The CEI team is made up of a group of highly talented people who are leading experts in their respective fields. Most of the technical and marketing efforts have been led by Michael Ward, the company founder and visionary behind CEI’s mission to realize lean burn. Since 2001, CEI has focused on product development, testing, marketing and leadership, to create a talented team dedicated to the launching of CEI’s first product, and to bringing CEI’s patented lean burn ignition and engine technologies into general worldwide use.

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Dr. Michael A. V. Ward. President, Director and Founder of CEI, has been the visionary and driving force behind CEI’s 25 years of work in lean burn, and has managed the Company and directed most of its R&D work. Dr. Ward has over twenty patents in the fields of lean burn ignition and engine design, and has had papers published in plasma physics, electromagnetics, ignition and combustion, in several journals: the Journal of Applied Physics, Combustion and Flame, Journal of Microwave Power, the SAE, and others. Dr. Ward was awarded “Best Paper of the Year” in 1981 by the International Microwave Power Institute for his pioneering work on microwave stimulated combustion. His work has been featured in international magazines including The Economist, Harvard Magazine, Design News, Electronics World, Automotive News, and others. Most important, he has solved the “lean burn problem”, considered insoluble by the auto industry, in a low-cost way that can be applied to all IC engines, especially 2-valve engines. Michael received the Bachelors and Masters in Physics, and the Ph.D. in Applied Physics and Applied Math from Harvard University in 1976. Michael has dedicated his life to making a contribution to people, driven by his life purpose to alleviate the suffering of oppressed peoples which he witnessed as a child growing up in Uganda. It was Michael’s vision for a more just and compassionate world that has sustained him in his 25 year pursuit of lean burn, despite the many challenges encountered.

Elaine P. V. Ward. A Director and founder, Elaine has been with CEI since 1983 in charge of Administration, Communications, and has been a key Business Advisor. Elaine has experience in computer operations with a B.A. from Wellesley and an M.A. in Math from Tufts University.

Jerry Cohen, Esq. Jerry is partner in the law firm Perkins, Smith & Cohen, and has been Special Counsel and Patent Attorney for CEI since 1978, Corporate Counsel since 1982, and works closely with Dr. Ward in its patent strategy.

Robert Lefevre. A Director of CEI and V.P. of Electronics, Bob runs R. Philips Technology, a custom designer and manufacturer of electronic products. Bob has been with CEI for two decades, with experience in electronics design and manufacturing. Bob has a BSEE degree from UNH.

Dr. Fred R. Kern. A Founder, Director and V.P., Fred has been and consultant to CEI since its inception in Mechanical and Engine Engineering. Fred has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He has worked closely with Dr. Ward on the engine fabrication and development.

Chuck Wisner. Special Advisor to the Board, Chuck has worked with companies such as G.M., Chrysler, Shell Oil, Detroit Edison, and others in team building and organizational development. He has been a close advisor to CEI for ten years.

Winfield Hill. A world authority in electronics and co-author of the book "The Art of Electronics" with Prof. Paul Horowitz of Harvard University, Win is Director of Electronic Engineering at the Rowland Institute, and has been CEI’s key electronics design reviewer for over two decades.

David Breslau. A mechanical and engine design engineer who worked for CEI many years ago, he headed one of MIT’s design machine shops and now has his own shop with CNC capability. David is helping modify CEI’s single cylinder engine to incorporate its latest developments.

Robert Holzwasser. CEI’s longest standing Director, Bob was VP of Engineering for Arrow Automotive Industries, with expert knowledge in auto parts remanufacturing.

Volker Schad. A member of CEI’s Marketing Team in Europe, he represents CEI in Germany, and works with Siemens and with various automotive companies.

Dennis Virag, President of the Automotive Consulting Group and an automotive industry expert, Dennis has been an automotive industry consultant to CEI for over two decades.