BOARD OF
DIRECTORS

Stephen J. Girsky is president and CEO of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions.

Girsky served as managing director of VectoIQ, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in New York. He served as president and CEO of VectoIQ Acquisition Corp. I from its incorporation in January 2018 until the consummation of its business combination with Nikola Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience working with corporate board executives, labor leaders, OEM leaders, suppliers, dealers, and national policymakers.

Girsky served in a number of capacities at General Motors from November 2009 until July 2014, including vice chairman. He served as chairman of the Adam Opel AG Supervisory Board and was president of GM Europe for a period of time. He was a special advisor to the CEO and CFO of General Motors Corporation from August 2005 to June 2006.

Girsky served as president of Centerbridge Industrial Partners, an affiliate of Centerbridge Partners, LP, and a multibillion-dollar investment fund. Mr. Girsky also previously served as managing director at Morgan Stanley and as senior analyst of the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive and Auto Parts Research Team.

He is on the board of directors at Nikola Corporation, Brookfield Business Partners Limited, the general partner of Brookfield Business Partners, L.P. (NYSE: BBU; TSX BBU.UN), as well as a private company, Clarios, which is a leader in battery manufacturing. Girsky served on the Board of U.S. Steel from 2016 to 2021 and on the General Motors Board of Directors following its emergence from bankruptcy in June 2009 until June 2016. He also served as the lead director of Dana Holdings Corp. from 2008 to 2009. 

Girsky received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles and a master of business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Prior to serving as Nikola’s Chariman of the Board in August 2023, Steve Shindler was a member of Nikola’s Board of Directors and chair of Nikola’s audit committee since October 2020.

Shindler is a Director of NII Holdings, Inc. a holding company that previously owned providers of wireless communication services under the Nextel brand in Latin America. From 2018 – June 2020, Shindler served as chief financial officer of VectoIQ Acquisition Corp., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company focused on opportunities in the industrial technology, transportation, and smart mobility industries.

Previously, Shindler served as CEO of NII from 2012 until August of 2017, as well as from 2000 to 2008. He successfully transformed NII from a start-up operation into a leading wireless provider with nearly 11.5 million subscribers. In recent years, he oversaw a financial restructuring of the company that included sales of its core businesses in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Shindler joined Nextel Communications, Inc. in 1996 as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Shindler graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics degree from the University of Michigan and earned his masters of business administration from Cornell University.

Andrew Vesey has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since October 2022. Vesey has more than 40 years of diverse utility industry experience and is currently President and CEO North America at Fortescue Future Industries.

Prior to joining Fortescue Future Industries, in 2019, Vesey co-founded Earthrise Energy Inc., a firm focused on delivering critical energy services to customers and the electric grid. Additional former executive roles include serving as chief executive and president of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), chief executive and managing director of AGL Energy, and chief operating officer of AES Corporation.

Vesey spent several years as an energy industry consultant and leader at firms including FTI Consulting and Ernst & Young. He also served as chief executive and managing director of Melbourne-based CitiPower in Australia and began his career as a system planning engineer at Consolidated Edison. Vesey has previously served on the boards of PG&E and AGL Energy, among others.

Vesey holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in economics both from Union College. He also earned a master’s degree in applied science from New York University.

Bruce Smith has more than 30 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations, having led numerous companies and has a history of driving business and financial outperformance. He is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Manufacturing Systems (DMS), a Tier 1 component manufacturer for global automotive brands with approximately $1 billion in annual revenue.

Prior to joining DMS, Smith worked closely with leading private equity firms and entrepreneurs, holding key executive management positions, including president and CEO of BTM Company, a global leader of precision-engineered tooling and production equipment. Earlier in his career, he served as president and CEO of Elyria & Hodge Foundries, president and COO of Guilford Mills, president and CEO of automotive supplier Piston Group, and president and COO of United Plastics Group.

Smith has an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Carla Tully has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since February 2024. Tully has more than two decades of energy and infrastructure experience and has built a successful track record leading and scaling energy organizations across Fortune 150, private equity, startup, and government entities. Tully serves as a Board Director for Emera, Inc. (TSX: EMA), Pattern Energy Group, and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum. She also serves as a Senior Advisor for Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and as an Advisor to several energy transition startups.

As Co-Founder and CEO at Earthrise Energy, PBC, Tully achieved remarkable growth leading the energy transition company from concept to a 1.7 GW operating business with a 2.0 GW renewable energy development pipeline. She raised venture capital, private equity, and debt, fueling strategic acquisitions, and built an organization designed to execute Earthrise’s unique business model.

Before founding Earthrise, Tully served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Renewable Energy at MAP Energy, a $2.4B energy investment firm, where she scaled MAP’s renewable energy development business and raised its first all-renewable energy fund. At The AES Corporation, a global power leader, Tully held key leadership roles, including President of AES UK and Ireland, Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Investment, and Chief of Staff for Global Utilities, where she shaped and executed growth strategies for AES’s 40 GW businesses worldwide.

Tully received the 2022 Silver Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur and the 2016 UK Institute of Directors’ Award – Director of the Year for Corporate Responsibility. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a Bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics from the University of Southern California.

John Vesco is a seasoned multi-modal transportation expert with more than three decades of extensive executive leadership within prominent transportation and supply chain organizations, including Hub Group and Schneider.

Vesco continues his active involvement in the logistics industry through consultancy with organizations developing emerging technologies as well as accessing portfolios for mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, Vesco shares his experience through the role of adjunct professor at Concordia and most recently Aurora University teaching courses in supply chain, leadership and operations management.  

Vesco is a graduate of Walsh University in Finance and Business Administration and has a master’s in business administration from Silver Lake College. 

Jonathan M. Pertchik has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since December 2023.

Pertchik is a seasoned executive who most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TravelCenters of America (TA), a Fortune 500 company, where he executed a company-wide transformation resulting in a sale at nearly 10x the first day share price.  While at TA, Pertchik created a sustainable energy program, eTA, which in part led to the successful sale to bp. 

During Pertchik’s tenure, TA received numerous honors and awards:  Newsweek named TA a “Most Trustworthy Company”, Forbes named them a “Top Small Company”, Plain Dealer named them a “Top Workplace NE Ohio”, and USA Today named them a “Top Gas Station Brand”.  In 2022, the Wall Street Journal recognized Pertchik as a “World’s Most Influential Decision Maker” and Crain’s named him to the Power 150 List in Ohio. 

Pertchik has led several other companies through major transformations over a period of nearly 20 years, including WCI Communities, ST Residential and Intown Suites for companies owned or controlled by investor groups, including Starwood Capital Group, TPG, Carl Icahn, Richard LeFrak and Perry Capital.  Pertchik has also served as Director for successful startups as well as larger public companies including AV Homes.

Perchik holds a B.A. from Rutgers University, a J.D. from the District of Columbia School of Law, and an L.L.M. in International Finance Law from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Mary Petrovich has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since December 2020 and the chairperson of Nikola’s Compensation Committee since July of 2021.

Petrovich is an accomplished entrepreneur with a passion for disruptive technologies and leading innovation. She is the senior operating executive for The Carlyle Group and has served as the chairman and CEO of two highly successful Carlyle portfolio companies in the industrial and transportation sectors.

Currently, Petrovich chairs two VC-backed technology start-ups: Traxen, a leading software development company focused on devising AI-enabled autonomous driving technology for the Class-8 truck market, and Xeeva, a supply chain software leader applying artificial intelligence to identify the widest spectrum of cost savings and expedite those globally. She also serves as active chairman of DealerShop, the leading buying group in North America for over 3,000 dealerships and collision centers.

Her formative years were spent in manufacturing, engineering, and financial leadership roles at companies including General Motors, Chrysler, and AlliedSignal.

Petrovich earned a master’s in business administration degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

Mike Mansuetti has been a member of Nikola’s board of directors since September 2019 and a member of Nikola’s audit committee since October 2019.

Since July 2012, Mansuetti has been the president of Robert Bosch LLC, an automotive component supply company. In this role, Mansuetti works with Bosch’s business units and sales organizations to guide the company’s growth in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, with a focus on mobility solutions, cross-divisional sales, and new business field development.

Mansuetti is immediate past chair of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) and a member of the board of directors of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). He is a member of the Consumer Technology Association Executive Board, and serves on the Advisory Board for the Clemson University College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.

Mansuetti received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University.