Corporate Governance

Mr. Fernandez has over 30 years’ experience in identifying profitable start-up and dislocation opportunities, building significant value, and executing exit strategies as an entrepreneur and global investor. In 2008, Charles M. Fernandez joined Fairholme Capital Management. As President, he co-managed all three Fairholme funds, and was commended for bringing in a $2 billion gain for shareholders. Throughout his impressive career in Media, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Finance and Technology, he has participated in more than 100 significant mergers, acquisitions, and product development projects. Mr. Fernandez was the founder, Chairman, and CEO of eApeiron Solutions, LLC, a brand protection and e-commerce company in partnership with Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) and Eastman Kodak (NYSE: KODK) which was successfully sold to Smartrac, leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of RFID and Internet of Things (“IoT”) solutions, a unit of Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY). 

In addition to his current and continuing role as founder and partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, Mr. Ellenoff assumes the position as Vice Chairman and Chief Development officer at NextPlat, advising the Company on strategic transactions including licensing, joint ventures, and acquisitions opportunities in the e-commerce space.

Douglas S. Ellenoff is the founder and partner at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, a law firm based in NYC with more than 120 professionals, and he is a corporate and securities attorney with a focus in business transactions, mergers and acquisitions and corporate financings. Mr. Ellenoff has represented companies in connection with their initial public offerings, secondary public offerings, PIPEs, crowdfunding, regulatory compliance, as well as strategic initiatives and general corporate governance matters. Mr. Ellenoff has established his firm as a leader in several alternative finance programs, including SPACs, PIPEs, RDs and Crowdfunding. Along with other members of his Firm, Mr. Ellenoff has been involved at various stages with over 300 SPACs and numerous associated SPAC business combinations. In addition to the practice of law, He has also maintained an active investing profile. Through an affiliate of his law firm, he has invested in a portfolio of legal technology start-ups, along with several where he is the founder.

Mr. Barreto's business career spans over 35 years including his role at the Barreto Group and earlier, as the founding partner of Floridian Partners, LLC, a corporate and public affairs consulting firm recognized by policy makers as one of the top in its industry in Florida. He has chaired the Super Bowl Host Committee in 2007, 2010 and 2020, helping to raise more than $100 million dollars for the success of Miami Super Bowls. As a philanthropist and conservationist, Mr. Barreto is also a three-time appointee to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where he has served for over 10 years including holding the title of Chairman eight times. He has twice chaired the Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, was Chairman of the 1999 Breeder's Cup Championship held in South Florida and was the Chairman of the 1999 Sister Cities International Convention in Miami. Currently, Mr. Barreto is the Membership Chairman of the Florida Council of 100, and a member of the Boards of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Baptist Health South Florida Giving Society, the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and a member of Miami Dade County Schools Superintendent Carvalho's Business Advisory Council. Prior to his career in public affairs and real estate, Mr. Barreto was a City of Miami police officer and is a member of the Florida Highway Patrol Advisory Council.

Mr. Cusimano’s dual career with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United States Air Force Reserve (USAF) spanned three decades of continuous service. Prior to retiring from the FAA in May 2003, Mr. Cusimano was a Senior Executive and Deputy Director of the FAA’s Flight Standards Service. In this role, in addition to day-to-day oversight, his responsibilities included maintaining close and continuous liaison with representatives of Congress, the aviation industry, including interest groups; the general public, all air carriers, the national military establishment, other Federal agencies, and foreign flight operations, and airworthiness authorities. Over the course of his career at the FAA, he held a number of key management positions including serving at “Acting Director” and as the Division Manager of the Air Transportation Division and Certification and Surveillance Division. He also served the FAA in executive level management positions as Division Manager of the Safety Programs Division within FAA’s Office of Systems Safety which reported directly to the Administrator of the FAA.

Mr. Cusimano’s parallel career as an Air Force officer and pilot spanned 30 years of service, culminating with attaining the rank of full colonel, and retiring as Wing Commander, 459th Airlift Wing. He was senior ranking officer in charge of over 1,400 reservists and nine C-141B/C strategic airlift aircraft which conducted world-wide combat airlift and airlift support missions for the Air Mobility Command. He is a highly decorated officer and retired with honors on June 1, 2000.

Mr. Cusimano holds an airline transport pilot certificate, flight engineer certificate, and flight instructor certificate with fixed wing, rotorcraft, and instrument instructor ratings. He is also a certified A&P Mechanic with Inspector Authorization authority. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in experimental psychology from Hofstra University in 1969 and he completed National Security Management School in 1987. He has held top secret clearances at the FAA and with the Air Force. Mr. Cusimano is certified as an ISO-9000:2000 Auditor with the International Register of Certificated Auditors.

Lieutenant Commander Delgado is a retired United States Navy SEAL, with over twenty-nine years of active and reserve service. In 2006, he was mobilized with SEAL Team THREE for a combat tour in Ramadi, Iraq, receiving a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”.

He has served with SEAL Teams TWO, THREE, FOUR, EIGHTEEN and Special Operations Command Central and South. His tours of duty have included the Middle East, Europe, Africa and South America.

Mr. Delgado has a wealth of expertise that has been refined not only in a military environment, but also extensively in the governmental sector, where he has been responsible for budgets, training, and logistics for thousands of people. He has trained thousands of students in the use of weapons, demolition, physical security and executive protection.

Mr. Delgado is also a retired Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Palm Beach County, Florida.  Throughout his career, Special Agent Delgado served in a number of positions including being a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Miami field office.

Over the past fifteen years Mr. Delgado has conducted Active Shooter Response Training seminars around the country and is recognized as an expert in this field. He has served on Governor DeSantis’s Committee on Public Safety during the Governor’s transition.  

Mr. Delgado is also a successful entrepreneur, having started, managed, and sold numerous enterprises. He is co-founder of ASR Alert Systems, a newly developed technology designed to drastically enhance response time of law enforcement and victims in an active shooter event. The ASR Threat Alert System simultaneously alerts law enforcement, end users of the system, 911-dispatch, and nearest trauma hospitals within seconds.

Mr. Delgado’s core values of honesty, integrity, and generosity are what have helped propel him to his current success. These same qualities inspire him to give back to the communities in which he resides. He mentors teenagers who make career decisions to enlist in the military and he sits on the Naval Academy selection board on behalf of Senator Marco Rubio

As a member of the Board of Directors of the National Navy SEAL Museum, Mr. Delgado plays an instrumental role in the Museum’s continued growth and development.

Mr. Phipps is the founder of the Company’s two subsidiaries, UK-based Global Telesat Communications and US-based Orbital Satcom Corp. and had served as the Company’s CEO and Chairman for six years, leading the company from start-up through its recent listing on Nasdaq. He has over 20 years’ experience in the communications industry, during which time he has overseen acquisitions, mergers and capital raising activities, and has more than 35 years of experience of investment management, finance, and operational roles in several private and public companies.

Ms. Alcaine has over 25 years of proven success in the healthcare sector from startups to Fortune 500 companies. She is an engaged leader with the ability to manage large diverse teams achieving positive results. Her extensive experience includes implementing cost saving measures, streamlining processes, and investing in technology and infrastructure that can help improve outcomes and reduce expenses. She was previously the Co-Founder of AskVetMD, a bilingual telehealth platform for veterinarians and earlier, for eight years, served as a Human Resource Director for OLYMPUS Corporation. Ms. Alcaine has served as a Board Member at Progressive Care Inc., on both the Governance and Compensation committees.

Mr. Armas was appointed as a Director of Progressive Care in July 2023. Mr. Armas combines over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry following seven years of healthcare administration and management. Mr. Armas is currently the Chief Executive Officer of One Innovation Labs, a dietary ingredient manufacturer and delivery technology company, and served as Executive Vice President from 2019 to 2021. Mr. Armas also currently serves as a member of the board of The Leadership Learning Center at St. John Bosco Church. He has an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Florida International University. Mr. Armas was selected as a nominee to be appointed to the Combined Company's Board because of his vast experience in the healthcare industry.

Mr. Hough has served as a Director of Progressive Care since August 2017. Mr. Hough has worked in the capital markets and financial services industry in various compliance and management capacities. His regulatory background provides valuable perspective when assisting firms in the development and implementation of managerial plans and developing business. Mr. Hough currently serves at the nation’s oldest African-American Investment Banking Firm Blaylock Van, LLC as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to Blaylock, Mr. Hough served as Chief Compliance Officer for IFS Securities, Inc from 2014 to 2018. Prior to 2014, Mr. Hough has also served in several executive positions at various companies including: President at Fund America Securities; CEO and COO at J&C Global Securities; and CEO and President at Capital & Credit International Inc. Having begun his career with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Mr. Hough has gone on to amass experience is various sectors of the industry including corporate investment and public finance. Mr. Hough holds a B.S. Degree in Economics and an M.S. Degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Clemson University. He has earned the Certified Securities Compliance Professional Certification from the National Society of Compliance Professionals. Mr. Hough holds the Series 7, 24, 53, 63, 79, and 99 licenses from FINRA (Financial Industrial Regulatory Authority). Mr. Hough is a Founding Board Member of the Georgia Crowdfunding Association and Past Board Member of the U.S.A. Jamaica Chamber of Commerce. We believe that Mr. Hough is well-qualified to serve as a director of the Combined Company based on his significant compliance, management, leadership and entrepreneurial experience.