Ethos of Independence

John Maslin is Vulcan Elements’ Chief Executive Officer, leading the company’s mission to rebuild resilient rare earth magnet manufacturing in the United States. Prior to founding Vulcan Elements, John spent several years as the financial manager for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program (Naval Reactors), responsible for financing and procuring sensitive materials and components for nuclear reactors on the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers and submarines. A former Navy Supply Officer, John received his MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of Accounting from the University of Cambridge, and a BS from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Jake Bowles is Vulcan Elements’ Chief Operating Officer, with more than a decade of experience in designing and executing advanced manufacturing projects for aerospace and defense applications. Prior to Vulcan Elements, Jake led advanced manufacturing for 10 years as a senior engineer at SpaceX and a Director at Ursa Major. Jake received his BS in mechanical engineering from the Ohio State University.

Dr. Piotr Kulik is Vulcan Elements’ Chief Technology Officer and one of four rare earth professors in the United States. He also currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Central Florida, where he leads advanced magnetics research. He recently opened the first rare earth magnetics laboratory in the United States in over 20 years. Previously, Dr. Kulik served as a Technical Team Lead at Metamagnetics, directing high-impact programs funded by DARPA, USSOCOM, and the U.S. Army. He received his PhD in electrical engineering from Northeastern University and an ME and BE from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Scott Glover is Vulcan Elements’ Chief Commercial Officer, with deep expertise in critical minerals, industrial supply chains, and strategic sourcing. Previously, Scott helped lead McKinsey & Company’s projects focused on supply chain security and critical materials. A chemical engineer with over a decade of technical experience, Scott received his MBA from Harvard Business School and BS in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jonah Glick-Unterman is Vulcan Elements’ Head of Strategy, responsible for the company’s government strategy, investor relations, and external affairs. He has extensive experience across defense policy, national security, and government relations. Jonah has worked for Secretaries of Defense and State for seven years. Prior to joining Vulcan, he led the Secretary of Defense’s congressional affairs, directed research for Dr. Graham Allison and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, and collaborated with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Bill Perry on defense strategy research. Jonah received his BA from Stanford University.

Tom Wood is Vulcan Elements’ Head of Manufacturing, having led some of the most ambitious advanced manufacturing projects of the 21st century over his 20-year career spanning energy, chemical, and industrial manufacturing. Tom was the first hire at Tesla’s first-of-its-kind cathode facility, and scaled the facility from 1 to 500 employees. He spent over a decade as a senior production leader at The Dow Chemical Company, and began his career as a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program (Naval Reactors). Tom received a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Adam Rieth is Vulcan Elements’ Head of Technology, responsible for the company’s process and product development. Dr. Rieth’s career spans decades of leading advanced scientific efforts in both industry and academia. Prior to joining Vulcan, Dr. Rieth was Director for Research and Development at Boston Metal, where he built and scaled research teams focused on scaling extreme high-temperature electrochemistry and materials science processes. Dr. Rieth completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University after receiving a PhD in inorganic chemistry from MIT and a BS in chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill.

Paul LaClaire is Vulcan Elements’ Head of Supply Chain, bringing over two decades of experience building and optimizing complex global supply chains across sectors, from batteries and electric vehicles to advanced manufacturing. He has held leadership roles at Tesla, Nikola Corporation, and Battle Motors. Paul holds a BS in Global Supply Chain Management from Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business.

Bryan Van Demark serves as Head of Finance at Vulcan Elements, where he leads the company’s financial strategy, capital planning, financial reporting, and finance operations. Bryan brings more than 15 years of experience in finance, accounting, and strategic advisory, including experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and KPMG, two of the world’s leading professional services firms. Throughout his career, he has worked with public and private companies on complex financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, SEC reporting, and IPO readiness. His background combines the financial rigor and institutional standards of global professional services firms with the expertise needed to support rapid growth. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business.