Eric Bowen serves as REG's Vice President, Corporate Business Development & Legal Affairs and was formerly REG's Executive Director, Corporate Business Development & Legal Affairs since July 2010.  Prior to joining REG, Mr. Bowen co-founded Tellurian Biodiesel, Inc. in September 2006 and served as Tellurian's President and CEO until REG acquired Tellurian in July 2010.  In October 2005, Mr. Bowen co-founded San Francisco Biodiesel, Tellurian's predecessor, and served as its managing director until the formation of Tellurian.  Prior to Tellurian, Mr. Bowen lead Sigma Capital's biodiesel project finance group.  From 1999 until October 2004, Mr. Bowen practiced corporate and securities law in Silicon Valley at Venture Law Group. Mr. Bowen has been active in setting biodiesel policy as a founding member of the California Biodiesel Alliance (CBA) and served as CBA chairman from 2007 - 2012. He also served as chairman of the San Francisco Biodiesel Taskforce and as a member of the California Air Resource Board's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Advisory Panel. Mr. Bowen has over 15 years experience in business and law, the last eight years in the biodiesel industry. Mr. Bowen holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. from the University of Oregon Honors College.

Atul Deshmane was born in India and grew up in the Midwestern United States. He believes that "For those of us who realize it, it is our responsibility to address what is wrong with how we get our energy. We must design systems that are more sustainable." Atul was trained as an engineer and is an expert on sustainable transportation. He worked as part of a larger team to build vehicles powered by electricity, natural gas, and hydrogen while with Ford Motor Company. Atul also held management positions at two successful early stage companies (Azure Dynamics and Clean Energy Fuels) both of which have had a very positive impact on the clean transportation sector. His efforts are now focused on biodiesel production and distribution as president of Whole Energy Fuels Corporation. Whole Energy has a presence in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. Whole Energy serves the largest public diesel fleet in the nation and the largest diesel retailer in the nation. Atul is fortunate to have an excellent track record in clean energy and transportation.

David Dunn is a Wake Forest University graduate and former trader/analyst for multi-asset/multi-strategy hedge funds. Mr. Dunn has over 15 years experience trading a variety of commodities across global exchanges. He is currently working as an analyst and consultant with Progressive Fuels Limited with a focus on the North America fuel, energy, and carbon markets.   

Shawn Garvey is the Chief Executive Officer of The Grant Farm, which develops and executes award winning public fund campaigns for businesses seeking public funding partnerships for transformative renewable energy and transportation projects.  The company has successfully raised nearly $400 million from a wide variety of state and federal agencies and has managed public finance efforts for more than 60 prominent renewable energy projects -- including CALSTART's China Clean Truck, CleanWorld's Sacramento Biodigester, the Mendota Advanced Biorefinery, the Illionois Department of Transportation Zero Emission Bus Program and Buster Biofuel's Escondido Biorefinery. Mr. Garvey is co-founder of the Bioenergy Association of California and serves as the Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs for CleanWorld. Previously, Mr. Garvey served as a Special Projects Representative for the US Department of Agriculture during the Clinton Administration.  He received his Bachelors in Finance from Boston University and lives with his family in a yurt on the banks of the Yuba River in Nevada City, California.

Joe Gershen is Director of Sales & Marketing for Crimson Renewable Energy; a member of the California Energy Commission's AB 118 ARFVT Program Advisory Committee; Vice-Chairman of CBA; and has been a leading biodiesel marketer and advocate since 2002, pioneering efforts to develop the industry in California and around the country. He has been instrumental in facilitating numerous fleet transitions to biodiesel, including municipal and transit bus fleets of Santa Monica, Inglewood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and the CLIF Bar distribution fleet.  In partnership with McDonald's supply chain partner, Golden State Foods, Mr. Gershen created a successful closed-loop solution to recycle their fryer oil into biodiesel used to power their distribution fleets.  This resulted in carbon reduction and cost savings for the company.  Strong adherence to quality control and assurance, as well as handling and use protocols have helped earn him an industry reputation for quality, service and reliability. Mr. Gershen also founded Green Depot, a sustainable energy organization, and regularly works with industry groups, environmental and community organizations, regulatory agencies and federal, state and local policy makers on behalf of the biodiesel industry.    

Andrew Hill is Managing Director of Biodiesel Industries Australia (BIA), which owns and operates Australia's first commercial biodiesel plant, located in Maitland, NSW. In 2003, Newcastle City Council launched Australia's first biodiesel fleet running on fuel supplied by BIA, and in 2006, BIA was the first biodiesel producer to contract with a major oil company (Caltex) to supply more than 600 million litres of biodiesel blended fuel in the NSW market. Andrew grew up in the petroleum industry. His family's business - Maitland Oil Distributors - was the regional distributor for Esso for many years. Recalling the fuel shortages of the 1970s, and encouraged by the Australian Government's 2001 program Biofuels for Cleaner Transport Andrew and his partners formed a relationship with US interests and built the Maitland plant in 2003.   

Steve Howell is President and founder of MARC-IV, a consulting firm dedicated to the development of industrial products from agriculture, formed in 1993. Mr. Howell is the chairman of the ASTM task force on biodiesel standards and serves as the Technical Director for the National Biodiesel Board in the USA, posts he has held since 1994. Mr. Howell is also the past chairman of the BQ-9000 Biodiesel Quality Program. Prior to forming MARC-IV, Howell was the Business Development Engineer for Stratco, a Kansas City based engineering firm supplying the petroleum refining sector, where he concentrated on the development of new businesses including biodiesel technology. Previous to Stratco, he held various positions in quality assurance and production management with the Procter and Gamble Manufacturing Company in Iowa City, Iowa. An Ames, Iowa native, Howell graduated with distinction from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.

Joe Jobe has been with the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) since 1997, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 1999. Joe's duties included serving as the principle investigator for the $2.2 million biodiesel health effects testing program. Joe became interested in agricultural, environmental, and energy issues growing up on a farm in central Missouri. Prior to working for the NBB, Joe was a fraud investigator for the Missouri Attorney General's Office. Prior to that he worked as a Certified Public Accountant. 

Dr. Stephen Kaffka is Director of the California Biomass Collaborative and extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis. He has advised the California Energy Commission, and California Resources Agency on biomass energy and sustainability issues, and serves as an ex officio member of the state's Bioenergy Interagency Work Group. He was a member of a National Research Council's committee producing the recent report: The Renewable Fuel Standard, Potential Economic and Environmental Effects of US Fuel Policy. He participates on the California Air Resources Board's Sustainability Standards and Indirect Land Use Change workgroups. From 2003 to 2007, he was director of the Long Term Research on Agricultural Systems Project, focused on the sustainability of farming systems in California. Current biomass energy crop research includes winter annual oilseed crops like canola, Camelina and castor, sweet sorghum, sugar beets and sugar cane experiments. He has also worked on agriculture and water quality projects, including the use of salt affected lands and low quality water supplies for biomass production using salt-tolerant grasses, in the San Joaquin Valley of California, and water, nutrient and salt balances for irrigated agriculture in the Upper Klamath Basin of California and Oregon.

Mike Lewis is the leading developer of alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure in California. Mike was the Project Manager for the Regional Transportation Center in San Diego, California, the nation's first Alternative Fuel Vehicle Center. The Center opened in 2003 and featured an alternative fuel station named Pearson Fuels, a new car showroom for alternative fuel vehicles, a repair and conversion shop for the vehicles and an Eco Center educational experience. As the CEO of Pearson Fuels, Mike is developing ethanol-fueling dispensers around the state of California and Pearson is now the largest E85 distributor in the state. Pearson Fuels was the recipient of almost $1.8 million in funds from the California Energy Commission for the development of two new biodiesel blending terminal facilities. Pearson is currently developing four new retail hydrogen-fueling stations and 19 new E85 stations. Mike has a broad background in the automotive and alternative fuel industries. He spent several years with Ford Motor Company and is a former Board Member of the San Diego Regional Clean Fuels Coalition and a member of Rotary International. He is married with two children and lives in San Diego.

Carlo F. Luri has been the General Manager of Bently Biofuels Company since the company was founded in 2005. Day to day, he oversees all aspects of the company's biofuel feedstock procurement, production, wholesale, and retail operations. Prior to joining Bently he worked at Costner Industries in Carson City, NV developing novel environmental applications for the company's oil spill remediation technology. Since beginning his career he has held various management positions with a focus on developing innovative solutions to society's environmental challenges. His business experience spans from global multi-nationals to small business start-ups. He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Nevada - Reno, a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, and studied Environmental Science in the graduate school at Rutgers  

University.

Lisa Mortenson has served as Chief Executive Officer at Community Fuels since it was formed in 2005. She has led all efforts to develop the business from start-up to an industry-recognized leader in the commercial production of advanced biofuels that meet the most rigorous quality standards. (www.communityfuels.com). Ms. Mortenson has held board-level positions with multiple organizations engaged in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable building as well as board positions with governmental and non-governmental organizations focused on the development of good jobs. Her involvement with multiple organizations has helped her identify obstacles and opportunities for developing businesses that are commercially viable while also being environmentally and socially responsible. Ms. Mortenson earned her MBA from San Diego State University and graduated with honors from the University of Arizona where she earned her BSBA in Finance and Business Economics.  

Peter Moulton is a Senior Energy Policy Specialist for the Washington State Department of Commerce, where he serves as the Emerging Technologies Team Leader for the State Energy Office. As the state's Bioenergy Coordinator, he oversees interagency support for biofuel, biopower and coproduct development through public policy, research and incentive programs. He also facilitates public and private efforts to expand production, distribution and use of bioenergy, including federal and state financial assistance. Peter has participated in numerous collaborative efforts, including the Governors' Biofuels Coalition and Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest. He also serves as interagency coordinator for the State Energy Strategy revision process. Prior to joining Commerce, Peter developed and coordinated Climate Solutions' Harvesting Clean Energy Program promoting rural economic development in the Northwest region through clean energy production. His diverse background includes careers in watershed management, environmental education, nonprofit management and media production.

Dan Olivier is a transactional lawyer with almost 30 years of experience in all aspects of general business law, including commercial transactions. Mr. Olivier has represented Imperial Western Products, Inc., one of the primary producers of biodiesel in California, for the last four years. Mr. Olivier graduated with honors from UC Berkeley in 1980, and received his juris doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in 1983. Mr.Olivier has been practicing law in Riverside County, California for almost 30 years. He has been a partner in a large California firm, a solo practitioner, and is currently a partner in a small general service business firm.   

Stephen A. Silva is Executive Vice-President at E.B. Wakeman Company, a commodity services firm based in San Luis Obispo, California. E.B. Wakeman Company provides commodity merchandising and brokerage services with a particular emphasis on fats, oils, and rendered by-products. In addition, the firm offers logistics management and consulting services to clients in the rendering, animal nutrition, and biofuel industries. Mr. Silva is a native of Brawley, California and holds a bachelor's degree in animal science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.   

Doug Smith has worked in the rendering, oleo-chemicals and biodiesel industries for 25 years and for Baker Commodities, a leading rendering company and premier California feedstock supplier, since 2003. Mr. Smith Smith is currently Director of R & D at Baker's corporate headquarters in Vernon and has helped the company pioneer the use of recycled fats and oils in the production of low-carbon intensity biodiesel. He is on the board and serves as Secretary for CBA. 

Greg Staiti: Greg Staiti is a Director of Energy Compliance Services at Weaver & Tidwell, a Texas-based accounting and advisory firm that represents over 200 clients in the petroleum and biofuels sector. Mr. Staiti has more than a decade of experience working with fuel companies in North America. He joined Weaver in 2012, following employment as in-house counsel for Morgan Stanley covering the Oil commodities desk, and had previously worked as attorney with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP focusing on fuels regulatory compliance. He specializes in EPA and CARB compliance and fuels consulting for the petroleum and renewable fuels industry, and has extensive experience advising clients on potential non-compliance risks.  He is also experienced in negotiating contracts for physical oil and renewable fuel commodities as well as renewable and alternative fuels credits (such as RINs, California LCFS Carbon Intensity credits, and Canadian Compliance Units), and in advising clients on registration, reporting, recordkeeping and documentation obligations and best practices..

Anne Steckel is the Vice President of Federal Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board. Anne runs the Washington D.C. office, spearheading federal regulatory efforts.  She previously served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson of California, a leading member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. With nearly 15 years of experience in Washington, Anne has overseen legislative issues for several members of Congress, including U.S. Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois; directed government relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation; and directed government affairs at Growth Energy, a renewable fuels trade group.

 

 

Russell Teall is the President and Founder of BIODICO, a company which has designed, built and operated biodiesel facilities in California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Australia. Teall has over nineteen years of experience in all aspects of the biodiesel industry. He is the former Vice-Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board, former Chairman of NBB's Legislative/Regulatory Committee, and currently President of the California Biodiesel Alliance. He also serves on the Afghan Energy Project Technical Advisory Board under the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Central Intelligence Agency, and served on the California Air Resources Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard Advisory Panel. Since 2002 BIODICO has been developing integrated biofuel and bioenergy systems under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center at the National Environmental Technology Test Site in Port Hueneme, California, with grant support from the CA Energy Commission. Teall holds a Juris Doctor degree from U.C. Berkeley, and lives in Santa Barbara, CA.

 

Curtis Wright is the current Chairman of the California Biodiesel Alliance. An engineer by training, Mr. Wright designed and built Imperial Western Products' 10.5 million gallon per year biodiesel production plant in Coachella, California. Mr. Wright was an early entrant into the biodiesel business and has managed the biodiesel operations at Imperial Western Products as biodiesel has worked its way into the fuel markets, from ASTM standard development, through introduction of tax credits, the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Randall von Wedel, Ph.D. is Principal Biochemist at CytoCulture International (Dartmouth, UCSF) with the following biodiesel experience: 1993 started CA biodiesel working with boats SF Bay; 1994 opened first biodiesel sales to boaters; 1996 awarded DOE/NREL grant to pioneer marine biodiesel; Technical Handbook; 1999 started first commercial B20 fleets in CA: UC Davis; 2000 started B100 Curbside Recycling fleet, D. Williamson, Berkeley Ecology Center; 2000 provided B100 for work vessels at the Channel Islands National Park (K. Bullard); 2001 opened first consumer retail B100 fuel station in N. America (SF, World Energy); 2003 first citywide B100 fleet in US at Berkeley; 2005 invented pHLip Test as practical screening tool for evaluating B100; 2004-2012: consultant B20 fleets: San Francisco, PG&E, CalTrans, Florida Power Light; 2006-07: Converted Disneyland steam trains to B99; 'closed loop' WVO into B99; 2009 NBB awarded Randall Biodiesel Impact Award; 2011 NBB research on use of biodiesel in US locomotives; 2009 began cultivation of sustainable oil seed crop as biodiesel feedstock in FL and CA in collaboration with the USDA (FL); 2011 contracted by Pacific Biodiesel to provide technical expertise in agronomy as well as sunflower & safflower for successful cultivation of oil seed crops on Oahu as a DOD biofuel demonstration project.