4Frontiers Corporation - Management Team

The Management Team is the commercial core of 4Frontiers. These business and marketing experts develop the product lines and business relationships necessary for the corporation to sustain itself and to grow.

Mark Homnick - CEO and co-founder of 4Frontiers
Mark served as Program Manager for both the Gen I and Gen II Mars settlement programming studies. His professional experience includes a decade at Intel as program/project manager for wafer fabrication facility design and construction, plus another decade with AT&T developing commercial production facilities. His technical background includes a BSME from Pennsylvania State University and multiple publications on high purity fluids. He is also coauthor on two technical papers on the topics of Mars settlement architecture and space economics.

Joseph E. Palaia, IV - VP Operations / R&D and co-founder of 4Frontiers
Joe holds a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a masters degree in Nuclear Science & Engineering from MIT. He has served in engineering and management roles in two comprehensive Mars settlement design efforts. He has co-authored technical papers on the topics of Mars surface nuclear power planet design, Mars settlement architecture, space economics and the economics of energy on Mars. He also served as executive officer and engineer for the Mars Society's 2009 FMARS expedition. Joe recieved the 2005 Peter Diamandis Leadership Award and the 2007 Nepolitano Award for space industry entrepreneurism.

Panayot S. Slavov - Business Development Manager

Panayot (Pancho) Slavov is an experienced marketing and sales professional who has worked for leading aerospace-related companies around the world. What brought him to the 4Frontiers was his fascination with space and space exploration programs and the new wave of business opportunities these programs are about to deliver. His efforts are currently focused on commercializing the 4Frontiers’ suborbital program and his inspirations as a Business Development Manager are to turn that program into a major opportunity for suborbital access to space for all science-interested organizations on the continent.

Pancho recently completed a major consultancy project for a space exploration company and this, combined with his background in aerospace-related businesses while working on three continents, brings the needed expertise for the successful realization of the 4Frontiers business plans. He is also currently working on his second Masters at the University of Tampa, this time in the field of Marketing. He already holds an MBA degree from Miami University, Ohio, where he built his advanced managerial skills and knowledge. His experience from one side, and cutting edge marketing and sales knowledge from another, are turning into precious assets to 4Frontiers in the company’s strive for providing enhanced value to its existing and potential customers and partners across the nation.

Frank Crossman, Ph.D. - Technology & Business Advisor
Frank is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S. and M.Eng. in Materials Engineering) and Stanford University (Ph.D. in Materials Science) and conducted postdoctoral studies in Applied Physics at Harvard University. From 1966 until his retirement in 1998, Frank was employed by Lockheed in their Palo Alto Research facilities. He retired as Director of Materials Systems encompassing Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Advanced Technology Centers efforts in materials, structures, controls, and NDE. During 1991-1996 Dr. Crossman was the ATCs Director of three Materials Technologies organizations: Chemistry, Structures, and Materials Applications. Dr. Crossman has published over 50 articles in technical journals and conference proceedings and has co-edited three books. He was a member of the National Research Council's National Materials Advisory Board for seven years and also served as Chair of the Board of Governors of the NSF sponsored Institute for Mechanics and Materials at UCSD and as a member of Industrial Advisory Board of MIT's Materials Processing Center.