Management - A World-Class Team

John D. Kuhns was elected Executive Chairman of the Board in April of 2012. Mr. Kuhns became an investor in GPEC in 1999 and has served as a Director of the Company since April 2000. He has more than 30 years of experience in investment banking, and in alternative energy businesses, including several involving solar energy. Mr. Kuhns has founded and completed initial public offerings for several companies, most recently including China Hydroelectric Corporation (CHC: NYSE), China’s largest foreign-owned hydroelectric power company, as well as The New World Power Corporation (NWPC: NASDAQ), the first wind farm company to go public, and Catalyst Energy Corporation (CE: NYSE), one of the country’s most successful hydroelectric developers and recognized by Inc. Magazine as the nation's fastest growing public company in the five years from 1982 to 1987. Mr. Kuhns is the Chairman and CEO of Kuhns Brothers, an investment banking boutique and one of the oldest continually operating investment firms in the United States, tracing its origins to 1842. Mr. Kuhns is a graduate of the Harvard Business School (M.B.A., 1977), the University of Chicago (M.F.A. in Fine Arts, 1975) and Georgetown University (A.B., in Sociology and in Fine Arts, 1972), where he was captain of the varsity football team and is a member of the University's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dean L. Ledger has served as a Director and senior executive of the Company since its inception and was instrumental in its founding. Mr. Ledger is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President. Mr. Ledger has significant experience in capital formation and business building as he played instrumental roles in both Universal Display Corporation and InterDigital Corporation from their inception. From 1994 to 2012, Mr. Ledger served as Executive Vice President-Corporate Development of Universal Display Corporation. From July 1994 to January 2001, Mr. Ledger served as a member of the Board of Directors of Universal Display Corporation. From December 2001 to July 2003, Mr. Ledger served as a member of the Board of Directors of North American Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NATK). From May 1991 until October 1992, Mr. Ledger was a consultant to the IntelCom Group. Mr. Ledger served as a consultant to InterDigital Communications Corporation from October 1989 to April 1991. Prior to October 1989, Mr. Ledger spent 12 years as a financial consultant with E.F. Hutton, Shearson Lehman Brothers and Paine Webber. He is a graduate of Colorado College (B.A., Business Administration, 1972).

Amy B. Kornafel was appointed Chief Financial Officer in March 2005 and also serves as the Company’s Treasurer. From 2003 through 2005, Ms. Kornafel served as the Company’s Controller. Previously Ms. Kornafel worked as a Consultant and Senior Financial Statement Assurance Auditor for Arthur Andersen LLP. From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Kornafel served as a tax accountant for Alloy, Silverstein, Shapiro, Adams, Mulford and Company. Ms. Kornafel’s experience includes extensive financial, accounting and audit experience with software, hardware, manufacturing, venture capital, bio-tech, development stage and retail enterprises. Ms. Kornafel is a graduate of Rutgers University (B.S., Accounting 1995).


Robert J. Fasnacht joined the Company in 2011 and is the Company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and corporate Secretary. Prior to that, he was engaged in a private legal practice emphasizing both corporate transactions and complex civil litigation for some of the nation’s largest companies and wealthiest individuals. He served for 7 years as General Counsel and Board Member for a U.S. based privately held restaurant Franchisor. He is admitted to practice in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, along with several state and federal courts, including the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Fasnacht began his legal career by serving as a judicial law clerk. While in law school, Mr. Fasnacht was selected to represent the university in appellate competition as a member of its National Moot Court Team. Mr. Fasnacht was also selected to the two member team which represented the University of Idaho in the national American Bar Association’s Client Counseling Competition. Mr. Fasnacht is a graduate of the University of Idaho (B.S., Chemistry, 1983 and J.D., 1985).

Joey S. Stone was appointed Senior Vice President - Corporate Development in September 2010. Mr. Stone is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector. From 2001 to 2010, Mr. Stone was a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm. From 1991 to 2001, Mr. Stone was a financial consultant with J.C. Bradford & Co. and from 1988 to 1991, with PaineWebber. Mr. Stone is a graduate of Louisiana State University (B.S., Business, 1987).

Philip G. Allen joined the Company in December 2009 as Vice President of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications. Mr. Allen is an experienced entrepreneurial executive in the marketing communications field, with considerable expertise in all aspects of marketing communications, investor and media relations and business development for public and private companies. From 1995 to 2000, Mr. Allen was with Convergent Communications, Inc. which he co-founded in 1995. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Allen was Vice President - Investor Relations for ICG Communications, Inc. From 1987 to 1991, Mr. Allen was founder and President of Allen & Company Business Communications, LLC, a marketing communications company, serving corporate clients in telecommunications, gaming and hospitality industries. From 1976 to 1986, Mr. Allen worked for AT&T where he was an advisor to senior management in employee communications and media relations. From 1969 to 1976, Mr. Allen was a General Assignment Reporter with the Indianapolis News. Mr. Allen is a graduate of Indiana University (B.S., English, 1971 and a M.A., Mass Communications, 1976).

Professor Stephen R. Forrest has been working with Global Photonic Energy Corporation since 1998 under the Company's Sponsored Research Program with Princeton University, The University of Southern California and the University of Michigan. Professor Forrest is one of the Company's Principal Research Scientists; his focus is on organic photovoltaics. In 2006, he rejoined Michigan as Vice President for Research and as the William Gould Dow Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Physics. Also in 2006, Professors Forrest and Thompson were the co-recipients of the Jan Rajchman Prize from the Society for Information Display for invention of phosphorescent organic light-emitting displays ("OLEDs"). In 2001, he was awarded the IEEE/LEOS William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award for advances made on photodetectors for optical communications systems. From 1997-2001, Professor Forrest served as the Chair of Princeton's Electrical Engineering Department. Professor Forrest has served as director of the National Center for Integrated Photonic Technology and as Director of Princeton's Center for Photonic and Optoelectronic Materials (POEM). In 1999, Professor Forrest received the Materials Research Society Medal for work on organic thin films. In 1998, Professor Forrest was co-recipient of the IPO National Distinguished Inventor Award as well as the Thomas Alva Edison Award for innovations in OLEDs. Professor Forrest, in conjunction with Professor Thompson, was instrumental in the discovery of phosphorescent materials central to the highly efficient OLED technology marketed by Universal Display Corporation. A Fellow of the IEEE and Optical Society of America and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, he received the IEEE/LEOS Distinguished Lecturer Award in 1996-97. Professor Forrest began his career at Princeton in 1992 as the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering. From 1985 to 1992, Professor Forrest worked at USC in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science on optoelectronic integrated circuits and organic semiconductors. From 1979 to 1985, Professor Forrest worked at Bell Labs investigating photodetectors for optical communications. Professor Forrest has authored approximately 420 papers in refereed journals and holds over 175 patents. Professor Forrest is a graduate of the University of Michigan (MSc Physics, 1974 and PhD Physics, 1979) and the University of California at Berkeley (B.A. Physics, 1972). He also has numerous patents and patent applications pending in the fields of OLEDs and organic photovoltaics.

Professor Mark E. Thompson has been working with Global Photonic Energy Corporation since 1994 under the Company's Sponsored Research Program with Princeton University, the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan. Professor Thompson is a professor of Chemistry at USC. Professor Thompson, in conjunction with Professor Stephen R. Forrest, was instrumental in the discovery of phosphorescent materials central to the highly efficient OLED technology marketed by Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: PANL). In 2007, Professor Thompson was awarded USC’s Associate’s Award for Excellence in Research (given to one faculty member per year). In 2006, Professors Forrest and Thompson were the co-recipients of the Jan Rajchman Prize from the Society for Information Display for invention of phosphorescent OLEDs. In 1998 Professor Thompson was co-recipient of The Intellectual Property Owners Association National Distinguished Inventor Award as well as the Thomas Alva Edison Award for innovations in organic LEDs. From 2005 through 2008 Professor Thompson served as the Department of Chemistry Chairman. Professor Thompson joined The University of Southern California in 1995. From 1987 to 1995 Professor Thompson worked at Princeton University. From 1985 to 1987 Professor Thompson worked at Oxford University and was an S.E.R.C. Research Fellow. From 1983 to 1985, Professor Thompson worked at E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company as a Visiting Scientist. Professor Thompson has authored over 200 papers in refereed journals, and has 75 patents. Professor Thompson is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Ph.D. Inorganic Chemistry, 1985) and the University of California Berkley (B.S. Chemistry with honors, 1980).