Board of Directors

Jay Huang

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Huang has served as a member of our Board since January 2023. Mr. Huang has served as President of Sander Electronics since 2015, and after holding positions of increasing responsibility since 1997. As an innovative entrepreneur, Mr. Huang has more than 20 years of experience with engineering and management in the LED lighting industry, and he holds over 50 electronic and lighting related patents, including for commercial buildings, signage, and medical use. In recent years, Mr. Huang has devoted himself to the development of green energy-related products. In addition to assisting in the development of energy solutions and energy storage, he has also assisted several collaborating companies to establish a sustainable governance system. Mr. Huang graduated from St. John’s University with outstanding achievements from the Department of Electrical Engineering, where he specialized in microelectronic circuits, computer structure, engineering mathematics, microcomputer applications, system programming, interfacing technology, and electronic manufacturing.

Stephen Socolof

Lead Independent Director

Mr. Socolof has been a Managing Partner of Tech Council Ventures, a venture fund investing in early-stage growth opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic region, since 2017. Prior to Tech Council Ventures, he created and ran a venture incubator for Lucent’s Bell Laboratories from 1996 until 2001, and was a member of the team that formed and ran New Venture Partners from 2001, investing in the commercialization of technologies spun out of corporate labs. Previously, Mr. Socolof spent 8 years with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, where he was a leader in the practice focused on enhancing corporate innovation. Mr. Socolof holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematical sciences from Stanford University and received his M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Center for the Study of Private Equity. He is a director on the boards of ChoiceWORX and Everspin Technologies, which is a Nasdaq-listed semiconductor and electronics technology company, and a board observer of SunRay Scientific and Vydia.

Jennifer Cheng

Independent Director

Ms. Cheng is a co-founder of Social Energy Partners LLC, which pioneered the Intelligent Building as-a-Service model to accelerate the adoption of sustainability technologies and building IoT. Ms. Cheng also served as an independent director of Energy Focus from 2012 to July 2014. Previously, she was the founder and Chairwoman of The X/Y Group, a marketing enterprise that markets and distributes global consumer brand products, including JanSport and Skechers in the greater China region. Previously, Ms. Cheng was a Marketing Director for Molten Metal Technology, a Boston-based clean energy company that developed patented technologies and offered solutions for advanced treatment and energy recycling for hazardous radioactive waste. Ms. Cheng received B.S. in Economics and International Business from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with focus on Marketing and Finance.

Gina Huang (Mei Yun Huang)

Independent Director

Ms. Huang is the Founder and Honorary Consultant of Ti Town Technology Limited (previously, the Chairwoman), an advanced industrial and mechanical equipment manufacturer based in Taiwan that specializes in the design, production, marketing and sales of corrosion-resistant pumps and motors, advanced filters and specialty alloys for semiconductor, electronic and chemical manufacturing industries, with offices across Asia and sales across the world. Ms. Huang is also the Founder and Chairwoman of Da Fa Industrial Limited, an investment company focusing on the global mining sector, as well as the Founder and Chairwoman of Brilliant Start Limited and Jag International Limited, both investment companies focusing on technologies and special situations. Ms. Huang received a B.A. degree in Textile Design from Vanung University in Taiwan.

Brian Lagarto

Independent Director

Mr. Lagarto retired in 2021 from SharkNinja Operating LLC, a leading global producer of small household appliances under the Shark and Ninja brands. At SharkNinja, Mr. Lagarto served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2017, as well as Chief Operating Officer from 2017 to 2018, with responsibility for global finance and operations. From 2019 until his retirement, he served as Chief People & Strategy Officer, with responsibility for corporate strategy, organizational design, talent and culture. Mr. Lagarto was one of the original equity partners in SharkNinja as part of the team that drove significant sales and earnings growth, converting a small, infomercial driven business to a retail and commercial focused business targeting consumers via major big box and online retailers in the US, in addition to global expansion into the UK, Europe and Asia. He also led the successful sale process of SharkNinja during 2017, resulting in a sale price of $1.6 billion. Previously, from 2007 to 2009, Mr. Lagarto was a Division Vice President & CFO of the WearGuard-Crest division of Aramark, a leading professional services company providing food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel worldwide, and from 2000 to 2007, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FGX International Limited, one of the largest U.S. distributors of sunglasses, reading glasses and costume jewelry, in addition to previous accounting and finance roles of increasing responsibility. Since 2019, Mr. Lagarto has been a board member of Community Servings, a Boston area nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses, and was previously a board member of Make-A-Wish of Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 2013 to 2015. Mr. Lagarto received his B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant University, is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Jeff Parker

Independent Director

Mr. Parker has spent nearly 30 years managing companies in the display, LED, medical and lighting markets. He has a proven track record of driving growth and market leadership by bringing innovative products to market. Since 2019, Mr. Parker has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Luminii, LLC, an industry-leading manufacturer of architectural LED lighting systems. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Parker was the Chief Executive Officer at Soraa, Inc., an LED lighting company pioneering LEDs built from pure gallium nitride substrates, and served as Chairman of Soraa from 2018 to 2019. Previously, from 2010 to 2014, Mr. Parker was President of the Lighting and Display Business at Rambus following the acquisition of Global Lighting Technologies, where he was Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2010. Mr. Parker has earned over 250 granted patents covering inventions in LEDs, displays, fiber optics, medical illuminators, general lighting, micro-optics and other optoelectronics applications. Mr. Parker has served as a board member at Kateeva, Inc., SLD Laser, and Avogy Inc. Mr. Parker received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Akron and a member of the Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

K.R. “Kaj” den Daas

Independent Director

Mr. den Daas was CEO of Quality Light Source until March 2018. He transitioned into a non-executive position in the holding company QL Light Source Company Hong Kong Ltd. (manufacturer and marketer of LED lamps) in April 2018. He was CEO of TCP International Holdings, Ltd. from July 2015 to October 2016. Mr. den Daas retired in December 2009 as Executive Vice President of Philips Lighting B.V. of the Netherlands (manufacturer of lighting fixtures and related components) and Chairman of its North American Lighting Operations. Mr. den Daas was responsible for oversight of the manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing of Philips products in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with prior Philips experience in the Asia Pacific area. Mr. den Daas is currently a director on the board of Valmont Industries, Inc., where he serves as the chair of the Audit Committee and a member of both the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Environmental, Social and Governance Committee. He previously served on the board of directors of Lighting Science Group Corp. Mr. den Daas, a citizen of the Netherlands, has more than 45 years of international experience in the lighting industry.

Wen-Jeng Chang

Independent Director

Mr. Chang has served as a member of our Board since February 2023. Mr. Chang is an experienced finance executive and mergers & acquisition specialist. Mr. Chang has served in Yuanta Commercial Bank for 25 years, including as the Chief Representative of the Hong Kong representative office, Vice President of the offshore banking branch and the Director of the international business division of Yuanta Commercial Bank. Mr. Chang holds a bachelor’s degree of diplomacy from National Cheng Chi University and a MBA degree from George Washington University. Mr. Chang also holds advanced certifications in corporate governance, sustainability accounting, cybersecurity, and resilience. He is currently a director of Formosa Hotel Co. Ltd. and previously served as a member of the board directors of the Yuanta Savings Bank Philippines, Inc.

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