Directors & Advisors

Board Director - President

Timothy Gifford  is the Founder and Chief Scientist of MOVIA ROBOTICS, INC. Timothy is responsible for developing MOVIA’s core technology and conducting advanced research and development. While continuing his research at the UCONN,  Timothy has consulted and presented internationally on Robot Assisted Instruction, Autism, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Collaborative Robotics, Human Perception & Assistive Technology.  

Board Director - Secretary

Jean-Pierre Bolat joined MOVIA in April 2018 as a Board Director and CEO. He is responsible for developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining corporate strategic initiatives. A 20-yr Navy veteran and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, JP has earned an MS in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and an MBA from Temple University.  JP's corporate background includes executive positions in IT, Aerospace & Defense, and Cyber Security.

Board Director

Bernie has spent over 47 years in a variety of entrepreneurial and management roles accumulating a wealth of knowledge in both investment syndications and renewable energy. Bernie holds a BS from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been instrumental in implementing business focused sustainability initiatives and has testified before Congressional committees on alternative energy issues. He is the owner and Founder of Zahren Financial Co., LLC since 1984. ZFC structured and managed a variety of successful equipment leasing offerings in the 1980’s. In the early 1990’s Zahren Alternative Power Corp. (ZAPCO), a spinoff of Zahren Financial Co., LLC, was built into a portfolio of 27 landfill gas and co-generation projects through acquisition and development. In 1998 ZAPCO executed the first significant international trade of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reductions in the U.S. This transaction was equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road for an entire year. ZAPCO was then sold to another entity in 2001 in a sale valued at $98 million. Bernie co-founded Clean Feet Investors I, LLC (CFI I) in 2010. CFI I is a private multi-million dollar investment fund with a successful 10-year track record to-date. The business focuses of CFI I’s portfolio include: solar photovoltaic, SREC aggregation & finance, energy efficient hydroponic greenhouses, battery storage, water heater controls and solar thermal and energy brokerage. Projects are located throughout the USA. Bernie truly believes in reducing his own carbon footprint, not only by managing and investing in CFI, but also by his renovation to his home which achieved “Net Zero Energy” awards through multiple deployments including: a 15 kilowatt wind turbine, geothermal heating and air conditioning, and a solar thermal hot water system.  He serves as the Chairman of the Avon CT Clean Energy Commission and has served as a member of the Board of the Talcott Mountain Science Center and Academy (www.TMSC.org) and on the Board of the Special Olympics and Community Health Charities of CT.

Bernie has three daughters and seven grandchildren. His active participation in helping reduce emissions that are contributing to Climate Change is his way of “paying forward” the obligation he believes we should all share for all life on Planet Earth.

Board Director

Philip Rubin, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer emeritus and board member at Haskins Laboratories, Professor Adjunct in the Department of Surgery, Otolaryngology at the Yale University School of Medicine and is currently the President-elect of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS).  Dr. Rubin has held numerous roles in the federal government, the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council and the White House.

Board Director

For over three decades, Kip Konwiser has been both a senior business executive and creative artist, helping raise the profile of many of the world’s top brands in entertainment. His dozens of credits range from executive producer to DGA Unit Production Manager across feature films, TV series, documentaries, interactive multimedia, live events, and music & dance projects. He's been awarded multiple prime time Emmys, Producer of the Year Award (PGA), and the NAACP Image Award among other global honors.

Advisor

Rebecca A. Nolan is Vice President, Global Business Development, for the MetroHartford Alliance, leveraging an extensive career in Economic Development.  She leads real estate services for business development activities in global markets, enhancing Connecticut’s Capital Region for foreign direct investment, and also provides consulting services to municipalities, chambers of commerce and other economic development organizations.  Her global work has established Connecticut as a location of choice for foreign direct investment.  

Advisor

Glenn McGrath was the Director of Pupil Services for West Hartford Public Schools for 20 years and has over 44 years of experience in the field.  Glenn received his Masters Degree in Special Education from the University of Connecticut in 1976.  Throughout his career, Glenn has focused on the education of students with disabilities and the integration of special and general education to improve achievement of all students.