Richard S. Danforth, Chief Executive Officer

Richard S. Danforth has over 40 years of defense and aerospace industry experience including executive leadership positions with two of the world’s largest defense contractors, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), and DRS Technologies Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica (BIT: LDO).

Mr. Danforth joined Genasys Inc. after having served at DRS Technologies as Group President of DRS Integrated Defense Systems & Service (2013 – 2014); Chief Executive Officer, President and Board Member of DRS Defense Solutions (2008 – 2012); President, Command Control & Communication (2005 – 2008); President, Navy Electronics & Intelligence Systems (2004 – 2005); and Executive Vice President, Electronics Systems Group (2002 – 2004).

Danforth began his career at Raytheon in 1982 and held various manufacturing, quality assurance and program manager positions until 1996. Danforth was then appointed Vice President of Operations for Raytheon Aircraft Company (1996 – 2000). In 2000, he was named Senior Vice President of Raytheon Aircraft Company’s Commercial Aircraft Business division, where he led 370 sales, marketing and customer service staff.

In 2014, Danforth formed the strategic business consulting firm, RsD Aero, Ltd., which provides consulting services for the Defense, Aerospace, Space and Transportation sectors, with an emphasis on M&A and Transatlantic trade. From 2007 – 2013, he was Chairman of the Board for Advanced Acoustic Concepts, a submarine and mine warfare software solutions company formed as a joint venture between DRS Technologies and the Thales Group.

Mr. Danforth has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Masters in Engineering Management from Western New England College.

Dennis D. Klahn, Chief Financial Officer

Dennis D. Klahn has more than 30 years of accounting, finance and operations experience, which includes serving as Controller or CFO at several publicly traded companies. Mr. Klahn was most recently a Group Controller at Teledyne RD Instruments, a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY). Prior to that role, Klahn served as Controller or CFO at several companies including, ISE Corporation, Overland Storage, Anacomp, and International Lottery & Totalizator Systems. Mr. Klahn began his career as a Staff Accountant at Coopers & Lybrand after receiving his B.A. in Accounting from St. Ambrose University.

Jeffrey W. Halstead, Chief of Police (Retired)
Advisor

(Ret.) Chief Jeff Halstead is President & Founder of “CONNECT” by Genasys, formerly Evertel Technologies.  CONNECT provides mission-critical messaging for 1^st responders and public safety leaders across 33 states.

Jeff is a 36-year veteran serving in law enforcement as a sworn employee and global law enforcement consultant.  From 1988-2008, he served with Phoenix PD and retired as a Commander over Homeland Security.  After serving in multiple roles & ranks in Phoenix, his final assignment was running “AcTIC”, Arizona’s Fusion Center with the FBI and Arizona DPS.  He was the lead planner for Super Bowl 42 in Arizona (2007) and was the lead architect for the NBA All-Star game in 2008.  Before he retired, Jeff was the most experienced in dealing with major event planning, interoperability between all public safety and private sectors, and managing complex crisis incidents.  While serving as Commander over Homeland Security, his division was responsible for overall security at multiple high-profile government facilities like Phoenix City Hall, police headquarters, all 8 police precincts, the FBI Intelligence center, and Phoenix City Court.    

Chief Halstead was selected to be the 24^th Chief of Police for the Fort Worth Police Department in December 2008.  He served as Chief of Police in Fort Worth until 2015, leading more than 2,100 employees with a population of 800,000.  Chief Halstead was credited for a 24% total crime reduction by realigning the department and creating innovative crime fighting measures. 

He was responsible for advancing numerous technology programs including over 825 AXON “body-worn” camera systems in Fort Worth PD.  In 2010, Chief Halstead was the first ‘major city’ police agency to aggressively deploy this technology, and his policy became a national template for other agencies.  Chief Halstead provided his expertise and traveled to the White House in 2015 to assist President Obama’s “21 Century Policing” model.  His policy and experience was also used for the BJA’s (Bureau of Justice Assistance) “Body Worn Camera Toolkit”, released nationally in 2016.

From 2015-2019, Chief Halstead worked as a Senior Consultant & Executive Advisor with Axon (formerly Taser).  Jeff visited 40 states and 6 countries helping law enforcement agencies implement advanced technology. During this time, he created “The Halstead Group”, a global law enforcement consulting business.  He has shared his experiences and successes with other police agencies and police administrators across the world. 

Since 2016, he also served as an expert witness in police & government communications, public safety policy, police leadership training, and facility security for public safety and the private sector. His consulting practice serves police departments, legal professionals, government agencies, and lobbyists.  Jeff now serves as Director of Strategic Accounts for Genasys, Inc.  He is based in Las Vegas, NV.      

Ken Kehnma, Chief (Retired) & Senior Operations Advisor for the Western Fire Chiefs Association
Advisor

Chief Kehmna is a highly respected fire service leader with more than 35 years of service and over 15 years at the executive management level. Prior to being appointed fire chief, he served as deputy chief, battalion chief, and fire captain, and he was in other positions that were key to his development as a chief officer. Chief Kehmna’s broad range of experience, commitment to his organization, and dedication to the mission earned him the respect of his peers and the communities he served.

As Fire Chief, he successfully led his organization through the accreditation process with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. In keeping with his vision for the organization, he oversaw the development and adoption of a new strategic plan, standards of cover, and business plan, which laid the foundation for greater regionalization and diversification of the district’s highly effective service delivery model. Leveraging key partnerships and the well-earned trust of the County’s administration and elected leadership, Chief Kehmna assumed responsibility for the County’s Office of Emergency Management in 2014. Using his experience with building and leading high-functioning teams, Chief Kehmna reorganized the office and assembled a cadre of highly respected experts in emergency management. Building on this success, the chief was then asked to assume responsibility for the County’s 911 Communications Center. Chief Kehmna laid out a plan to restructure and restaff the center with a new leadership team. Chief Kehmna’s plan successfully installed the highly effective leadership that was necessary while also providing an essential opportunity for growth and professional development for the center’s current director and the district’s current Fire Chief.

Chief Kehmna also served as Vice Chair of Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE), which serves as an advisory board to Cal OES on cooperative fire protection agreements, regional fire/rescue policy issues and advises the Director of Cal OES on matters of statewide importance. Chief Kehmna’s work with FIRESCOPE continues to influence fire service delivery at the local, state, and national levels.

Chief Kehmna’s formal education, combined with his real-world experience, has been instrumental in developing his vast knowledge of organizational management, state and local politics, human resource management, fire district law, public procurement, contracts administration, labor contract negotiations, organizational development, and many other areas. Chief Kehmna continues to share his knowledge and experience through his active participation with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Western Fire Chiefs Association, and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

Jeffrey A. Palmer, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Retired)
Advisor

(Retired) CSM Jeff Palmer and now the Genasys Senior Director of Business Development and Sales for Law Enforcement, Army, Air Force and National Guard agencies. CSM Palmer helps over 1,000 Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement agencies use LRADs to communicate clear, concise messages from distances out to 2,000 meters in any language to resolve situations peacefully and save lives.  He also works with military branches, who use LRADs all over the world during combat and contingency operations to communicate effectively in multi-languages all over the world.

Jeff is a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major, who served 28 years in the Army Military Police Corps.  During his tenure as an MP he worked as a Military Policeman, Investigator for 5 years, MP SWAT NCOIC, Team Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major and Command Sergeant Major.  He deployed all over the world to include Kuwait, Panama, Suriname, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Iraq (multiple tours).