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Venture Ad Astra was formed in 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska. Our product
and technology development is in Portland, Oregon.
Our founders and executives are recognized leaders in the fields of
national security, intelligence gathering, large-optics imaging
technology, digital signal processing, and data hiding. Combined they
have over 150 patents.
Mead Treadwell
Chairman & CEO
Since 1982, Mead has invested in and provided support for the development
of new ventures, including Yukon Pacific Corporation (sold to CSX
Corporation in 1989), Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ:DMRC), and All
Com JV LLC/Owner State Wireless in formation as Nextel Alaska.
Each of these ventures has developed significant value from start-up
funds. He is a director of Owner State Wireless/All Com JV LLC and
Baltimore Dredges,LLC. Mead served on NASA’s Lunar Base Working Group
in the early 1980’s and provided support to the NASA Exploration Task
Force in the late 1980’s. He served as Deputy Commissioner of Alaska's
Department of Environmental Conservation in the Hickel Cabinet from
1990-1994, a director of the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation
from 1994 to 1999, and a director of the Prince William Sound Science
Center/Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute, an endowed
research program he worked with Congress to create after the Exxon
Valdez oil spill in 1989. President George W. Bush appointed him to a
four-year term on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Mead is an
adjunct professor of business at Alaska Pacific University (APU) and
serves as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of the North of APU, where
he has focused on national security (missile defense) and natural resource
policy. He serves on the Board of the Yale Library Associates, his
undergraduate alma mater, and is Secretary of the Class of 1982 of the
Harvard Graduate School of Business where he earned his MBA. Mead lives
in Anchorage, Alaska with his three children.
Geoff Rhoads
Board Member
Geoff founded the now-public company Digimarc Corporation and
invented its digital watermarking technology. Geoff started his
career at Tektronix, first improving radiometric measurement systems,
then becoming the principal designer of the first commercially available
1 GHz digitizing oscilloscope. He was the chief scientist in working with
key customers/applications such as Los Alamos/Livermore nuclear yield
measurements, particle confinement at Fermilab, and the then nascent
commercial efforts toward fiber optics and laser communications systems.
In the early 90’s Geoff left Tektronix to found several companies, in
parallel, all revolving around Earth remote sensing, large telescopes,
and Earth-data visualization. A core competency within these efforts
was dealing with precision measurements, distortion compensation and
pragmatic applications of information theory, especially in contexts of
highly turbulent conditions such as the open atmosphere. With a son and daughter in college he lives in West Linn, Oregon with his wife and youngest son.
John Niles Wanamaker
Board Member
John Wanamaker has served as either Founder or CEO of companies
from a wide range of industries, including wireless communication,
aerospace launch vehicles, and medical imaging systems. John has been
an active Angel Investor since 1998. Active in his community, John donates
his time to a number of organizations. He is the former Chair of Alaska’s
Angel Capital matching network, Alaska InvestNet; serves on the Board of
Rasmuson Foundation, a $450 million philanthropic foundation; is Trustee
and Secretary of Alaska Pacific University; and has also served as an
Adjunct Professor in Entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Business
at Alaska Pacific University. John lives in Anchorage, Alaska with his
wife and three boys.
Clarence E. Smith
Board Member
Clarence E. (“Smitty”) Smith is an acknowledged intelligence expert and
pioneer in technical collection and analysis. He began his career as a
U.S Air Force technical analyst, but moved quickly to the National Security
Agency as an analyst focusing on the developing ABM problem, and then was
asked to join the newly created Directorate of Science and Technology at
the CIA. There he was a key advisor to various Directors of Central
Intelligence on the ABM problem and improving U.S. technical collection
capabilities. After his career in government, Mr. Smith served on the
Board of Directors of the Space Applications Corporation, providing key
technical support to national programs. Subsequent to the acquisition of
Space Applications by SM&A Corporation (later Emergent Information
Technologies, Inc.), he remained instrumental in the corporate growth
in national security and intelligence matters while continuing to provide
personal counsel to key government and industry officials. In 2002, he
became an independent consultant and investor focusing on small companies
and emerging technologies to meet critical needs of the U.S. Government,
especially the Intelligence Community. In addition, he continues to provide
personal advice to key senior Government and industry leaders on matters
of import to the national security. Smitty lives in Vienna, Virginia with
his wife.
Harrison Freer
Board Member / President, Government Operations
Harrison Freer is President of the Government Services Division of Venture Ad Astra and is responsible
for profit and loss for all government contracts and business development in the government sector. He
has extensive space experience including command of the GPS Master Control Station squadron and duties in
space surveillance, anti satellite weapon development, and missile defense technology. He has held executive
and management positions at Northrop Grumman Corporation and The Boeing Company where he was responsible for
business development and advanced technology. This included identifying, assessing and advocating business
opportunities and technology insertion strategies. He also had budget and execution responsibility for
Research and Development (R&D) funds. Previously, Mr. Freer completed a successful Air Force career, retiring
in the rank of Colonel. His last active duty assignment was the Chief of Space and Reconnaissance Requirements,
Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Plans, Hq. USAF, the Pentagon. He also commanded the Air Mobility Command
European Enroute System at Ramstein Germany and served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition
and Technology Division, Counterproliferation Directorate. Mr. Freer attended the United States Air Force
Academy where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree. He also earned Masters Degrees in Organizational
Management, from the University of LeVerne, Space Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology
and National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Edmund Nowinski
Board Member
Edmund Nowinski is an accomplished systems engineer and manager whose 40-year career spans a broad range of
high-tech developments in the field of satellite reconnaissance. Ed began his career with the Central Intelligence
Agency in 1967, managing a diverse portfolio of R&D projects supporting the space reconnaissance activities of the
National Reconnaissance Program. Over the next decade, Ed led a team of government and industrial systems engineers
in the design and execution of the country’s first real-time satellite imaging system, including the design and operations
of a number of satellite-based communications systems for the NRP and other Intelligence Community activities. During the next
15 years, he assumed positions of higher responsibility within the CIA and NRO and, in 1993, he was designated the Director of the
CIA’s Office of Development and Engineering and the NRO’s IMINT Directorate, positions he held until his retirement from the
government in 1995. Subsequently, he served as the VP for Business Development with the Harris Corporation in Melbourne, FL.
In 1998, he joined the Boeing Company in Seal Beach, CA as a Vice President and FIA Program Manager and served in that position until
his retirement from Boeing in 2005. Ed continues to consult with the aerospace community; he lives in Melbourne Beach, FL.
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