ABO Blog

Diverse board of algae leaders to help industry continue its rapid development

 

Washington, D.C.  – May 23, 2011 – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, today announced the election of its Board of Directors for the 2011-2013 term. The ABO also announced Mark Allen, a Senior Advisor to BioProcess Algae, as Chair of the Board of Directors. The Board includes three newly-elected directors and four directors who were re-elected.

The ABO was founded in 2008 to promote the development of commercial markets for renewable and sustainable products derived from algae. It works on behalf of the industry to deliver information to the public and governments on the industry’s development, and to advocate for the improvement of Federal, state and local policies that would accelerate the commercialization and expanded use of algae-based products.

As part of its commitment to representing the entire algae industry, the ABO’s Board is comprised of representatives from across the value chain, including academia, professional services, technology, project development and end-user markets. Newly elected to the ABO Board for the 2011-2013 term are:

• Qiang Hu, Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology, Arizona State University
• Paul Woods, Algenol
• Tim Zenk, Sapphire Energy

In addition, four board members were re-elected to an additional two-year term:

• Harrison Dillon, Solazyme
• Margaret McCormick, Targeted Growth, Inc.
• John Pierce, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
• Ira “Ike” Levine, Aquatic Research Lab, University of Southern Maine

These new and re-elected Board members will join the ABO’s current Board members:

• Thomas Byrne, Byrne & Company, Ltd.
• John Benemann, Benemann Associates
• Keith Cooksey, Montana State University
• Billy Glover, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
• Greg Mitchell, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Joel Murdock, FedEx
• Herminia Rodriguez, University of Seville, Spain

 

“I congratulate our newly elected and re-elected members of the board, while also thanking those moving off the board for their hard work and service,” said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “Our organization relies heavily on the support and participation of the board, and collectively we’ve been able to help move the industry forward.”

In addition to education and outreach efforts with policymakers, the ABO produces and hosts the industry’s premier global conference, the Algae Biomass Summit, now in its fifth year.  The ABO is currently accepting papers and presentation abstracts for the 2011 Algae Biomass Summit, which will be held October 25-27, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More information and the application for abstracts is available via the website: www.algaebiomasssummit.org.

About the ABO

Founded in 2008, the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable products derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: www.algaebiomass.org.

Contact:

John Williams, Scoville PR for ABO

206-625-0075 x1, jwilliams@scovillepr.com

Now accepting abstracts for speaking opportunities and poster presentations

 

MINNEAPOLIS – April 19, 2011 – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, today announced that the 5^th annual Algae Biomass Summit will be held October 25-27, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  ABO chose the location for the 5^th annual event – the largest algae-focused conference in the world – given the leading algae-focused programs at academic and research institutions in Minnesota and the growing deployment of algae-based technologies across the Midwestern United States. The three-day event will also feature a pre-conference finance symposium as well as a pre-conference workshop and tour hosted by the University of Minnesota. A preliminary agenda is available for viewing here.

The ABO is currently seeking proposals for speakers and poster presentations in biology, engineering and analysis, commercialization, and policy and finance. More information on presentations and potential topics, and how to submit a proposal, is available athttp://algaebiomasssummit.org.

“As the markets for products derived from algae continue to mature, and with several new production facilities scheduled to break ground this year, this is an exciting time for the industry,” said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of ABO. “Our fifth annual conference will highlight the tremendous progress being made in technology development and deployment, commercial production, and policy and regulatory issues, as well as provide an unparalleled forum for networking and knowledge sharing.”

Speakers and attendees at the Algae Biomass Summit will include national and international technologists, producers, scientists, investors, and policy makers. During the course of the event, leaders and attendees will discuss issues of critical importance to the emerging algae industry, including the commercial development of algal production, current government and private initiatives, evolving technologies, processing concepts, life cycle analysis and project finance.

The 2010 Algae Biomass Summit, held in Phoenix, Arizona, was attended by more than 650 stakeholders across the algae industry from 25 countries.