Corporate Governance

Prior to serving as MARA’s chief executive officer, Thiel co-founded and served as chairman of Sprocket, a blockchain and cryptocurrency technology and financial services company whose mission is to reduce the risk and friction of cryptocurrency trading across marketplaces, regions and exchanges by establishing a federation of exchanges that together create a single aggregated global trading marketplace with large scale liquidity, rapid execution, minimal counter-party risk, and price transparency. Prior to that, Thiel served as chairman and chief executive officer of Local Corporation, an $80 million Nasdaq-listed leader in online local search and digital media, mobile search monetization and programmatic retargeting markets with over 240 million unique annual visitors.

During his career while holding the title of CEO across multiple companies, Thiel successfully created in excess of $750 million in shareholder value, efficiently raised more than $150 million through both public (IPO and secondary offerings) and private capital sources, led multiple successful corporate transformations resulting in highly accretive exits, built high output agile product development organizations, and established corporate innovation groups resulting in the creation of new product businesses that generated significant new revenues in their first year.

Doug Mellinger is an active entrepreneur, philanthropist, impact investor, and board member, with extensive experience building and leading public and private companies in the technology and financial industries. Mellinger is a managing director at Clarion Capital Partners, a lower middle market private equity and structured credit asset management company. He currently serves on the board of directors of Foundation Source, a leading provider of outsourced services and technology for private foundations which he co-founded in 2000; the board of directors of Campden Wealth and IPI (Institute for Private Investors), the largest global membership organization for wealthy families and their family offices; and the board of directors of International Education Corporation (IEC), one of the nation’s largest career education colleges. Prior to Clarion Capital Partners, Mellinger was a partner at Palm Ventures and a managing partner at Zeno Ventures. He founded and served as the chairman and CEO of enherent Corp, a global software development and services company that was listed as an Inc. 500 company twice and was featured on Deloitte & Touche’s Technology Fast 500 and Fast 50 lists. Throughout his career, Mellinger has served on the boards of numerous companies and organizations, including Edgar Online, Sequest Technologies, Producteev, Schiller International, Young Entrepreneur’s Organization (YEO), and Young President’s Organization (YPO), among others. He has also served on several advisory boards and boards to government agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations over the past 40 years. Mellinger holds a degree in entrepreneurial science from Syracuse University.

As lead independent director of the MARA board, Mr. Mellinger will focus on enhancing governance and strategic oversight. Mr. Mellinger has served on the MARA board since March 2022.

Georges Antoun brings to MARA over 30 years of operational and technical experience, having served in various leadership positions at several global technology companies, including as a member of the board of directors of two publicly traded companies: Ruckus Wireless, Inc. and Violin Memory, Inc. He currently serves as the president of First Solar where he was chief operating officer before being appointed to president, U.S. in July 2015. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. Antoun served as a venture partner at Technology Crossover Ventures (“TCV”), a private equity and venture firm, which he joined in July 2011. Before joining TCV, he was the head of product area IP & broadband networks for Ericsson. Mr. Antoun joined Ericsson in 2007, when Ericsson acquired Redback Networks, a telecommunications equipment company, where Mr. Antoun served as the senior vice president of worldwide sales & operations. After the acquisition, Mr. Antoun was promoted to chief executive officer of the Redback Networks subsidiary. Prior to Redback Networks, Mr. Antoun spent five years at Cisco Systems, where he served as vice president of worldwide systems engineering and field marketing, vice president of worldwide optical operations, and vice president of carrier sales. Prior to Cisco, he was the director of systems engineering at Newbridge Networks, a data and voice networking company. Mr. Antoun started his career as a member of the technical staff at NYNEX (now Verizon Communications), where he was part of the company’s science and technology division. Mr. Antoun earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master’s in information systems engineering from NYU Poly.

Ms. George is a highly accomplished executive and board member with deep expertise in artificial intelligence, data centers, and high-growth technology environments. She most recently served as Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Data Center & Artificial Intelligence at Intel Corporation, where she led a multi-billion dollar business unit and was responsible for driving AI/ML SaaS growth and optimizing the division's overall health. Ms. George has a strong track record of scaling businesses and executing and integrating large-scale acquisitions, including Intel’s recent $650 million acquisition of a cloud AI-based workload optimization company. She previously held senior roles at Oracle, Western Digital, Accenture, Yahoo, eBay, and Apple, where she consistently delivered revenue growth, operational efficiencies, and innovative technology solutions. Ms. George holds an advanced master's degree in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence and a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, and physics. She serves on the advisory board of Gandeeva Therapeutics.

Ms. Humpton is a seasoned executive and board member with extensive experience across public, private, and non-profit sectors. Currently serving as President and CEO of Siemens USA, she oversees a $19 billion portfolio focused on energy-efficient technologies, smart infrastructure, and healthcare. Under her leadership, Siemens USA has become a powerhouse of innovation, leveraging AI and industrial data to drive continuous improvement across its operations. Prior to her role at Siemens USA, Ms. Humpton held senior positions at Booz Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin, where she contributed to national security and technology advancements. She is recognized for her leadership in public-private collaborations, having served on advisory boards for both the Trump and Biden administrations. Ms. Humpton also holds board positions at several prominent organizations, including Fluence, Triumph Group, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. A passionate advocate for talent development, she is committed to using technology to create positive impact. Ms. Humpton earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Wake Forest University.

Jay Leupp is the managing partner of Terra Firma Asset Management, LLC. Prior to co-founding Terra Firma, Mr. Leupp served as a managing director in various roles at Lazard Asset Management, Grubb & Ellis Alesco Global Advisors, RBC Capital Markets and Robertson Stephens & Co. During his career, he has also held positions at The Staubach Company, Trammell Crow Company, and KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Leupp is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and serves on the boards of both non-profit and corporate organizations. Mr. Leupp earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Santa Clara University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Vicki Mealer-Burke brings a wealth of experience to MARA from her 26 years in executive leadership at Qualcomm Incorporated, where she held roles that range from global business development, product management, operations, and human resources. Throughout her career at Qualcomm, Mealer-Burke contributed to Qualcomm's growth, which grew from $2 billion in revenues and 6,000 employees to over $36 billion and 50,000 employees. Her tenure as Qualcomm's first Chief Diversity Officer highlights her dedication and skill in cultivating inclusive and purpose-driven cultures. She has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego and LEAD San Diego.