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Gevo's Executive Management
 Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining Gevo, Dr. Patrick Gruber was the president and CEO of Outlast Technologies Inc. and held several general management positions in technology and business development for Cargill Inc. He has also served as president and CEO of Lactech, a technology development company, and was one of the founders of NatureWorks, LLC (formerly Cargill Dow, LLC), where he was the VP of technology and operations and the CTO from 1997 until 2005.
Pat has served as a member of the Bioenergy Technical Advisory Committee for the Energy Future Coalition. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Outlast Technologies, Gevo, Segetis, and Green Harvest Technologies. In 2008, Pat was awarded the first ever George Washington Carver Award. The award recognizes significant contributions by individuals in the field of industrial biotechnology and its application in biological engineering, environmental science, biorefining and biobased products. Executive Vice President of Business Development
Dr. Christopher Ryan came to Gevo with more than 15 years of strategic leadership, business development, research and product development in biobased materials. Most recently, Chris served as COO and CTO for NatureWorks, LLC. As a founding member of NatureWorks, Chris was involved in the development and commercialization of the company’s new biobased polymer from lab-scale production through the introduction and growth of PLA through its $300 million world-scale production facility. Christopher holds a master’s degree in management from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gustavus Adolphus College. Executive Vice President of Technology
Dr. David Glassner has more than 20 years experience developing and commercializing technologies that convert annually renewable resources to fuels, chemicals and materials.
Prior to joining Gevo, David led the development of novel yeast biocatalysts for the production of lactic acid and ethanol at NatureWorks, LLC. Also during this time he led the development of cellulosic processing technology and economic models for PLA manufacture based on dry-corn milling and wet-corn milling. Preceding NatureWorks, David was the biofuels technology manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory where he launched NREL’s partnerships with the enzyme industry. David began his career at MBI International where he led the development of lactic acid and polylactide research and developed patented processes for lactic acid, succinic acid, acetone, ethanol and butanol. Chief Financial Officer
Mark Smith is the CFO for Gevo, joining the team in November 2008. He joined Gevo from Replidyne, where he served as its CFO. While at Replidyne, he played a leadership role in completing its initial public offering and executing its strategic sale transaction. Prior to joining Replidyne, Mark served as senior VP of finance; treasurer; CFO; and CAO of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals.
Prior to joining Nabi, Mark served as VP of finance and administration and CFO of Neuromedical Systems Inc. He also served in various financial executive capacities at Genzyme Corporation and was the CFO of Genetrix Inc., prior to its sale to Genzyme. He commenced his professional career with the accounting firm Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) in both Australia and the United States. Mark received his B.A. from the Canberra College of Advanced Education. He is a CPA in California and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Executive Vice President of Commercial & Public Affairs
Jack Huttner came to Gevo from DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE). Prior to joining DDCE, he was VP of biorefinery business development at Genencor, the industrial biotechnology division of Danisco A/S where he led a multifunctional team whose strategy resulted in the $140 million joint venture with DuPont. Prior to that, Jack had global responsibility for communications and external affairs at Genencor International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GCOR) where he helped shape Genencor’s leadership position in industrial biotechnology for its successful IPO.
Jack was instrumental in the formation of the industrial section of BIO in 1998 and served as the section’s board chairman for six years. He recently completed his term on the executive committee of Brussels-based EuropaBio where he was chairman of the Industrial Biotechnology Council. He has worked extensively with the OECD, NGO’s, farm interests and other stakeholders to develop common positions in support of industrial sustainability and the biobased economy. Jack was appointed by the Clinton administration in 2001 to a two year term as the first co-chairman of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. The advisory committee was formed by an Act of the U.S. Congress to oversee the federal government’s $300 million bioenergy R&D budget. His appointment was extended by the Bush administration until 2007. Vice President & General Counsel
Prior to coming to Gevo, Brett Lund served as chairman of the legal, IP, and licensing group for Syngenta's biofuels business. In his role at Syngenta, Brett led the management of intellectual property, in-licensing, out-licensing, research collaborations, and strategic alliances. Prior to Syngenta, he served as associate general counsel for Ford's Wingcast division.
Brett began his legal career as a corporate attorney at the law firm of Cooley Godward, LLP and was a member of the life sciences and intellectual property group in the firm’s San Diego office. In his role at Cooley, Brett represented numerous companies regarding intellectual property licensing, IPOs, venture capital financing, M&A, securities, strategic alliances, and related transactions. Brett holds a J.D. and a M.B.A. from Duke University, and a B.A. from the University of California at San Diego. He is a member of the California Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, Licensing Executives Society and Association of University Technology Managers. Vice President of Human Resources
Paula Dinwiddie came to Gevo with more than 22 years experience in establishing and successfully managing human resources functions for companies in various industries, including hi-tech, telecom, and financial services.
For the past 10 years, Paula has worked with various VC-funded start-up companies, the latest being a financial services company that manages more than $7 billion for the federal government. Paula has an M.A. in educational psychology in personnel services, an M.A. in counseling, and a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University. Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
Glenn Johnston has more than 19 years experience in the biotech/chemical global regulatory arena where he has focused on creating seamless regulatory compliance with “back-of-sheet” R&D ideas.
Prior to joining Gevo, Glenn was director of regulatory affairs with NatureWorks, LLC, where he managed product stewardship issues and applied his experience with global influence to guide the company’s work regarding toxicology, safety and the environment. Preceding his tenure at NatureWorks, he helped lead regulatory efforts in the plastics division of Sandoz Chemicals. During his long-standing career, Glenn has gained extensive experience related to food legislation (FDA, EU, JHOSPA, KFDA, MERCOSUR), chemical legislation (TSCA, EINECS, DSL, METI, KCL, and AICS), animal feed requirements (US FDA, AAFCO), and other regulatory laws that affect the biotech supply chain. He has worked with industry groups in Japan (JHOSPA), Taiwan (EBPA), the United States (BPI), the European Union (IBAW) and China (BMG). Glenn is currently a member of ASTM D02, and has also been a delegate of ISO TC61 and CENTC249, and a member of ASTM D20. He has participated on the board of directors of various industry trade associations and has published papers and given speeches on biotech/chemical regulatory framework around the world. |
