Executive Leadership
Chad Harper
Chad Harper brings more than 25 years of executive leadership across aerospace, defense, and enterprise technology strategy, with senior positions at BAE Systems, Intel Corporation, Verizon Business, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon Technologies. At Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Chad served as Senior Director of Strategy across an $8B growth portfolio. At L3Harris he served as CTO of the Military Training Sector, leading R&D across 100+ engineers, expanding the R&D budget from $5M to $20M, and securing $160M in program revenue. Over his career, he has generated more than $3B in revenue and $500M in year-over-year cost savings.
John J. Coutris
With more than 30 years of experience spanning private equity, venture capital, corporate finance, and strategic business development, John has built a reputation for creating meaningful partnerships, driving growth, and connecting visionary companies with the capital and relationships they need to succeed. Throughout his career, he has completed 50+ transactions and cultivated an exceptional global network of investors, executives, and industry leaders. John leads our business development and investor relations efforts, helping forge strategic alliances, identify investment opportunities, and connect entrepreneurs with the resources required to accelerate growth. His leadership and deep industry expertise continue to strengthen GT Optics’ mission of transforming innovative companies into market leaders. John’s passion for building lasting relationships and creating long-term value makes him an integral part of our leadership team, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.
Scott Bayless
Scott Bayless brings more than 25 years of executive leadership across private equity, systems integration, disruptive technology, and enterprise infrastructure. He has raised more than $500 million in capital, closed more than $200 million in operating deals, and led ventures generating over $700 million in project revenues. An early Internet-infrastructure pioneer, Scott founded one of the first commercial systems-integration firms in 1994 and co-founded Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. He is a Harvard Business School OPM graduate and summa cum laude alumnus of the University of Minnesota.
Marck Blakesley
Marck Blakesley is a governance-efficiency and data-driven transformation leader with over 20 years driving enterprise-scale modernization across Fortune 100 corporations, public utilities, advanced manufacturing, and technology ventures. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he specializes in translating complex operational systems into streamlined, automated, data-intelligent frameworks. Previously Business Process Transformation Master Consultant at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he led 50+ global Lean Six Sigma initiatives. Part-Time MBA/MSBA Professor at California State University, Sacramento, and Founder of planetcorps.ai.
Russ Price
Russ Price is a U.S. Army veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, leading and supporting a wide range of commercial and residential projects. His expertise spans project management, operations, team leadership, and strategic planning, with a consistent record of delivering successful outcomes in complex and demanding environments. Russ brings several years of green-technology sector experience in Project Manager and Director-level roles, focused on advancing sustainable technologies while overseeing project execution, operational performance, and cross-functional teams. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Business Development at GreenTek Holdings and as Treasurer and Board Member of the GreenTek Foundation, where he provides financial oversight, governance, and strategic leadership. At GT Optics, Russ leads Field Operations and Customer Installations — owning site survey, installation methodology, configuration management, and sustainment across SecureWrap® deployments at data centers, SCIFs, and other customer environments.
