Mauricio Meza, Business Development
Mauricio is working on the business development, planning and marketing of Komodo OpenLab by establishing contacts with organizations, assistive technology professionals and users. He worked as an assistive technology consultant for 8 years recommending and supporting assistive technologies for people with disabilities. He is especially interested in access to computers and mobile devices as these aid people with disabilities to overcome the limitations that they face everyday. Mauricio holds an MBA in the Management of Technology and is interested in the business side of the application of product development and commercialization processes to assistive technologies.
Jorge Silva, Technical Lead
Jorge is the co-founder of Komodo OpenLab and has been working with people with disabilities for over a decade developing technologies that support their daily lives. He is passionate about open source and believes it is one of the best ways to empower assistive technology users and professionals to “scratch their own itch”. Jorge holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He is currently a full-time researcher with the Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University and enjoys riding his bike everywhere.
David Thomas, Chief Advocacy Officer
David Thomas is a tireless and resourceful advocate always willing to show how business and developer communities can use their technologies to change the lives of people with disabilities. David started working with computers during the early days of the internet. In the early 90s, he ran his own Bulletin Board System (BBS) in Vancouver. He also currently works as the Director of Quality Assurance for Ayogo Games and is working for his Associate Certificate in Applied Software Development at BCIT. When not on the computer, David is usually cheering on the Vancouver Canucks or trying different ethnic dishes.
Eric Wan, Software Developer
Eric is a coder at Komodo OpenLab working primarily on Tecla. Eric was passionate about computer programming since a very young age. In spite of his physical disability acquired at age eighteen, he became interested in designing assistive technology. As an undergraduate student, Eric was involved in numerous projects that focused on improving the quality of life for children with disabilities. Eric has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing a Masters in the Biomedical Engineering Collaborative Graduate Program also at the University of Toronto.
Jorge Torres, Technical Advisor
Jorge Torres started tinkering with technology, communications and computers when he was a teenager and started working with an Internet service provider while still at university. After finishing school Jorge was hired as the team leader for innovation at an electronics company in Mexico, and later opened his own engineering consulting company. Many of his products and programs are circulating around the globe. Jorge holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He enjoys playing guitar and trains boxing rigorously. Jorge gets motivated and challenged by new problems that can be solved with ingenious algorithms.
