Peter V. Leparulo has served as a director since May 2003 and as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since April 2008. He served as Executive Chairman since November 2006 and as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2003. Prior to January 2003, he was our Senior Vice President, General Manager, CDMA Operations since May 2001. From September 2000 to May 2001, he served as our Senior Vice President, Corporate and Strategic Development and General Counsel. From June 1998 until September 2000, Mr. Leparulo was a Senior Partner at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he specialized in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, intellectual property and general corporate matters. Prior to joining Orrick, Mr. Leparulo was a Partner at the law firm of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP, from January 1992 until June 1998, and an Associate at that firm from October 1989 until January 1992. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Colgate University and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University.
Russell Gerns has served as director since September 2009. Mr. Gerns has more than twenty-five years of operational and finance experience, having participated in the founding and dramatic growth of numerous high-tech companies. These companies include: Scientific Data Systems (later Xerox Data Systems), Computer Machinery Corporation, Cipher Data Products and Rexon, Inc. (later Legacy Storage Systems). Mr. Gerns is a member of the Board of Advisors of the UCLA Anderson School of Management Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, a member of the Board of Directors of the California Council on Economic Education, and has taught as a professor of business management at Pepperdine University. Mr. Gerns earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
James Ledwith has served as a director since March 2008. Since 1992, Mr. Ledwith has served as a partner at J.H. Cohn, an accounting and consulting firm and, from 2000 to 2007, was a lecturer at San Diego State University. He is also a director of San Diego Trust Bank. Mr. Ledwith is a Certified Public Accountant and received his undergraduate degree from Babson College and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton Graduate Division of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Ledwith serves as a member of our Audit Committee.
Greg Lorenzetti has served as a director since February 2007. Since 2002, he has served as president of Titan Partners, LLC, a private equity and technology commercialization investment firm since 2002. He is a founding member of HFI, a privately held investment company based in the United Kingdom. In the past, he served as an executive within the financial sector, and advised boards and principals of public and private companies on capital formation, marketing, and strategic planning issues. Mr. Lorenzetti is an investor in several biotech companies and numerous early stage technology and biotechnology companies such as Nomadix, a company acquired by Maginet. Mr Lorenzetti has been active investor and advisor in oil and gas exploration projects around the world over the last several years. Mr. Lorenzetti attended Stanford University. Mr. Lorenzetti serves as our Lead Independent Director and as a member of our Audit Committee and as the Chairman of our Compensation Committee.
Horst J. Pudwill has served as a director since July 2003. He is currently Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd., a Hong Kong listed global manufacturer of industry leading brands in power tools, lawn and garden equipment, and floor care appliances. Mr. Pudwill founded the company in 1985 and was Chief Executive Officer from 1985 to 2008. Mr. Pudwill co-founded Novatel Wireless and previously served on our Board from 1996 until 2000. Mr. Pudwill received a Master's Degree in Commerce and Engineering from Technical College, Flensburg, Germany and a degree in Engineering from Technical College, Verden, Germany. Mr. Pudwill serves as a member of our Compensation Committee.
John Ross has served as a director since June 2007 and has served as a consultant to the Company since December 2008. Previously, Mr. Ross was President and Chief Executive Officer of Media Connex, Inc., a San Diego based company that provides bundled services and equipment for wireless networks, network security, advanced diagnostics, and other IT services and solutions. Before founding Media Connex, Mr. Ross held various leadership positions within the Company in engineering and business development from August 2000 to February 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Ross held leadership positions at Motorola's subscriber equipment division participating in the development of high volume consumer handsets, most notably contributing to the roll out of the Japan CDMA network and the launch of the CDMA StarTACs for North America. Mr. Ross has also held engineering positions with US Robotics and Littlefuse, Inc. Mr. Ross holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Washington University and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Ross serves as the Chairman of our Corporate Governance Committee.
General John D. Wakelin (U.S. Army, Retired) has served as a director since May 2009. For the last 20 years he has worked in senior executive and business development roles at SAIC, a Fortune 500 scientific, engineering, and technology applications company. At SAIC, General Wakelin has overseen numerous programs in large scale computing, telecommunications systems, and complex enterprise software systems for the public and private sector. He retired as Brigadier General for the Army where he served for 30 years in a number of roles, culminating in the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Command Control and Communications for the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Reagan and Bush and as Deputy Commander for Research and Development for the U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, NJ. General Wakelin holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of San Francisco and he completed all graduate level course work in Social Psychology for the Army's Foreign Area Officer Program at San Diego State University. General Wakelin also attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and National War College. He is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the Association of the United States Army.
David A. Werner has served as a director since January 2004. Since 2004, Mr. Werner has been Co-Owner of Aerofit, Inc., an engineered component manufacturer. Prior to that, Mr. Werner was a Partner at Engineered Components, an acquisition and business development company serving the engineered components market, which he joined in 2002. Prior to Engineered Components, Mr. Werner served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Day Runner, Inc. from 1999 to 2002. From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Werner was Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors for Kaynar Technologies, Inc., a specialty component manufacturer. Mr. Werner is a Certified Public Accountant and received both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration both from the University of Southern California. Mr. Werner serves as the Chairman of our Audit Committee.
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