Meet the Zeem Team
Zeem brings together innovative leaders and technical experts with a wide range of experience across transportation, commercial EVs, fleet operations, logistics, data science, finance, sales and more.

Mike Russell
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Paul Gioupis
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Paul brings over 20 years of experience in the commercial EV industry as investor, advisor, and M&A. He is a lifelong entrepreneur and under his leadership Zeem has successfully positioned itself in the dynamic and competitive arena of EV charging infrastructure services and is committed to accelerating growth and operating performance to ensure its long-term success.

Bruce Shalett
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Bruce is Zeem’s Chairman, responsible for capital and human resource allocation, business strategy, and senior customer and investor relationships. A member of Zeem’s executive committee, Bruce supports CEO Paul Gioupis in the company’s day-to-day operations, reflecting his diverse background as a corporate executive, investor, board director, and advisor. He began a career in the commercial EV space as a founding shareholder and director at Smith Electric Vehicles, an early industry entrant still actively producing a line of electric trucks. Bruce has a bachelor’s degree in science economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and a master’s in business from Harvard Business School.

John Meyer
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John is General Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer and Corporate Secretary at Zeem. Reporting to the CEO, John oversees all board governance/legal and compliance functions, and supports all major corporate financing and investment initiatives. A seasoned legal executive, he has more than 25 years of experience leading cross-functional teams at both startups and Fortune 150 companies in a number of diverse industries, including energy, transportation and telecommunications. He has served as lead counsel in the successful development and deployment of over $3 billion in renewable energy and telecommunications infrastructure projects throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. As a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) in both the EU and US, John is a subject matter expert on data security and privacy regulations, policy and compliance; he leads cross-functional projects related to data governance, protection and privacy by design, including data impact assessments, audits, incident response planning, policy and procedure development, investigations and company-wide training. He has a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a master’s degree in cybersecurity risk and strategy from the NYU School of Law/NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Tom Gage
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Tom is the Senior Vice President of Energy Technology at Zeem, where he evaluates power equipment solutions for the company. Specializing in vehicle energetics – the sources and uses of energy for automobility – he is a respected automotive engineer who has been developing and commercializing EV technology for more than 20 years. As CEO of AC Propulsion, he led the company in developing propulsion, battery and charging systems for major automotive OEMs, and provided the technology used by Tesla to build and launch its vehicle lines. Prior to that, Tom was at EV Grid, where he led the development of battery technology solutions for buses, stationary storage, and V2X programs. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Stanford, and a master’s in business from Carnegie-Mellon.

Rick Eckert
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Rick oversees the management and performance of Zeem’s network of EV charging depots. With more than two decades of experience in the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle industry, Rick has led teams in alternative-fuel and electric vehicle operations, manufacturing, and infrastructure development, always focused on helping fleets transition from diesel to clean, zero-emission technologies.

Don Peer
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Don has been instrumental in driving growth and developing deep relationships with fleet operators across the United States. With over 25 years of experience in sales and operations, Don is dedicated to understanding his customers' needs and helping them achieve their total cost of ownership requirements as they scale their businesses and transition to electric vehicle fleets.

Nicholas Raspanti
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Nicholas is Zeem’s Senior Director of Business Development & Policy, leading commercial outreach and external relations initiatives to grow the company in existing and future markets. With a passion for transportation, logistics and the environment, he works closely with public stakeholders and commercial partners to enhance Zeem’s market leading competitive position. Prior to Zeem, Nicholas was with the Port Department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he held positions in government affairs, business development, and industry relations. He gained key experience in the maritime industry, port operations, transportation planning, infrastructure development, community engagement, goods movement, and environmental policy. Nicholas began his career as Legislative Director for a New Jersey State Senator. He has bachelor’s degree in history and law from Montclair State University and a master’s in international relations & diplomacy from Seton Hall University.

