Management Team

Dr. Tannin Fuja, PhD

Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Tannin Fuja, PhD, serves as a director and as Chief Executive Officer of our Company. Prior to joining our company, Dr. Fuja headed the Molecular and Cell Biology Research Group at the National Center for Voice and Speech, and was a Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Dermacia, Inc.  Dr. Fuja has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Iowa and in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa.  Dr. Fuja is a Member of the UI Center on Aging and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa.  Dr. Fuja is a former member of The International Society for Stem Cell Research and received his Bachelors of Science degree from Brigham Young University, a certificate in Human Subject Research Ethics from the University of Washington (Seattle) and his Doctorate in Biological Sciences in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology from the University of California, Irvine.

Matthew Nicosia

Executive Chairman

Matthew Nicosia has served as a director of our Company since November, 2006.  From 2000 to 2007, prior to joining the Company as Executive Chairman of the Board, Mr. Nicosia was the founder and Chief Executive Officer and served as a director of Dermacia, Inc. While founding Dermacia, Inc., in 2002, Mr. Nicosia, co-founded Quantum Sphere, Inc. and served as a director till 2004.  Mr. Nicosia also currently sits on the Board of Directors and is a principal of Integrity, Equity, and is a director of several private companies. Mr. Nicosia received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA degree from Pepperdine University.

Ed Corrente

Chief Financial Officer

Ed Corrente began as a consultant to Vivakor in March 2008 and became CFO in September 2008.  With over 24 years of finance and accounting experience, Mr. Corrente oversees the financial operations, accounting and reporting; risk management; human resource and administrative functions.  Before joining Vivakor, Mr. Corrente was CFO / VP Finance of various companies including Dermacia, National Genecular Institute, Thuris Corporation, Olas Pharmaceuticals and Accenx Technologies.   He was also previously a senior manager with Ernst & Young LLP.

Mr. Corrente previously obtained his CPA designation in California and he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, Canada.