Management Team

Trace Woodbury is a technology executive and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience supporting the U.S. Federal Government and leading high growth technology organizations across AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, manufacturing, and transportation.

In 2024, Mr. Woodbury joined Universal Edge Technologies (UET) as Chief Technology Officer. Within a year, he was named Chief Executive Officer and President. In June 2026, he officially joined the company’s Board of Directors. At UET, he has been instrumental in bringing to market the company’s next generation edge compute platform, powered by immersion cooling technology. The platform delivers mission ready AI compute for defense, enterprise, and edge applications, and recently generated a $99.7 million award from U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Prior to UET, Mr. Woodbury cofounded RidgeIT Cyber and scaled the company to serve federal and commercial clients in more than 150 countries across six continents. The firm became a global cybersecurity integrator, building partner ecosystems among leading enterprise platforms such as CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Okta, Qualys, and Zscaler.

He has also consulted for multiple AI and cybersecurity startups as they transitioned from stealth mode to commercialization and, ultimately, successful exits, helping bridge the gap between technical innovation and scalable commercial execution.

Throughout his career, Mr. Woodbury has combined federal contracting expertise with direct technical leadership. Today, he is focused on aligning emerging AI technologies with mission critical requirements, building strategic partnerships, and scaling organizations globally, translating new technologies into operationally deployable systems across defense and enterprise environments.

Outside of UET, Mr. Woodbury is an active member of Bridge Angel Investors, a regional angel investment group, where he supports and mentors early stage technology founders.

Ryan Rebholz began his career in private equity, managing portfolio companies across technology, infrastructure, and manufacturing. He joined Universal Edge Technologies in July 2025, bringing a finance and operations focus, with direct experience scaling businesses and supporting growth initiatives across a wide range of industries.

Mr. Rebholz spent four years at Boyne Capital, where he supported the sourcing, evaluation, and execution of new investments while playing an active role in portfolio company management. He focused on driving value across technology, infrastructure, business services, manufacturing, distribution, and healthcare, partnering with management teams to accelerate growth, improve operations, and support strategic decision making.

Earlier, he worked as an Analyst at Lazard and, as an undergraduate, served in the University of Miami’s investment office, working alongside the University’s Chief Investment Officer as one of four decision makers overseeing roughly $2.5 billion across the endowment, pension, and working capital portfolios. There he led due diligence, asset allocation analysis, and manager surveillance, and built custom analytics and models to support the University’s transition to a fully internal investment office.

Mr. Rebholz also serves as a Strategic Advisor to Outlook Surgical. He holds a BS in Finance from the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School.

Cherif Morgan is a mechanical engineer with more than 20 years of experience in innovative design and project management, specializing in mechanical systems and components. He brings proven expertise in developing efficient engineering solutions and leading multidisciplinary teams, with a particular focus on bringing products to market.

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Walt Disney World, Mr. Morgan developed engineering solutions for mechanical ride and show systems, applying fatigue analysis and failure theory to ensure durability and safety. He verified design and installation compliance with relevant codes and standards and oversaw preventive maintenance that strengthened the operational integrity of rides and attractions.

He has also served as a Project Manager at Exodus Rigs, where he built out core operational systems for the startup, and has held senior engineering roles at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, designing gas turbines; at FLIR Systems, developing advanced infrared surveillance cameras; and at L3 Communications.

Mr. Morgan holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, as well as an MBA, all from the University of Central Florida. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of Florida. He joined Universal Edge Technologies in November 2025.

James Rankin is a senior technology executive with extensive experience leading large scale technology programs, service delivery, and infrastructure operations for enterprise, managed services, and cybersecurity clients. Mr. Rankin has held leadership roles with Ridge IT Cyber, Columbia Advisory Group, NTT Data, Dell Services, and Perot Systems, where he supported Fortune 100 and 500 clients and developed broad expertise in program leadership, operational transformation, and client engagement.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Rankin has led global organizations of more than 300 professionals, directed delivery across complex, multimillion dollar contracts, and partnered with executive stakeholders to improve performance, profitability, and long term customer success. His experience spans infrastructure operations, service desk, field services, disaster recovery, business continuity, and cybersecurity program delivery.

Mr. Rankin is recognized for aligning execution with business priorities and delivering measurable operational results. His leadership has strengthened service quality, improved efficiency, reduced risk, and enhanced customer outcomes across complex delivery environments. Mr. Rankin joined Universal Edge Technologies in May 2025 to lead program management.

Kyle Slutz is a data center infrastructure leader with direct experience designing, building, and operating large scale compute environments. Mr. Slutz has engineered and deployed more than 230MW of data center infrastructure and brings deep expertise in electrical systems, liquid cooling, and high volume production. What sets his background apart is a rare combination of engineering discipline and genuine fabrication skill, including welding, mechanical systems, and construction he has performed with his own hands.

As Chief Technical Officer at Viking Data Centers, Mr. Slutz engineered the electrical infrastructure behind 180MW of deployment, designed the monitoring systems that track uptime and power consumption, and managed the construction and buildout of three independent sites at once. His work there drove major cost reductions, including a redesign that cut required wiring by 97 percent, alongside continuous improvements to building layout, HVAC, and airflow quality.

Earlier, at Squirrels Research Labs and Midwest Data Co, Mr. Slutz worked directly on emerging cooling and production technologies. He designed and fabricated direct to chip cold plate liquid cooling, building the cold plates and their associated hardware himself, and managed a surface mount production line that produced custom FPGA hardware. He also owns Kylin Construction Company, where he has engineered solutions for data centers and AI developers since 2011.

Mr. Slutz joined Universal Edge Technologies in January 2025, where he leads production, turning engineering designs into manufactured, field ready systems. His command of both the electrical and mechanical sides of a build, paired with real liquid cooling and fabrication experience, is central to producing the ruggedized edge platforms UET deploys. He holds a Bachelor of Business from Malone University.

Gregory Almeida is a builder and fabricator whose career spans three decades of direct work across technology, infrastructure, and high performance systems. Mr. Almeida pairs deep construction and fabrication skill with a working command of the hardware and software behind modern compute. He is equally comfortable engineering a solution on paper and building it with his own hands, from stainless steel cooling loops to complete facility electrical.

Most recently, as owner of Ultimate Compute Solutions and Data, Mr. Almeida built a one megawatt liquid cooled facility dedicated to FPGA hardware from the ground up. He constructed the building, installed the HVAC and all electrical from the utility transformers onward, fabricated the stainless steel cooling loops, and built custom racks with integrated leak protection. Everything was designed and fabricated internally, with Mr. Almeida serving as the primary installer.

Earlier, as a consultant to Squirrels Research Labs, he supported roughly four megawatts of infrastructure across multiple deployments, fabricating large coolant distribution manifolds, reservoirs, and monolithic cooling loops while installing power distribution and extensive cable runs. His path to compute ran through decades of entrepreneurship, including an automotive performance company he founded and grew to more than a million dollars in annual revenue, with sponsored track cars that won back to back National Championships in the SCCA, and years of IT consulting for businesses across many industries.

Mr. Almeida joined Universal Edge Technologies in December 2024, where he leads research and development. His rare blend of fabrication, liquid cooling, electrical, and hardware experience makes him central to turning new ideas into working, field ready systems. He is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.