Staff

Maryanne Barker, Development Director, Energy

Tom Kraft, Ph.D., Director of Client Services

Dr. Kraft plays a lead role at the HTC in accelerating technology start-ups, principally in biosciences and bioengineering, as well as in space and other base technologies. He graduated from UCLA with a mechanical engineering degree and an MBA from the Anderson School. After teaching at UCLA andd research in biophysics, Dr. Kraft completed a masters program in mathematical statistics from Stanford University as well as a doctoral program at Rice in electrical engineering and math. Dr. Kraft founded several companies, one of which developed and commercialized medical and clinical devices in microbiology, immunology, hematology and clinical chemistry. With more than four decades experience he has numerous commercial successes and 19 patents.

Philip Fraher, Entrepreneur in Residence

Phil Fraher is one of HTC valued Entrepreneurs in Residence, assisting emerging technology companies to commercialize their innovations. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Visual Numerics Inc. Mr. Fraher served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Brightmail Inc. and was responsible for leading Brightmail's expansion efforts into Europe and Asia Pacific. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Cahners Business Information Electronic Media Division, where he developed a sophisticated Web portal strategy to grow its business. He also held financial management positions at Pilot Software, a developer of online analytical processing (OLAP) tools, and Exxon Production Research Co., which develops oil exploration software, among other products. Mr. Fraher holds an MBA from the University of Rochester William E. Simon School of Business Administration. He completed his undergraduate studies in Computing Engineering at Auburn University.

Bill Sidwell, Entrepreneur in Residence

Bill Sidwell is a world-class brand marketer, a talented practitioner of brand building and the marketing of brands. He led the efforts that transformed HP into the world’s leading information technology company, creating a powerful, trusted and respected iconic brand for the 21^st century. Bill held the same position at Compaq and worked on the HP/Compaq merger integration. Prior to joining Compaq, he was Senior Vice President and Director of Strategy & Planning for Ogilvy & Mather.  While at Ogilvy, Sidwell was part of the initial team that led the transformation of the IBM brand. He led the re-launch of Shell Oil Company’s highly successful “Come to Shell for Answers” corporate campaign after an almost twenty-year hiatus. He also led the development and highly successful launch of the first ever co-branded gasoline credit card, the Shell MasterCard. Bill has broad brand marketing and brand management experience across a number of sectors, including retail, technology, petroleum, transit, automotive, telecommunications, and financial services experience. 

 

Doug Strahm spent over twenty five years working with CEO’s and senior management teams in business start-ups, Inc. 500 firms and Fortune 100 companies such as Siemens and Honeywell in the US and Canada. He has held leadership positions including EVP of US Sales and Operations, VP of Sales, and Program Manager in private and public companies with annual revenues from several millions up to $3.5 billion.  Doug's passion is accelerating the growth of companies and their leadership teams. His range of experience includes information technology, aerospace, biomedical electronics, communications, industrial processing, upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas, pipelines, research and development, field service, real estate management, electronics manufacturing, software development, and consulting.

Andrew Clark, Entrepreneur in Residence

Andrew Clark has more than twenty five years experience in health care, technology, and energy-related fields. His corporate experience extends from roles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Compaq Computer, and Reliant Energy. Currently, he provides investments in and consulting to start-ups and early stage companies through the Houston Angel Network, where he is past president, and The Castell Group, where he is a principal.

He has assisted numerous HTC clients and has been instrumental in the formation and early capital raises of several.

Kelly Weber, Director, Marketing and Communications

Kelly Weber has more than fifteen years experience developing and managing corporate marketing communication initiatives for multi-national and Fortune 500 companies. With a Master of Science degree in communication, she specializes in digital media, brand development, marketing, and employee communications. She has spent much of her career helping companies in Houston’s oil and gas industry to communicate better and build business using new media channels.