Leadership & Governance

Leadership

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Paula A. Gant, PhD

President and CEO

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Paula A. Gant PhD

Dr. Paula Gant is President and CEO of GTI Energy, a leading technology development organization focused on designing and scaling low-carbon, low-cost energy transition solutions. She has a passion for building collaborative teams, aligning innovation with impact, and convening diverse stakeholders to pursue solutions to consequential energy system challenges. With two decades of experience in leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Energy, American Gas Association, and Duke Energy Corporation, Dr. Gant is an established and respected thought leader in energy systems, markets, and security spaces. She is a graduate of McNeese State University in Louisiana and Auburn University in Alabama.

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Quinton Ford

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

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Quinton Ford

As Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Quinton Ford leads a team providing legal guidance to GTI Energy and its subsidiaries regarding corporate governance, ethics and compliance, transactions and dispute resolution, employment relationships, and intellectual property. Quinton has held various technology commercialization and legal roles, including as an officer and director of numerous subsidiaries and equity holdings.

Prior to joining GTI Energy, Quinton held leadership positions in the manufacturing sector. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago and is admitted to the Illinois bar.

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Jim Ingold

Senior Vice President, Finance, Treasurer, and CFO

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Jim Ingold

As Senior Vice President of Finance, Treasurer, and CFO, James F. Ingold is responsible for the optimization of financial activities across GTI Energy – managing its equity interests and investments, maintaining a broad risk management program, developing business plans, and directing the treasury function.

Jim has led formulation of a re-capitalization strategy and positioning a company for public offering. He earned a B.S. degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and an M.B.A. in Finance from DePaul University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is a member of the Illinois CPA Society.

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Ronald Snedic

Senior Vice President,  Corporate Development and President, GTI International

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Ronald Snedic

As Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Ron Snedic leads the effort to expand GTI Energy’s customer base and increase revenues from technology-based product and service offerings designed to solve for some of the world’s greatest energy challenges. Ron leads GTI Energy’s M&A activities and serves as President of GTI International which has three operating subsidiaries. He also oversees two business lines, the communications team, business development, human resources, and a wide range of education and training programs. Ron is the President of Operations Technology Development, NFP and Utilization Technology Development, NFP.

Ron earned a B.S. and an M.B.A. from NIU and has completed the Stanford Executive Program.

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Veronica Bernie

Chief of Staff

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Veronica Bernie

Veronica Bernie is Chief of Staff to GTI Energy’s President and CEO, Paula A. Gant, PhD. She drives decision-making, planning, and priorities for the Office of the President; supports change management; and seeks to advance women and diversity in energy leadership roles.

Previously, Veronica served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Director at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and as Associate Director of Outreach at the Council on Foreign Relations. She earned her MSc in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Erin Blanton

Vice President, Zero Emissions Systems

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Erin Blanton

As the Vice President of Zero Emissions Systems, Erin Blanton leads GTI Energy’s methane emissions mitigation solutions strategy and focuses on the role of natural gas infrastructure in facilitating energy transitions towards a net-zero future.

Erin joined GTI Energy from Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, where she led the Natural Gas Research Initiative and the Center's ESG research. She has extensive experience advising financial professionals on energy markets and investments. Erin holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in economics from Cornell University.

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Amber Carter

Director, Human Resources

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Amber Carter

Amber Carter is the Director, Human Resources at GTI Energy. She takes the lead in understanding and identifying resource gaps and availability across the organization to align activities that require cross-business and cross-functional collaboration.

Prior to GTI Energy, she held various human resource and operation positions at Target Corporation, Hubbell Lighting, and Komatsu. Amber holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Western Illinois University and MBA from University of Phoenix.

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Kristin Cone

Executive Director, Communications

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Kristin Cone

Kristin Cone is the Executive Director of Communications at GTI Energy. She leads and executes strategic communications to advance the organization’s public presence, branding, and media relations priorities.

She is well-versed in strategic messaging and engagement for the clean energy sector. Prior to GTI, she led communications strategies for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for more than a decade, successfully engaging the public, media, Congress, and stakeholders in the clean energy transition. Kristin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from California State University Fullerton.

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Tony Eastland

Senior Director, Research & Engineering

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Lisa Foster

Director, Financial & Treasury Services

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Mohammed Hussain

Senior Director, Engineering Operations

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Rich Kaelin

Vice President, Government Affairs

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Tony Eastland

As Senior Director of Research & Engineering at GTI Energy, Tony ensures the quality and availability of engineering resources and infrastructure that support GTI Energy’s technology development projects. For more than 30 years, Tony has worked in the aerospace industry serving in a wide range of engineering roles, including applying aerospace technology for process intensification in the energy industry, a focus he has continued since joining GTI Energy.

Tony earned a B.S. in Engineering Science from Oxford University, and an M.A. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lisa Foster

As Director of Financial & Treasury Services at GTI Energy, Lisa Foster is responsible for oversight of enterprise-wide treasury and risk management, tax compliance, financial reporting and audit. Lisa is the Treasurer of GTI subsidiaries GTI International, Projeo Corporation, SunGas Renewables, and Rev Innovations as well as affiliates Operations Technology Development, NFP and Utilization Technology Development, NFP.

Lisa has held accounting and finance roles within the energy industry for over two decades. She holds a B.S. degree in Accountancy from Roosevelt University and an M.B.A from Northern Illinois University.

Mohammed Hussain

Mohammed Hussain is Senior Director of Engineering Operations at GTI Energy, where he leads pilot, lab, and field operations. Previously, he held engineering and managerial roles in the petroleum refining industry focused on pilot plant development and operations, process scale-up, laboratory management, research program management, process safety management, and refinery operations.

Mohammed earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in chemical and electrochemical engineering from the Central Electrochemical Research Institute in India, a MS in chemical engineering from the University of North Dakota, and a PhD in chemical engineering from Kansas State University.

Richard Kaelin

Rich Kaelin is Vice President of Government Relations and Business Development at GTI Energy, leading the organization’s government R&D activities and working to secure public and private funding of strategic R&D projects and programs.

Rich started his career in 1998 working for Congressman Peter Visclosky (IN -1). He held senior positions as the Appropriations and Legislative Director, and culminated as Chief of Staff, where he remained until 2003. Prior to joining GTI Energy, he was President of Rich Kaelin Consulting, a business development and legislative affairs. Rich has a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science degree from Gettysburg College, PA.

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Shannon Katcher

Vice President, Digital Innovation

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Seymour Khalilov

Managing Director, Strategy & Business Planning

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Tim Kingston

Senior Director, Research & Engineering

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Jeremy Otahal

Vice President, People & Customer Engagement

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Shannon Katcher

Shannon Katcher is GTI Energy’s Vice President of Digital Innovation. Shannon develops a strategic approach to digital transformation and directs research efforts, product and service developments, and investment initiatives in the data services and analytics space related to energy systems. She holds deep knowledge of connecting the industry’s operational experiences and needs with research programs.

Shannon graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Atmospheric Science and an M.S. in GIS & Remote Sensing. She is a licensed as a GIS Professional (GISP) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Seymour Khalilov

Seymour Khalilov is a Managing Director of Strategy & Business Planning at GTI Energy. In this new role, he guides enterprise-wide strategy development and implementation. He brings a clear, structured thought process around strategy, and has experience implementing strategic initiatives at a large scale and across a large organization.

Prior to GTI Energy, Seymour was a Senior Director of Planning and Integration for BP in Houston, where he led planning, performance, and investments for a portfolio of more than 30 global joint ventures and managed cross-functional teams. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas–Austin.

Tim Kingston

As Senior Director for the Research and Engineering team at GTI Energy, Tim leads a diverse group of engineers and scientists that deliver a broad range of early-stage research and innovation in technology development and deployment, commercialization support services, and technical market analyses for energy systems. Tim has a long legacy managing programs in the residential and commercial sectors, including building energy efficiency, carbon management, space conditioning, water heating, combined heat and power systems, building envelope, and integrated energy systems.

Jeremy Otahal

As Vice President of People & Customer Engagement at GTI Energy, Jeremy Otahal helps to grow enterprise value with market-leading strategic organizational initiatives. He oversees efforts to engage internal and external customers through effective human resources, communications, strategic collaboration, education and training, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility activities and programs. Jeremy also leads GTI Energy’s internal Performance Program, a cross-functional committee to establish a deliberate and focused approach for optimizing performance, providing operational excellence, and driving customer and partner satisfaction.

Prior to joining GTI Energy, Jeremy held several leadership and consulting positions with Chesapeake Energy and Williams Companies (formerly Access Midstream Partners) in Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Chicago.

Maggie Reiswerg

Maggie Reiswerg

Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

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Maggie Reiswerg

Maggie Reiswerg is Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at GTI Energy, where she provides financial insights and projections, plans and analyzes financial performance, and advises on financial strategy. Her diverse background spans biology, financial services, and corporate finance in various financial disciplines. She most recently served as Finance Manager for Magnetar Capital. Maggie is a Certified Corporate FP&A Professional through the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and has an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a BS in biology from Indiana University.

Lisa Rephlo

Senior Director, Project Management

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Lisa Rephlo

As Senior Director of Project Management at GTI Energy, Lisa Rephlo leads efforts to develop and steward policies, protocols, best practices, and tools to support sound, efficient, timely, and cost-effective management of projects. She collaborates with business areas leaders and other managers to determine appropriate personnel competencies and staffing, utilization, and expense levels.

Previously, she served as the Director of Program Management at Woodward, a manufacturer of fuel systems and control products for natural gas, hydrogen, and ammonia. Her experience spans project and program management, consulting, construction, operations, IT, and engineering roles in energy and sustainability. Lisa is a certified PMP and earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

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Duncan Robinson

Vice President, Commercialization

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Duncan Robinson

As Vice President of Commercialization at GTI Energy, Duncan Robinson drives efforts to commercialize and accelerate the deployment of technologies, processes, and scientific innovations needed for economy-wide, deep decarbonization post-2030. Duncan loves to delve into customer challenges and solve them through innovation, technology, and commercial ingenuity, with a philosophy of ‘serving with purpose.’

Duncan serves on the Board of Directors for Projeo, a GTI International subsidiary that advances safe, affordable subsurface solutions for the energy transition.

Duncan has almost 25 years of global experience with Schlumberger. His diversified business and energy industry experience help him guide teams through complex dealings, scaling growth, cultivating strategic partnerships, and fusing disparate interests to create win-win outcomes. Duncan earned an B.Eng degree in Electrical & Mechanical Engineering from The University of Edinburgh in the UK.

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Don Stevenson

Vice President, Carbon Management & Conversion

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Don Stevenson

As Vice President of Carbon Management & Conversion, Don Stevenson leads GTI Energy's research, development and demonstration projects focused on increasing the affordability and improving the environmental performance of our energy resources through environmentally responsible energy production, application of energy conversion processes such as gasification, partial oxidation, reforming and advanced power cycles, and development of bioenergy and CO2 capture and utilization processes.

He has served in leadership roles at Rockwell International, The Boeing Company, and United Technologies Corporation. Don earned a B.S. degree in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

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Kristine Wiley

Vice President, Low Carbon Energy Solutions

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Kristine Wiley

As Vice President of Low Carbon Energy Solutions at GTI Energy, Kristine Wiley works to synchronize deep industry knowledge and technical expertise, as well as large-scale labs and research facilities, to integrate the use of hydrogen into energy systems. In her role, she brings together public-private partnerships to facilitate R&D and enable the transition to low-carbon, low-cost energy systems.

Kristine has been working in the energy industry for nearly two decades with a continued focus on technological innovation and reducing climate impacts. She holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

GTI Energy Board of Directors, May 2023

GTI Energy is guided by a Board of Directors with members representing the natural gas industry and consumer interests. The CEO of GTI Energy is also a member of the Board.

Carlos A Cabrera

Mr. Carlos A. Cabrera

Executive Chairman, Genomatica, Inc.

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ArthurC Corbin

Mr. Arthur Corbin

President and CEO, Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia

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Scott Drury

Mr. Scott Drury

CEO, Southern California Gas Company

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Tina Faraca

Ms. Tina Faraca

President, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines

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Carlos A. Cabrera

Carlos A. Cabrera is an independent consultant based in the greater Chicago Area.

His fields of Expertise include Energy, Fuels, Chemicals, Leadership, Strategy and General Management. He is a recognized world expert in the Oil and Gas and Petrochemical Industries. Mr. Cabrera has served on several US and foreign based Corporate Boards for both private and public companies.

Carlos is the Executive Chairman of Genomatica, a San Diego based Biotechnology firm.

Cabrera is a Distinguished Associate to the World Energy Consultancy FACTS and serves on the Board of Directors of the Gas Technology Institute. He is a member of the Board of Directors of NextChem.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Encina Development Group (“Encina”), a company that produces chemicals from waste plastics.

Cabrera is on the Board of Directors of FORGE, a private Canadian company developing unique and innovative technology to produce Renewable Diesel fuel oil.

Cabrera serves as a member of the Advisory Board of The Catalyst Group, a worldwide consultancy firm specialized in the area of fundamental and applied Catalysis.

He was previously the President/CEO and then Chairman of UOP, the founding President and CEO of the National Institute of Low Carbon and Clean Energy (NICE) based in Beijing, China, and the Executive Chairman of Ivanhoe Energy.

Cabrera is a member of the Advisory Board of the Chemical Engineering Department at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Board member of the Loker Institute at the University of Southern California. He was a member of the Global Advisory Board of the University of the Chicago Booth School of Business (2009-2019).

Granted nine patents by the U.S. Patent Office, Mr. Cabrera was inducted to the University of Kentucky Engineering Hall Of Distinction and honored with the Honeywell Corporation 2008 Senior Leadership Award. In 2007, he was awarded the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Leadership Award by The American Institute of Chemical Engineers in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement of the fuels and petrochemical industry, among several other distinctions.

Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in Feb of 2021. Election to the National Academy Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

He holds a Bachelor of Science with High Distinction degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

Arthur Corbin

Arthur Corbin is President and CEO of the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia. He joined the Gas Authority in 1988 as Director, Gas Operations, was promoted to Vice President in 1989 and was named President in 1994. In 2003, the title CEO was added. The Gas Authority is a non-profit natural gas joint action agency serving 82 Member cities in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

The Gas Authority was formed in 1987 by an Act of the Georgia General Assembly to assist municipals that own and operate natural gas distribution systems. The primary function of the Gas Authority is to supply the entire natural gas requirements of its Members. The Gas Authority’s Members meet the gas needs of approximately 260,000 customers.

Before joining the Gas Authority, Arthur compiled 10 years experience with El Paso Natural Gas Company in the areas of Marketing, Planning and Gas Accounting. Arthur is active in various industry organizations and currently serves on the Boards of the, Gas Technology Institute and Southern Gas Association. Arthur received a BBA in Accounting and MBA from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Scott Drury

Scott Drury is chief executive officer (CEO) of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a Sempra Energy regulated California utility.

Previously, Drury was the president of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), another Sempra Energy regulated California utility. Under his leadership, SDG&E made significant strides in modernizing the energy grid to enhance safety and reliability, while providing customers with increasingly sustainable energy choices and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

He joined the Sempra Energy family of companies in 1986 and has held various management positions with increasing responsibility, including chief energy supply officer; vice president of human resources, diversity and inclusion, director of safety and emergency services, and director of supply management for both SDG&E and SoCalGas.

Drury serves on the board of directors for the American Gas Association, the advisory board of the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University and the community advisory council of Alzheimer’s San Diego.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University, as well as a certificate in human resources and labor relations from Cornell University.

Tina Faraca

Tina Faraca is President, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines. Faraca is responsible for leading all commercial and operational matters across TC Energy’s regulated natural gas transmission and storage business.

Prior to her current appointment, Faraca was Senior Vice-President, U.S. Natural Gas Operations, Projects and Technical Operational Services with responsibility for the safe, reliable and sustainable delivery and operations of TC Energy’s 32,000 miles of natural gas pipelines in the U.S. In addition, her responsibilities included the project execution of new facilities associated with those assets.

Faraca first joined TC Energy in April 2020, as Senior Vice-President, Commercial, U.S. Natural Gas leading Commercial Operations, Business Development, Marketing, Rates & Regulatory, Strategy and Joint Ventures.

Faraca arrived at TC Energy from Enable Midstream Partners where she served as Chief Commercial Officer for the company’s natural gas transportation & storage, natural gas gathering & processing and crude oil businesses.

Prior to Enable, Faraca worked with Enbridge, and its predecessor Spectra Energy, in multiple leadership positions over the course of 18 years including Vice-President of Engineering and Construction, Vice-President of Corporate Strategy and President of Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline.

Faraca currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Greater Houston. She is involved with numerous industry organizations and has served on the boards of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), the Texas Pipeline Association, the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, the Northeast Gas Association and the Engineering Leadership Board for the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering.

Faraca received a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Dr Paula A Gant

Dr. Paula A. Gant

President and CEO, GTI Energy

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(Ex Officio Director)
Rebecca Ranich

Ms. Rebecca Ranich

President, Exenico LLC

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(Chair)
Lauren Riley

Ms. Lauren Riley

Managing Director, Global Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, United Airlines

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Sumeet Singh

Mr. Sumeet Singh

Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Pacific Gas and Electric Company

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Dr. Paula A. Gant

Dr. Paula A. Gant is President and CEO of GTI Energy, a leading research and training organization focused on developing and scaling low-carbon, low-cost energy transition solutions. She leads a diverse, agile, and mission-driven team that is working to embed impact in our environment, economy, and communities. With two decades of experience in leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), American Gas Association, and Duke Energy Corporation, Dr. Gant has a passion for building collaborative teams, aligning innovation with impact, and convening diverse stakeholders to pursue solutions to consequential energy system challenges. She is an established and respected thought leader in energy systems, markets, and security spaces.

Previously she served as GTI Energy’s Vice President of Strategy & Innovation, where she accelerated the development of technology-based solutions that enable safe, efficient, clean, reliable, and affordable energy systems. In previous private and public sector roles, Dr. Gant focused on the intersection of global trends in technology, markets, and policy, and the solutions needed to transition energy systems.

As a leader in the DOE, she led regulatory and R&D programs to deploy science, analysis, and technologies that leveraged the prudent production, environmental stewardship, and efficient use of America’s natural gas resources. Dr. Gant also led DOE’s efforts to enhance U.S. energy security and accelerate global adoption of clean energy technologies with key international governments.

She has a BA in economics from McNeese State University in Louisiana and a PhD in economics from Auburn University in Alabama. Dr. Gant has also served on the economics faculties of the University of Louisville and Louisiana State University.

Rebecca Ranich

Rebecca Ranich is President of Exenico LLC, an advisory services firm that works with businesses disrupted by technology transformations. She is an experienced executive with more than 30 years of energy industry and international leadership experience.

A former Director at Deloitte Consulting she led the Firm’s Energy and Sustainability Investment Advisory Services for public sector clients. Her practice focused on strategic energy investments designed to mitigate and manage risks related to energy supply, demand and climate change challenges. Prior to Deloitte, Rebecca was an executive at Michael Baker Corporation where she led energy infrastructure and environmental projects in Russia, Europe and the Caspian region with a construction value over $40 billion.

Currently, Rebecca serves on the National Fuel Gas Board of Directors and is Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. She serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of WAVE Equity Partners.

Ranich brings a wealth of experience in strategic energy investments and global risk management. Her global perspective is grounded in the implementation of sustainable environmental practices and integrating disruptive technologies in high-profile, high-risk infrastructure investments that have delivered significant advancements in energy systems.

Lauren Riley

Lauren Riley is Managing Director, Global Environmental Affairs and Sustainability at United Airlines, Lauren is responsible for leading United’s environmental sustainability strategy, including progressing its climate commitments, scaling sustainable aviation fuel, evaluating decarbonization technologies, and achieving environmental compliance. This portfolio supports United’s commitment to achieve 100% green by zeroing out carbon emissions by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets.

Lauren is a business leader focused on the relationship between innovation and environmental sustainability. With 20 years consulting experience, Lauren has led a variety of initiatives addressing business and digital transformation, strategic planning, and change management that yield environmental and operational benefit.

Riley earned her MBA from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science from Bucknell University. She is a certified Change Management Advanced Practitioner through Georgetown University and PMP Certified.

Sumeet Singh

Sumeet Singh serves as Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer | PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Sumeet Singh is Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He is responsible for all of the utility’s operations, including Gas, Electric and Generation, as well as the Safety and Wildfire & Emergency Operations teams. In this new role, he is seeking to further increase connectivity between risk and safety and the operation's landscape to enable operational execution excellence across the board.

Singh previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Safety Officer, overseeing the company's integrated workforce health and safety strategy, its safety culture, and management of both operational risks such as wildfires, nuclear, dams, natural gas, natural disasters and non-operational risks such as cybersecurity, pandemic and others.

Singh has held a number of other leadership roles within PG&E, including serving as the Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, and Vice President, Asset Management and Community Wildfire Safety Program. This program consists of measures intended to further reduce risk on PG&E's electric system and includes partnering with communities on wildfire safety and prevention efforts. Key facets include real-time monitoring and intelligence, new and enhanced safety measures, and system hardening and resiliency efforts.

Singh also served as Vice President of Portfolio Management & Engineering in PG&E's Gas Operations, responsible for planning, prioritizing and providing oversight of Gas Operations' portfolio of work. Additionally, Singh served as Vice President, Asset & Risk Management in PG&E's Gas Operations, responsible for overseeing all aspects of records management, developing a clear understanding amongst the workforce of codes and standards, identifying and managing risk based on a rigorous approach to understanding PG&E's natural gas system, and leveraging technology to enhance and streamline operations.

Joining PG&E in 2000 as an engineer, Singh also worked in various natural gas distribution and transmission engineering roles, as well as in the Finance and Energy Procurement functions.

Singh has also served as the Gas Safety and Integrity Officer at Picarro Inc., leading a global organization focused on the growth of an innovative technology based on hardware-enabled analytics informing asset management solutions to drive a safer and cleaner natural gas system by improving the overall risk spend efficiency.

Singh holds a bachelor's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration degree from UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is a registered professional Civil Engineer in the State of California. Singh serves on the board of GTI Energy, a leading research and training organization focused on developing, scaling and deploying energy transition solutions.

David F Smith

Mr. David F. Smith

Chairman, National Fuel Gas Company

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John W Somerhalder

Mr. John W. Somerhalder II

Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, FirstEnergy

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Nick Stavropoulos

Mr. Nick Stavropoulos

Safety Champion and Energy Industry Senior Executive

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(Vice Chair)
Lori S Traweek

Ms. Lori S. Traweek

Energy Services Board Director, Chief Operating Officer, American Gas Association (retired)

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David F. Smith

David (Dave) F. Smith has been Chairman of the Board of National Fuel Gas Company since 2010 (from 2013 to 2014 he served as Executive Chairman of the Board). He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 2008 to 2013; as President of the Company from 2006 to 2010; and as Chief Operating Officer of the Company from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Smith was also President and/or Chairman of each of the Company’s major subsidiaries over the course of his career. He is a Board member of Gas Technology Institute (Executive Committee and Audit Committee), Emeritus Board member of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School Dean’s Advisory Council, a former director of the American Gas Association and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Business Council of New York State. He is also past Chairman of the Northeast Gas Association and Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. Mr. Smith has been a Company director since 2007.

Smith brings to the Board significant industry and Company expertise and leadership experience. His 36-year tenure with the Company, which included key leadership positions within all of the Company’s business segments has resulted in significant knowledge of the Company’s history and strategies during its substantial growth from a regional utility to a much larger diversified energy company. He also brings a long and active participation in industry groups that identify and address important issues facing the Company and has well-established relationships of trust with other industry leaders. In addition, Mr. Smith has deep ties to businesses and civic organizations in Western New York (the location of the Company’s corporate headquarters and most of its business units). His experience as an active participant during decades of regulatory evolution at the state and federal levels provides valuable perspective and insight into the political and regulatory trends impacting the Company’s regulated interstate pipeline and storage, and utility businesses.

John W. Somerhalder II

John W. Somerhalder II is non-executive chair of the Board of Directors of FirstEnergy Corp. He joined FirstEnergy in 2021 vice chair and executive director of the company, and served as interim president and chief executive officer from October 2022 to June 2023.

Prior to joining FirstEnergy, he served as interim president and chief executive officer of CenterPoint Energy, Inc., an electric and natural gas utility serving several U.S. markets, from February 2020 to July 2020, and served as a member of the CenterPoint Energy board of directors from 2016 through July 2020. Somerhalder also served as interim president and chief executive officer of Colonial Pipeline Company, a U.S. refined products pipeline company, from February 2017 to October 2017.

Prior to that, he served as president and chief executive officer of AGL Resources Inc., an energy services holding company in the southeastern United States, from March 2006 through his retirement in December 2015, and served as chairman of the company’s board from November 2007 until December 2015.

Prior to joining AGL Resources, Somerhalder served in a number of roles with El Paso Corporation, a publicly traded natural gas and related energy products provider, where he spent almost 30 years, starting his career as an engineer and progressing through leadership roles before being named president of El Paso Pipeline Group and executive vice president of El Paso Corporation.

He also previously held directorships with Gulfport Energy Corp., Crestwood Equity Partners LP, Enable Midstream Partners, LP, and SunCoke Energy Partners GP LLC.

Nick Stavropoulos

Nick Stavropoulos, Safety Champion and Energy Industry Senior Executive career in the U.S. and international energy industry spans four decades. Prior to retiring from California-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in 2018, he served as president and chief operating officer (COO). He and more than 23,000 employees — across gas, electric, generation, and nuclear operations and other corporate support functions — were responsible for the end-to-end delivery of safe, reliable, affordable, and clean gas and electric service to 16 million customers across PG&E's 70,000 square mile service area. More notably, he was chosen to strengthen the company’s safety culture and lead the multi-billion-dollar recovery and restoration effort to enhance PG&E’s natural gas system after the tragic 2010 San Bruno explosion.

He is a passionate advocate for helping keep communities, customers, and employees safe, which Stavropoulos maintains must start with having a strong safety culture and clearly defined measurements and standards. While at PG&E, he championed independent, third-party verification of the company’s gas system from a number of different global organizations. Under his leadership, PG&E’s gas business earned or qualified for international certifications including ISO 55000, PAS 55001, API RP 1173, and RC 14001.

Stavropoulos is an internationally sought-after speaker on the topics of leadership, workplace safety, and safety culture. In recent years, he delivered keynote addresses at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Global Safety Culture Conference, and the World Gas Conference.

Before joining PG&E, Stavropoulos served as executive vice president and COO for National Grid, an electricity and natural gas delivery company serving nearly 7 million customers in the Northeastern U.S. As COO, he was responsible for all aspects of its U.S. gas distribution business. Prior to that role, Stavropoulos was president of KeySpan Energy Delivery.

A native New Englander, Stavropoulos holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bentley College. He earned his MBA from Babson College and completed executive education certificates from Harvard and MIT.

Lori S. Traweek

Lori S. Traweek, Energy Services Board Director is engaged in the energy industry for over 38 years and most recently retired as the American Gas Association (AGA) Chief Operating Officer, Lori Traweek is a respected industry leader and spokesperson with an extensive understanding of the energy business and experience in organizational management and operations. Lori has been devoted to enhancing safety, security and the environment, working with the Department of Transportation (DOT) on groundbreaking pipeline safety regulations, helping to develop reasonable and effective approaches to cyber and physical security, and initiating a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to reduce methane emissions. Throughout her career she has continuously advocated for technology advancement. Lori represented the industry before Congress, regulatory bodies and policymakers. Working collaboratively with utility executives across the country, she has been integrally involved in the identification of business strategies and helping companies achieve operational excellence in the safe, environmentally responsible, reliable and affordable delivery of natural gas. Lori currently serves on the GTI Energy, TRC Companies, Inc. and Picarro, Inc. Board of Directors and is a member of The Economic Club of Washington D.C. and Stevens Institute of Technology President’s Leadership Council. Lori previously served on the National Energy Foundation and Center for Energy Workforce Development Board of Directions and early in her career worked as an offshore and onshore engineer for Arco Oil and Gas Co. She holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. degree in communications from Ithaca College.

Dr Michael E Webber

Dr. Michael E. Webber

Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

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Dr. Michael E. Webber

Dr. Michael E. Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a $3 billion cleantech venture fund. From September 2018 to August 2021, Webber was based in Paris, France where he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company with 170,000 employees worldwide. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His book Power Trip: the Story of Energy was published in 2019 by Basic Books with an award-winning 6-part companion series that aired on PBS, Amazon Prime and AppleTV starting Earth Day 2020. The series had more than 7000 broadcasts in the United States and has been distributed in dozens of countries, ultimately reaching millions of viewers. He was selected as a Fellow of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton. Webber has authored four full-length general interest books, created two interactive textbooks, written more than 500 publications, and been awarded 6 patents. He serves on the advisory board for Scientific American and GTI Energy (an industry consortium formerly known as the Gas Technology Institute). A successful entrepreneur, Webber was one of three founders in 2015 for an educational technology startup, DISCO Learning Media, which was acquired in 2018. Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.

In addition, member companies and other partners provide technical guidance to GTI Energy on program content and priorities. GTI Energy also formally surveys its research customers regularly. This satisfaction survey helps to ensure that GTI Energy's products and services meet customer needs and identifies areas for performance improvement.

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