We’re a small team with big ideas and a passion for saving lives.
Our Team
Chloe Zhao
Chief Legal Officer
Chloe is a current student studying public health on a pre-law track. She is excited to continue exploring the legal field through managing legal operations within PACIFIRE. Chloe bridges PACIFIRE’s dedication to creating safer communities with her public health experience as a voice for health equity. Outside of PACIFIRE, she spends time researching and advocating for local issues alongside policymakers, enjoying the outdoors, and discovering new music.
Baergen Johnson
Chief Operating Officer
After a tragic family incident, Baergen realized something had to be done about the self-defense crisis within our country and our world. In order to make the world around him a safer place, he decided he would be part of creating a solution. Since then, Baergen has combined his passions for business, leadership, and engineering to not only organize our team, but also help to design and implement PACIFIRE’s life-saving solution. Next Fall, Baergen plans to continue studying these passions, and their application to PACIFIRE, as a student at the University of Chicago.
Manuel Romero Maspoli
Chief Technology Officer
Manuel has always been passionate about engineering with an impact. As someone who understands both the need to defend yourself and the disastrous consequences of lethal firearm usage, he is determined to design a product that allows Americans to defend themselves without a life on the line. Manuel has 2 years of experience with the design process and prototyping, including some student projects with NASA in finding solutions to problems on the ISS. He is devoted to making sure the PACIFIRE product is always the highest quality it can be by consistently doing research and refining all aspects of design.
Johannes Linden
Chief Media Officer
Johannes has 3 years of experience in a variety of areas related to digital marketing, including social media management, graphic design, photography, and videography. He has previously worked with small clothing businesses as well as started and ran his freelance photography business. Johannes is passionate about sharing PACIFIRE’s mission to save lives through social media. Outside of PACIFIRE, Johannes loves playing trumpet, guitar, and reading. He plans to study Economics and Spanish next year.
Petra Samson
Chief Marketing Officer
Petra serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at PACIFIRE, where she oversees branding, outreach, and digital marketing strategy. She focuses on building a responsible and clear public presence for the company while connecting PACIFIRE’s safer self-defense technology with the communities that need it most. Petra has a robust background in marketing through Minnetonka High School’s VANTAGE Design and Marketing program in addition to earning three Google certifications in marketing strategies. With a strong interest in business and marketing, Petra will be attending Northeastern University in the fall to further her interests in the industry. She is passionate about promoting innovative self-defense solutions that allow people to protect themselves while reducing the risk of irreversible harm.
Braden Lesinski
Chief Financial Officer
Braden has a financially-oriented mind. He’s always thinking about inefficiencies and opportunities to increase cash flow into the business. In the fall, he’ll be studying business finance with a minor in math at the University of Michigan in order to gain a deeper understanding of business operations, finance, and entrepreneurship. He’s passionate about PACIFIRE because of the significant potential it has to make an impact for thousands of people across the world.