Leadership Team

Rowland Ellis was appointed General Manager of PTI Technologies in 2016.  Mr. Ellis has over 18 years of direct experience in the filtration industry, over which time he has progressively served in technical and operational leadership roles.  He is active on industry technical committees and holds 2 US filtration related patents.  He has a MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

David Conrad is a seasoned aviation / aerospace executive with over 35 years of experience in the industry. He brings a wealth of expertise with particular strengths in areas such as sales and marketing, business development, strategic planning, supply chain development, repair capabilities development, customer support and process improvement. With an abundance of international experience, David has a strong understanding of the aviation and aerospace markets in Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Currently, David is the Vice President, Business Development at PTI Technologies based in Oxnard, CA. In this role, he is responsible for leading all OEM and aftermarket business development for a leading supplier of fluid control and filtration to the aviation and aerospace industry. He works with all commercial, regional and business aviation aircraft OEM’s as well as Tier 1 and Tier 2 integrators in the OEM market segment. In the aftermarket segment, he works with leading global passenger airlines, cargo airlines, MRO organizations and distributors to provide in-service support as well as developing new products to expand the portfolio.

Prior to joining PTI Technologies, David spent five years as the Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service at Zodiac Water & Waste Aero Systems based in Carson, CA where he lead the sales, marketing and customer service for the business working with aircraft OEM’s, Tier 1 interiors integrators and galley/lavatory suppliers. He also lead development of branding and other marketing initiatives resulting in increased customer demand for new products and technology produced by Zodiac Water & Waste Aero Systems.

Prior to joining Zodiac Water & Waste Aero Systems, David spent three years as the Director International Sales & Marketing of Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Co., Ltd (GAMECO) a Part 145 MRO based in Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China. David has also served as the Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service as well as General Manager, PSI at Rexnord Aerospace. He has also held positions with Goodrich Cargo Systems (based in Beijing, China), and AeroUnion Corporation as well as progressing through a number of business development and leadership positions in Honeywell/ AlliedSignal.

In addition to his executive career, David has served for over five years on an advisory board for a marketing communications firm in the aerospace and defense markets. He is also the President/CEO of the Liu Fang Memorial Scholarship Foundation, providing scholarships to women in physics, engineering and mathematics. David holds a B.S. degree in Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

Robert Gleason is a high energy, results oriented leader with over 28 years of industry experience that understands the unique relationships between project execution and the product life cycle in the aerospace and defense industry.  He has a diverse background with demonstrated experience in product development, engineering, configuration management, business development, operations, and project/program/portfolio management as well as proven strengths in strategic planning and Lean Six Sigma enterprise implementation for organizations on rapid growth trajectories.

Currently, Robert leads engineering and program management execution excellence for PTI Technologies based in Oxnard, California.  In this role, he is responsible for leading engineering, program, and configuration management teams to deliver exceptional products to the market while managing the life cycle of PTI’s core products.  Robert works closely with all functional areas of the business and play’s a critical role in the driving PTI’s engineering strategy, managing aerospace programs, and fostering technical excellence within the organization.

Prior to joining PTI Technologies, Robert has been in several key engineering and program management leadership positions for major organizations including Moog Aircraft, Parker Aerospace, Capstone Turbine and ITT for major military, commercial, rotorcraft, and business jet applications.  Throughout his career, he has successfully led and grown cross-functional teams supporting a diverse array of programs, projects, and products ranging from micro-turbines, electronic controllers, servos, fluid controls & conditioning, fluid power generation, and actuation for a wide variety of mission critical applications and systems.  He carries diverse experiences across all stages of the product lifecycle, and is well-versed in managing large, cross-functional organizations. Additionally, he has a wealth of global experiences, having lived in Russia, Canada, France, the US, and Brazil and managing teams in Mexico and India.

Robert is an active industry leader and has participated in in several associations including AIA, SAE, PMI, and Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI).  He has served on the Engineering Management Committee of Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in Washington D.C. and was a founding council member and Chair of the Santa Clarita Valley Chapter of The Aerospace and Defense Forum.  He is currently an active board member of the Ventura County Chapter of The Aerospace and Defense Forum and SAE’s A-6 Aerospace Actuation, Control and Fluid Power Systems Committee.  Robert is consistently requested to participate in councils as a leader in his field including History Channel’s Modern Marvels and the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation where he did a podcast interview about the future of aerospace with its CEO.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Western Michigan University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Rodger Benjamins is Vice President Finance, ESCO Aerospace with responsibility for Finance, Contracts, and Information Technology for both PTI Technologies and Crissair, Inc. Rodger joined Crissair in April 2022 and stepped into his leadership role for both ESCO subsidiaries in August 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Pepperdine University with a more than 35-year career in accounting and business administration, including a strong background in financial management and operations leadership within the aerospace component manufacturing industry. He has also had responsibility for the accounting and administration of a wide range of other types of businesses, including resorts, farms, investment partnerships, and rental real‑estate enterprises. His professional background further includes preparing tax returns for corporations, partnerships, fiduciaries, sole proprietorships, and individuals.