Our People

Joseph James is the heart and brains behind Pison, founding the team as our first President, CEO and Chairman of the Board. Pison launched in 2010 from his desire to create disruptive technology that anyone could access, regardless of economic position. With Pison now making waves, he has the freedom to control the market, enact positive change, and pursue his dreams without limits. In December 2021, Joe rearranged company roles, and stepped back temporarily as President to focus his energy on responsibilities as CEO and Board Chairman. In June 2022, he resumed his full title again as CEO, President and Chairman of the Board.

Joseph is a firm believer in collaboration and injects a unifying spirit into the soul of the company. “We strive to create a culture where everybody – no matter your position – has a say-so. Everybody can help aid towards the growth of Pison Stream.”

Joseph brings over 35 years of experience in advanced chemical coatings, additives, antimicrobial and renewable energy platforms. Before founding Pison, he led research on chemical coating compositions as one of the Senior Research Chemists at Akzo Nobel and The Sherwin-Williams Company, and as Technical Director RD, Powder at Hentzen Coatings.

Joseph sits on two boards in Cleveland, Ohio: the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio and the Great Lakes Science Center. Joseph is an innovator, and holds 11 active U.S. Patents to-date, with several additional chemical formulations in Patent-Pending status.

Joseph holds a Masters Degree from Northwestern University in Business, Science, Communications and Strategies (MSc).

When he’s not out changing the world, Joseph enjoys reading about the latest technologies and discovering new talent everywhere he goes.

Eddy Petric, Pison Vice President leads Corporate Operations, and purchasing for all corporate business units including all office locations and R&D technology site. Eddy has been a key member our our corporate team since 2019. He was inspired to join Pison and states, “This is a very good company with a vision to disrupt the industry and enact change.”

Eddy brings us a wealth of experience and knowledge related to production operations, materials management, purchasing, financial systems and controls. His focus is on meeting the demands for the Pison Research & Development through procurement of critical raw material, supplies and services necessary to develop innovative technologies. Additionally, he ensures building maintenance and services are functioning at their highest level.

Prior to Pison, he worked as the Director of Finance at Rambus, where he was charged with the full responsibility of budgeting, cost control and strategic financial analysis. Throughout his career, he has also held Controller positions at a variety of corporations including Global Lighting Technologies, Crystal Mortgage and Lumitex, Inc.

Eddy graduated from Cleveland State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting.

In his free time, Eddy enjoys boating, golfing, biking and traveling abroad.

Frank Koger is a multi-disciplined technology professional of over 30 years. His affiliations with Pison stem from its founding in 2010, where he served as a technology consultant relating his mastery in spectrophotometry (color spectrum measurement and analysis). Since onboarding full-time, Frank researches, trains and assists the Pison Team with various process education forums and helpful tech short-cuts. He uses his logical, practical common sense, and observational approach to problem-solving that makes him an invaluable team resource and natural teacher across our departments on corporate and technology training. Most recently, Frank was named to oversee Pison Research & Development.

Prior to Pison, Frank worked for three world-class companies specializing in computerized color matching and quality control since 1987. Predominant areas of expertise include Industrial Coatings and Specialty Coatings for a wide variety of manufacturing and corporate commerce. His vast experience included business and travel throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Far East for his work in coatings, plastics, and color matching.

Frank’s formal studies included environmental science and music education, along with business management and practical field experience. Early in his career, teaching musical instruments/brass was also in his repertoire; music is a mainstay and it remains an avid passion.

Sharon Baden joined Pison to lead corporate communications, marketing and visual presence as Chief Brand Officer for all business segments. An intense, passionate, problem-solver, and design communications pro, she immerses into a projects’ complex components to interpret the overall vision. Sharon ideates and executes a brand presence that informs and connects audiences on multiple layers. She’s a renaissance of prolific talents, corporate skills, and creative invention.

Sharon brings a distinguished entrepreneurial career as a creative corporate lead, providing expertise to Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits. For almost three decades she’s run the gamut of dynamic forces while directing a bespoke consultancy, Bäden Design USA. “I love the avant-garde, seeing all perspectives, then developing thoughtful and smart materials that will represent our corporate culture and brand; it’s about building a whole business process that’s fluid and enjoyable.”

Her portfolio includes: Baker & Hostetler, DWR Furniture, J.M. Smucker, La-Z-Boy Contract, Libbey, MTD Products, Owens Corning, Ventra Financial, and Walden, plus extensive contracts with nonprofit institutes viz. Case Engineering, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Museum of Art, Playhouse Square, Rainbow Babies, UC Berkeley School of Business, and other private clientele projects internationally. Honors include a Champion Imagination Award, Women in Communications Crystal Awards, Crain’s, Graphis, and two Patents granted from the USPTO.

Sharon holds a JD from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law with focus on IP and Global Business, and a BFA in Design Communications from Kent State with studies in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Her eclectic nature stems from farm-roots mixed with urban-cultivation, and is fueled by a zeal for modern style, beautifully crafted books, and a daily doppio espresso.

Michelle Burrell joined the Pison Team in November 2020 and directs Client Services and Strategies from Pison Headquarters in New York City. Her corporate experience began at Servcorp Workspace Solutions’ San Francisco office in 2016, with multiple promotions within their ranks, from receptionist up to leading their regional sales and client growth for New York City offices since 2018. Among her achievements with Servcorp, Michelle also wrote an article about female career advancement for Entrepreneur Magazine.

Michelle’s strengths include driving revenue profits for service relations, and building client relationships for long-term goals. Prior to her New York experience, she also wrote online fantasy sports media and advisory content.

Michelle is originally from Orange County, California, and studied at Pace University, in New York City for Broadcast Journalism in 2010. She lives in Manhattan, yet remains a diehard Los Angeles Laker fan and has a soft spot for rescue pups.

Fran Oroson has been directing Pison’s Corporate Information/Archives and overall Office Relations since 2012. Fran is invaluable, helping to foster an inclusive, cooperative and welcoming environment among employees and visitors. Fran attributes aspects of our company culture to the CEO, stating “Joe has done an extremely good job of getting people together who work together well. And everyone seems to be doing that.”

Prior to joining Pison, Fran was the Administrative Assistant in the R&D department of Akzo Nobel Coatings. In this position, she assisted chemists with formula system reviews and preparation.

Fran earned her degrees from Ohio State University and the University of Missouri.

She is an avid quilter, spending her free time completing quilting projects that have won her numerous awards.

Major General David MacGhee Jr. was elected to be a member of our Board of Directors in 2019. Prior to election, he served as a member of our 2018-19 Advisory Board.

David has dedicated more than three decades of service to the military and about 17 years to general aviation and random access on demand aviation experience. He is currently working as the Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations for WheelsUp, serving over 5100 members. Prior to this role, he spent over 10 years working at NetJets as the Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations, where he was responsible for 2800 pilots, 260 flight attendants, and 420 aircraft.

Before retiring from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2004, David commanded at the Squadron and Wing Level and served as the Director of Operations for Air Combat Command, the Inspector General for Air Combat Command, the Commandant of Air War College and the Commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center.

Through USAF, he earned his Bachelor of Science and lettered in Varsity Football. He also attained a Master of Science from Vanderbilt University as well as the Air Force Institute of Technology School of Engineering. David spends his free moments with his loving family including his wife, daughter and two granddaughters.

Wendy Harris has served as Strategic Talent Management leader for American Airlines since January 2013. She oversees succession planning and talent planning for leadership at American Airlines in addition to talent management initiatives for management team members worldwide.

Prior to joining American, Wendy practiced independent consulting in the chemical coating technology, aviation, telecom and information technology industries. As Director of Human Resources, she built and led the human resources function for Allconnect in its early years. Wendy also worked for CT Corporation System and State Farm which provided foundational experience.

She spends time volunteering with The Lupus Foundation, North Texas Lead and One Community Church in Dallas, Texas. Wendy is a former board member of Atlanta Technical College Foundation and formerly sponsored and volunteered with the Atlanta Mayor’s Youth Program and Temple Knight Homeless Shelter in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wendy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Law/Liberal Arts from Purdue University, a Master of Arts in Organizational Development & Training from Roosevelt University and a PhD in Business and Technology/Organization Management with a specialty in Human Resources from Capella University.

Since 2018, Mark Maroon has been on our Advisory Board and a valued member of our Board of Directors. As a strategic advisor, Mark lends thought leadership to many of our impost important business and innovation decisions. “I think the direction is truly visionary and awesome. Getting there is what I’m here to help accomplish.”

Outside of Pison, Mark is the Business Owner and Operator for Maroon Group LLC – a specialty chemical distribution company based in Ohio. For over 3 decades, Mark has been part of the executive team and the company’s Board of Directors. While he has made significant contributions to every part of the organization, he primarily handles strategy and management.

Mark graduated from Miami University with a BA in International Marketing.

In his free moments, Mark greatly values bonding with his many grandchildren, traveling, and watching virtually any spectator sport.

Nicholas Constantine Diamantis, MD, DMD, FAACS, is a dual degreed cosmetic surgeon with more than two decades of aesthetic surgical experience. He has two office locations: Lakewood and Middleburg Heights. He is accredited through the state of Ohio which gives him the privilege of performing all his surgeries in his own office location.  He developed several medical trademarks with the biggest and most proud surgical procedure called the “WEEKEND LIFT” which he has trademarked.

Dr. Diamantis obtained his Bachelor of Arts in three years and graduated magna cum laude, followed by a doctorate of dental medicine both from Case Western Reserve University. He then completed medical school, where he graduated with honors. After completing a five year residency at one of the nation’s top hospitals in maxillofacial surgery, he furthered his training in craniofacial surgery in Europe studying with Dr. Hans Bosker of the Netherlands and Dr. Miguel El Campo of Spain and Mexico. He then returned to the United States and completed a formal Cosmetic Fellowship in Florida under the direction of Dr. R.G. Smith, a disciple of the famous plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Tessier of Paris, France. During his fellowship, Dr. Diamantis trained exclusively in cosmetic surgery with an emphasis on facial plastic rejuvenation, nose surgery and body contouring.

Dr. Diamantis enjoys working with his hands. He has created many works of art in an assortment of mediums. There are art pieces that are presented throughout the Cleveland area under a pseudonym. His passion is philanthropic surgical mission. He volunteers bi-annually  traveling to Cambodia, Guatemala, and Mexico  helping  less fortunate  children that are born with cleft, lip and palate. He is the lead surgeon for the non-profit organization “Healing the Children” and his motto is Saving Faces…Changing Lives!

The biggest accomplishment Dr. Diamantis is proud of are his twin children. Constantine and Georgia; 8 years old. He enjoys coaching his children in their sports activities, plays the piano with them, and even loves teaching them to cook. Any and all his spare time is spent with his children and wife; Vasiliki of 30 years. He and his family live in the quaint village of Bratenahl.

Joseph James is the heart and brains behind Pison, founding the team as our first President, CEO and Chairman of the Board. Pison launched in 2010 from his desire to create disruptive technology that anyone could access, regardless of economic position. With Pison now making waves, he has the freedom to control the market, enact positive change, and pursue his dreams without limits. In December 2021, Joe rearranged company roles, and stepped back temporarily as President to focus his energy on responsibilities as CEO and Board Chairman. In June 2022, he resumed his full title again as CEO, President and Chairman of the Board.

Joseph is a firm believer in collaboration and injects a unifying spirit into the soul of the company. “We strive to create a culture where everybody – no matter your position – has a say-so. Everybody can help aid towards the growth of Pison Stream.”

Joseph brings over 35 years of experience in advanced chemical coatings, additives, antimicrobial and renewable energy platforms. Before founding Pison, he led research on chemical coating compositions as one of the Senior Research Chemists at Akzo Nobel and The Sherwin-Williams Company, and as Technical Director RD, Powder at Hentzen Coatings.

Joseph sits on two boards in Cleveland, Ohio: the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio and the Great Lakes Science Center. Joseph is an innovator, and holds 11 active U.S. Patents to-date, with several additional chemical formulations in Patent-Pending status.

Joseph holds a Masters Degree from Northwestern University in Business, Science, Communications and Strategies (MSc).

When he’s not out changing the world, Joseph enjoys reading about the latest technologies and discovering new talent everywhere he goes.

Erik D. Goodman joined our Advisory Board in 2019. He brings us decades of experience in computer science and technology, mechanical engineering, and evolutionary computation.

Outside of his work with Pison, he serves as the PI and Director of the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, headquarted at Michigan State University. Prior to this role, he worked as the Vice President of Technology for Red Cedar Technology, Inc., wherein he pioneered the development of the SHERPA blackbox optimizer until 2010. He has also worked as a professor at Michigan State University, aiding Ph.D. students in Mechanical Engineering and in Computer Science and Engineering. During this time, he directed the Case Center for Computer-Aided Engineering and Manufacturing. In 2009, Erik was honored with the title of Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year and in 2011, he received MSU’s Distinguished Faculty Award.

He has either founded or co-founded a multitude of organizations, including MSU’s Manufacturing Research Consortium, MSU’s Genetic Algorithms Research and Applications Group (GARAGe), Red Cedar Technology, Inc., and ACM’s SIG on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (SIGEVO).

Erik earned a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.S. in Systems Science from Michigan State University. He later attended the University of Michigan to complete his Ph.D. in Computer and Communication Sciences.

In his free time, Erik puts his efforts towards a development project that provides electric power, computers, and Internet to five public schools in Tanzania. Recently, he began additional work on an agricultural technology improvement project in Kenya. He also enjoys modeling solid fuel rocket motors and developing tools for optimizing the propellant grain at the millimeter level.

Jason Kavanaugh has been recognized as a dynamic leader who develops organizations focused on client-centric culture to drive exponential value for its stakeholders. His philosophy and strategy for value creation has earned local and national recognition for companies he has formed, including The Future 50 of Detroit for 6 consecutive years, Inc. 500 national qualifier for 3 consecutive years, Inc. 5000 national qualifier for 3 consecutive years, and being named as one of the Best Places to Work 2019.

Jason is the co-founder of Concorde Holdings, Inc. a national firm that serves retail and institutional clients, advising on more than $5 billion of assets through a network of financial professionals affiliated with Concorde’s subsidiaries: Concorde Investment Services, LLC, Concorde Asset Management, and Concorde Insurance Agency.

Jason currently serves on board of directors for the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) MAC chapter and has also served on the board of directors for the Detroit Chapter of the Entrepreneur Organization (EO). Jason is also an advisory board member for AdvisorBid.com, an online financial marketplace for financial firms and professionals, and for Real Assets Adviser, a national publication for institutional real estate and alternative assets for the past two years.

Jason enjoys speaking at local and national conferences on leadership, entrepreneurship, distribution, and financial services.

Jory Schwach was elected to be a member of our Advisory Board in 2018. He brings us over a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, flow theory and security technology.

Jory is currently the founder and CEO of Andium, an innovative platform for the Internet of Things. A true visionary, he was also previously the founder & CEO of a solar GPS company, GlobalRim, as well as an offline communication platform called MeshMe.

He completed his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Binghamton University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Transportation/Mobility Management.

Throughout his academic and professional career, he published several works and gained particular expertise in applied machine vision and network optimization technologies.

Lori Scott joined our Advisory Board in 2019. She has a strong background in social service, education and grant writing/fundraising to strengthen social capital in local communities.

In addition to serving on Pison’s Advisory Board, Lori is currently the Implementation Lead at Peerless Technologies on the NASA Engineering Design Challenge Team. In this role, she assists in leading a national effort through NASA’s Office of Education Programs at Glenn Research Center and the US Department of Education. The initiative  engages up to 30 states, and aides in strengthening educator training as well as out of school programs. Prior to Lori’s work with Peerless Technologies, she served in various positions in Cleveland’s education sector where she successfully managed large portfolios of education programs, supervised multi-layered teams, and provided service to both students and parents in both in-school and out of school programs and events.

Lori earned a BA in African American and African Studies, and a BS in Social Work from The Ohio State University. Lori then went on to earn both her MSSA and Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University.

Lori has been recognized several times for her tireless dedication to the community, and her humanitarian efforts to continually improve education programs. Most recently, she received the NSOROMA educator award in 2018. Prior to that, Lori was recognized as an honoree for the Kaleidoscope Magazine’s Forty-Forty Club. Lori was also inducted into The Ohio State University College of Social Work Hall of Fame in 2013.

In her spare time, Lori enjoys traveling, biking, roller skating and anything that resembles adventure. She volunteers at her church, New Community Bible Fellowship, and with Cleveland State University’s Pratt Center Fostering Success and Leadership Programs; an initiative for youth aging out of foster care with aspirations to pursue an undergraduate degree.

Paul Gabrik joined our Advisory Board in 2018. He brings us over 20 years of experience in enterprise technology software sales and services executive management.

In addition to his work with Pison, Paul serves as the Chief Revenue Officer at Gama Aviation. In this role, he is responsible for sales and marketing with a focus on go-to market strategies for the private aircraft management and charter business. Before joining Gama, Paul had a one-year stint in the tech world at the Israeli start-up, Secure Islands Technologies. As the Executive Vice President of Sales, he helped the company get successfully acquired by Microsoft in the data classification and encryption security sector. 

Prior to this role, he spent 4 years at Accenture as the Global Sales Lead and Managing Partner for their entire software portfolio. He managed a wide range of industry platforms ranging from property and casualty insurance, core banking platforms and consumer products CRM.

Paul began his career in New York City, where he worked his way up to senior sales management roles in major corporations like Xerox, Hewlett Packard and MacAfee.

Paul spends his free time relaxing with his family, watching his kids play basketball, and attending as many rock concerts as possible.

Howard Fields was elected to be a member of our Advisory Board in 2018. As a recognized innovator at the intersection of human behavior and technology, he has become an invaluable asset to the team.

Howard has led a distinguished career in entrepreneurship, having held senior positions at major firms such as IBM and Cisco and served as an advisor and co-founder of multiple startups. He currently holds the title of Managing Partner at Essential Expertise, LLC. His insights, strategies and tactics help clients transform business models from analog to digital, sales and service relationships from transactional to advisory and revenue strategies from product-first to problem-first.

He attended Rutgers University, where he earned his BA in Business Administration as well as his MBA in Marketing & Organizational Behavior.

Beyond work, Howard pursues his passions as a digital technology enthusiast and a popular online vocalist.