Duane brings extensive senior executive corporate domestic and international experience to Fulcrum Global Capital, LLC with recognized accomplishments in leadership and strategic positioning.

Duane brought his expertise in leading other organizations through transformational change to the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) in 2012 as its president and CEO where he led the organization to attract and grow the bioscience sector as an economic growth engine for the state of Kansas. His extensive background in growing companies in tough, competitive environments served the mission of the KBA and the entrepreneurial companies in its portfolio of investments.
Duane came to the KBA from his role as managing partner of Genus Consulting, LLC where he worked closely with equity fund managers on valuation, management and market assessment for investment and divestiture decisions.

Previously, and for more than 25 years, Duane worked at Payless ShoeSource, Inc., ultimately as president and director, guiding a $185 million regional footwear retailer with 575 stores to a 5,000 store international footwear company with revenues of $3 billion with operations in more than 10 countries. Duane spent over 30 years in the retail industry with responsibilities including merchandising, marketing, retail operations, supply chain and distribution, information technology, real estate and construction, and international operations and development (serving as Chairman of the International Division joint venture subsidiary).

Duane earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kansas State University and was a member of the 1997 Executive Program, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.

Chris Edwards serves as the president of Fulcrum Composites Inc. The company has commercialized several composites related products and technologies including composite fastening systems, and lightweight curved sandwich panels.

In 2008 Fulcrum Composites Inc received a Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund Award, the only recipient in the Alternative Energy category. The company also received MEDCs Innovation Award in recognition of its pioneering work in development of solar thermal panels applicable in cold climates.

Previously Mr. Edwards was a Business Development Manager at The Dow Chemical Company where he originated the concept of use “live” thermoplastic resins for the manufacture of composite materials and managed the project within Dow Chemical leading to their development and commercialization as Fulcrum Thermoplastic Composites.

Mr. Edwards served as a Market Development Manager for Dow from 1996-2000. He was an Application Development Engineer at the company from 1990-1996, working with multiple OEMs on design and development projects utilizing new polymer systems. He has received numerous US patents for innovations in the structure and processing of composite materials.

Mr. Edwards received a Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science from Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, England in 1980. He received a Master of Technology degree from Brunel University in Uxbridge, England in 1984, and was a Chartered Engineer with The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (UK) and The Institute of Materials (UK).

Matt McKenna is currently an Executive in Residence at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University where he founded the Rural Opportunity Initiative. The Initiative studies and promotes the role of private investment in the rural economy as a key in establishing rural prosperity. Key areas of investment focus are in agriculture, technology, infrastructure and venture capital.

Matt McKenna served as a Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack from 2013-2017. In that role, Matt worked to leverage federal resources with public and private partners to foster job creation, business development and economic growth in rural America. During his time with the Administration, Matt was also a Presidential Executive Fellow.

Prior to joining USDA, Matt served as the President and Chief Executive Office of Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings together volunteers to build and sustain vibrant communities.

Before joining Keep America Beautiful, Matt served as Senior Vice President of Finance at PepsiCo, Inc. in Purchase, NY. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Treasurer, and before that Senior Vice President, Taxes. Before joining PepsiCo in 1993, Matt was a partner in the law firm of Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam and Roberts in New York City.

Matt is currently an active director of Foot Locker, Inc. where he serves as Chair of the Finance and Strategic Panning Committee. He is also the designated financial expert on the Audit Committee. He has served on the boards of trustees of several other for profit and not for profit organizations including PepsiAmericas, Inc. and Hamilton College where he graduated and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

He is also a principal in the Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund.

Matt has been an adjunct professor at Fordham University since 1984, where he currently teaches courses in Strategy, Financial Analysis and Globalization.

Mark Remmert is the Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot and serves on the Board of Directors.

Remmert was CEO of Styron Corporation based in Horgen, Switzerland, from its inception in July 2009. Styron was a $5 billion, wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Co, and the world leader in its top two products – polystyrene and S/B latex.

In his 30-year career with Dow Chemical, Remmert assumed a variety of commercial and business leadership roles in the United States, Europe, and Asia. For two years prior to Styron, Remmert held the dual roles of global business director for Polycarbonate and Compounds & Blends, and general manager of Dow Fiber Solutions (DFS), also based in Horgen, Switzerland.

From 2001-2007, Remmert served as President, and Chairman of LG-Dow Polycarbonate Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea. Remmert was responsible for the launch of the new company and guided the company to unprecedented growth. He also served for 10 years on the Board of Directors of Sumitomo Dow Ltd. in Japan, and LG Dow Polycarbonate Ltd., in Korea.

Remmert holds a bachelor’s degree in geology and geophysics from the University of Wyoming.

Mr. Zugel serves as Founder and CIO of ZAIS and is also Chairman of the company’s Management Advisory Committee.

Before founding ZAIS in 1997, Mr. Zugel was Head of High Yield Proprietary Trading with J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., where he led J.P. Morgan’s entry into many new trading initiatives. At J.P. Morgan, Mr. Zugel also served on the Asia Pacific management-wide and firm wide market risk committees.

Mr. Zugel received a Masters in Economics from the University of Mannheim, Germany.

Board of Advisors

Tom is a Partner with Open Prairie and will utilize experience from his 30 year career in agribusiness with Tate & Lyle to identify and assess investment opportunities and assist portfolio companies in development of strategic objectives resulting in operational efficiencies and value creation for stakeholders.

He is the Founder and President of Tadvise, an independent consulting firm that works with corporate and private equity clients, ranging in size from small businesses to Fortune 100, to improve performance and accelerate profitability.

He received his Executive MBA from the University of Illinois and has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Denver.

Lydia Kinkade co-founded iiM with Lee Harris, Bob Esrey, and Jeanette Jayne in 2013.

Lydia leads deal sourcing efforts, facilitates the due diligence process, negotiates favorable investment terms for iiM investors and manages the iiM portfolio. She creates partnerships and opportunities for collaboration with earlier- and later-stage funds, accelerators, universities and other stakeholders.

Prior to launching iiM, Lydia graduated from Kansas State University, where she currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Kevin brings nearly 20 years of experience in financing, managing, growing and investing in early-stage companies.

Kevin brought his operational expertise in managing and growing other organizations to the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) in 2013 as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the KBA, Kevin served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP).

Kevin is a Kauffman Fellow, completed the Venture Capital Executive Program at Berkeley, and earned a BS in Accounting and Finance from Kansas State University.

One of Green Dot’s founders, Mr. Mahoney was also the founder and President of Gulf Stream Asset Management, an institutional asset management firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to its sale to Apollo Global Management. Gulf Stream managed $3.3 billion of assets for leading institutional banks and insurance companies in the US corporate debt markets.

Prior to founding Gulf Stream in March 2002, Mr. Mahoney was Executive Vice President and Head of Capital Markets for Wachovia Securities. Prior to joining Wachovia, Mr. Mahoney established First Union Institutional Debt Management (“IDM”) with over $3.5 billion of assets under management. Prior to founding First Union Institutional Debt Management in August 1998, Mr. Mahoney served as Head of First Union’s Investment Banking Group. Mr. Mahoney joined First Union in 1992 as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Specialized Industries, a division of the Corporate Banking Group and served as a member of the bank’s Senior Executive Management Committee.

Mr. Mahoney holds a bachelors degree from Duke University and has over 32 years of corporate and investment banking experience, including Leveraged Capital at Citicorp and Equity Capital Markets at Merrill Lynch. He previously served for five years on the board of Trustees for the Trinity School of Arts and Science at Duke University.