Axios VR Executive Leadership

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 Brenden Borrowman's life story is one of resilience and determination. As a military veteran, he has shown immense courage, both on the battlefield and in his personal life. Enlisting in the Army at just 17, Brenden served his country as a 19D Cavalry Scout for half a decade. His commitment led him to Afghanistan in 2011 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, serving alongside the 4/4 Cavalry. A combat incident left him severely injured, earning him a Purple Heart for his bravery.

Transitioning back to civilian life wasn't easy, especially as a single father to two young children. Yet, he faced the challenges with the same grit he demonstrated in the military. In 2015, Brenden was diagnosed with Primary Polycythemia Vera, a cancer that affects the red blood cells. Just two years later, he battled yet another type of cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which disrupts the normal production of blood cells. Despite these hurdles, Brenden has chosen to dedicate his life to creating a positive ripple effect in society.

As an entrepreneur, Brenden co-founded ReBoot Centers, a pioneering drug treatment center in Utah. His innovative approach fuses physical, emotional, and cognitive therapies to address addiction and minimize the risk of a relapse. His research data indicate that reintegration of blood flow to the midbrain and frontal lobe can enhance the effectiveness of behavioral therapies, opening new doors for treating conditions like PTSD and drug addiction.

Building on his experience and insights, Brenden established Axios VR, a software development firm that specializes in creating immersive environments. These environments incorporate neurological modalities that promote blood flow to the midbrain. Brenden's ground-breaking research and initiatives hold the potential to revolutionize accessible and cost-effective TBI and PTSD treatments to shape the future of virtual reality therapy in the Telehealth arena. His work is also set to elevate user engagement in the broader VR market. 

Craig Cooper is an experienced operational executive with an extensive record of successful management of multiple multi-million dollar programs in a variety of services across multiple federal agencies including Las Vegas Fire Rescue (LVFR) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is considered to be an expert authority with 25+ years of experience in the development and implementation of disruptive innovations in the special operations strategic response space within the United States and has been the incident commander for a number of national level events including direct oversight of the country’s largest field hospital during the worst public health crisis in over 100 years.

Cooper retired in 2022 as the Chief of Special Operations for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, bringing over 25 years of experience and leadership in the fire service to Axios VR. During his tenure, Chief Cooper effectively led various critical teams, such as, the regional CBRNE task force and Special Event Planning for the Las Vegas locals and 45+ million visitors a year. Additionally, Chief Cooper’s leadership and strategic initiatives resulted in international recognition of the technical rescue and hazardous materials programs and teams under his command. More than two decades of leadership experience have positioned Chief Cooper to not only lead the Axios team but provide crucial operational insight into the application and deployment of this technology across multiple applications and domains.

Chief Cooper’s leadership instrumental role has also been highlighted on multiple occasions during events that have been of national significance. Of particular relevance is his pivotal role during significant events such as the 1 October shooting in Las Vegas. As a member of the city’s command team, he established and managed the Family Assistance Center for the thousands of victim’s and was instrumental in developing the first Resiliency Center for Las Vegas during this time of crisis.

Chief Cooper's contributions extended to building and running the United States largest field hospital with over 300 employees and a capacity for 500 patients as the Incident Commander during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic earning the applause and recognition  from the visiting cabinet appointed U.S.I.C.H. Dr. Marbot. His success with the field hospital was parlayed into working with local, state and international partners to develop health equity initiatives and oversee all aspects of the Vaccine Points of Distribution for Las Vegas. The playbook written by Chief Cooper based on his operational and leadership experience is now the nationwide gold-standard crisis response under these circumstances.

In addition to his hands-on experience and because of Chief Cooper’s strategic leadership he was  invited as a subject matter expert to represent the fire service and homeland security enterprise in various national committees responsible for influencing and developing nationwide strategy and policy, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs for Urban Search and Rescue, the National Fire Protection Agency for Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response, and the Department of Homeland Security’s NUSTL. 

His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from UNLV and a Master of Arts Degree in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, which has earned him international recognition from US allied NATO partners globally. Chief Cooper's blend of experience, strategic vision and execution and leadership provide a foundational corner of the Axios vision as it pioneers a paradigm shift in neurotechnology and mental health which Chief Cooper is uniquely suited to forge into every relevant operational setting.

 Dr. Ó Gríofa received his medical degree from UCD and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from UL. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, Fellow of the Faculty of Sports Exercise Medicine from RCSI and principal investigator for Project CASPER which was the first Irish experiment that flew onboard the International Space Station. He spent four years at Kennedy Space Center as a physician and engineer working on the Space Shuttle program.

He is a NOAA trained DMO, NASA Aquanaut (NEEMO 21), rescue diver and senior researcher/engineer for the NASA NEEMO Mission onboard the Aquarius Undersea Habitat while also being dive medicine faculty lead for World Extreme Medicine.

He is currently the medical liaison/director for the City of Las Vegas overseeing integration of medical services and healthcare for the homeless population of the city, providing oversight for the biomedical research district and support for a variety of other biomedical and technology solutions for remote austere environments. He is also the west coast flight director for the Zero Gravity Corporation providing inflight support and supervision for NASA and commercial spaceflight companies for both spaceflight related research and astronaut training during parabolic flight.

He is an operational tactical physician and medic for the LVMPD SWAT and SAR Dive Teams, expedition physician for the Team 5 Foundation and has 10+ years of experience as a tactical medicine instructor and medic training Special Operations Forces (SOF) teams for combat environments worldwide. He was previously the President of the US’s largest volunteer SAR team, sits on the review board of the prestigious Mitchell Scholarship, is passionate about

promoting student STEM education and exploration using a mission-based approach while pursuing research in sex and gender differences in science and technology as a board member for the iGIANT organization.

Shane Smit is a leader in software engineering with over 33 years of programming experience. He has worked for many video game studios during that time, including Disney Interactive, and has directly contributed to over 20 video game titles spanning from early console platforms like GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, to modern PC, iOS and Android. As such, he has a wide breadth of experience in technical video game development in both proprietary and public game engines including: physics, artificial intelligence, audio programming, networked multiplayer, spatial partitioning, collision detection, animation, user interface, and custom tools.

Shane created the Data Engineering organization at MX Technologies, a “big data” company in the financial technology industry, where he also implemented their first machine learning models, and helped establish their Data Science organization as well.

Shane helped to start the Entertainment Arts & Engineering masters program at the University of Utah, where he taught video game engineering, artificial intelligence for games, and mobile game development.

Shane is a video game enthusiast, passionate about the culture surrounding games, their creation, technology, and artistry.

 Griffin J. Murray is an accomplished sales leader with over a decade of experience in the tech industry, specializing in software development and strategic sales. With a background in enterprise sales organizations such as Zuora, Sisense, and Automation Anywhere, Griffin has played a key role in driving expansive growth and innovation. 

His commitment to empowering veteran entrepreneurs as one of the leaders of Warrior Rising showcases his dedication to making a positive impact. Additionally, as a Limited Partner and strategic liaison in the private military sector, Griffin is deeply involved in strategic operations internationally via OSINT, his proprietary AI-enabled Counterintelligence software, as well as field support to assist in anti-human/child trafficking operations.

 Griffin also sits on the advisory boards of multiple hyper-growth startups. Griffin is a proud alumnus of Rutgers University where he played Linebacker and Defensive End. Griffin is relentlessly dedicated to leveraging software for good and with an innovative approach as a sales leader, he continues to redefine industry standards, driving transformative growth, and fostering positive change. 

Dr. Fong earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology with an emphasis in Neuroimaging from Brigham Young University in April of 2008. During her academic career under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Bigler and Dr. Mark Allen, she received the national American Psychological Association Clinical Neuropsychology Division 40 Graduate Student Research Award in 2004 for her research on “Cortical Sources of the N400 and ‘The N400 Effect.’”

In tandem with Dr. Allen, she has published numerous articles that detail their discoveries and successes in combing neuropsychology and neuroimaging to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries (as well as various mental and emotional disorders). Through their research, Dr. Fong and Dr. Allen have derived normative data for various populations, including concussion and TBI populations. These research projects and publications have been used to improve the lives of concussion and TBI survivors.

In 2005, Dr. Fong joined Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (UVRMC) where she began treating patients with severe traumatic brain injuries. After her graduation in 2008, Dr. Fong continued her career with UVRMC, later becoming the director of clinical training for the neurotrauma rehabilitation clinic and sports medicine/concussion clinic. Dr. Fong still holds this position today. This year, 2020, will mark 15 years of service with UVRMC.

In 2012, Dr. Fong was contacted by NFL quarterback Tom Brady. He was impressed by Dr. Fong and asked for her help creating a concussion clinic. In 2013, they opened TB12 Sports Therapy and Concussion Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She continued working with Mr. Brady while she built up her own clinic, Cognitive FX (CFX), with Dr. Allen in Utah.

Cognitive FX opened in August 2014 with Dr. Fong as its clinical director and co-owner. Her expertise in the area of concussion care has led to the creation of Enhanced Performance In Cognition (EPIC) Treatment, which integrates fMRI into the latest mTBI treatment. EPIC Treatment represents the most comprehensive concussion care and brain rehabilitation available and vastly improves the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term planning of mTBI. Under Dr. Fong’s direction, CFX has treated almost 2,000 concussion and other brain injury patients, including professional athletes from the NFL, NHL, and the Olympics.

Her most recent achievement is the creation of Neural Effects, the premier acute concussion treatment center in Utah Valley, which includes pediatric concussion treatment.

Additionally, Dr. Fong is the vice president and president-elect for the Brain Injury Alliance of Utah, a board member of the United States Brain Injury Alliance, an advisory board member for PINK Concussions, and the director of concussion services at TB12 Sports Therapy Center.

Ken has more than thirty years experience in business and as corporate counsel across several industries, including general tech and SaaS companies, pharmaceutical companies, service companies, and non-profits.  

Ken started his career working with the Wharton School's Small Business Development Center working with national and international trade, followed by Bankers Trust in Manhattan, later part of Deutsche Bank and now State Street Corporation. He subsequently joined the New York (Manhattan) office of ReedSmith, a global law firm with more than 1,500 lawyers in 30 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as a senior attorney.  He also previously worked as a senior professional with Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

He has served as Compliance Officer for a 50-person pharmaceutical compounder with revenues over $20 million and as general counsel to two small cap publicly-traded (SEC-registered) companies. He has also directly counseled numerous successful start-ups over the last three decades. 

Ken has a solid background in corporate and securities law, tax law, FDA-regulation, banking, business planning, analytics, forecasting, marketing, social media, intellectual property, contracting, policy, procedure, strategy, and other compliance.

In giving back to the community, he revived, managed and grew a local Philadelphia Italian-American chamber of commerce into a viable business network in the region. He was also primarily responsible for the revival and growth of the former Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey Chapter, and now Field Office of Operation Homefront, which provides service members and their families with emergency financial assistance along with budgeting and other counseling. He was also responsible for major donor fundraising. Ken was a former volunteer for the Marines for Life program and has been a mentor with American Corporate Partners and a site certification reviewer for the National Veteran Owned Business Association. He was also a SCORE mentor and has volunteered as a board member for several military related nonprofits, including Vets2Industry Foundation and, particularly, served as Programming Chairman, Board member, and Chief of Staff for Warrior Rising, a national non-profit that helps veterans to start and accelerate their businesses.

Ken holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law Delaware and a Masters in Law degree from Villanova University School of Law.

 Throughout his impressive career that began in the trade show industry back in 1993, Yezeski consistently showcased his ability to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technology, captivating audiences, and establishing robust client relationships that surpassed industry standards. His tenure at top firms like Displayworks and Solutions Rendered showcased his flair for innovation, successfully engaging audiences for brands such as Ceradyne, Prudential Real Estate, Brighthouse Financial, and Berkshire Hathaway.

In 2017, Yezeski made a shift into the tech sector, where he spearheaded business development efforts at Smudge Laboratories. Here, his strategic partnerships with industry giants like Abbott Laboratories, Axonics, and Vyaire further solidified his reputation as a visionary leader. Yezeski’s collaborative efforts with sales, marketing, and development teams, as well as medical professionals, have led to advancements in the healthcare industry and national recognition. Yezeski was also recognized at, the most influential tech event in the world, CES for bringing its 3D technology to some of the top global healthcare companies, including Abbott Laboratories. 

With a wealth of experience spanning over 27 years, Yezeski's collaborations with Fortune 500 companies and startups have not only yielded tangible results but also driven significant progress in the healthcare field. His people-centric approach to technology solutions, emphasis on talent development, and keen eye for digital transformation set the stage for his role in setting new People Experience standards at Axios VR.

Yezeski's dedication to instilling a culture of innovation within the organization, challenging conventional practices, and driving efficiencies underscores his commitment to steering Axios VR towards a future of adaptability and success in an ever-evolving workplace environment.