Team
We are a diverse group of builders, dreamers, creators, innovators, engineers, coders, artists, fabricators, welders, electricians, seamstresses, trainers, and entrepreneurs.
Interested in joining our build crew? Reach out!
Michael Worry, Captain
captain@TechnoGecko.org
Engineer, Canadian, CEO, Burner and Builder. Lead Nuvation Energy by day, delivering Battery Management Systems and Energy Storage Engineering Services. After hours, Captained DiscoFish and now TechnoGecko out of the Nuvation garage.
Rodney, Camp Videographer
Jennifer, Finances
The pair contributes through videography, social media, and marketing tasks. Watch, like, and follow on social! Rodney also assists with battery prep work and playa mechanical hiccups. Jen helps with crafting needs, financial tracking, and onsite BM Gecko tattoos!
Nate Wennyk, Chief Engineer
An electronic designer with specialization in energy storage systems, his hobbies are in mechanical design and control theory. Nate supported the design and build of energy storage systems in the Caboose, Guppy, Keggy, and Whale; designing the wheel pods (the things that make TechnoGecko move in any direction), and supporting the design of the vehicle’s structure. Bringing art to life through the clever application of science is his passion.
Emma aka Kismet, Camp Interactivity
Kismet, Kizz, or KizMe, is a former camp founder and burner since 2018, she loves to host and bring communities together around art and music. Building and creating in ways that are authentic to each individual are the best forms of self expression in her book!
Robert Frankovich, Structural Design
Robert designed integrated Circuits for 30 years, and since retirement, he's been building fighting robots. Robert did a lot of the work on the DiscoFish including designing the scales, adding the second story, and the dorsal fin support structure. He now runs point on many projects for TechnoGecko.
Paul, Vehicle Logistics
Paul helps with design, logistics, and module transportation arrangements to from the playa among other things.
Ben McMaster, Web site manager
Ben is an entrepreneur, product designer, and software engineer. He founded Vimify, a platform for lifestyle training programs. Ben is leading the awareness and fundraising effort for the TechnoGecko.
Sunny Wood, M.S., CRC, Tool Tracker
Playa Names: Sunny a.k.a. The Condom Fairy. I am a Vocational Counselor by trade. With Dreammakers I am a Brainstormer and Floater extraordinaire. My main focus is the Lighting Team. Handy with power tools. Favorite tool: reciprocating saw.
John Peck, Gecko Eye
John is a computer engineer and has been delivering first-time-right silicon for decades. The playa hardened TechnoGecko eye platform is a recent focus. A four time veteran burner, who likes to pitch in where help is needed on and off-playa.
Randy CPU, Battery
Randy Joins the crew with ample build experience and battery expertise under his belt. He is a former Project Manager at Burning Man, an overall lover of the burn, and we are lucky to have him oversee much of our high voltage needs.
Aaron Kushner, Fabrication
Engineer, woodworker, photographer, maker of fabulous desserts.
Ty Van de Zande, Wearable Lighting
Ty prints circuits onto fabric. He designs and builds light-up performance outfits for TechnoGecko's dancers!
Jake P.
Mechanical Engineer helping expand the structure of the dance floor.
Mark Aubin, Offsite Events
His wisdom and calm nature in conjunction with know how and teamwork help keep the Gecko crew on track.
Todd Cope, Wiring
Todd was born in West Virginia, but made his way to Silicon Valley 30 years ago and made a living designing circuits. Now he is the CEO of a company onshoring tech jobs to Appalachia. For Techno Gecko he tries to find all the low skill jobs, but has developed a specialty in wiring motor controls.
Ben Ritter, Fundraising
Leadership and Career Coach who utilizes his incessant skill of curiosity, nudging, and networking to fundraise for all things DreamMakers.
FunSize aka Alpy, Kitchen
You'll find her in the kitchen singing, "...so tonight I'm gonna tea party like it's 1999."
Liz, Mistress of Scales
I used to make fish scales and now gecko scales, and possibly a kitchen this year. With more enthusiasm than skill, I love to build and our community.
Kelly Strazzarino, Art Designer
Kelly is a graphic designer, artist & costume designer. She helped visually design and fabricate the Techno Gecko head! She looks forward to cloaking Burners in inspirational costumes through her upcoming fashion line Kocoon.
Lizzy aka Spirit, Ops & Squish
Lizzy geeks out on operations and loves to make things as cozy as possible whenever she can. She's leading the establishment of the Gecko Terrarium Buffer Dome and herding cats organizing volunteer shift schedules.
Glenn aka Ticket
Glenn is a programmer by day and loves helping out to get the Gecko to playa!
Adam Lambert, Camp Audio
Master of sound, lead audio designer and expert at heavy lifting.
Coot Wyman, DJ Lead
Coot a DJ as well as a member of the band: Mystic Roots. His group tours all over the world playing reggae music. As a DJ, Coot spins on the radio at Power102FM and at various clubs. He contribute each year with his energy, talents, camp fees, and helping breakdown the camp. Coot helps on the build team, and DJed on the DiscoFish and now TechnoGecko.
Eric & Kim, Mechanical Engineering
They love all things Burning Man and have discovered how to carry over the playa experiences year round. 13 burns for Eric and 9 for Kim. Eric is a Mechanical Engineer and has contributed to the suspension, truss and docking features. Kim helped solder wearables and contributes whenever she can. They’re a power couple and have great dance moves to boot.
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone! This is an intense multiyear project that is a technical and creative challenge. Some people come for a day, a weekend, a year, or have been with us for decades — all the effort is what brings us to where we are today. We want to thank each and every person who has, is, and will contribute to the TechnoGecko during its metamorphosis. We are truly humbled by the ingenuity, kindness, skill, expertise, generosity, blood, sweat, and tears that you all provided. This is an amazing journey and we have met so many wonderful and talented people without whom we could never make it to the playa and continue on the building journey. We love our team and volunteers, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for bringing this gift to the world.
Never a complete list but some of those that made this possible:
Adam Barton
Adela Fedor
Adrienne Fairchild
Afshin Ahmadi
Alex Baranoff
Alexaly Perez
Alison Kyle-Varilone
Amir Rosnebaum
Amy Guion
Annemarie Parris
Angel Yang
Ashley Hill
Ashley Stanwood
Av Edidin
Ben Erwin
Bennet Heidenreich
Berlin Blount
Brent Wilson
Brian Conners
Bruce Krein
Carly Freedman
Casey Gardner
Catherine Lemon
Cathleen Edidin
Cary Weisenberger
Chantal Dangler
Charlie Miller
Charlie Perkins
Chelsea Wretenar
Chris Collins
Chris Gillen
Chris Lane
Chris Malone
Conrad Essen
Consuelo D’Agostino
Craig Swanson
Curtis Yau
Dani Moragne
Dariana & Christian Foglar
Dariana Jaimes
David Boctor
David Stone
David Zebrowski
Diana Chapa
Diana J Wells
Dmitry Azovtsev
Don Gowan
Doug Gowan
Drew R Dusanka
Edwin Chiu
Eliot Barker
Emery Nolasco
Eric Stahl
Erich & Goergina Krauss
Erik & Susan Zandhuis
Erin Gowdy
Francisco Marquez
Gil Shotan
Giselle Ramirez
Ia GriggsIan
Mac MooreIda Bjork
Igor Chernyshev
Igor Rashnitsov
Irina Olivares
Jade Nuggehalli
Jake Stelman
Jamie Barten
Jeffrey Petit
Jen McGuire
Jenna Roberston
Jennifer Argondizza
Jermone Johnson
Jerrad Fisher
Jim Changler
Jim Nell
Jimbo Jones
Joel Tashinian
John Corman
John Cottle
John Montoya
Jordan Russell
Junah Park
Justin Case
Karl Bergman
Karli Katsikas
Karolina Ash
Kate Rainwater
Kate Reiss
Katherine Wyman
Kaylen Chan
Ken Wells
Kim Hamilton
Kim Silverman
Kim Weber
Kristen Han
Kristine Imber
Lance Cuenca
Laura Oglesby
Lauren O’Donnell
Leland Ratcliff
Liz Metcalf
Lola Mijangos
Lori Krein
Luke Duncan
Lynn Yanyo
Marc Thomas
Marcus Bair
Marie Giovanna
Marko Vasiljevic
Marry Anne Pretorius
Melissa Friedland
Michael Briggs
Michael Pierce
Michelle Stratton
Mikaela MacMahon
Mike Bestvina
Mike & Lauren O’Donnell
Murat Ozkan
Nathan Hobbs
Neil Brown
Nina Noir
Oren Jalon
Paul Roales
Paul Barclay
Peggy McNulty
Phillips Sweet
Radha Vaidyanathan
Randi Connors
Ranjeet Jhutti
Rebecca Armstrong
Rina Raman
Robert Skillicorn
Robert Testa
Robin Goddard
Ronnie Gerber
Russel Vare
Ryan Olson
Ryan Tullio
Ryan Williams
Sandy Corman
Sandi Kovach-Long
Sarah Price
Shampelle Byrd
Sherry Hagen
Simone Stolzoff
Susi Gould
Tara White
Thu Hoang
Tiffany Butler
Tim Willis
Tony Arata
Tony Morrissey
Trent Ringen
Trevor & Tully Gould
Troy Booker
Tyler Moragne
Vanesa Klein
Vasif Nawaz
Wes Newman
Will Clark
Winnie Hau
Yan Michalevsky
Zavier Rodriguez
Zelda Hazel