The VELEOS Board of Directors and Advisors
The VELEOS Board of advisors is a unique combination of passionate entrepreneurs who advise and guide VELEOS. Coming from a collection of valuable industries, our board orchestrates and channels our success while bringing our vision full circle.
Don Gilmartin | CEO, Founder, & Chairman of the Board
As a passionate CEO, founder, and a determined visionary, Don created VELEOS based on his own family suffering two life-altering personal tragedies; experiences that changed his perspective forever. Above all else, Don recognized the fragility and vulnerability that he and his family experienced during these tragic times. It is those first-hand experiences that propelled Don to build a talented empathetic team of professionals to establish VELEOS, and drive a culture led by empathy at its core. It is with that vision, and in memory of the family members, that sparked his passion to build quality care for clients who call for a bio spill cleaning service.
As a master networker in the Business Networking International (BNI) network and a licensed California real estate broker, Don grew his network. While marketing specifically to funeral industry clients, Don spent years responding to those calls for service. He personally experienced client decision making and distress firsthand. During his experience, Don saw a way to do more than simply provide a biohazard clean up service, thus began his journey.
Don has participated in vendor programs, has sat on funeral boards and found himself building a level of bio spill cleaning service, which has not typically existed in the industry. Listening to and adhering to the same standards of professional funeral directors, Don soon discovered the gaps in this industry. Unbeknownst to Don, he was also simultaneously building a unique brand with a stricter level of client protection and industry standards. Don also has a real estate development and property restoration service background. During his journey, Don was exposed to Emotional First Aid training within the Trauma Intervention Program which completed his vision. That vision is now VELEOS.
Ken Sunshine | CFO
Ken Sunshine is a senior executive, entrepreneur, angel investor and aerospace board member/advisor/mentor with extensive expertise in strategic planning, financial analysis, capital markets, M&A, operations and project management. Ken serves on the Board of Directors for Stofiel Aerospace, the Board of Advisors for Keplerian Technologies, Skyloom, SpaceFund and is a Mentor with Starburst Accelerator and Techstars Space Accelerator. In addition Ken is also sharing his time serving as active Chief Operating Officer on both VELEOS, Inc. as well as Nebula Space Enterprise, Inc.
Ken was Co-founder and COO/CFO of Vector Launch, Inc where he successfully raised $30M in capital including a Series A financing led by Sequoia. Prior to joining Vector, he served as CFO at Virgin Galactic and Moon Express and Co-founded Companion Medical. He has also served as CFO at MDA Information Systems, National Institute of Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences; was Senior Vice President of Finance at Orbital and an aerospace engineer at Draper Laboratories. Ken received an MBA from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and an engineering degree from Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Anna Ready | Advisor
As one of the founding directors, Anna Ready saw the vision that was VELEOS right from the start. As a dynamic busines professional with her own company, Anna knew what it took to build a team and became and natural force in VELEOS. The added bonus was that Anna Ready is an accounting geek, technology enthusiast, and lover of all things systematized. Anna knew how to scale with technology as a primary element in the VELEOS model. With her grit and determination, Anna is the Founder of Accrew, her accounting and consulting firm serving both business and nonprofit clients. Her mission is to partner with leaders to build and grow remarkable organizations because she believes everyone deserves the opportunity to do meaningful work with exceptional people. Anna brings processes, procedures and technological structure to the team at VELEOS.
Jim Petersen | Advisor
Jim Petersen PhD, CFP®, CLF®, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, RICP®, WMCP®, CRPC®, CAP®, AEP®, CPBC entered the financial services industry in 1983 and served in multiple positions in both the field and Home Office of his company retiring on December 31, 2018. Jim is a seasoned executive with 38 years of experience in the investment and financial services industries. In addition to being the CEO of Diversified Professional Coaching (DPC), LLC and the President of the Professional Business Coaching Alliance (PBCA), LLC, he is currently the Roger Hull/James S. Bingay Chair of Leadership at The American College of Financial Services (TAC) specializing in Financial Planning, Ethics, Leadership, and Organizational Behavior at the Master’s Degree level.
Before joining the financial services industry, Jim was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy where he served seven years on active duty as a nuclear submariner and retired from the Naval Reserves as a Captain (O-6) with almost 22 years of service. His expertise included many aspects of nuclear propulsion and submarine warfare.
Dr. Petersen received his Bachelor’s Degree from the United States Naval Academy and Master’s Degrees in Financial Services (MSFS) and Management (MSM) from The American College. On June 1, 2017, Jim became the first financial services manager to be awarded a PhD in Financial and Retirement Planning from The American College. He is a Certified Financial Plannertm (CFP®), Chartered Life Fellow (CLF®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL®), Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®), Chartered Advisor for Philanthropy (CAP®), Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) and a Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC). Jim is a member of Financial Planning Association (FPA), Financial Services Institute (FSI), GAMA International, and the Fort Worth Estate Planning Council. He is also a past President of the Alumni Board of The American College, Chairman of The American College Penn Mutual Center for Veterans Affairs (PMCVA), and, previously, a Trustee and Ambassador for the FINSECA Foundation. Jim has extensive training experience and teaches leadership for FINSECA and is certified by the CFP Board to teach the CFP curriculum and ethics. In 2019 Jim was awarded the FINSECA Cy Pick award for lifetime service to FINSECA.
James Brett | Advisor
Having founded his first successful company at age 18, James continues to consult and invest in a relatively diverse group of industries with a special passion for innovative start ups, while mentoring and supporting new and young entrepreneurs as well as seasoned partnerships, business entities and management groups. He has a track record of successfully divesting all organizations he originally founded.
James has a particular eye for the unusual and innovative while bringing several companies over his career to a very successful exit. It is his vision, passion and talent which drew him to the VELEOS organization to make a difference.
He is uniquely skilled in his ability to make ideas come to reality and for the reality to become awesome! James brings a special blend of patience and friendliness to every activity and enterprise he's involved in. This is realized through his unique and distinctive complementary supportive, empowering management style, all the while being diligent and focused on every relevant element of a project he is involved in, at a macro level.
Not a micromanager, James regularly uses a few terms and methods that particularly describe his style and perspective, most succinctly, "The Last 5%", referring to the importance of the final details being the difference between 'good-enough' and 'incredible'.
Peter Townshend | Advisor
Peter is a lawyer, business strategist, venture capitalist and entrepreneur who has helped launch a number of cutting-edge life science and high technology companies in Silicon Valley, San Diego and across the US. Peter started Townshend Venture Advisors in 2017 after a long career as a senior partner for various technology law firms. Peter began his career working with life science companies such as Atrionix, Appriva, Adeza, Cepheid and Chestnut, and tech startups such as eBay, Interwoven and Alliance Semiconductor.
Later clients included life science companies like Companion Medical, ConforMIS, Avails, Cathera and the incubator Alembic, and tech startups like Plaxo, BrightRoll, HipChat and Chroma Labs. Peter is also a co-founder and partner at the life science venture fund Ambix Ventures. Peter is a leading authority on topics relating to start-ups, including entity formation, angel and venture capital financing, executive compensation, and mergers and acquisitions. Peter has a BA from Yale University and a JD and MBA from UC Berkeley and is dedicated to the success of VELEOS.
Bryan D. EIsenbise | Advisor
Is the owner and principal attorney at Trust Legal Group. He has dedicated his 14-year career to helping individuals, families, and business owners protect their loved ones and their assets through a comprehensive approach to estate planning.
Bryan earned his BA from Cal State Fullerton in Business Management, his MBA and JD from Texas Tech School of Business and School of Law, and his LLM(Tax) from Chapman University School of Law. Bryan is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California and the Federal District Court, Central District of California.
Bryan is a proud 5th-generation Southern Californian and resides in South Orange County with his wife and three children.