01Board DirectorJohn Venners
John Venners brings over 40 years of experience building and leading private and public companies in the global energy sector. His career includes serving as Director of Congressional and Public Affairs at the White House Office of Emergency Preparedness during the national energy crisis, where he developed deep expertise at the intersection of energy policy and markets.
Venners co-founded KFx, Inc., a company focused on advanced coal beneficiation technologies and established a partnership with Sumitomo Corporation to introduce vanadium fuel cell technology to the North American market. His work spans international oil trade, nano solar, hydrogen fuel cells, and water and air purification technologies. He is a principal partner of the award-winning Italian builder AICON YACHTS and currently serves as President of Cynity USA Inc., a Tokyo-based family office. Venners has been widely quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
02Board DirectorJean Abiassi, P.E.
Jean Abiassi is a professional engineer with a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University and a career spanning some of the most complex infrastructure projects in the United States. He began his career in the Marine Division of Brown and Root in Houston, contributing to landmark offshore structures including the Exxon Lena Guyed Tower.
Over a 17-year career with Kiewit, Abiassi served as field engineer, Design Engineer, Chief Engineer, Lead Estimator, and Project Manager on major projects including the Shell Bullwinkle platform — the largest fixed-leg offshore platform in the world, two hydroelectric power plants on New York's Mohawk River and multiple sections of Boston's Central Artery. He later managed the acquisition of the first segment of the East Side Access project in New York City.
In 2002, he joined Zachry Construction Corporation, rising to President and Chief Operating Officer by 2010. During his tenure, he led execution of some of the company's most significant projects, including the High Five interchange in Dallas ($285M), the SH 130 sections 5 & 6 ($1.1B), the DFW Connector ($1.5B), Grand Parkway sections F1, F2 & G ($1.1B) and was a joint venture partner on the first section of California High Speed Rail ($3.5B) between Madera and Fresno. After retiring from Zachry in 2019, Abiassi served as President and CEO of the Building and Specialty Divisions of Tutor Perini Corporation before returning to consulting and board advisory work.
03Board Director · Audit ChairRachael Crump
Crump will serve as chair of the Board’s Audit Committee.
Rachael Crump is chief accounting officer of Insight Enterprises, Inc. (“Insight”), a Fortune 500 IT solutions integrator with more than $8 billion in annual revenue, where she leads global accounting, financial reporting, consolidation, compliance, and corporate FP&A across 19 countries.
She also serves as Audit Committee Executive Liaison to the Insight Board of Directors.
Prior to Insight, Crump spent a decade at Amkor Technology, a global semiconductor manufacturer, where she oversaw global accounting policies, compliance, and audit readiness across SEC, SOX, and IFRS frameworks. Her earlier career includes serving as Corporate Controller of MedAire, Inc., where she led SEC registration and SOX readiness and served as interim CFO, and financial leadership roles at Best Software, a Sage Group subsidiary. She began her career at Ernst & Young, LLP, auditing technology-sector IPO clients.
Crump is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and Certified Information Technology Professional, and holds the NACD Directorship Certification. She served as Chair of the Arizona Society of CPAs from 2022 to 2023, and was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Finance by Women We Admire. She holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and completed the Thayer Executive Leadership Program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
04Board DirectorStephen R. Boatwright
Stephen R. Boatwright is a Shareholder at Gallagher & Kennedy and one of Arizona’s most recognized transactional attorneys, ranked among the best in his field. Over more than three decades, he has negotiated and documented several billion dollars in financing, mergers, and acquisitions, and has advised more than 20 companies through public offerings on the NYSE American, NASDAQ, and OTCBB.
Boatwright’s M&A experience includes advising RideNow Powersports in its merger with public company RumbleOn, representing Smith & Wesson on its initial public offering around its 150th anniversary, and leading the hostile takeover of NJOY, the first FDA-approved electronic cigarette maker, which was later acquired for $2.75 billion.
He has closed well over $1 billion in M&A transactions in the last several years alone, and in July 2024, Mr. Boatwright joined Gallagher & Kennedy’s Board of Directors. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America®, Arizona Business Magazine’s Top 100 Lawyers, and Phoenix Magazine as a Top Lawyer in Securities Law.
