Jim Rekoske, PhD

Vice President and General Manager for Renewable Energy and Chemicals, Honeywell UOP

Jim Rekoske is Vice President and General Manager of the Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit at Honeywell's UOP, a leading developer and licensor of technologies for the production of high-quality green fuels.

In his 15 years with UOP, Jim has held positions of increasing responsibility in areas ranging from research and development, marketing, customer service & sales support, and technology strategy. Previously, Jim served as the Technical Director for Petrochemical Catalysts and the Director of Technology for Universal Pharma Technologies, a former UOP joint venture focused on technology and services in pharmaceutical chemistry. Immediately prior to the current role, Jim provided strategic direction and management for research and development programs critical to the commercialization of new refining, petrochemical and renewable energy technologies.

Jim is the inventor or co-inventor more than 25 U.S. patents, with many additional patent applications pending, and is the author of more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles. He was recently awarded the 2010 Herman Pines Award from the Chicago Catalysis Club in recognition of his numerous technical breakthroughs in catalysis science.

He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. He also earned an MBA degree from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Marie Daghlian

Associate Editor, The Burrill Report
Burrill & Company

Marie Daghlian joined Burrill & Company in July 2010 as Associate Editor of publications. Prior to that she worked for the company on a contract basis, helping to launch The Burrill Report in 2009 and contributing to it on a monthly basis, as well as working on the company's annual state-of-the-industry report for the past six years. Ms. Daghlian started her career in the fashion industry as an owner, designer, and manufacturer women's apparel for 28 years. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BA in Communication Studies from Sonoma State University.

Matt Carr

Managing Director, Industrial & Environmental Section
Biotechnology Industry Organization

Matt Carr is Managing Director of the Industrial & Environmental Section of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the Washington, DC-based trade association for the biotechnology industry.

Matt joined BIO in 2005 after serving as Energy and Environment Fellow on the Senate Agriculture Committee for Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), where he helped develop the biomass provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Prior to coming to Washington, Matt was environment reporter for the Dallas Morning News. He has also taught high school and middle school math and science. He holds a Ph.D in Climate Sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Bachelor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from McGill University in Montreal.

Grace E. Colon PhD

Senior Vice President and President, Industrial Products Division, Intrexon Corporation

Grace E. Colon Ph.D. has been Senior Vice President and President of Industrial Products Division at Intrexon Corporation since October 2010. Dr. Colon has over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology and life sciences industries, having held a variety of strategic and operational leadership roles at leading companies. She was head of Clinical Operations for Gilead Sciences, where she was responsible for global execution of clinical trials in all therapeutic areas. ... Prior to Gilead, she was Vice President of Corporate Planning at Affymetrix, where she was responsible for strategic planning, business intelligence, and project management. She also served as Acting Chief Operating Officer for the International Genomics Consortium, a non-profit medical research organization focused on cancer genomics. Prior to Affymetrix, Dr. Colon was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., where she served clients in health care, biotech, high tech and venture capital. Dr. Colon received her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she conducted doctoral and post-doctoral research on metabolic engineering of industrial amino acid production. Dr. Colon also holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

John Ranieri

Vice President, DuPont BioMaterials Group

John P. Ranieri is Vice President – DuPont BioMaterials Group. He is responsible for the development of a broad portfolio of renewably sourced products including a portfolio of biomaterials ranging from renewable polymers to new innovations in peptides and Omega-3 fatty acids as well as innovations for the medical space. Mr. Ranieri oversees the DuPont™ Sorona®, Cerenol™, BioSpecialties and BioMedical businesses.

He joined DuPont in 2002 as vice president and general manager - DuPont Bio-Based Materials, which originally included only the Sorona® business. During his leadership, the Bio-Based Materials business grew to include a full range of renewably sourced product offerings, including the creation of the DuPont BioFuels business.

In March 2006 he was named vice president and general manager - DuPont Applied BioSciences - Energy & Specialties with responsibility for the BioFuels and Specialties businesses. He was named to his current position in October 2008.

Prior to joining DuPont, he was vice president and managing director of the cardiovascular and biomaterials divisions at Aortech International. He was previously vice president of Sulzer Biologics and corporate director responsible for the start-up, design and management of the therapeutics portfolio for Sulzer Innotec.

Mr. Ranieri received a PhD in medical science and a master's degree in materials engineering as a Miciolli fellow from Brown University and was an assistant doctorant at the division of surgical research and gene therapy at Lausanne University Medical School. He completed the advanced management program at the Wharton Business School where he was a visiting fellow at their school of management and entrepreneurial studies.

Aaron Schuchart

Vice President, Business Development, Industrial Products Division, Intrexon Corporation

Aaron Schuchart is Vice President of Business Development for the Industrial Products Division of Intrexon. He has 23 years of experience building and operating new ventures in large multi-national corporations and small start-ups in the biotechnology and energy industries. He has held senior level positions in business development, strategy, finance, operations, and commercial functions. Most recently, he was Vice President at Mendel Biotechnology where he led the development of Mendel's biofuels strategy and related business and product development functions. Prior to Mendel, he had a number of assignments at Amgen and Atlantic Richfield Company, where he developed commodity trading strategies and managed logistics for ARCO's west coast crude and petroleum products supply operations. He has structured and negotiated many licensing and M&A deals in biotechnology, biofuels, and agribusiness and has contributed to industry publications and presentations as both an advisor and speaker. He has a BS from Texas Tech University, an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, is a CPA and a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).

Tjerk de Ruiter

Chief Executive Officer, Genencor

Prior to joining Genencor in 2006, Tjerk held a number of leadership positions at Danisco A/S including Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, Chief Operating Officer for Cultures, Specialties, and Flavors, and President of Danisco US. In 2004, he was named to the Danisco A/S executive committee. Prior to joining Danisco in 1998, Tjerk held a number of positions in the food ingredient industry including serving as Chief Operations Officer for the Americas at Cultor Food Science, which was acquired by Danisco A/S in 1999. He also held positions at Quest International and Naarden International. A native of The Netherlands, Tjerk holds a bachelor of business administration degree from the University Nijenrode and a master of international management degree from the American Graduate School of International Management.

Neal Gutterson

President and Chief Executive Officer, Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.

Neal has been Chief Executive Officer of Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. since February, 2007. He joined Mendel June 2002 and served as VP, R&D, and then Chief Operating Officer, prior to his appointment as President & COO in December, 2005. Neal is also chairman of the Board of Directors. Neal has been involved in plant biotechnology since 1983, when he joined the fledgling biotechnology company AGS, to develop genetically improved microbial biocontrol agents. Before joining Mendel, he spent 18 years at DNAP, where he managed diverse research programs and corporate relationships, and then served as VP, R&D for several years. He is a named inventor on more than 3 dozen patents and pending patent applications. Neal holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Yale University. He also attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business for an executive education program. He serves as a member of the Food and Agriculture Section and the Industrial and Environmental Section Governing Boards of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. He also serves on the steering committee of CSBP, the Council for Sustainable Biomass Production. Neal is a member of the GrassRoots Biotechnology Board of Directors.

Harry Georgiades

Director, Regional Operations, Integrated Project Management Company, Inc.

Mr. Georgiades has full P&L responsibility for Integrated Projects Management's (IPM) Western Region operations. In this role Mr. Georgiades is responsible for working with his team of professional project managers in developing and honing the business strategy to drive regional business growth, working with IPM's clients to identify and implement solutions to their business issues and goals, and delivering unparalleled value to clients. Mr. Georgiades has over twenty years of experience in working with companies to transform troubled operations; optimize complex supply chains, drive process improvement efforts resulting in compressed cycle times and efficient resource deployment; and bring new products to market. Mr. Georgiades has successfully applied his skills in the Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, Steel, Construction, and Chemical industries. Mr. Georgiades is a graduate of the Witwatersrand University in South Africa with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt with the American Society of Quality.

Jim Lane

Editor & Publisher, Biofuels Digest

Jim Lane is editor and publisher of Biofuels Digest, the world's most widely-read biofuels daily, updating more than 14,000 organizations on biofuels production, R&D, policy and finance news and trends. He also publishes Renewable Chemicals Digest, Biofuels Digest Asia, Biofuels Digest Canada, and Geothermal Digest, as well as producing conferences in the US and Canada. He has authored nine books, including Citizen Cane: Essays for New Days in Bioenergy, and the forthcoming Sugar Rush.

William D. Lese

Managing Partner, Braemar Energy Ventures

Mr. Lese is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Braemar Energy Ventures, a venture capital firm headquartered in New York City that focuses exclusively on investing in early to mid stage energy technology companies primarily in the US and Canada. He has more than 25 years of research, operating and venture capital experience in the energy and environmental businesses. His past business development activities included managing a joint venture with Consolidated Edison Co., as well as developing and managing several power projects at Sithe Energies. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy (NYC ACRE) and serves as a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Center for Market Innovation Advisory Council. Mr. Lese is currently serving on the boards of Coaltek, Utility Associates, Ciris Energy, Solazyme, Ioxus, OPX Biotechnologies, Stion and General Fusion. He is Chairman of the Board of Solicore and serves as a board observer for Enerkem, Proterro and Convey Computer. He also has served on the board of directors of EnerNOC. Mr. Lese has both a B.A. in Physics and an M.S. in Energy Science from New York University.

Martin Sabarsky, JD, MBA

President and Chief Executive Officer, Cellana, Inc.

Mr. Sabarsky has been CFO and COO of HR BioPetroleum since August 2008 after consulting for the Company from December 2007 through July 2008. He has significant leadership experience in the industrial biotechnology industry, as well as extensive transactional experience across multiple industries, including the biotechnology industry, having worked as an investment banker and attorney on over $13 billion of transactions in aggregate. Prior to joining HRBP, from 2000 to 2007, he led the corporate development function at Diversa Corporation and led a number of additional functions within the Finance and Accounting department during his tenure with Diversa, with increasing levels of management responsibility, most recently as Vice President of Corporate Development and a member of the Executive Committee. Before Diversa, Mr. Sabarsky worked from 1999 to 2000 as an investment banker with Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., where he focused on financings and mergers and acquisitions within the life sciences industry and was a lead banker on Diversa's $200 million IPO in February 2000. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, from 1995 to 1999, he worked as a transactional attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP, where he focused on the corporate, securities, and tax aspects of financings and mergers and acquisitions for clients in the real estate, healthcare, venture capital, and biotechnology industries, among others. Mr. Sabarsky has an A.B. in Biology and Political Science from Brown University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.

Ed Dineen

President and Chief Executive Officer, LS9

Ed Dineen is President and Chief Executive Officer of LS9. LS9 is a leader in the development of sustainable fuels and chemicals. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of LyondellBasell Industries, one of the world's largest polymers, petrochemical and fuels companies, where he was responsible for manufacturing, environmental, health and safety, business management and sales, research and development, supply and procurement and business finance. Prior to this he was President of the chemicals division and was responsible for the global chemicals operations, sales and business management. Prior to the December 2007 merger of Basell and Lyondell Chemical Company, he was Senior Vice President, Chemicals and Polymers for Lyondell and before that, Senior Vice President, Urethanes and Performance Chemicals. During his time at LyondellBasell Industries and its predecessor companies, Mr. Dineen was directly involved in growing many of the fuels and chemicals businesses into global market leading positions.

A native of New York City, Mr. Dineen received his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Cooper Union and Princeton University, respectively. He also holds a Master of Science in management from Drexel University. Mr. Dineen is a member of the board of directors of Spartech, a U.S.-based plastics company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Vonnie Estes

Vice President, Corporate Development, Codexis, Inc.

Ms. Estes brings Codexis two decades of experience leading product and commercial development programs for global chemical companies, most recently focusing on biofuels. She joins Codexis from DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, where she was Vice President, Commercial Development. Previously, she was New Venture Manager, Cellulosic Biofuels for DuPont Advanced Biofuels, where she helped create the commercialization strategy for the DuPont cellulosic ethanol technology. She also held business development management positions at various companies including Monsanto and Syngenta. Ms. Estes holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Science degree in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis.

Jeffrey A. Martin

Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Yulex Corporation

Jeffrey Martin is a seasoned executive from the biotechnology and medical device industry. Under Martin's leadership, Yulex Corporation became the first commercial enterprise to produce biobased, medical-grade latex that is safe for people with latex allergy as well as a variety of other green and sustainable products based on the arid crop guayule that is native to the U.S. Southwest.

Yulex Corporation currently produces Yulex® Natural Rubber, a safe material for medical devices and is expanding its product line to incorporate catheters, surgical and exam gloves, dental dams, condoms, balloons and other products using natural rubber and latex. Other green products from guayule in the future include biofuels, electrical power, building materials and adhesives.

Prior to co-founding Yulex, Martin was corporate officer and Vice President of Sales for Safeskin Corporation, a leading manufacturer and marketer of latex medical devices. Martin joined Safeskin prior to its successful IPO and was instrumental in positioning the company as "The Best Small Company in America" (Forbes Magazine, 1996). At Safeskin, Martin was responsible for the acquisition of Tactyl Technologies, where he was elected a director in 1996, and Advanced Quality Leadership in 1997.

Martin launched the sales operations of London Rubber Company's (Regent Medical) U.S. startup in 1986, which subsequently became a global leader in the surgical glove market. Martin also held positions as both a scientist in R&D and a sales executive with the Professional Healthcare Group of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and the Ethicon division of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., in the Polymer Development Department.

Martin has a formal education in engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he was recently inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni.

James Levine

President and Chief Executive Officer, Verenium Corporation

James Levine became President and Chief Executive Officer of Verenium in April 2011. He joined Verenium in April 2009 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Levine oversaw the transformation of Verenium into a focused, industrial enzymes business through the sale of the Company's cellulosic biofuels division to BP plc in 2010. In his current role, Mr. Levine is focused on advancing the evolution of Verenium into the third major industrial enzymes company. Prior to joining Verenium, Mr. Levine held various positions focused on the energy and healthcare industries with the global investment banking and securities firm, Goldman Sachs & Co., where he most recently served as a Managing Director in the Power and Utilities Group in New York. Before that he served as a Managing Director in the Goldman Sachs Energy Group in London which included responsibility for covering the integrated oil and gas and the refining and marketing sectors. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Levine held positions with Lehman Brothers, Inc. in New York, and Industrial Economics, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Levine received an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Stan Mainzer

Vice President, Business Development, Genencor

Stan Mainzer, Vice President of Business Development, is one of the original members of Genencor dating to 1983. Stan began his career at Genencor as a senior scientist and worked on projects with a variety of customers, including those that are still with Genencor today. Over the years, Stan has worked in Legal, Marketing and Program Management developing businesses and technology to meet Genencor's strategy and growth aspirations of being a world-leading industrial biotechnology company. Most recently Stan is leading a new initiative within Genencor, called GNext, an open innovation project to leverage Genencor's competency with enzymes and proteins into partnerships with businesses in the fields of air, water and bio-energy – three great global challenges of the 21stcentury. Stan earned a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Rochester.

Janet Roemer

Chief Operating Officer, Verenium Corporation

Janet Roemer became Chief Operating Officer of Verenium in July 2010. She joined Verenium in March 2008 as Executive Vice President of the Specialty Enzymes Business Unit. Prior to joining Verenium, Ms. Roemer held several positions with BP Group, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. She was Chief of Staff to the CEO of Innovene, a $24 billion petrochemical and refining business within BP Group. Prior to that, Ms. Roemer held executive level roles including chief executive of a $1.7 billion North American chemical business, Vice President of Digital Business, and General Manager of a $700 million global chemical business. Ms. Roemer also held various positions at Amoco Corporation between 1983 and 1999, in sales and marketing management, product management, production planning and logistics, and strategic planning. She began her career as a chemist at National Starch and Chemical. Ms. Roemer received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Josh Tickell

Filmmaker and Environmentalist

Growing up amongst the oil refineries in Louisiana, Josh Tickell experienced the impacts of dirty oil processing at a young age. After watching members of his family suffer from pollution-related cancers, Tickell began a lifelong quest to find sustainable, clean energy sources.

In 1997, Tickell set out on the road with a biodiesel powered "Veggie Van" and a video camera and began filming what would eventually become known as FUEL, the 2008 Sundance Audience Award winning documentary film that investigates the possible replacement of fossilfuels with renewable energy. Over the course of his 11 year journey, Tickell traveled the world going to over 25 countries, authored two books, founded a nonprofit organization, and jumpstarted America's biodiesel movement.

Tickell's Veggie Van Organization was selected by President Bill Clinton as an inaugural part of his Global Initiative on Climate Change. The organization serves to educate people about sustainable energy and provide pathways for integrating sustainable energy into homes, communities, cities, states and ultimately nations.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Sustainable Living from the New College of South Florida and an MFA in Film from FSU's School of Motion Picture Television and Recording Arts.

Jonathan Wolfson

Chief Executive Officer, Solazyme, Inc.

Jonathan S. Wolfson is a co-founder and was President and Chief Operating Officer of Solazyme from 2003 until 2008 when he became Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding Solazyme, Mr. Wolfson held a variety of positions in finance, business and law, most recently that of Vice President of Finance and Business Development for 7thOnline, Inc., a supply chain software company. Immediately prior to that Mr. Wolfson was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of InvestorTree, Inc., a financial services software company. Mr. Wolfson obtained a law degree from New York University (NYU) School of Law and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. He has served as a member of our board of directors since inception. Mr. Wolfson is a valuable member of the board of directors due to his leadership, his experience in finance and business and his extensive understanding of the company, which brings historic knowledge and continuity to the board of directors.