Axon adds Facebook’s head of VR hardware to its board of directors

Caitlin Kalinowski, the head of VR hardware for Facebook’s augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) division, has joined Axon’s board of directors.

"It's an honour to welcome Caitlin to Axon's board and we look forward to her contributions to our VR strategy in the public safety space," said Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith. "She will be a great asset to the company as we continue to equip law enforcement with the tools needed to protect life – especially through the development of empathy-based VR training."

"I'm excited to join Axon, and for the unique opportunity to use hardware, software and data to improve officer training and the outcomes of encounters between law enforcement and communities," says Ms. Kalinowski. "Axon creates products that serve not only law enforcement, but also the diverse communities those officers are sworn to protect. I am proud to advise on the engineering of their products and to continue advocating for underrepresented minorities in the fields of technology and design."

In her role at Facebook, Kalinowski is responsible for the product design and engineering of Oculus's award-winning VR devices including Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, she went on to lead technical teams at Apple for the Mac Pro and MacBook Air and was part of the original Unibody MacBook Pro team. Kalinowski is also on the strategic board of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, the largest LGBTQ technical organisation in the world, serving 30,000 members. She joined the Axon board on 23 August, bringing the number of its independent directors to seven.