Executive Officers

William I. Fradin, 41
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Mr. Fradin brings almost 20 years of finance experience, including expertise in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Mr. Fradin served as Executive Vice President of Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, from 2019 to 2021, which successfully completed a $1.1 billion merger with BlackSky Technology (NYSE: BKSY) in September 2021. He also served as an Advisor for Juniper Industrial Holdings, Inc., leading its $1.9 billion merger with Janus International Group (NYSE: JBI) in June 2021. Additionally, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Juniper II Corp., a blank check company, and advised Broadscale Acquisition Corp., a blank check company. Broadscale Acquisition Corp. and Juniper II Corp. did not complete business combinations and redeemed all outstanding Class A ordinary shares in February 2023 and February 2024, respectively. Since its formation in September 2016, Mr. Fradin has served as Co-Founder and Managing Director at HEPCO Capital Management. HEPCO is a private investment firm that sponsors capital investments in diverse business sectors, particularly real estate, private operating companies and financial investments. Previously, he was an Investment Professional at JLL Partners from 2007 to 2015, a middle market private equity firm. From June 2005 to June 2007, he was an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co. Mr. Fradin holds an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Fradin’s extensive finance and SPAC experience, combined with his proven ability to originate and execute successful deals across various industries, make him exceptionally well-suited to serve as Chief Executive Officer and a director. Mr. Fradin is the son of Roger Fradin, who currently serves as our special advisor.

Jonathan Z. Cohen, 54
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Mr. Cohen brings extensive experience in the SPAC market, having served as Chief Executive Officer of Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. He served as Co-Chairman of the board of directors of Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. from September 2018 until its merger with BlackSky Technology in September 2021, and prior to that he was the Chief Executive Officer from September 2018 to June 2019. He also served as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of Osprey Energy Acquisition Corp. from April 2017 until its merger with Falcon Minerals Corporation (NASDAQ: FLMN) in August 2018, and served as its Chairman from August 2018 to May 2020. Mr. Cohen is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with a distinguished track record across various sectors. He currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HEPCO Capital Management and Founder and Chairman of HEPCO Opportunity Partners. He has served on the boards of public and private companies, including Marathon Petroleum Corporation since December 2019 and previously, Energen Corporation from 2017 to 2018. His prior roles include, President and Chief Executive Officer of Resource America from 1997 to 2016, and Founder and Chairman of Atlas Energy from 1998 to 2015. Mr. Cohen also co-founded both Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P., a midstream energy company sold to Targa Resources, Inc. in 2015, and Atlas Energy, Inc., an exploration and production company sold to Chevron Corporation in 2011. He was Co-founder of Arc Logistics Partners LP, serving as Chairman from 2006 until its sale in December 2017 to Zenith Energy, and founder of Resource Capital Corp., now known as ACRES Commercial Realty Corp., a commercial mortgage REIT. Mr. Cohen’s experience in leading and advising public and private companies, including those in technology and energy related industries, and his proven ability to raise capital will make him an asset to the team. His deep understanding of the financial markets and his strategic vision will provide invaluable guidance to our board as we pursue our business combination. Mr. Jonathan Cohen is the son of Edward Cohen, our Vice Chairman.

Thomas C. Elliott, 51
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Elliott brings over 25 years of experience in accounting and Finance. Currently he serves as the Chief Financial Officer of HEPCO Capital Management, LLC and has been in that role since June 2022. He was previously Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Treasurer of Resource REIT, Inc. from September 2020 until May 2022. Mr. Elliott served on the board of directors of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. from June 2020 until July 2021 and the board of directors of LEAF Commercial Capital from 2016 until 2017. Mr. Elliott previously held various officer positions at Resource America, Inc.: Chief Financial Officer from December 2009 to September 2020, Executive Vice President from September 2016 and Senior Vice President from 2005 to 2016. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President-Finance and Operations of Resource America from 2006 to December 2009; Senior Vice President-Finance from 2005 to 2006 and Vice President-Finance from 2001 to 2005. From February 2017 to July 2020, Mr. Elliott was Executive Vice President-Finance and Operations of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. and was its Senior Vice President-Finance and Operations from September 2006 to February 2017 and, prior to that, was its Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer from September 2005 to June 2006. He was also Senior Vice President-Assets and Liabilities Management of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. from June 2005 until September 2005 and, before that, served as its Vice President-Finance from March 2005. Prior to joining Resource America in 2001, Mr. Elliott was a Vice President at Fidelity Leasing, Inc., a former equipment leasing subsidiary of Resource America, where he managed all capital market functions, including the negotiation of all securitizations and credit and banking facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Elliott also oversaw the financial controls and budgeting departments. Mr. Elliott received a BS in Accounting from Gwynedd Mercy University.

Jeffrey F. Brotman, 61
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer

Jeff Brotman currently serves as our Chief Executive Officer, and following the offering will serve as our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer. Mr. Brotman brings over 35 years of diverse experience in accounting, law, management, and investing. He served as Chief Financial and Chief Legal Officer of Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. from October 2019 until its merger with BlackSky Technology in September 2021. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Osprey Energy Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, from July 2017 until its merger with Falcon Minerals Corp. (NASDAQ: FLMN) in August 2018, after which he served as the Chief Financial, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Falcon from August 2018 to June 2019 and was its Chief Legal Officer from June 2019 until April 2022. Currently, he serves as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer at HEPCO Capital Management. Previously, Mr. Brotman was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Resource America, Inc., formerly a publicly traded asset manager investing in real estate, financial services and credit until its sale to C-III Capital Partners in September 2016. He joined Resource America in 2007, and while at Resource America also served as Executive Vice President of Resource Capital Corp., now known as ACRES Commercial Realty Corp., a publicly traded real estate investment trust, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Primary Capital Mortgage, Director of Leaf Commercial Capital and sat on various investment committees across all product lines. Mr. Brotman was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Access to Money, Inc. (f/k/a TRM Corp.), a non-bank ATM operator, from March 2006 to June 2007, and served as the Chairman of its Board of Directors from September 2006 through September 2008. Mr. Brotman was a co-founder, and served as Managing Member, of Ledgewood, PC, a Philadelphia based business law firm, from June 1992 to March 2006, and was of counsel until June 2007. He was a Trustee of Resource Real Estate Diversified Income Fund from its inception in March 2013 until September 2016. Mr. Brotman has been an adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School since 1990, where he has taught courses in accounting and lending transactions. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (currently inactive) and a licensed Real Estate Broker. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Board of Directors

Eldron Blackwell, 46
Director 

Mr. Blackwell is a highly accomplished finance executive with over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance, culminating in his current role as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. (formerly Exantas Capital Corp., formerly Resource Capital Corp.), a publicly traded REIT. Before that, he served as Acres’ Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer from March 2014 to December 2023. Before joining Resource, he served as Assistant Controller at New Penn Financial. Mr. Blackwell spent a significant portion of his early career at Grant Thornton LLP, the world’s fifth largest accounting firm, where he progressed through the ranks, serving as Associate, Senior Associate, Manager, and ultimately Senior Manager from 2001 to 2013. He began his career as Assistant Controller at Mitchell & Ness. Mr. Blackwell also serves as board chair for Freire Schools Collaborative and recently served on the executive committee of the board for Resources for Human Development, a healthcare organization providing human services across the United States. Mr. Blackwell is an inactive Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Blackwell holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Accounting from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Blackwell’s deep financial expertise, coupled with his proven leadership and strategic thinking, will make him an invaluable member of our board.

A. Kayode Ogunro, 42
Director 

Mr. Ogunro is an accomplished entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in principal investing, a global network, and expertise across diverse sectors, including technology and energy. He is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Standard Digital Group, a leading global climate technology platform focused on clean energy solutions. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to Kasi Datacenters, a hyperscale datacenter platform operating in Africa. Prior to founding Standard Digital Group, Mr. Ogunro was Managing Partner at Aion Holdings, a private real estate investment firm specializing in growth markets. From 2013 to 2016, he was a founding team member and Portfolio Manager at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. He also served as a Special Advisor to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, then Minister of Finance of Nigeria, advising the Department for International Development. Mr. Ogunro’s experience extends to roles at Actis, the Office of Tony Blair’s Africa Governance Initiative, ContourGlobal, RREEF, and Weston Presidio, where he gained valuable investment and private equity experience between 2005 and 2011. Mr. Ogunro holds an AB in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert A. Toigo Fellow. He currently serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard Center for African Studies and the Rhodes Scholarships and is a Team Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Ogunro’s deep understanding of the technology and energy sectors, combined with his entrepreneurial acumen and extensive investment experience, will be invaluable in guiding the management team through this business combination.

Edward E. Cohen, 86
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors 

Edward Cohen has served as Chairman of HEPCO Capital Management, LLC, since its formation in September 2016. He also served as Co-Chairman of the board of directors of Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. from June 2019 until its merger with BlackSky Technology in September 2021. Mr. Cohen also served as Executive Chairman of Osprey Energy Acquisition Corp. from April 2017 until its merger with Falcon Minerals Corporation (NASDAQ: FLMN) in August 2018, and served as Falcon Minerals’ Vice Chairman from August 2018 to May 2020. Mr. Cohen was Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Energy Group, LLC from February 2015 to May 2020, having also served as Chairman since February 2012. He was Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer of the general partner of Atlas Growth Partners, L.P. from its inception in 2013 until 2020. Mr. Cohen served as Chairman of Titan Energy, LLC from 2016 to 2020, and from August 2015 to September 2016, had been Executive Chairman of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., which filed a voluntary pre-packaged plan under Chapter 11 in July 2016, emerging from Chapter 11 as Titan Energy, LLC in September 2016 after confirmation of its plan. In addition, Mr. Cohen was: a director of Resource America, Inc. (formerly a publicly traded specialized asset management company) from 1988 until September 2016, Chairman of its board of directors from 1990 until September 2016, and Chief Executive Officer from 1988 until 2005 and its President from 1995 until 2005. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Resource Capital Corp., now known as ACRES Commercial Realty Corp. (NYSE: ACR), a REIT, from its formation in 2005 until November 2009 and served on its board until September 2016. Mr. Cohen is also a Professor of Classics and Ancient History (Adjunct) at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of many books and articles on ancient economic and legal history. Mr. Cohen’s extensive experience enables him to provide valuable perspective and provides us with decisive and effective leadership. Mr. Cohen’s experience in founding, operating and managing public and private companies of varying size and complexity, and his extensive experience in the areas of finance, strategy and mergers and acquisitions enable him to provide valuable expertise to us. Mr. Cohen is the father of Jonathan Cohen, our Chairman.