LEADERSHIP

With more than a century of combined experience in the chemical and refining industries, Element Fuels’ senior management is comprised of industry veterans who have successfully engineered, developed, and managed over $500 billion of complex capital projects, including individual greenfield developments of nearly $40 billion.

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Element Fuels executives have served in top leadership positions for publicly traded energy production companies; directed complex energy sector supply chain operations, managed and improved environmental, health and safety functions; held senior leadership positions with top financial and funding institutions; and driven growth through innovation, vision, and fiscal responsibility. Meet the team making cleaner, greener, low-carbon intensity fuels happen.

John V. Calce

Chairman, Founder, 

& Co-Chief Executive Officer

Trey Griggs

Co-Chief Executive Officer

 

Robert Haugen

President – Refining

 

chris-swanberg

Chris Swanberg

EVP – Environmental,

Health, and Safety

tom-ramsey

Tom Ramsey

Chief Commercial Officer

 

ken-douglas

Ken Douglas

Chief Financial Officer

 

lance-medlin

Lance Medlin

EVP – Operations, Engineering

& Project Management

rob-fuller

Rob Fuller

EVP – Supply & Trading

 

john-roller

John Roller

EVP – Midstream

 

buddy-garcia

Buddy Garcia

EVP – Government Affairs

 

jules-brenner

Jules Brenner

General Counsel 

 

albert-johnson

Albert Johnson

EVP – Commercial

Development

albert-johnson

Albert Johnson

EVP – Commercial

Development

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STRATEGIC ADVISORS

Jack is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of CVR Energy, Inc., an energy holding company, and CVR Refining LP, a petroleum refining M.L.P. He also served as the Executive Chairman of CVR Partners LP, a nitrogen fertilizer M.L.P. He was the lead on taking all three companies public on the NYSE. He is also a member of the board of SandRidge Energy Corporation and has served on numerous public and private boards including Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Cheniere Energy.

Jack is one of 27 advisors worldwide on the Goldman Sachs Strategic Advisory Group. In addition, he is a member of the Kelso & Company Specialists Advisory Team. He also advises Warburg Pincus in the area of renewable energy.

Jack has more than 45 years of experience in the petroleum refining and nitrogen fertilizer industries. He began his career with Texaco Inc. in 1972. In 1985, he joined The Coastal Corporation, eventually becoming Vice President of Refining with responsibility for Coastal’s worldwide refining and petrochemical operations. Upon the merger of Coastal with El Paso Corporation in 2001, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Refining and Chemicals with responsibility for all refining, petrochemical, lubricants, and nitrogen-based operations, as well as corporate engineering and construction. In 2002, he left El Paso and became an independent management consultant. In 2004, he joined Prudentia Energy, an advisory and management firm, serving as Managing Director and Partner.

In 2005, Jack, in partnership with his management team and investment affiliates of Goldman Sachs and Kelso & Company, acquired Coffeyville Resources, LLC, the predecessor company to CVR Energy and its affiliates.

He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1972 and a J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 1988.

Dr. Yao advises Element Fuels on initiatives with the petrochemical segment of the industry. He has over 30 years of experience in petrochemicals, has been granted five patents, and has had over 40 studies published in leading academic research publications. He served as CEO of YCI Methanol One and spent more than 20 years in the chemicals division of Royal Dutch Shell. Dr. Yao received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from China’s Wuhan University. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from The University of Houston and earned an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin.

STRATEGIC ADVISORS

Jack is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of CVR Energy, Inc., an energy holding company, and CVR Refining LP, a petroleum refining M.L.P. He also served as the Executive Chairman of CVR Partners LP, a nitrogen fertilizer M.L.P. He was the lead on taking all three companies public on the NYSE. He is also a member of the board of SandRidge Energy Corporation and has served on numerous public and private boards including Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Cheniere Energy.

Jack is one of 27 advisors worldwide on the Goldman Sachs Strategic Advisory Group. In addition, he is a member of the Kelso & Company Specialists Advisory Team. He also advises Warburg Pincus in the area of renewable energy.

Jack has more than 45 years of experience in the petroleum refining and nitrogen fertilizer industries. He began his career with Texaco Inc. in 1972. In 1985, he joined The Coastal Corporation, eventually becoming Vice President of Refining with responsibility for Coastal’s worldwide refining and petrochemical operations. Upon the merger of Coastal with El Paso Corporation in 2001, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Refining and Chemicals with responsibility for all refining, petrochemical, lubricants, and nitrogen-based operations, as well as corporate engineering and construction. In 2002, he left El Paso and became an independent management consultant. In 2004, he joined Prudentia Energy, an advisory and management firm, serving as Managing Director and Partner.

In 2005, Jack, in partnership with his management team and investment affiliates of Goldman Sachs and Kelso & Company, acquired Coffeyville Resources, LLC, the predecessor company to CVR Energy and its affiliates.

He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1972 and a J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 1988.

Nick Ayers is one of America’s leading public policy and business strategists. He has forged a successful career in business and served at the highest levels of the United States government. Nick served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President.

Today, through Ayers Family Holdings, Nick invests in and advises businesses in financial, technology, and business services. Nick recently partnered with Insight Venture Partners to acquire Veeam Software, where he serves as a member of Veeam’s board of directors. Ayers also serves on PublicSq.’s (PSQH:NYSE) board of directors and is a member of the nominating and governance committee. In 2020, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Nick to the board of directors of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Time Magazine named Nick one of the “40 most influential people in politics under the age of 40” and The Wall Street Journal called him a “political prodigy.” The World Economic Summit nominated Nick to join the forum as a Young Global Leader. He received a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Kennesaw State University. Nick is the proud husband to Jamie and father of eight-year-old triplets, Charles, Mary Floyd, and Talton.

The Honorable Ben F. Barnes is the founding partner and principal of the Ben Barnes Group LP, a crisis management and consulting firm with offices in Austin, TX and Washington, D.C. Mr. Barnes was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at the age of 22, was chosen speaker of the house in 1965 at the age of 26 and was elected the youngest-ever Lieutenant Governor with more votes than any statewide candidate in Texas history.

He is a former Speaker of the House for the State of Texas and a protégé of President Lyndon B. Johnson and ally of Governor John Connally. As speaker, Barnes established the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and secured a minimum wage for farmworkers. He also supported passage of the Consumer Credit Code, of clean-air and water-quality legislation, of legislation establishing programs for the elderly, and of legislation to aid the mentally ill and handicapped. As lieutenant governor, he successfully backed an increase in the minimum wage, legislation in the area of mass transportation, and legislation creating the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. Throughout his four terms in the two offices, Barnes also was interested in the issue of higher education. During that time, Texas increased its appropriations for higher education more than threefold, rising to near the top in its ranking among the 50 states in expenditures for higher education. Several new universities and graduate schools originated as a result of increased appropriations.

Mr. Barnes has spent over 50 years affecting state and federal policy decisions.

Ben Barnes Group LP works with clients representing virtually every major industry, spanning interests both domestic and abroad. His legislative legacy has benefited generations of Texas public school students, and he has helped to transform Texas into a technological hub.

John V. Calce

Chairman, Founder, & Co-Chief Executive Officer

As the Founder of Element Fuels Holdings, John has provided the vision and leadership in shepherding the corporation through the early stage of its planning and permitting processes to bring the company to its current position as a leader in the refining of clean energy and transitional fuels.

He has over two decades of experience in creating, funding, and managing early and development stage companies. John has played a role in the successful founding, development, and sale of more than seven different exploration, production, and oilfield service companies in the Barnett Shale, Marcellus Shale, Utica Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and Bakken Shale areas. Since 2010, he has supervised or coordinated land transactions totaling more than 200,000 acres in the Williston, Appalachian, and Permian Basins. 


Since 2005, he assisted in the investment of more than $2.5 billion of capital, including more than $500 million as principal, and served as a Director of the Petro Capital/THL Energy Fund I, LP as well as a member of the Fund’s LP advisory board.


He holds a B.A. in History from Yale University. 

Trey Griggs

Co-Chief Executive Officer

Trey Griggs most recently served as CEO for GSR Services, a financial assets market-maker.  Before that, Trey was President of Calpine Corp, one of the largest independent power producers in North America. 

Before Calpine, Trey was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs & Co., leading its North American Energy Risk Management activities and its Houston Trading Office beginning in 2011. Prior to that, starting in 2001 he served in various roles with Goldman Sachs’ commodities group in New York. From 1995-2000, he was an attorney at law firms in Houston, TX and Greenville, S.C. Trey holds a MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University.

Trey’s background includes expertise in leadership of a diverse, multi-geography workforce; strategic goal setting and achievement; change management; corporate m&a; retail; sales & marketing; trading; trade desk oversight; portfolio optimization and risk management in oil, oil products, natural gas, natural gas liquids, electricity, and petrochemicals; legal and regulatory advocacy and compliance; and investor relations.

Robert Haugen

President – Refining

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Robert oversees all refining operations of  Element Fuels’ Brownsville Refinery.

He brings over 40 years of experience in the refining and petrochemical industries to this key position.  

His most recent role includes serving as President of Texas International Refining.  Prior to this, he was EVP of refining operations at CVR Energy for over 12 years.  He also served as a senior consultant to the US Department of State, where he managed the oil sector for the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (IRMO).  Earlier in his career, he served in various refining and chemical leadership roles at El Paso Corporation, Coastal Corporation, Howell Corporation and Sun Petroleum Products Company. 

He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas and has completed the Stanford Executive Program.

Chris Swanberg

EVP – Environmental, Health, and Safety

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Chris oversees the environmental and safety of Element Fuels’ assets on an enterprise-wide level to ensure complete understanding throughout all phases of the business.

He brings over 40 years of environmental, safety, occupational health, and training (operations and maintenance) experience in petroleum refining and petrochemical operations, agricultural chemical operations, integrated crude and petroleum products logistics operations, metals and recycling manufacturing and mining operations, and EHS consulting with a focus on transactions and expert consulting for litigation support to the position. 

Chris is particularly skilled in problem identification and root cause failure analysis of operating systems, and working with operating management to design safe, effective solutions and workarounds. Previously, he has worked for CVR Energy, Lyondell-Citgo Refining Company, ARCO, and Sage Environmental (whose main clients included Premcor (now Valero), Lyondell Chemical, HOVENSA, Sinclair, and Alon).  

Chris has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering Technology from Western Kentucky University and an M.B.A. from the University of Tulsa.

Tom Ramsey

Chief Commercial Officer

As Chief Commercial Officer of Element Fuels, Tom brings a special skill set of management expertise to the company.

He has over 30 years of energy and finance experience managing a wide range of midstream and physical supply, marketing, and trading businesses in crude oil, refined products, natural gas, NGLs and olefins, as well as financial hedging and trading. 

Tom was formerly Head of North American Crude Oil Marketing and Midstream at Vitol, Inc., the world’s largest independent oil trader, where he was accountable for managing the growth and development of an integrated crude oil, condensate midstream, and marketing business that was sold to Sunoco for almost $800 million. 

He also served on the Board of Directors of LPC Crude Oil, an integrated crude oil marketing, midstream, and trucking company that was sold to EnLink in 2015. Prior to that, he served as COO of Gavilon’s energy segment, where he led the development and growth of a midstream business that was sold to NGL Energy for ~$900 million. Tom also led crude oil, natural gas liquids and olefins businesses at BP. 

He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. 

Ken Douglas

Chief Financial Officer

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Ken oversees all financial and reporting aspects of Element Fuels.

He brings over 20 years of experience in investment banking and private equity, all within the energy sector. Ken started his career in the Lehman Brothers’ Natural Resources and M&A investment banking division in New York, advising on over $30 billion of M&A, equity, and debt financings for E&P companies and Master Limited Partnerships. 

He left Lehman Brothers to join a Dallas based oil & gas merchant bank, where he was involved in over a dozen principal investments, comprised of oilfield services and E&P companies. Prior to Element, he was principally focused on structuring and arranging venture capital and mezzanine financing for early and development stage oil and gas companies in the Bakken, Barnett, Permian, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Montney, Horn River, Marcellus, and Utica Shales regions. 

He has served as a Director and Observer on numerous Board of Directors, earned Series 7, 24, 63 and 79 licenses, and graduated Cum Laude with a B.B.A. in Financial Consulting and B.A. in Economics from Southern Methodist University.  Since 2002, Mr. Douglas has been a member of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational and career support to young people from underserved communities.

Lance Medlin

EVP – Operations, Engineering & Project Management

Lance provides Senior Management operational supervision for the Element Fuels refinery integration.

He brings over two decades of Project Management experience in Chemical, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas Facilities Design, Construction, and Operations including having led successful projects for Shell Oil, BP, ExxonMobil, Petrofac, KBR, and Pemex. 

In such roles, he has served as a Vice President of Engineering and Projects, Project Executive, Project Director, and Commissioning & Start-Up Manager. 

Lance is an engineer with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Organizational Management.

Rob Fuller

EVP – Supply & Trading

Rob brings a depth of knowledge in oil and refined products trading and marketing to the Executive Leadership Team.

He is a third-generation, energy executive with expertise in both the physical and financial energy markets. Rob has been a trader in the oil markets since joining Enron in 1999. He has traded everything from paper oil, physical crude and products, renewables, and physical fuel oil throughout his career, while working at PSEG, Fortis Bank, Masefield Biofuels, Gavilon Group, Noble, and most recently Vitol.

He has expertise across multiple energy disciplines with a deep understanding of the petroleum industry and progressive experience as a researcher, trader and leader of large trading portfolios including M&A experience. Rob has extensive experience with complex derivative structures, trading physical cargos, pipeline barrels, and managing/optimizing supply chains. He is also a builder of hedge desks, derivatives trading, and physical trading/blending businesses. He is a first mover in “drop-in” renewable fuels with in-depth knowledge of government and EPA regulations and taxation benefits at both the State and Federal level.

Rob is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Management.

John Roller

EVP – Midstream

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, John oversees all Element Fuel Midstream & Terminal operations.

He has more than thirty-three years’ experience in the midstream logistics / terminal and pipeline business and led the GTI Statia business based in San Antonio, Texas and the Caribbean from 2019 to April-2022.

Previously, John spent over 30 years at NuStar Energy, most recently as Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, where he led the organizations domestic and international Marketing and Business Development. He created operational excellence in the terminals division including a best in industry safety, environmental and regulatory records aligned with ESG and CSR goals and objectives in all geographic locations of the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.

John attended the University of Maryland, University Oklahoma, and University of Phoenix. He is a licensed Stationary Engineer, certified Lead Assessor of Quality Systems, and holds a certificate in Economic Evaluation and Investment Decision Making from the Colorado School of Mines. He was a founding board member of the Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange and is currently a Past Chairperson of the International Liquids Terminals Association (ILTA).

Buddy Garcia

EVP – Government Affairs

Mr. Garcia, a native of Brownsville, Texas, devoted his life to state service at an early age. In 1991, he began working for District 27 State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. and later became a senior advisor to Governor Rick Perry. He was appointed as Texas’ Deputy Secretary  of  State  and  Border  Commerce  Coordinator  in  2004.   He  was  a Commissioner at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from 2007 to 2012, where he was Chairman for two years. Mr. Garcia was also appointed Commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission in 2012 by Governor Rick Perry. After working over 22 consecutive years for the great State of Texas,

Buddy began his government consulting career in 2013. He specializes in providing legislative and regulatory strategy to clients interested in assuming an active role in state government policy. Areas of expertise include regulatory policy, environmental sustainability, energy production, surface & ground water policy, Gulf of Mexico coastal resilience & bi-national (Texas/Mexico) relations.

Buddy is the proud recipient of the Mexico Secretary of External Relations’ Ohtli award, Gulf of Mexico Alliance and Harte Research Institute’s Gulf of Mexico “Making a  Difference”  award,  and  Texas  State  University’s  Distinguished  Alumni Achievement award.  Mr. Garcia has served on the Border Security Council, Texas Coastal Land Advisory Board, Coastal Coordination Council, and the Gulf of Mexico Program Policy Review Board, and served as co-chair for the Blue Ribbon Resilient Communities effort created by America’s Energy Coast, an initiative of the America’s WETLAND Foundation. Buddy is currently a Board member of the Texas Water Foundation.  He graduated from St. Joseph Academy and received his B.A. in political science from Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University. He and his wife live in Austin and have two sons. In his spare time, Garcia enjoys grilling, gardening, playing golf, and spending time with his family outdoors.

Jules Brenner

General Counsel

Jules serves as the General Counsel for Element Fuels Holdings.

As an attorney with more than 20 years of experience as a principal at privately-held energy companies prior to attending law school, he provides a unique understanding of both the legal and business issues that energy companies face.  He has decades of experience in transactional and corporate structuring, corporate mergers and acquisitions, asset acquisitions and divestitures, private placements of debt and equity securities, private equity financings, and corporate governance matters. 

Jules received his B.A. from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University.

Albert Johnson

EVP – Commercial Development

Albert is responsible for driving strategic business development efforts and asset management activities related to Element Fuel’s operations in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast.

Formerly, he was the Vice President of Business Development for Navigator Energy Services.  In this role, Albert was instrumental in developing the Navigator crude oil gathering system in the Permian Basin, which was sold to NuStar Energy in 2017 for $1.5 billion.

Prior to joining Navigator, he was the Director of Business Development for Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, where he led contract negotiations that resulted in pipeline and terminal projects totaling more than $3 billion. He also served on the Board of Directors of West Texas Gulf Pipeline Company and the management committee for SunVit Pipeline LLC. 

Albert holds a B.A. degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.B.A. degree with a focus on finance from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. 

Albert Johnson

EVP – Commercial Development

Albert is responsible for driving strategic business development efforts and asset management activities related to Element Fuel’s operations in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast.

Formerly, he was the Vice President of Business Development for Navigator Energy Services.  In this role, Albert was instrumental in developing the Navigator crude oil gathering system in the Permian Basin, which was sold to NuStar Energy in 2017 for $1.5 billion.

Prior to joining Navigator, he was the Director of Business Development for Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, where he led contract negotiations that resulted in pipeline and terminal projects totaling more than $3 billion. He also served on the Board of Directors of West Texas Gulf Pipeline Company and the management committee for SunVit Pipeline LLC. 

Albert holds a B.A. degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.B.A. degree with a focus on finance from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.