DON TURNER
PRESIDENT AND CEO
With a passion for innovatively growing companies, Don Turner is a nationally recognized technology strategist and serial entrepreneur with experience in both the private and public sectors. His proven track record of successfully leading start-ups and multi-billion-dollar public corporations across a broad range of technology marketplaces spans two decades of turning around challenged companies, revitalizing established companies, and elevating organizations.
A dynamic Team builder with a hands-on style, Mr. Turner incorporates a Customer-centric and systematic approach to management while also drawing upon his strong background in process engineering and computer simulation where he pioneered several revolutionary methodologies. Specializing in revenue growth through innovative marketing, financial improvement, and organizational revitalization has allowed him to lead companies into their next evolutionary stage of success, and his strategic vision and decision-making abilities have accelerated companies wherever he's been.
Don was an early member of the pioneering technology strategy team at Booz-Allen & Hamilton and was at several boutique firms. Additionally, he also has been Group President at a public telecommunications company, Chief Strategist of a billion-dollar public company where he architected the IPO, and CEO/General Manager for eight different emerging technology companies.
Mr. Turner is a graduate of General Motors Institute with an MBA from the University of Michigan, where he also completed a dual Master's Thesis in benchmarking computer simulation languages.
LARRY LAFFERTY
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
An experienced software engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit, as VELOXITI's Vice President of Engineering, Larry Lafferty has a strong zeal for the development and deployment of intelligent systems.
As a leader and key contributor to numerous U.S. military R&D efforts spanning three decades, Mr. Lafferty has developed intelligent systems for nuclear treaty monitoring, served as Lead Engineer for a multi-agent system aiding fighter pilots in air-to-air combat, engineered collaboration toolkits for Special Ops planning teams, and created Air Campaign Planning tools for the first Gulf War.
After serving as technical advisor to the U.S. military's DARPA Joint Forces Air Campaign, Mr. Lafferty founded SoftPro Technologies in 1999. Through this venture, he applied his military experience to lead the development and deployment of commercially viable intelligent systems, which included the creation of Prescient™, a diagnostic and monitoring program developed in conjunction with Intelligent Agent Corporation to save millions of dollars for the oil and gas industry.
With advanced degrees in both English and Computer Software Development from the University of South Carolina, Mr. Lafferty is renowned for creating collaborative engineering environments, being a team-oriented communicator, and guiding his team of brilliant engineers to use their ingenuity while solving difficult challenges for VELOXITI clients.
LT. COL. JOHN MERRIHEW (RET)
VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS
Following a successful 24-year military career, retired Lieutenant Colonel Army Aviator John Merrihew serves at VELOXITI as the Vice President, Government Solutions.
Well versed in advanced technologies and complex problem solving, Mr. Merrihew has successfully led business development for Veloxiti’s decision-aiding software programs in both the public and private sectors for the company over the last three years. An Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran with four combat tours, Mr. Merrihew has extensive experience in Army and Joint operations. He also served in numerous staff and command positions in the contiguous United States, Republic of Korea and the Middle East.
A Northwestern College graduate with a Master's in Public Administration from the University of South Dakota, Mr. Merrihew has also received extensive education in Intelligence gathering systems and airborne command and control. He retired from the Army as a master aviator.
WILLIAM “CHIP” HOFFMAN
DIRECTOR COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS
Mr. Hoffman has two decades of Global Commercial Management and Product Development experience. His product expertise spans both public and private companies, Fortune 500s, Start-ups, and Professional Services businesses in SaaS, Cloud-computing, Interactive Advertising, Telecommunications, and Wireless-based internet technology services. His management experience includes leadership in Sales, Marketing and Media, Business Development, Corporate Turn-around, Financial Restructuring, and Operations.
With 20(+) years in both private and public company senior roles, he is able to recruit, develop and lead high-performance teams by managing Business Processes cross-functionally. Mr. Hoffman's ability to achieve goals and results are due to his focus to set, manage, measure, and analyze business performance through information. He is also known as a “Highly Effective Communicator”.
Domiciled throughout the continental US and 6+ years abroad, Mr. Hoffman also served for 12 years as an Officer in the US Army Intelligence community.
KELLY MCBRIDE
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (Acting)
An expert in accounting, finance, and executive management, Kelly McBride has served the public and private sectors of the Atlanta market for nearly 20 years. Her guidance as CFO for VELOXITI is instrumental in keeping it fiscally responsible while transforming the artificial intelligence industry.
Ms. McBride has served as Controller, Director of Finance, and CFO while consulting numerous government contractors from $25 million to $11 billion in annual revenues at all federal, state and local government levels, with a heavy concentration on military projects at varying levels of security and complexity.
In 2008, she founded Global Defense Consulting, Inc., a firm servicing more than 50 entities ranging from start-ups to $11-billion organizations, and provides government expertise, corporate accounting, business development, process assessment, contract negotiations, and more. Previously, Ms. McBride was a Government Contractor Services Group Partner for the CPA and consulting firm Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, and has held advisory, management and executive positions at VT Griffin Services, Inc., Scientific Research Corporation, and KPMG.
With an accounting degree and Magna Cum Laude honors from the University of New Orleans-LSU, Ms. McBride is a Louisiana CPA, served as Board Director for both corporate and charitable organizations, and is a frequent guest lecturer on matters affecting the government contracting industry.