January 30, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
Fingerprint biometrics and mobile authentication company BIO-key International has announced today that it has made some big changes to the company board of directors. The changes were effective as of yesterday, January 29, 2014 and will see both the addition of three new board members as well as the appointment of Michael DePasquale, CEO of BIO-key, to the position of chairman.
The three new board members come from a diverse selection of industry backgrounds, each described by BIO-key as a leader in their own respect and with resumes to back the claim up.
Barbara Rivera, president and GM of Experian Corporations U.S. Public Sector Division, brings a 20-year track record business management and development on federal, state and local stages, having done work with organizations like the Department of Justice and the Defense Department. She has also previously worked with IBM, SAP and Oracle in addition to forming alliances with system integrators and consulting organizations in the public sector.
Thomas E. Bush, III comes from extensively related career in the FBI. Having joined the Bureau in 1975 and served as a Special Agent for more than 33 years, Bush has worked in a number of fields that give him experience vital to the authentication industry. He has worked in the Identification Division (currently known as the Criminal Justice Information Services Division). His hard work eventually lead him to rise and become the director of CJIS, where he was responsible for the day to day operation of the FBI’s largest division. In 2007 Bush received a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service.
Successful entrepreneur Thomas Gilley also comes highly recommended, described as a hands on technologist and innovator in the areas of mobile tech, digital media, the internet of things (M2M) and social computing, all of which are becoming increasingly essential in the world of strong authentication. Gilley has founded a number of successful companies including Meeting Technologies and FutureTel, the first MPEG video broadcast equipment provider. Most recently Gilley sold and acted as CTO for Vignette – an on demand web media company – through the transaction and its final acquisition by Open Text.
DePasquale commented on the board changes, saying, “As we position BIO-key for the next phase of growth and development, we feel it is important to expand the scope of our Board of Directors. These three new Directors have ideal experiences and talents to help guide and promote BIO-key through this very exciting time. We are proud and fortunate to have such deep and influential resources supporting the Company.”
The additions to the board of directors follow two departures from BIO-key. Tom Colatosi and Jeffrey May have both recently retired.
“We owe Tom and Jeff a great debt of gratitude and thanks for their guidance and support as they have been instrumental in BIO-key’s strategic development and successes over the last twelve years,” said DePasquale. “Well capitalized, with new Sales and Board leadership, I believe BIO-key is better positioned today than at any time in its past and we are very excited about the opportunities ahead.”
These are not the first staffing changes BIO-key has implemented in 2014. Earlier this month the company hired Jim Skidmore – former vice president of the Solutions Group with software and hardware reseller Encode – and appointed him to the position of senior vice president of global sales.
In December, findBIOMETRICS president Peter O’Neill had a chance to interview Michael DePasquale about the company’s exceptional financial position after receiving a substantial private placement the month prior.
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