Board of Directors

Paul Travers is the founder of Vuzix and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since 1997 and as a member of our Board of Directors since November 1997. Prior to the formation of Vuzix, Mr. Travers founded both e-Tek Labs, Inc. and Forte Technologies Inc. He has been a driving force behind the development of our products. With more than 30 years’ experience in the consumer electronics field, and 26 years’ experience in the virtual reality and virtual display fields, he is a nationally recognized industry expert. He holds an Associate degree in engineering science from Canton, ATC and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from Clarkson University.

Grant Russell has served as our Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President since 2000 and as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2009. From 1997 to 2004, Mr. Russell developed and subsequently sold a successful software firm and a new concept computer store and cyber café. In 1984, he co-founded Advanced Gravis Computer (Gravis), which, under his leadership as President, grew to become the world’s largest PC and Macintosh joystick manufacturer with sales of $44 million worldwide and 220 employees. Gravis was listed on NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange. In September 1996 it was acquired by a US-based Fortune 100 company via a successful public tender offer. Mr. Russell holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance from the University of British Columbia and is both a US Certified Public Accountant and a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant.

Timothy Harned is an investment banking, corporate development, and financial advisory veteran with more than 35 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and related activities. Mr. Harned has been a director of the Company since June 2017. Mr. Harned is also a technology specialist with more than 25 years of experience in various technology fields, including communications, mobility, and software, and another ten years working with consumer and industrial companies. He holds an MBA from The Kenan-Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Kenyon College. He began his career at Lehman Brothers (1987 to 1992) within the mergers and acquisitions group. Upon receiving his Masters in Business Administration in 1994, Mr. Harned went on to serve as a corporate development executive (1994 to 1996) and later joined Banc of America Securities (1996 to 2000) where he became a Managing Director. Mr. Harned subsequently joined Morgan Stanley & Co. (2000 to 2002) where he served as Executive Director focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets advisory for technology companies. From 2003 to 2016, Mr. Harned served in leadership positions at several technology-focused financial and strategic advisory boutiques. In 2016, Mr. Harned founded 8Nineteen Advisory, LLC where he served as Managing Partner and CEO while functioning as a strategic C-suite consultant regarding growth matters and providing financial advisory services, with a specialty in mergers and acquisitions and corporate and business development. He led 8Nineteen Advisory from December 2016 until it was acquired by Progress Partners, Inc. in May 2021. Since that time, he has served as Managing Director at Progress Partners in their Boston headquarters. Over his career, Mr. Harned has led strategic transactions for both Fortune 500 companies as well as earlier stage high growth enterprises. In addition, he has successfully completed multiple cross-border transactions for U.S. acquirers entering the markets of both established and developing countries. Mr. Harned’s capital markets, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic and financial advisory experience in the technology and consumer fields qualifies him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Alasdair J. MacKinnon is a seasoned finance and audit executive with over three decades of international experience across the U.S. and Europe. Currently Managing Director at Acclarity, MacKinnon has led transformative Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) initiatives, regulatory compliance redesigns, and operational audits for a diverse range of organizations—including public companies, higher education institutions, and major distributors. Previously, MacKinnon served as Vice President of Internal Audit at Home Properties, where he enhanced data analytics in audit processes, advised on IT and risk initiatives, and contributed to strategic decision-making across multiple committees. During his tenure at Google, he managed global internal audit teams in high-risk areas such as payroll, procurement, and tax, designing controls that significantly reduced compliance risk and improved operational efficiency. Earlier in his career, MacKinnon held leadership roles at Global Crossing and worked extensively in external audit with Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers in both the U.S. and the UK. A Chartered Accountant (Scotland) and Certified Internal Auditor, he is widely regarded for his collaborative leadership style, mentorship, and ability to drive sustainable improvements in financial governance. MacKinnon holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Glasgow.

Paula Whitten-Doolin, is both an excellent leader and lawyer, frequently tasked with managing high-stakes, high-pressure situations while remaining grounded and thoughtful. She has frequently served as a strategic thought-partner for business and has worked to establish strong governance processes in her past three roles. She is respected for her integrity and ability to make tough decisions when called upon to do so. Recently, as the General Counsel of Ideanomics, a multinational eV company, Paula oversaw the legal, human resources, and environmental, social, and governance departments. Paula led her teams as the organization went through significant changes and major challenges, including an SEC investigation, the acquisition and divestiture of subsidiaries, and multiple capital raises. Previously, as the Head of Legal, Americas for Neste, Paula served on the boards of four Neste subsidiary companies, including the board of Neste’s largest acquisition in the United States to present, Mahoney Environmental. She successfully built a legal team in the Americas and helped to establish Neste as the pre-eminent sustainable aviation fuel supplier worldwide by negotiating contracts with companies including Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others. Paula began her career as a litigator at Weil, Gotshal and Manges in San Francisco. She holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BS from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In addition to her board service at Neste, she has previously served on the boards of several charitable organizations in Houston.