Bill Jones is a second-generation farmer and cattle rancher who also has over 25 years of policy and political experience in the state of California. First elected to the California Assembly in 1982, he served twelve consecutive years, including two as Republican Leader. In 1994, he was elected Secretary of State of California as the first Central Valley politician to hold a statewide office; he served until January 2003. As both a farmer and public official, Mr. Jones followed the development of the ethanol industry for years, perceiving it as a solution for a number of problems, including environmental and economic issues. In January 2003, after state legislation led to a surge in demand for ethanol in California, he co-founded Pacific Ethanol. Mr. Jones has a BA degree in Agribusiness and Plant Sciences from California State University, Fresno.

Mike Kandris has served as a Director of the company since June, 2008, and as our Chief Executive Officer since October, 2020, and previously served as our Chief Operating Officer since January, 2013. Mr. Kandris has 30 years of general management experience in the transportation and logistics industry. He was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer of Ruan Transportation Management Systems (RTMS) where he had overall responsibility for all operations, sales, finance, and administrative functions. He also served as President of the Western Division of RTMS, which was heavily involved in the dairy industry. Mr. Kandris served on the Executive Committee of the American Trucking Association and as a board member for the National Tank Truck Organization. Mr. Kandris has a BS degree in Business from California State University, Hayward.

Doug Kieta has served as a Director since March 2005. He has more than 45 years of profit center and project operations experience in the domestic and international power industries. Mr. Kieta is the President of Century West Projects, Inc., a consulting firm that provides project management services to the power industry. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Robins & Morton, an engineering and construction firm located in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Kieta was formerly Vice President – Power for BE&K, Inc., an international engineering and construction firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Kieta also served as Senior Vice President of Construction and Engineering at Calpine Corporation, a major North American power company providing electricity to customers and communities in 21 states and three Canadian provinces. Prior to joining Calpine, Mr. Kieta served for over 10 years as President & CEO of Century Contractors West, Inc. He is a member of the National Academy of Construction. Mr. Kieta has a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University.

Gilbert Nathan has served as an Advisor to the Board since November 2015 and as a Director since November 2019. Mr. Nathan is the Managing Member of Jackson Square Advisors LLC and is the Chief Executive Officer of Keycon Power Holdings, LLC. He serves on the Board of Directors of Ready Capital Corporation and as a liquidating trust board member of Hercules Offshore Liquidating Trust. Mr. Nathan was formerly a Senior Analyst with Candlewood Investment Group, an investment firm with significant debt and equity investments in the ethanol industry. Prior to joining Candlewood, Mr. Nathan served as Principal at Restoration Capital Management for 10 years. Mr. Nathan has a BS degree in Management, Major in Finance from the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.

Dianne Nury has served as an Advisor to our Board since August 2018 and as a Director since November 2019. Ms. Nury is President and Chief Executive Officer of Vie-Del Company. Ms. Nury serves on the Board of Directors of the Wine Institute and is a former Chairman of the Board. Ms. Nury is a member of the Juice Products Association, and formerly served as Chairman of its Board of Directors. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Foundation for California State University at Fresno and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Viticulture and Enology Industry Advisory Board. Ms. Nury previously served on the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. Ms. Nury is a Board Member of the Foundation for Clovis Schools, Clovis, California, and previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno, California. Ms. Nury has a BS degree in Business from California State University at Fresno.

Maria Gray has served as an advisor to our Board since 2021. Ms. Gray served as a Senior Refining Engineer at Marathon Petroleum Company, an American petroleum refining, marketing, and transportation company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. From 2012 to 2021, Ms. Gray served in several capacities including as a Senior Health, Safety, and Environmental Professional and as a Project Process Engineering Lead, at Marathon Petroleum Company.  Ms. Gray also served in various engineering and supervisory capacities from 2001 to 2012 for Motiva Enterprises LLC, then a joint venture between Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining Inc, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, that operates North America’s largest refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, producing and distributing fuels and specialty chemicals. Ms. Gray also served as a Process Engineer for Union Carbide Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company, that produces specialty chemicals and polymers. Ms. Gray has a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, Minor in Business and Minor in Architecture from Tulane University.

Terry Stone has served as a Director and Chair of our Audit Committee since March 2005. He is a Certified Public Accountant with over 40 years of experience in accounting and taxation. As the owner of his own accountancy firm, he provides accounting and taxation services to a wide range of industries including agriculture, manufacturing, retail, equipment leasing, professionals and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Stone has served as a part-time instructor at California State University, Fresno, teaching classes in taxation, auditing, and financial and management accounting. He is also a financial advisor. Mr. Stone has a BS degree in Accounting from California State University, Fresno.