Leadership
EA has implemented an operating structure that is straight forward, streamlined, and focused on the objectives of low overhead and clear delineation of responsibilities. The lean structure draws on a broad network of space industry subcontractors and international entities. Each member of the executive leadership team has access to wide network of industry professionals. Each team member has a history of achievement in previous endeavors, and is committed to EA’s vision of becoming the world’s first commercial provider of human and cargo transport to space.
EA's officers, directors, and key employees bring expertise in the following:
- Design and manufacturing of spacecraft systems.
- Design and manufacturing of launch vehicle systems.
- Operation of manned orbital spacecraft and space stations.
- Aerospace, export control and intellectual property law.
- International trade and economics.
- Corporate operations and large project management.
- International commercialization and sales.
- Corporate finance and large business strategic planning.
- Manufacturing and engineering for advanced aerospace materials.
Art Dula
Founder, CEOExcalibur Almaz founder Art Dula has over 30 years experience as an attorney specializing in aerospace, export control and intellectual property law, Mr. Dula has served as a NASA consultant on space shuttle contracts, and as a legal advisor to the US Congress ("Space Stations and the Law: Selected Legal Issues"). Mr. Dula has also served as a Director and General Counsel for several aerospace companies, including Eagle Aerospace, Inc., which contracted to NASA and other aerospace companies; Space Services, Inc., which launched the first private US space vehicle; and Spacehab, Inc., which builds the Spacehab modules for the US Space Shuttle. Mr. Dula served as a Director and President of Space Commerce Corporation, the first US-Russian aerospace joint venture. He assisted in obtaining seven patents for space tether systems as a General Counsel of Tethers Unlimited, Inc. Mr. Dula's publications include "Private Sector Activities in Space," published by Jurimetrics Journal in 1983. He holds a J.D. degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern New Mexico University.
J. Buckner Hightower
Executive Vice PresidentJ. Buckner Hightower has a wealth of experience in the aerospace sector, with particular expertise in Russia, having worked with aerospace organizations in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation since 1988. In addition, he has more than twenty-five years experience in capital formation and financial consulting.
This combination of aerospace expertise, capital formation and financial experience, and long-standing association with Russia put Mr. Hightower in a unique position to knowledgeably and proficiently act as Excalibur Almaz’s primary liaison with the international financial community.
Before joining Excalibur Almaz in 2005, he previously served as Vice-President and CFO of Space Commerce Corporation, which formed the historic first Soviet-American joint venture in aerospace.
As President of Aerospace Marketing Group, Inc., he led the first American team to conduct aerospace product sales activities in the Soviet National Pavilions at the 1989 and 1991 Paris Air Shows.
Mr. Hightower is a member of the Board of Trustees for The International Space University and Trustee of the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust, which makes annual awards to individuals for significant commercial accomplishments in aerospace, and to aerospace students in international contests.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Richard Gruver, CPA
Chief Financial OfficerMr. Gruver serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Excalibur Almaz Ltd. and Excalibur Almaz USA, Inc. He also serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Starcraft Boosters, Inc., which focuses on innovative approaches to space launch. Mr. Gruver has over twenty years of experience in audit, financial operations and management. He began his career with KPMG, a global firm that provides professional audit, tax and advisory services. Since then he has held senior management positions with Dell Computers, First Union National Bank, and CompuAdd. Mr. Gruver has also established accounting and financing functions for several successful start-up companies. Mr. Gruver holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, with a major in Accounting, from the University of Texas, Austin. He received his certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy in 1989, and is currently licensed in Texas. He volunteers in his local community as the Treasurer for the Meals on Wheels Program.
Jon Zelon
Vice President, Product Development and Systems IntegrationMr. Zelon has responsibility for design, development, testing and engineering for all hardware and software systems. He has over 29 years’ experience in spaceflight hardware engineering and management including Boeing and ARES Corp. Mr. Zelon has also previously served as Senior Manager at Boeing, where he was responsible for the development of NASA International Space Station (ISS) flight hardware used to transport and store mission-critical orbital replacement units. He has been recognized by NASA and the aerospace community for his many technical and managerial achievements, including the Boeing President's Award, numerous NASA technical group achievement awards, and his recent nomination for the Rotary Stellar Achievement Award.
Michael J. Bowker
Vice President, Business DevelopmentMr. Bowker provides strategic business development, negotiations strategy support and program management to Excalibur. He brings over twenty-five years of technical operations and top management experience in the aerospace industry including Chief Operating Officer of SPACEHAB. He has also held senior and executive management positions with United Space Alliance, LLC, and Rockwell International Inc. In addition, he served as a project manager at NASA, Kennedy Space Center, where he held functional responsibility for the center’s Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) requirements and configuration management system, and as a systems engineer with the Lockheed Space Operations Company at Kennedy Space Center.
Anat Friedman
Vice President, Legal and Export ControlsAnat Friedman works in areas of international law, legal research and legal and professional correspondence. Ms. Friedman has a background focusing on litigation, negotiation and mediation. She practiced law in a private law firm specializing in property law, civil law, and commercial litigation. Ms. Freidman also serves as the Empowered Official for Excalibur on matters of International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) and the Department of Commerce Export Administration Regulations (EARS).
Colonel Vladimir Titov
Cosmonaut, General Director, Russian OperationsColonel Vladimir Titov, Russian Air Force (retired) is a hugely experienced cosmonaut who set a record for spending more than a year in space for the first time. Selected to join the cosmonaut team in 1976, he went on to fly four missions and spend a total of 387 days in space.
Colonel Titov also trained for missions using the Almaz spacecraft, and is intimately familiar with its hardware and systems.
He made his first space flight as commander of Soyuz T-8, which was due to rendezvous with Salyut 7 but docking was aborted once in orbit after the rendezvous radar antenna failed to properly deploy. Colonel Titov was then scheduled to fly on Soyuz T-10, but a fire shortly before launch saw the mission dramatically aborted with the crew escaping after the descent module was pulled clear by the launch escape system.
Colonel Titov went on to set a world record for the length of time spent in space with a mission to Mir that lasted close to 366 days. Two space shuttle missions later took Colonel Titov back to Mir, the first during which he practiced Shuttle-Mir rendezvous maneuvers and another that saw him perform a spacewalk with his American crewmate.
Having retired from the Air Force and the Russian Space Agency in 1998, he served as Director of Space and Communications for the Boeing Company in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In this role he was responsible for Boeing's space and communications resources throughout the region and for providing support for all space related activities.
Colonel Titov has been awarded honors including the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin twice, the Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur, the Bulgarian Order of Stara Planina, and the U.S. Harmon Prize.
He graduated from the Higher Air Force College in Chernigov in Ukraine and the Yuri Gagarin Air Force Academy, and holds an MBA degree from the International University in Moscow.
Col. Valery Ivanovich Tokarev
Cosmonaut, ConsultantValery Ivanovich Tokarev is a Colonel in the Russian Air Force and a Test Cosmonaut at the Yuri. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Mr. Tokarev flew on STS-96 (mission 2A.1) from May 27 to June 6, 1999. During the 10-day mission, the crew of Discovery delivered 4 tons of logistics and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) in preparation for the arrival of the first crew to live on the station. The mission was accomplished in 153 Earth orbits, traveling 4 million miles in 235 hours and 13 minutes.
He was the Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer 1 on Expedition-12 crew from September 2005 to April 2006. During the six-month tour of duty aboard the ISS, the crew conducted two spacewalks and relocated their Soyuz spacecraft twice, becoming the first ISS crew to dock to every Russian docking port on the complex. They also became the first two-person crew to conduct a spacewalk in both Russian and U.S. spacesuits. The mission was accomplished in 189 days, 19 hours and 53 minutes, and included over 11 hours of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalks).
Mr. Tokarev has been awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation, in addition to receiving many other orders and medals in his native Russia.
Mr. Tokarev is a graduate of the Stavropol Higher Military Aviation School of pilots and navigators, as well as of the Gagarin Military Aviation Academy. He also holds a Master's Degree in State Administration from the National Economy Academy affiliated with the Russian Federation President’s Administration.
From 1973 to 1976 Mr. Tokarev served in military units of the Air Force as pilot, senior pilot, flight leader, and deputy flight squadron-leader. In 1981-1982 he studied in the Test Pilot Training center affiliated with Chkalov State Research Test Institute. He became familiar with 46 types of aircraft and has logged over 3000 flight hours.
Deed L. Vest
Executive Director Enterprise Support & International ProtectionMr. Vest has been Director level senior management reporting to Executive offices for over 38 years, including Rockwell Space Operations Company (RSOC), and United Space Alliance (USA). Responsibilities involve Organization Development, Security, Technology Export Protection, Training, Facilities, Corp Aviation, and proposals. From start-up at USA, duties for 15 years included inner-perimeter contract security at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), international professional activities and negotiations. Pre-aerospace was with TWA and Texas International Airlines, promoted to Director Inflight Services. Vest joined M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Institute in ‘70s, advancing to Associate VP Administration with supervision over 1,000+ employees. Duties were facilities, construction, support services, commissioned police & security, managing the huge medical practice, hotel administration, food service manufacturing, publications and telecommunications.
Deed graduated form The University of Texas BA cum laude (Math, Celestial Mechanics), followed by an MBA plus Honors Fraternity in 1970. Deed is a martial artist, 4th degree Blackbelt in three disciplines, and master instructor plus National Level Rank Examiner in jujitsu.
Christopher Holland
Florida Counsel and Director of Commercial PlanningMr. Holland has served Excalibur Almaz as Florida Counsel and the Director of Commercial Planning since 2007. Chris first began working for the space program in 1985 as an environmental engineer for Pan Am World Services on the Launch Base Support contract at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. From there, Chris transferred to General Dynamics Space Systems on the Atlas program. As part of his job with General Dynamics, Chris actively lobbied the Legislature in support of more business friendly economic climate. Chris later left General Dynamics and took a three-year sabbatical for law school. While in law school, Chris earned the designation of “Space Law Fellow”, “Public Service Law Fellow” and “Environmental Law Fellow.” Chris clerked for Lockheed Space Operations Company as well as wrote proposal language for the Launch Base Support Contract proposal during school. Upon graduation, Chris returned to Brevard County as an attorney for Lockheed Space Operations Company (which became Lockheed Martin Space Operations within weeks). In 1996, Chris participated in the formation, and then transitioned to the newly formed USA., where he served as Associate General Counsel from 1998 to 2007. He has been integral to United Space Alliance’s state legislative program in Florida since the formation of the company. Mr. Holland has also served a variety of other aerospace and economic development clients in furtherance of the aerospace industry.
