received Ph.D. in Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering from Duke University. Earned a Master’s Degree from Texas A&M’s Institute of Innovation and Design in Engineering. Also received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the American University and studied pre-medicine and biology at the University of Delaware’s Honors Program
Eli Spiro
Board Member
Extensive experience in finance with over 23 years of capital markets experience
Previously served as Chief Executive Officer of boutique investment banking firm Axxcess Capital Partners
Earned a B.AS in Business Administration from Toronto’s York University as well as a joint LLB/MBA from Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business in Toronto
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