Bill Craven
CHAIRMAN
Overwatch Systems

  • Bill Craven serves as Chairman of Overwatch Systems, a New Jersey-based company focused on providing intelligence analysis tools and communications products to U.S. intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense (DoD).

    Previously, Mr. Craven served as President and CEO of Paravant, Inc., a public company that provided digital battlefield equipment to the U.S. Army and Air Force and high-speed signal intelligence processing systems to U.S. intelligence agencies. Under his leadership, Paravant became one of the leading defense contractors in its field. Mr. Craven was able to lead the effort to take the company public in 1996. Afterwards, he successfully completed the acquisition and integration of four other firms competing in the defense and intelligence sectors.

    Prior to joining Paravant, Mr. Craven served in product development and senior management roles for the Mead Corporation of Dayton, Ohio, ultimately serving as President of the Seiko Mead Company, a joint venture between Seiko Group of Japan and Mead Corporation.

    Mr. Craven began his career with Anderson Electric Company, where he worked first as a scientist and then as a sales engineer for the Systems Division.

    Mr. Craven holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Ala., and an executive MBA from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. Mr. Craven is married, has three daughters and enjoys mountain hiking, golf and reading.

John C. Zisko
Chief Financial Officer
Overwatch Systems

  • Mr. Zisko is our Chief Financial Officer. He served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Paravant, Inc. from June 2000 to October 2002. From 1997 to 1999 Mr. Zisko was the Vice President of Finance for Premier Refractories International, a subsidiary of the Alpine Group. From 1995 to 1997 Mr. Zisko held the position of Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Hosposable Products Inc. From 1989 to 1995 Mr. Zisko was the Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for CMS Gilbreth Packaging Systems Inc. Mr. Zisko holds a Masters in Business Administration in accounting and taxation from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Mr. Zisko is also a certified public accountant. Mr. Zisko is a member of the Overwatch Systems Board of Directors.

Kirk D. Brown
PRESIDENT
Geospatial Operations

  • Kirk Brown is the President of Overwatch Systems Geospatial Operations. From 1997 to  March of 2005 Mr. Brown served as the President and COO of Sensor Systems, Inc. overseeing Sensor’s emergence as the dominant supplier of imagery analysis software to the US defense and intelligence market and leading the company’s growth of over 1000% during the seven year period.

    From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Brown served as President and CEO of Intelus Corporation, a leading developer of workflow and document imaging software for the financial and healthcare industries (sold to SunGard Data Systems in 1995), leading the company to over 800% growth in three years.

    From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Brown was President and CEO of ebm (sold to BancTec in 1992) and ebm Systems, two companies engaged in systems integration and specialized solutions for the healthcare and legal markets. During this period Mr. Brown led the turn around of the company from five years of losses prior to his tenure to profitable operations within the first nine months, ultimately leading to a profitable sale of the parent company. In addition Mr. Brown led the start-up of a new systems integration subsidiary for the company that eclipsed the size of the original parent company within three years.

    Mr. Brown began his career in Accounting and Growth Management Consulting working for a decade at Arthur Young & Company (now Ernst & Young) and was the firm’s youngest partner in 1988. During this period Mr. Brown was a founding member of Arthur Young’s National Entrepreneurial Services Group, launching an effort that expanded to over 70 offices in three years with growth from start up to over $100 million in service revenues by the third year.

    Mr. Brown graduated with high honors earning a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington. Mr. Brown is a former CPA.

James L. Wade
President
Tactical Operations

  • James Wade is President of Overwatch Systems Tactical Operations and possesses a broad and extensive background in both executive-level management and technical operations, with expertise in program management, systems engineering, systems software and marketing. Mr. Wade is a member of the Overwatch Systems Board of Directors.

    Mr. Wade founded Austin Info Systems (AIS), Inc. (Overwatch Systems’ predecessor), in 1992 to help meet the software systems’ needs of the military tactical user community in a rapidly changing environment. Under his leadership, AIS thrived as an intelligence and mapping software development company that provided the warfighter with quick-response and relevant tactical information processing and intelligence threat assessment tools. His keen and in-depth understanding of Tactical C3I systems development helped the company earn the Army Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II Quality Award in 1998 and selection as a “best in industry” partner in the U.S. Army transformational program in July 2003.

    Prior to starting AIS, Mr. Wade served as a key executive for Lockheed Martin, managing a $150 million line of business that included the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Environmental Support System, the Advanced Rocket System, the U.S. Air Force’s MK IVB Tactical Weather Terminal program, the Tomahawk Surface and Submarine Fire Control software programs and several significant SIGINT Processing and Communications Systems programs.

    A trained and experienced systems engineer, Mr. Wade also gained invaluable experience working in a hands-on, technical capacity at Lockheed Martin. He served as Chief Engineer for the company’s Command Support Programs directorate, Chief Systems Engineer for the Tomahawk Cruise Missile Weapons Control system and as Engineering Team Leader for submarine demonstration and shakedown operations. He also initiated and promoted the software process effort that led to the creation of a Software Engineering Institute process program for Lockheed Austin Division.

    Mr. Wade holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and has completed numerous senior executive education and finance management programs.

Michael D. Metscher
Executive Vice President
Tactical Operations

  • Michael Metscher has over 20 years of experience managing Department of Defense (DoD) development and integration programs and overseeing corporate operations. As Executive Vice President of Overwatch Systems Tactical Operations, he is responsible for directing the company’s day-to-day operations, including program management, system engineering, software and hardware development, system integration, test and system support. He first joined the company (then known as Austin Info Systems, Inc.) in 1994 and was the Chief Operating Officer.

    In his previous position, Mr. Metscher served as Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Intelect Communications, Inc., a leader in integrated access solutions, where he was responsible for all corporate engineering and production endeavors, including hardware and software development of air defense and air traffic control switching systems, system engineering, manufacturing, integration and test.

    Prior to that, he worked for more than 10 years as a Senior Executive, Program Manager, Technical Manager and Systems Engineer at Electrospace Systems, Inc., a major electronics systems manufacturer for military aircraft and the defense industry. Among other accomplishments, Mr. Metscher successfully oversaw $170 million worth of development and production contracts for one of the company’s five engineering and programs divisions; managed a diverse group of electrical, mechanical and software engineers on a number of classified projects for DoD.

    Mr. Metscher holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Steven T. Huff
Vice President & Chief Technology Officer
Geospatial Operations

  • Mr. Huff serves as Chief Technology Officer of Overwatch Systems Geospatial Operations responsible for the strategic direction of new products.

    Prior to his current position, he founded Sensor Systems, Inc. (now part of Overwatch Systems), as a consulting operation in 1985. Mr. Huff was also a cofounder of BDS, Inc., a systems integrator specializing in UNIX solutions, and was a member of its Board of Directors prior to its merger with BTG. From 1979 to 1983, Mr. Huff worked as an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He also served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency from 1975 to 1978.

    Mr. Huff graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Hampden-Sydney College just outside of Farmville, Va., and received a Master of Science degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Mr. Huff is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

  

Overwatch Systems
Board of Directors:

William (Bill) R. Craven
James L. Wade
John C. Zisko
Rodney B. Sorkin
Frank Saus
LTG (Ret) Paul Menoher, Jr.
Michael B. Goldberg
Philip E. Berney
Jonathan Berger
Steven T. Huff

INVESTORS

Kelso & Company, one of the oldest and most established firms specializing in private equity investing, has been involved in leveraged acquisitions since 1971. The Firm makes equity investments on behalf of investment partnerships, which it manages. Since 1980, Kelso has invested in more than 82 companies with total initial enterprise value of more than $21 billion.
Kelso was organized in 1971 as a firm that specialized in arranging acquisitions and equity investments in corporations structured with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

The conceptual foundation for ESOPs is grounded in the writings of the late Louis O. Kelso, the Firm's founder, who concluded from his economic studies that a broader diffusion of capital ownership would address a variety of economic problems. Kelso has increasingly utilized performance-based plans to provide equity incentives to the management teams and the employees of portfolio companies.
In 1980, Kelso established its first investment partnership to provide a source of equity for Kelso sponsored acquisitions and recapitalizations. The establishment of this partnership marked the beginning of the transformation of Kelso's business to the activity in which it is primarily engaged today, the management of private equity investments.
Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P.

Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. ("Pegasus" or the "Firm") is a private equity firm that manages over $1.1 billion in assets and focuses on special situation investments in middle-market businesses. The Firm provides creative and value-added solutions to companies experiencing discrete financial, operational or legal issues. The investments take the form of buyouts, debt restructurings, asset consolidations or growth capital and may be comprised of both debt and equity securities.

The Firm leverages the skills of its investment professionals and seasoned operating advisors to devise unique financial and strategic plans that allow management teams to more efficiently address the operating issues that they face.
Pegasus invests primarily in U.S. - based companies that operate in a variety of industries and typically deploys $20 million to $75 million of fund equity in each transaction.
Founded in 1996, Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. is headquartered in Cos Cob, Connecticut.