CO-FOUNDER & CEO

Steven spent years at sea as an engineer and officer, sailing across most of the world’s oceans, and managed a multibillion-dollar offshore oil & gas business in the Gulf of Mexico before cofounding Fleetzero. Steven received his Bachelor's in Marine Engineering Systems (ship propulsion & design) from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, his MBA from Harvard Business School, and proudly served in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

CO-FOUNDER & COO

Mike served at sea as a Marine Engineer and Ships Officer and led the Shipping and Energy sales division at Infor before cofounding Fleetzero. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with his Bachelors's in Marine Engineering Systems (ship propulsion & design) and earned his MBA from Rice University. Mike is also proud to have served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

ADVISORY BOARD

Samantha has a wealth of commercial and logistics experience both on land and at sea. She began her supply chain journey as a Trainmaster with the BNSF Railway after graduating from Villanova University. She had a 13-year career with the Railroad as Director of Ports, liaising between the railroad and ports across the network while earning a Master’s in Global Supply Chain from the University of Southern California. Before joining Fleetzero, Samantha led the Commercial Operations Bureau at the Port of Long Beach.

VP, ENGINEERING

Ben has over a decade of maritime experience involving cargo, logistics, oil transport, and safety management systems. Early in his professional career, he led repairs and shipyard support of Bering Sea fishing fleets in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He previously served as Captain and Master of Fleetzero’s Pacific Joule. Ben received a BS in Marine Transportation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and holds a BA in Marketing from Fort Lewis College.

VP, FINANCE AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

Jonathan has a robust background in mechanical engineering and finance, including offshore engineering experience at Schlumberger and clean energy investment banking experience at Piper Sandler. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas, an MS in Finance from the University of Houston, and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Harding University. In addition to his engineering insight and financial professionalism, he brings a strong commitment to sustainable energy to the Fleetzero team.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Minji has extensive experience in the mobility sector, encompassing operational leadership and venture capital. She has co-founded several startups leveraging technology to transform traditional industries and developed her investment expertise at SoftBank and Antler. As a director at Antler, she played a crucial role in supporting early-stage companies by guiding their product development and growth strategies. Minji holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.

ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM MANAGER

Eileen leads vessel electrification programs at Fleetzero, combining her background in naval architecture and electrical engineering to deliver battery-electric and hybrid systems from concept to commissioning. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan, is a licensed Professional Engineer in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and serves on the board of the Maritime Battery Forum to advance electrification across the maritime industry.

INTEGRATION ENGINEER

Angelo is a seasoned maritime engineering professional with over 25 years of experience operating and maintaining a wide range of vessels — from aging dry bulk carriers to cutting-edge, $750 million drillships. A USCG Unlimited Chief Engineer and graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, Angelo brings deep technical expertise and leadership. Throughout his career, Angelo has been actively involved in multiple shipyards around the world, overseeing complex maintenance, repair, and retrofit operations.

LEAD BMS ENGINEER

Félix has dedicated nearly his entire professional engineering career to electric vehicle technologies. Before joining Fleetzero, he developed extensive experience in designing, testing, and integrating HV battery systems and BMS components for a wide range of EV applications, from powersports to commercial vehicles. As an Embedded Systems Engineer Lead at Dana Inc. and previously at Les Moteurs Nordresa, he also built his expertise leading teams in the development of control systems for commercial electric delivery vehicles and yard tractors.

HEAD OF BMS

François leads Fleetzero’s battery systems. Among the company’s first team members, he built and now heads the BMS and electrical engineering group, overseeing design, control strategies, and on-ship commissioning. He previously scaled EV programs at Nordresa (later Dana) and worked on Model 3 drive units at Tesla. François holds a master’s in Electrical Engineering from McGill, where he researched AI applications for EV control, and a mechanical engineering degree from Université de Sherbrooke.

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Gabriel's expertise is in designing high-reliability software for safety-critical applications. He has led the development of software for electric vehicles and designed motion control systems for medical devices. Gabriel holds an engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke.

INTEGRATION ENGINEER

Gregory is a USCG Unlimited Chief Engineer with over a decade of experience in marine engineering, spanning commercial shipping and naval ships. At Fleetzero, he helped overhaul the company’s first vessel, the Pacific Joule—taking a ship in poor condition through a full rebuild and regulatory approval process—and now contributes to the mechanical integration of the company’s advanced battery systems. He is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, where he studied Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

Harry graduated Electrical Engineer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a strong foundation in electrical engineering principles. During his studies, he gained valuable leadership experience and was actively involved with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

LEAD INTEGRATION AND SYSTEMS ENGINEER

With over 20 years of experience in maritime electronics, offshore operations, and large-scale electrification, he began his career as a Nuclear Electronics Technician in the U.S. Navy, went on to lead offshore electrical systems with Transocean, and later managed electrical and safety programs at Google’s hyperscale data centers. At Fleetzero, Kevin applies this broad expertise to advancing vessel electrification and maritime systems integration.

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Tyler has experience as an engineer at several consumer electronics startups and as build captain of a world champion robotics team prior to joining Fleetzero. Tyler is a Venture For America Fellow and has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University.

LEAD SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Jeremy brings expertise in electric vehicle systems from the commercial trucking industry. As a Lead Systems and Controls Engineer, he was responsible for a program's electric vehicle architecture, from high-voltage battery design and system integration to vehicle control software. At Fleetzero, Jeremy is adapting this knowledge to the marine environment, focusing on battery integration and control systems. He holds a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke.

HARDWARE ENGINEER

Leo Belval is an electrical engineer with over 13 years of experience designing advanced systems and vehicles at companies including Axiom Space, BAE Systems, and Houston Mechatronics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Western New England University and a Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering from Cornell University.

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Alex graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2022. Since he has been at Fleetzero, he has gained significant experience in the creation of physical prototypes and the iteration process. Alex leads the design and building for several of the jigs and rigs involved in the construction of Fleetzero’s battery modules. He previously worked at several companies with a focus on design for manufacturing and structural systems.

LEAD PRODUCTION ENGINEER

Chris brings over 20 years of experience in both manufacturing and mechanical engineering. He started out as a machinist with stops as a CNC programmer and manufacturing engineer before landing in mechanical design. During his tenure in the oil and gas industry he spent time offshore supporting subsea installations in the Gulf of America. Prior to joining Fleetzero, Chris was a mechanical engineering manager at NASA Johnson Space Center. Chris holds a degree in mechanical engineering from The Ohio State University.

LEAD MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Tom Vaeretti's 20+ years of experience as a design engineer has spanned a broad range of fields, from automotive and powersports to factory automation and product design for companies such as Honda, Polaris, ABB, Lockheed Martin, Moultrie, and more. He was key to the design and production of the Motus MST/R American V4 Sport-Touring motorcycle created in Alabama. As an EV owner, Tom is passionate about decarbonization and is currently retrofitting a 55-year-old pickup truck with an electric powertrain. Tom received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University.

ELECTRONICS and COMMUNICATION ENGINEER

Cecilia specializes in various types of system-level integration, her skills encompass electrical hardware design, embedded programming, sensor acquisition, and control systems. Her primary interest lies at the intersection of hardware and software, and how their synergy uniquely advances the development of next-generation electric vehicles. Cecilia graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

ROBOTICS ENGINEER

Jeff is a recent graduate with a mechanical engineering degree and has experience in design work. Previously designing from the ground up, writing code and software, to implementing control strategies- at Fleetzero, Jeff fulfills a role as robotics engineer.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Gabriel is a versatile software engineer spanning firmware, systems, and web. At Polytechnique Montréal, he built BMS and VCU firmware for the Formula Student team that won the Michigan competition in 2022. At Tesla, he focused on firmware design and SIL/HIL validation. He later joined MDA’s space program, developing test automation and monitoring for flight-hardware production. He holds an M.S. in computer engineering with a focus on multi-core systems and dynamic tracing.

HEAD OF FINANCE AND COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS

Davis has a comprehensive background in real estate finance and corporate financial analysis, including facilitating the placement of over $3 billion in debt and equity financings for commercial real estate assets at Jones Lang LaSalle. His prior experience includes analyzing real estate investment strategies at Stonelake Capital Partners, supporting corporate financial planning and analysis at The Walt Disney Company, and conducting financial reporting at Cannae Holdings, a publicly traded private equity firm. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Pepperdine University.