The Remarkable People of AURA

Dr. Alex Blate

Dr. Alex Blate has over 20 years of experience in Software, Hardware, and Embedded Systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the area of low-latency tracking and displays for optical see-through augmented reality. His academic research included significant work characterizing and integrating with a variety of optical and inertial sensors. Prior to UNC, he was Senior Software Architect at CA Technologies (now part of Broadcom) and was responsible for the architecture and design of a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Prior to CA, he worked on Tier-1 VoIP and Mobile Applications platforms in the capacity of Systems Engineering, software performance, and scalability.

William Harvey

William Harvey manages all software development lifecycle activities at AURA.

Mr. Harvey has over 20 years of experience in senior technology leadership roles spanning global scale product management and software development. Most recently as the Chief Technology Officer for Integrated Behavioral Health, an EAP services company with millions of covered lives, where he oversaw the development of proprietary business applications and managed a multi-state HIPAA network. Before that, he was the Chief Product Officer at Lantern Credit, a fintech startup that was acquired by SoFi. A decorated veteran, he served in the US Marine Corps as a Combat Engineer.

Mr. Harvey was at eBay/PayPal for several years, first as the Senior Product Manager of X.commerce, managing developer networks for over 50 eBay companies. Then as the Principal Product Manager at Magento, the largest open-source ecommerce platform of its time, he focused on performance and scalability of the Magento Enterprise Edition platform while contributing to partner relationships with white-glove customers, and oversight of the product roadmap for the eBay/PayPal split. Finally, as the Director of Marketing Operations for eBay Enterprise, eBay’s B2B technology subsidiary, he focused on internal tool development, operational excellence, lead attribution, and portfolio tracking for over $7B of annual sales.  

William Harvey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies from Portland State University.

Greg Houlgate

Greg Houlgate is an innovator of new technologies in medical, automotive, commercial and consumer products industries. With over 25 years of senior product development, corporate development, sales and marketing experience; Mr. Houlgate has worked for numerous companies including: Analytics Ventures (VC Firm) – portfolio companies CureMetrix and CureMatch (AI Healthcare companies), Oska Wellness – CES 2018 Start-up of the Year winner, DJO’s Global Recovery Science Division (a Blackstone Portfolio Company); Onsite Network, an interactive media company; West Coast Trends, a leading travel luggage and golf bag provider; Porsche Design, and Callaway Golf. His experience has taken Greg to work, travel and live in many markets around the world where he has developed a strong network of government, commercial and media relations across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

As a technology pioneer, Greg has been cited in numerous publications including Huffington Post, Sports and Fitness Tech, VatorNews, The Los Angeles Times, Drug Store News, Inc, Wearable and more.

Mr. Houlgate holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from U.C. Irvine and an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix at Del Mar, CA.

Mark Maxwell

Captain Mark Maxwell retired from the US Navy in 2016 as the military lead for Advanced Manufacturing technology for the Naval Air Command. Capt. Maxwell worked for over 25 years in the maintenance and sustainment of US Navy aircraft. He also worked as a Quality Engineering Manager and Lean SixSigma Blackbelt. He holds certifications as a DAWIA Level III Program Manager, ASQC Quality Engineer, Technician and Auditor, ISO-9000 Auditor, LEAN Bronze (ASME), and several space application soldering standards (NHB5300 and J-STD-001). During his career span, Mark continued his commitment as a Naval Reservist as an Aviation Maintenance Officer. As a Reservist he managed Organizational, Intermediate, and Depot level maintenance providers for H-2, H-3, P-3, and GIV Gulfstream aircraft and then transitioned to NAVAIR as an Acquisition Program Manager and Military Director for Additive Manufacturing & Digital Thread.

Dr. Eric Strong

Dr. Eric Strong is leading AURA’s efforts in the field of applied AI research. His past work includes the development of machine learning algorithms for condition-based maintenance in multiple industries including nuclear plants, naval vessels, aircraft, and industrial plants. Throughout his career, he has led teams in the development of multiple successful AI products, including predictive maintenance. Dr. Strong served as a technical lead for prognostics at the DEI Group, and as a senior data scientist at his former company, Honeywell Aerospace.

Hilary Leggette

Hilary Leggette, Director of Operations and Acting Head of Operations for AURA, oversees operations and other critical areas including human resources, contracting, procurement and export compliance. With over 14 years of operations experience, Mrs. Leggette has held positions of increasing responsibility most recently at NC State University. She has in depth experience leading teams through change management and brings a creative approach to overall growth and strategy. Her areas of expertise range from core business functions such as budget development, contract and project administration, security and emergency planning, to implementing policies with a focus on regulation and compliance, to building the foundation for a positive and diverse work culture with a focus on overall employee wellbeing.

Mrs. Leggette holds a BA from NC State University and an MA from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).