Kiel Davis – President
Kiel Davis has over 14 years experience in developing electromechanical systems from early concept through to flight. His responsibilities include project management, company resource management, business development, mechanical and electrical design, control systems design, software development, systems implementation and testing of advanced automated and complex engineering systems. His work on space missions, including the Mars Exploration Rovers’ Rock Abrasion Tool, the Mars Phoenix Lander’s Icy Sample Acquisition Device, and the Mars Science Laboratory’s Surface Removal Tool provide him with an in-depth understanding of the challenges and difficulties inherent in designing mechanisms for long life in harsh environments. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Rochester and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Polytechnic University.

Erik Mumm – Vice President & Director, Flight Systems
Erik Mumm has over 8 years experience in electro-mechanical systems design, development, and test for NASA programs. In tandem with the Chief Engineer, Mr. Mumm chairs internal design reviews and ensures Honeybee’s technical standards are followed and continuously improved upon. Most recently he has acted as technical lead on a robotic Sample Manipulation System for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory. His responsibilities since joining Honeybee in 2002 include mechanism and systems design of flight hardware, controls and software development, flight operations support, extensive laboratory and field testing. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska.

Kris Zacny PhD – Vice President & Director, Exploration Technology
Dr. Kris Zacny focuses on robotic space drilling, sample acquisition, transfer and processing technologies, as well as geotechnical systems for mining applications. Previously, Dr. Zacny managed mining projects and production in South Africa. Dr. Zacny earned a Ph.D. in Mars drilling and an ME in Petroleum Engineering from University of California, Berkeley, as well as a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Cape Town. Dr Zacny has over 100 publications, including an edited book, “Drilling in Extreme Environments: Penetration and Sampling on Earth and Other Planets.” He has been a Principal and Co-Investigator of over 50 NASA and Department of Defense funded projects and participated in drilling expeditions in Antarctica, the Atacama Desert, Mauna Kea, the Mojave Desert and the Arctic. Dr. Zacny has over 15 NASA New Technology Records and three NASA Group Achievement Awards.

Jason Herman – Vice President, Advanced Robotics Group
Jason Herman has over 10 years of experience leading advanced robotic technology development for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and private industry. Mr. Herman is a licensed professional engineer; his areas of expertise include mechanism design, systems engineering, system integration, implementation and testing for advanced automated and complex engineering systems, business development and project management. He is responsible for ensuring quality and technical success of current robotics projects, as well as identifying and securing new business opportunities. He leads a team of multidisciplinary engineers developing robotic systems for new end-use applications for entrepreneurial clients from the space, defense, medical, infrastructure, mining, and industrial automation markets.

Ron Hayes – Chief Engineer
Ron Hayes has over 25 years of experience in developing electromechanical mechanisms for challenging requirements including space-qualified systems. His responsibilities include ensuring that projects are planned and conducted with sound engineering practices, reviewing technical concepts for major projects, resolution of technical issues, and business development tasks. Mr. Hayes’ experience spans mechanical design, electrical design, system design and integration, standard testing practices, materials, manufacturing techniques, software design, root cause analysis, mathematical modeling and computer simulation. Previous positions include Chief Engineer for Electro-Mechanical Systems at SpaceDev – Starsys Inc., Senior Design Engineer at Electrotec Corp and Research Scientist at Langley Research Center. He has played a lead role in providing dozens of spacecraft mechanisms for flight missions including solar array drives, gimbals, and other electro-mechanical mechanisms incorporating motors, transmissions, bearings, slip rings, and other subsystems. He holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.