Executive Management


Barry Sterling

Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer

Barry Sterling’s entrepreneurial spirit is reflected through his strategic alliances, the selection of business partners,  and his long-term vision for SkyDrill and the alternative energy industry.

Mr. Sterling has an innate ability to create strategic relationships and leverage innovative technology.  With his academic achievements in Engineering, Government, and Geography, Barry successfully positioned himself to network in the technology and political arenas.  His drive was not only seen in his work in academia but also on the football field as a collegiate athlete.

Coming from a lineage of entrepreneurs, Mr. Sterling’s father, Richard Sterling,  was a serial entrepreneur owning multiple family-owned businesses.  Previous to founding SkyDrill, Mr. Sterling was a founding member at Air Quality Solutions Incorporated (AQSI), a startup environmental consulting firm that continued his love of starting companies and honed his ability to work with federal, state, and local government.

Barry’s leadership training was honed in the United States Army’s, 3rd United State Infantry “The Old Guard.”  He was hand selected to be the Aide-de-camp to the Regimental Commander and was Soldier of the Quarter in 1998 and Soldier of the Year 1999.  

Barry has been married for 9 years and has 5 wonderful daughters.  During his free time, Barry enjoys reading, watching reality shows, golf, and training for triathlons.

Barry's charitable activities include CASA, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Team In Training), and supporting local entrepreneurial programs.
 
   
 


Tom Dickerson

Co-Founder and Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer

Tom Dickerson is Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and a Co-Founder of SkyDrill.  Tom is responsible for product development and all areas of engineering at SkyDrill.

Tom grew up in Channelview, Texas, the son of a police officer and a laboratory technician.  He learned from them the value of hard work, perseverance, and education.  A self-described “lifetime learner”, Tom is never content with the status quo and is always ready to accept new challenges.

Tom has worked in many different fields including retail, food & beverage, petrochemical, automotive, semiconductor, and information technology industries.  Through this diverse experience base, Tom has developed an ability take a broader perspective of problems but not lose site of the details.  He is extremely processes-driven and strives to bring efficiency improvements to every job that he works.

Prior to joining SkyDrill, Tom spent ten years at Samsung Austin Semiconductor where he most recently managed software development for the factory automation system.  This department was integral in running the operations of the factory, since the entire factory was fully automated.  Earlier at Samsung, Tom worked in the engineering department where he managed engineering activities and manufacturing operations on the factory floor.

Tom earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA specializing in entrepreneurship from the McCombs School of Business at UT.

Tom is a devout Christian and gives all glory to God for everything that he has and all he has done.  Tom is happily married, has two children, and is an avid hunter and fisherman.
   

 

Patrick Nolan

Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer, Chief of Staff
 As a member of the founding team at SkyDrill, Patrick Nolan concentrates primarily on building the human resource and administrative infrastructure that will assure the company’s successful growth in the future.  He also guides the coordination of resources to allow the team leadership to concentrate on successfully meeting the goals of the company.  Additionally, his engineering and administrative backgrounds are both utilized in helping the company attain various other key goals as needed.

Patrick received a bachelor of science in Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1995.  This year also marked the beginning of his parallel career as an Army officer.  Patrick grew up in the Panhandle of Texas, one of the windiest places on earth, where he used to hang out with friends and watch the windmills go “ninety-to-nothing.”  The son of a Technical Draftsman working in the oil and gas industry and a Registered Nurse, Patrick has applied the resourcefulness and versatility he gained on the path to becoming an Eagle Scout throughout the rest of his life.

Spending several years as a practicing engineer, he decided to chart a different course and went to work doing IT consulting and setting up data centers.  Later this path led Patrick to a job as a Senior Project Manager with Yahoo!®.  After the tragedy of September 11th, he went back to active duty with the Army, serving as a combat leader in Iraq and as an officer managing the day-to-day affairs of several different units.  He has organized and participated in major training events with forces from the United Kingdom to Japan.  Whether organizing or moving ten people, or over a thousand, Patrick can get it done.

Currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration, Patrick continues to balance family life with his wife and children, a military career, and vigorously promoting the vision and mission of SkyDrill.  Like the other members of the team, Patrick considers it the best and most fun job he has ever had.
   
 

Kevin Tolson

Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
 As a member of the founding team, Kevin Tolson is SkyDrill’s Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer.  He has nearly 20 years of experience in financial operations and management, thirteen years in the airline industry with American Airlines and seven years in public accounting.  During his time at American Airlines, he held various positions, including controller, risk manager and vendor contract manager.

Mr. Tolson is a Certified Public Account.  Prior to working in the airline industry, Mr. Tolson was a consultant for a regional accounting firm based in Bethesda, Maryland.  During his tenure, he assisted clients with obtaining over $250 million in financings.

Mr. Tolson earned an MBA specializing in finance from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in Engineering from the University of Maryland.
   
 

Mike Wallace

Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer
 Mike Wallace is the Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer.  As one of the founding members of the team through Barry Sterling, Mike leads the sales and marketing effort, developing the company’s initial business model and focusing efforts on developing the new “enterprise wind” market. 

As a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mike has over 18 years of military experience to include management of small teams and large units up to 1000 individuals.  In the business world, Mike has worked in direct sales positions as well as sales management in the Medical, Information Technology and the Building Materials and Finance fields.  This is Mike’s second start-up, and he previously served in a similar role for a company that was developing a physician’s services portal.

Mike is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom III, and is currently serving overseas on his second tour with the National Guard.  He understands how important it is for us to seek alternative sources of energy to reduce our need for foreign oil.
   

 

John Bills

Interim Chief Financial Officer
 
 John Bills is SkyDrill’s Interim Chief Financial Officer. Additionally, he is the Director and Chief Financial Officer for the Hickman Companies, Inc. where he is responsible for the financial, banking and investment functions for over 100 operating companies. Mr. Bills’ experience with the Hickman Companies includes being directly involved with a combination of over 25 Corporate Acquisitions and Divestures, and being directly involved with 12 operating company start ups. He brings extensive financial, banking, and investment experience.

Mr. Bills previously held the positions of Controller and General Manager of a large international automotive parts distribution company with 10 separate distribution centers.

He is a proud Veteran of the Vietnam War, serving as a Crypto Communication Specialist in the Air Force Communications Service Branch. Mr. Bills holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Management from Texas Wesleyan University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Texas Wesleyan University.

Mr. Bills also serves on the Board of Directors for Hickman Companies and on the Board of Directors for both the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and Expanco (both non‐profit organizations).
   

 



Todd Weiler

Vice President of Strategy

Todd A. Weiler is Vice President of Strategy for SkyDrill. Todd is a recognized expert in the business processes of the Defense Department, with particular emphasis on manpower and performance systems. Mr. Weiler recently sold his ownership in Arrowpoint Corporation where he was one of two owners and the Chief Operating Officer. Arrowpoint, a defense contractor, is a veteran-owned and operated company with 150 employees across 17 states. Arrowpoint conducts advanced studies, professional services and program management for federal agencies, including the Army, Navy, National Guard, Small Business and Veterans Administrations. Mr. Weiler assumed his role with Arrowpoint in February, 2003 after merging his company, TWNational, LLC. Mr. Weiler’s unique background enables him to directly assist the federal government in a variety of areas within the defense arena. Most notably, he focused on the impending readiness issues associated with returning equipment from the Middle East. His work in this area has led to new workload and performance tools that are transforming many offices within the Defense Department. Mr. Weiler also maintains extensive relationships with military leaders, particularly within the National Guard and their State Partnership Programs around the world.

Prior to forming TWNational, Mr. Weiler was Vice President of Communications and Chief Information Officer for Communities In Schools, Inc., the leading national stay-in-school nonprofit organization.  Throughout the 1990’s, Mr. Weiler served as an appointee, first as the White House liaison to the Department of Defense and later as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In this position, he was responsible for more than 30% of the Army budget.

Mr. Weiler is a decorated combat veteran of Operations Desert Shield/Storm. A distinguished graduate of the Army Aviation Center, he served as an attack helicopter pilot, participating in the largest air assault operation in history.
   


Roger D. Collins

Operations Manager
 As one of the members of SkyDrill, Roger Collins works with the engineering department.  His focus is on the development of the mechanical, electrical and structural systems that will be included in the SkyDrill system. Utilizing his mechanical background, he works daily to ensure that SkyDrill is building a system that is easily installed and maintenance friendly.

Roger grew up in Southeast Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico, where he experienced the daily effects of steady sea breezes and the high winds hurricane; he often wondered how someone might tame the wind and manage it.  After high school, Roger served our country with the United States Marine Corps as a Crew Chief for Huey Gunships in Vietnam. Later, he graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor of science in Business Management.  Having also become an Army officer, he retired from the Texas Army National Guard in 2001 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

After serving over 40 years with the military, in governmental service, air quality and the oil service industry he brings a varied yet complementary set of skills to SkyDrill. Roger is well traveled and has an innate ability to relate to other cultures. As a Combat Engineer officer and graduate of the US Army’s Command & General Staff College, he has gained unique insight and the ability to make sound decisions. His tenure within the oil industry resulted in his earning a Journeyman Machinist classification.

Roger and his wife of 38 years enjoy their time together as a family with their three daughters and grandchildren. He is an avid outdoorsman and is very active within his church, where he is involved with several mission groups including the building of churches, disaster relief, and drilling water wells in needy communities overseas. The challenge and urgency of producing a new wind product for the betterment of our world is the reason Roger came out of a comfortable retirement to work with SkyDrill in building the best product for this market.