Management Team
Jonathan Luck
Director, President, CEO, CFO
Mr. Luck is the CEO / President of Ambient Control Systems (“Ambient”). Mr. Luck took control of Ambient in 2001 as President and CEO. He pioneered the early development of the FireALERT wildfire detection system and also established a presence in the military sector through the development and introduction of Ambient’s core “Alternative Power Systems Technology”
Mr. Luck has over 30 years of experience in the design, development and manufacture of a wide range of electronic equipment and systems. At Texas Instruments, he gained work experience in their consumer integrated circuit silicon foundry and test labs. He worked on a number of IC designs, including one of the world’s first electronic calculator integrated circuits developed and introduced by Charles Sinclair. At Sontranic, he supported the development of the automated phone response system used by all of London Transport for automated schedule and time table annunciation. As a consultant at Marconi Space and Defense Systems, he held a top secret clearance while developing the underwater recovery unit and autopilot test package for the Stingray Torpedo.
Relocating to the United States, Mr. Luck joined, InterOcean Systems, an Oceanographic company, where he designed and developed an ultra low power microprocessor control digital recording package for an Underwater Current Meter Project. He also developed and tested an underwater towed array vehicle that was to be used to ping underwater acoustic releases. He developed, built and delivered a large scale meteorological system to a major oil platform contractor.
Mr. Luck subsequently served as co-founder and Vice President of Engineering at Altec Irrigation, Inc., where he applied his expertise in ultra low power control systems. At Altec, he designed and developed the LEITControl series of Irrigation Control Systems, the LEMA magnetically latched actuator for controlling a wide range of irrigation valves and the RLAM, a relay interface module for interfacing the LEITControl systems to AC systems. The system was designed to withstand Class “C” lightning through novel advanced hybrid lightning protection circuitry.
Mr. Luck supported the sale of a $1.4M exclusive license and royalty agreement between Altec Irrigation, Ambient’s wholly owned subsidiary, and a major international irrigation corporation. The license agreement facilitated the transition of the irrigation technology, the LEITControl product line, and all irrigation sales and manufacturing to the DIG Corporation.
In 1973, Mr. Luck graduated from Reading University, UK, with a Bachelors of Science Honors Degree in Cybernetics and Instrument Physics. He is the author of several patents involved with ultra low power circuit design, solar energy storage and management systems and wildfire detection systems.
John Evey
Director
As Vice President for Development at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), John Evey carries responsibility for generating collaborative partnerships and financial resources from all sources except Federal research agencies (such as the NSF, NIH, DOE and USDA) for this pioneering institute that is advancing genomic research to benefit human health and the environment. Craig Venter, who pushed the decoding of the human genome, has twice been identified as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet by Time magazine. He recently received the National Medal of Science, and was just selected by The Economist as the Innovator of the Year in the Biosciences.
Mr. Evey previously served the Scripps Institution of Oceanography as Assistant Director of Scripps and Executive Director of Development for the Marine Sciences at UC San Diego, an academic research powerhouse. Before coming to Scripps and UCSD, Mr. Evey was Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the University of the Pacific and served, prior to that, for more than a decade as Director of Development at Oregon State University. At Pacific, Mr. Evey was responsible for all external relations programs for that three-campus university (Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco). As Director of Development for Oregon State, he was responsible for the entire charitable gift development program of that PAC-10 research university.
His earlier experience includes roles as founding director of the Office for Resource Development at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and as the initial association executive for the statewide arts lobby, Oregon Advocates for the Arts. As a volunteer he founded the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. As an officer of the Travel Industry Council of Oregon, Mr. Evey and two colleagues successfully advocated the creation and funding of a Tourism Division in the Oregon Department of Economic Development.
Mr. Evey is on the Envision Solar, Inc. Board of Advisors, and is a member of the Host Committee for the Kyoto Prize Symposium in San Diego, which helps to host the Kyoto Prize laureates each spring.
Robert Charles DeGour
Director
Mr. DeGour is the Executive Vice President & General Manager of A.D.R. Associates, a corporation founded in 1994 specializing in primary market research, strategic planning, communication counsel, and preparation for capital investment or acquisition/merger.
Bob brings a practical perspective to consultancy with over thirty-five years in leadership positions within military intelligence service specializing in Soviet affairs, international corporations, corporate turn-arounds, and mergers.
During his long tenure with Switzerland-based F. Hoffmann-LaRoche (HLR), Bob was seated on a variety of product development and post-commercialization marketing boards. He also conducted marketing research, created out-of-the-box marketing solutions during the challenging healthcare downturn of the early 1990′s and received HLR’s highest distinction for “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Health Services,” The President’s Achievement Award in 1996.
He has a reputation for creative observation, candor and integrity, helping companies look at their business strategies in new, inventive ways of doing business. He is especially known for coaching clients through strategic marketing and sales decision processes.
Mr. DeGour completed his B.S. in Annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy and has completed graduate studies in International Business and veterinary [equine] reproduction while embarking on his military and private sector careers. He is a member of the American Academy of Clinical Chemists and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Olaf F. Walter
Director, Consultant/Strategic Advisor
Mr. Walter was educated as a chemical engineer in Germany and earned his PhD in Public Health Engineering from Portsmouth Polytechnic in the U.K. Currently, he serves as the COO of GreenCore Capital, LLC and GreenCore Business Services, LLC.
He has 21+ years of global experience, mainly at The Dow Chemical Company, where he was responsible for a wide variety of business operations, most recently as Senior Technology Leader of Manufacturing and Engineering for Dow’s Industrial Biotechnology Business.
Since late 2005, Mr. Walter utilized his expertise consulting for mostly entrepreneurial enterprises, developing business strategies and their implementation. His expertise spans fermentation technologies; whole plant derived bio-production, water and wastewater treatment technologies, chemical manufacturing, process development, business and competitive analysis, sophisticated economic modeling as well as biomass to energy technologies.
Mr. Walter serves as a Business & Scientific advisor for two companies, iDiverse, a San Diego Biotechnology Company focused on novel gene technology, as well as Assure Controls, a Vista, CA based company specialized in rapid toxicity assessment of water. In addition, he serves as the Merger & Acquisition Associate for A.D.R. Associates, a company in Murrieta, CA, specialized in market research, strategic positioning, planning and communication. He is also a member of the “Science & Technology” committee of the CleanTECH trade organization in San Diego which is associated with UCSD’s CONNECT program. Further, he serves as a Strategic Adviser for the Equinox Center in San Diego, a non-profit organization which researches and advances innovative solutions to balance regional growth with our finite natural resources.