Board of Directors

Dr. Denis Phares is a recognized expert in advanced battery technology and manufacturing innovation. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Energy Corp., he leads the development of cutting-edge lithium-ion technologies and next-generation manufacturing processes that are redefining energy storage. Under his leadership, Dragonfly Energy and its flagship brand, Battle Born Batteries®, have grown into a leading force in the deep-cycle battery market, supported by a world-class R&D team advancing proprietary technologies from concept to commercialization. 

Before founding Dragonfly Energy in 2012, Phares was a tenured professor of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California. With three decades of experience spanning energy systems, nanotechnology, fluid mechanics, and powder processing, he has positioned himself at the forefront of lithium-ion cell innovation. His portfolio of patents includes core advancements in battery cell design and manufacturing methods that are foundational to the company’s technology roadmap. 

Phares earned a B.S. in Physics from Villanova University, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science from the California Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Luisa Ingargiola serves as Chief Financial Officer of Avalon GloboCare, a leading cell therapy biotech company. Since 2007, Ms. Ingargiola has served as the Chief Financial Officer or Audit Chair of multiple NASDAQ and NYSE Companies. She is currently on the Board of several public companies with a cleantech focus and specializes in corporate governance, merger and acquisitions, initial public offerings, and the structuring of various types of debt and equity financing. 

Ms. Ingargiola graduated from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. She received her MBA in Health Administration from the University of South Florida.

Brian Nelson was hired in the sales department of Lapmaster International, LLC in 1996; in 2002, he purchased the company and has served as its President and CEO since that time. Mr. Nelson has developed Lapmaster into an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of precision machinery which includes lapping, polishing, grinding, and honing technologies, as well as critical spare parts and consumables to keep machines in operation. Under Mr. Nelson’s leadership, Lapmaster serves over 4,000 US-based customers, including those in critical sectors such as medical, food processing, defense, chemical, energy, transportation and telecommunications. 

Mr. Nelson earned a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Marquette University in 1993, and an MBA from DePaul University – Charles H. Kellstadt School of Business in 2000. He is a member of the Association of Manufacturing Technology.

Mr. Boyle’s experiences range from the analytical to the managerial and entrepreneurial. He co-founded an investment bank and provided insightful research on a variety of industries, as well as possesses an extensive experience in building and leading large high-performance teams, on a global basis. As a private investor, Mr. Boyle has holdings in several environmental remediation and beverage companies, as well as in middle income housing. 

After a 35-year career at leading investment banks and asset management companies, Mr. Boyle has pivoted to public service; he serves as Chairman of The BOMA Project, a poverty graduation program for women in East Africa, based in Washington, DC and Nairobi. Mr. Boyle is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and a Director of The US Friends of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He was a 2018 and 2019 delegate from the IISS to the Shangri-La Dialogue and to the Manama Dialogue in 2019 and 2020. 

Mr. Boyle received a M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He holds an A.B. in Economics from Stanford University, an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College. He has lectured on investing and ethics at Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Cambridge.

Lukas Lutz is a battery chemist and entrepreneur at the intersection of deep science and applied AI. He holds a PhD from the Collège de France and the University of Oxford, conducted research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and studied management at INSEAD. Earlier in his career, he built an industrial AI business at GFT Technologies SE. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sphere Energy, where he leads the development of APEX, a physics-informed Foundation AI Operating System for the engineering world. Sphere Energy operates testing facilities in Augsburg and AI Labs in Munich, Zurich, and Paris. Lukas brings rare breadth to advisory roles: deep technical fluency in energy storage technologies and AI, hands-on experience building investor relations and technology brands across Europe, and a practitioner’s perspective on how AI is reshaping engineering-heavy industries. Since 2020, Lukas serves on the Technology Advisory Board of Festool, a leading global power tool brand. He is also active as Board Advisor of Europe’s largest Battery Conference, “The Battery Show” since 2022.