Corporate Governance

Jonathan Klamkin is CEO and Director of Aeluma. He is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (2015-present), where his group conducts pioneering research in integrated photonics and optoelectronics for communications and sensing applications. Dr. Klamkin was with BinOptics Corp., a laser diode manufacturer that was acquired by Macom in 2015, where he served as an optoelectronic device design and test engineer. He also held positions at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Boston University. Jonathan is the recipient of numerous awards including the NASA Young Faculty Award, the DARPA Young Faculty Award, and the DARPA Director’s Fellowship. He has published more than 220 papers, holds several patents, and has given more than 100 invited presentations to industry, government and the academic community. Dr. Klamkin holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Ph.D. in Materials from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Byron brings deep expertise in financial operations, accounting, and scaling technology companies. He joined NVIDIA in 2002 and held various finance leadership positions over 22 years, most recently serving as Vice President of Finance Operations & Systems and before that as Vice President & Chief Accounting Officer from 2011 to 2019. Prior to NVIDIA, Byron held finance and accounting roles at public technology companies and spent eight years as an auditor at Deloitte. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1990. In addition to his corporate leadership, Byron serves as a Trustee of the UC Santa Barbara Foundation and advises the Dean's Investment Group, reflecting his commitment to fostering financial and technological innovation.

Steven P. DenBaars has been on Aeluma’s Board of Directors since June 5, 2021. He is a Professor of Materials and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara (1991-present). Prof. DenBaars has been very active in entrepreneurship, having helped co-found several start-up companies in the field of photonics and electronics. In 1996, he Co-founded Nitres, Inc., along with Dr. Umesh Mishra, which was acquired by Cree, Inc. in May 2000. In 2013, he Co-founded SLD Laser and helped build the company to over 150 employees before it was acquired by Kyocera Corporation in 2021. In 2014, he assisted Dr. Jeffrey Shealy in the founding of Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (AKTS) for commercialization of RF Filters, and he is currently on the Board of Directors. He received the IEEE Fellow award in 2005, member of the National Academy of Engineers in 2012, and National Academy of Inventors in 2014. He has authored or co-authored over 980 technical publications, 350 conference presentations, and over 185 patents. Mr. DenBaars has a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Material Science and Electrical Engineering, respectively from the University of Southern California.

John K. Paglia is a recipient of several prestigious honors for his work on the financing and capital markets. Dr. Paglia is also an independent board director and audit committee chair for Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP), independent board director and audit committee chair for Cal-X Business Accelerator, Inc. (with 30+ regenerative health technology startups), board director for two not-for-profits (California Amateur Hockey Association and Santa Clarita Flyers Hockey Club), and advisory board member for both VitaNav, Inc. (a ketone-based beverage company) and The Most Fundable Companies Council. At Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, he is a tenured Professor of Finance where his specialty areas are venture capital, private equity, corporate finance, business valuations, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In addition, he held a number of leadership positions at Pepperdine University since joining in 2000, most recently as Senior Associate Dean where he had oversight for over 100 full-time business school faculty and key strategic projects, and, prior to that, as executive director of Graziadio Business School’s entrepreneurship institute. Dr. Paglia holds a Ph.D. in Finance, an MBA, a B.S. in Finance, and is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, and is NACD Directorship Certified™. We believe his knowledge of technical accounting issues and business experience qualify him as an expert in financial matters and as a qualified candidate for the Board.

Craig Ensley has led global semiconductor businesses in Analog & DSP, MEMS & Sensors, and Communications (RF/Wireless, Optical, and Wired). His prior executive leadership roles include CEO of Atomica (formerly IMT), the largest MEMS & Sensors manufacturing foundry in the U.S.; CEO of DisplayLink, an enterprise video networking firm; President of Peregrine, a high-volume RF & Wireless devices company for 3G & 4G; and SVP at Cirrus Logic, a mixed signal circuits company for consumer applications. Earlier in his executive career, Craig helped build the communications semiconductor business at Rockwell International, which spun out as three public companies: Mindspeed, Jazz, and Conexant. Mr. Ensley presently serves on the Boards of Mentium Technologies, an AI company, and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group. Previously he was on the Boards of the Consumer Electronics Association Audio and Home Networking Divisions, and the KLRU Austin PBS Television Station. Craig earned a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, both from the University of California San Diego.