Founding Leadership
Founded and led by executives with deep experience in technology, collaborative innovation and regional economic development.
William (Pat) Getty
CO-FOUNDER
A co-founder of I2M, William P. (Pat) Getty is the retired President of the Benedum Foundation. The Benedum Foundation serves West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. He is a member of the implementation committee of the Tri-State Shale Coalition. Mr. Getty serves on the Boards of The West Virginia High Technology Foundation and Vibrant Pittsburgh, which seeks to attract, retain, and elevate skilled and diverse talent to the region. Mr. Getty is a graduate of Trinity College and Georgetown University Law School.
Thomas Esselman
CO-FOUNDER
A co-founder of I2M, Dr. Esselman has worked in the energy industry and academia. He is a Principal in LPI, Inc., an engineering consulting company. Dr. Esselman was a Lecturer at Harvard University and co-developed and taught “Innovation in Engineering and Science”. He was Chairman of the Case Western Reserve Great Lakes Energy Institute Advisory Board and formed the Tri-State University Energy (TrUE) Alliance. Dr. Esselman has a Ph.D. in Engineering from Case and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Michael Docherty
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michael Docherty brings valuable experience from his roles as an entrepreneur, senior corporate executive, and venture capital investor. This includes deep experience building and leading industry-focused collaboration initiatives across industrial manufacturing, technology and health sectors. He is the author of the book, Collective Disruption: How Corporations and Startups Can Co-create Transformative New Businesses. Docherty has an MBA from Northwestern University (Kellogg) and BS Engineering degree from Drexel University.
Board of Directors
William (Pat) Getty
BOARD PRESIDENT
Thomas Esselman
BOARD VP, TREASURER
Morgan O’Brien
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBER
Morgan O’Brien is currently CEO of utility holding company Hearthstone. From 2010-2020, he was president and chief executive officer of Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC and Peoples TWP, utilities serving approximately 700,000 customers in southwestern PA, WV and KY. O’Brien previously served as President and CEO of Duquesne Light Holdings from 2001 to 2010; before Duquesne Light, he served in management positions at PNC Bank and major accounting firms. O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and master’s degree in Taxation from Robert Morris University.
Richard DiClaudio
BOARD MEMBER
Richard DiClaudio is CEO of the Bedford Funds and CEO of The Energy Innovation Center Institute. Mr. DiClaudio began his career at the Hillman Company, where he rose to lead the Hillman Energy Group. In 2004, DiClaudio co-founded an energy-focused private equity fund in Houston, investing in energy and related technology. More recently, Rich has been President and CEO of the Energy Innovation Center Institute (EICI), a Pittsburgh based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Among his awards and honors, he was awarded the Pittsburgh CEO of the year in 2018, Pittsburgh top 100 most influential people in 2020.