Mr. MacDougald, 66, was born in Providence, R.I. He grew up as an "Army brat" as his father spent a 25-year career in the U.S. Army. Jim's father was a Master Sergeant and became a Warrant Officer when Jim was a senior in high school. Jim attended schools in Germany, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Utah, Maryland, Louisiana and Mexico. He graduated from the University of Maryland. He and his wife, Suzanne, have been married for 45 years and have two children and six grandchildren.
Jim and his wife, Suzanne, founded the company that eventually became ABR Information Services, Inc. In 1994, the company went public (NASDAQ:ABRX). ABR was named as one of "The Best 200 Small Companies in America" by Forbes Magazine in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and was acquired by Ceridian Corporation (NYSE:CEN) in 1999. MacDougald later became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NYSE:OMR);(NASDAQ:OMEX). MacDougald retired in 2002 and returned to work in March 2009 as Chairman and CEO of The Free Enterprise Nation, Inc.
Jim is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Council of the Tampa Bay Region, a trustee of the University of Tampa, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Mr. Watson has served as our vice president, chief financial officer and secretary since May 2009. Previously, Mr. Watson held positions as the chief financial officer and assistant portfolio manager and senior financial analyst at Clearwater Funds, a hedge fund manager. Previously, he was a senior accountant with Arthur Andersen LLP’s Financial Services Division in New York City.
Mr. Hale has over 14 years of executive management experience in developing and creating marketing and business solutions, utilizing the latest technologies and channel strategies. He specializes in Internet and new media technologies as it relates to marketing, branding and user interaction. He has previously served as marketing director for Spatial Networks, Inc., and Golf Channel.
Mr. Panagopoulos has more than a decade of technical, management, and leadership experience in information technology with companies in the financial services, electronics, food services, and retail sectors. As the founder of Interactive Solutions Inc., he developed and ran a successful IT consultancy while further developing an intimate knowledge and deep appreciation of all functions critical to business growth.
Ms. Parrey worked as a senior research analyst/knowledge center manager, writing comprehensive research reports, executive summaries and scenarios for a corporate executive audience. She is also a published freelance writer.