Clean Diesel Agriculture Leaders Forum
Speaker Biographies
Paul Argyropoulos
Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), Office of Transportation and Air Quality
Mr. Argyropoulos joined EPA’s Office of Transportation
and Air Quality’s Immediate Office as a Senior Policy Advisor
in February of 2006. He is responsible for providing advice
and analysis to the Office Director on a broad range of transportation
program issues, with a focus on fuels. For the past 6 years,
Paul worked for Hart Downstream Energy Services serving as Executive
Director of the International Fuel Quality Center, Director of
Federal Affairs, and Executive Director of World Refining & Fuels
Conferences. Prior to joining Hart, he spent two years
as a Fuels Product Associate with the American Petroleum Institute,
where he provided regulatory and policy coordination among API
Downstream Committees on national and state fuel regulatory and
policy issues. From 1980 to 1997, Paul worked for the EPA in
several areas of the Agency. However the majority of his
time, more than 13 years, was spent in the Office of Mobile
Sources supporting development, implementation and enforcement
of federal and state regulations, including both fuel quality
and vehicle emissions controls.
John B. Askew
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 7
John B. Askew, a sixth generation family farmer, lives on
the family’s Century Farm near Thurman, Iowa. He holds
a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from Iowa State University.
John is married to Lauri Askew and has three sons: John P., a
junior at Iowa State University; Nathan, a sophomore at Wartburg
College; and Alex, a freshman in high school. Mr. Askew was President
of the Iowa Soybean Association, the largest state commodity
group in the region. During his tenure, he helped develop and
implement various programs that helped producers develop Environmental
Management Systems and conduct on-farm research to better manage
their daily operations. He served for four years as a farming
industry appointee to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation,
which provides risk-management solutions to the farming community.
Mr. Askew serves as a township trustee in Fremont County, Iowa,
and is a member of various agricultural and environmental groups.
Dr. Tracy Blackmer
Director of Research, Iowa Soybean Association
Dr. Blackmer received his B.S. in agronomy from Iowa State
University, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agronomy
from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. While at Nebraska,
Dr. Blackmer worked on incorporating remote sensing technologies
into precision farming practices. After receiving his Ph.D.,
he was a soil scientist for the USDA-ARS at Lincoln, Nebraska.
Currently, Dr. Blackmer is the director of research at the
Iowa Soybean Association and the principal investigator on
more than a dozen projects using advanced technologies to help
improve grower profitability and reduce environmental impact.
Richard A. Bishop
Manager, Emissions Compliance, John Deere Power Systems
Richard has worked for John Deere since June 1978 and holds
a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University
of Iowa and a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering
from Iowa State University.
Michael Bowman
National Steering Committee, 25x'25
Michael is a fifth-generation native of Colorado. Throughout
his adult life he has been active in the development of his
home community of Wray, CO (pop. 2000). He serves on the
National Steering Committee for “25x’25” and on the
National Council of Advisors for the Heartland Center for Leadership
Development and Holistic Management International. Michael was
a member of the 2005 Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change,
served as Summit Chair for the 2006 Intermountain Harvesting
Energy Network Conference and is a steering committee member
for the Colorado Apollo Alliance; he also served as co-chair
of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s Energy Transition Team
after the November ’06 election. He is a graduate of the
Colorado Agriculture and Rural Leadership program and is
a Bighorn Fellow.
Chris Cassidy
Acting Chief, Business Specialty Lenders Division, Energy
Branch, Rural Development, USDA
Chris Cassidy is the Acting Energy Branch Chief at USDA National
Headquarters in Washington D.C. In addition, he is the Western
and Pacific Region Energy Coordinator for USDA. He formerly
served as Director of Business and Cooperative Programs for
USDA Rural Development and was USDA Renewable Energy Coordinator
for Washington State. Cassidy has been actively engaged in business, agriculture,
and technology development activities for three decades. He
has served the United States Government, the United Nations,
the Cooperative Bank, and the World Bank in management capacities
in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. He has served
the indigenous people of the Native American community in economic
and agriculture development and remains active in community development
activities. Cassidy has a B.S. in Business and a M.S. in
International Agriculture Development.
Cynthia Cory
Director of Environmental Affairs, California Farm Bureau
Federation
Cynthia L. Cory is the Director of Environmental Affairs,
Government Affairs Division, for the California Farm Bureau Federation.
The California Farm Bureau Federation is a non-profit agricultural
trade association that has more than 91,500 members in 53 counties
in California. She has been associated with the agricultural
community for over thirty years; the past seventeen years have
been at CFBF working on state and federal matters including air
quality, biotechnology, climate change, transportation and renewable
bioenergy issues. Previously, she worked for several organizations
over a ten-year period on short and long-term agronomic research
projects throughout Africa. Ms. Cory has a M.S. in International
Agricultural Development (emphasis Agronomy/Genetics) and a B.S.
in Agronomy. Ms. Cory is a member of the USDA Agricultural Air
Quality Taskforce and was appointed by the Schwarzenegger Administration
to serve on several advisory committees including the Governor’s
Environmental Advisory Task Force, the California Energy Commission’s
Climate Change Advisory Committee and their Biodiesel Working
Group.
Kerry Drake
Kerry Drake is an Associate Director in the Air Division
of the EPA Region 9. He focuses on permitting, enforcement,
and agriculture as well as general air quality issues
in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento metropolitan areas
of California, and in the state of Hawaii. He came to
the EPA after serving for more than a decade with the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality. Mr. Drake graduated, with
honors, from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in
Aerospace Engineering, and is a licensed professional engineer
in the state of Texas.
Allen Dusault
Sustainable Conservation
Allen oversees Sustainable Conservation's Biofuels, Dairies
and Conservation Tillage projects - and is an Associate with
the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP). Allen
has over 15 years of experience in renewable energy and fuels,
air and water quality issues, production agriculture, waste
management and land use planning - spanning both public and
private sectors. His current work involves demonstrating biofuel
crops can be sustainably grown in California - generating both
environmental and economic benefits for the state. Allen recently
spearheaded California net metering legislation. Allen began
his career as an environmental consultant in Washington, D.C.,
moving on to senior positions with the Massachusetts Department
of Environmental Protection where he was the Director of Special
Waste Program and the Biosolids Reuse Program. He went on to
Laidlaw to manage the Recycling Program for the company's East
Coast Division. Additionally, he ran a 25 MW biomass power plant
as Executive Director of a waste authority. Allen also consulted
to corporations and government agencies in California, including
International Technology Corp, Santa Barbara Public Works, Browning-Ferris
and Orange County. He also has experience managing one of
the first natural-gas-powered truck fleets in California.
Allen received an MBA from the University of Redlands, an MS
in resource management from the University of Guelph in Canada,
and a BS in soil science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
He also studied hydrology at University of Maryland.
Jorge A. Garcia
Transportation Conformity and Air Quality Analyst, Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality
Jorge has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry and a
Masters Degree in Industrial Hygiene from the University
of Idaho. After graduating Jorge worked for nine years as
a Regional Forest Chief for the Honduran Forest Service.
Jorge also worked as a project manager for BLM in the largest
rehabilitation project in the world in 1992 and has worked for
Idaho DEQ for the last seven years in different areas of air
quality, including: air quality monitoring, permitting and enforcement.
During the last two years Jorge has been in charge of transportation
conformity for Idaho DEQ and he is the current lead for the
Diesel Retrofit Program in Idaho.
James Goldstene
Smog Check Program Manager, CA Air Resources Board
James Goldstene is the Smog Check program manager for the
California Air Resources Board. He is also assisting with
the implementation of AB 32. Prior to coming to the Air Resources
Board, Mr. Goldstene held several leadership positions at
the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Most recently,
he was Deputy Chief/Interim Chief of the California Bureau
of Automotive Repair. For nearly 8 years, Mr. Goldstene worked
at the State Treasurer’s Office. He was the Director of Policy Research
for the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission at
the State Treasurer’s Office. In this role Mr. Goldstene
was responsible for monitoring trends in municipal finance
and making policy recommendations to the Commission and the State
Treasurer. Prior to that, Mr. Goldstene was a manager at
the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA),
also in the State Treasurer's Office. Before joining the Authority,
Mr. Goldstene was a senior policy advisor to Lieutenant Governor
Leo McCarthy, working on environmental and economic development
issues, and a legislative aide to former Assemblyman Lloyd
Connelly, where he worked on insurance, education, criminal justice
and health issues. Mr. Goldstene teaches part-time in the Government
Department at California State University, Sacramento. Mr.
Goldstene has a bachelors and masters degree in Government from
California State University, Sacramento. He completed graduate
work in Politics at the University of Bristol in England.
Robert Grott
Interim Director, Northwest Biofuels Association
Robert is Executive Director of Northwest Environmental Business
Council, which is acting as the host for the Northwest Biofuels
Association during its startup phase. Before joining NEBC,
Robert ran Stirling Power, which focused on renewable energy
projects using waste gas from landfills and wastewater treatment
plants. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as a business consultant
doing research and business planning for a wide variety of
clients, ranging from utilities and government agencies,
to technology startups and non-profits. Earlier, he managed
special projects for a PacifiCorp subsidiary and the Port
of Portland.
Roger A. Isom
Vice President and Director of Technical Services, CA Cotton
Ginners and Growers Association
Roger A. Isom is currently the Vice President & Director
of Technical Services for the California Cotton Ginners and
Growers Associations, and have been since 1992. Prior to that,
he worked for the Fresno County and San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control Districts. In addition, he is a member of the Executive
Board of the Ag Energy Consumers Association. In 2000, he was
appointed to the USDA-NRCS Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
as an agricultural organization representative specializing in
air quality. He is a member of the Dust Emission Joint Forum
appointed by the Western Governors Association. He is also a
Registered Environmental Assessor with the State of California,
and graduated from California State University, Fresno in 1988.
Greg Johnson
Leader, Air Quality and Atmospheric Change Team, West National
Technology Support Center, Natural Resource Conservation
Service, USDA
Since 2004, Greg Johnson has served as the Leader of the
Air Quality and Atmospheric Change Technology Development
Team at the West National Technology Support Center of the
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Portland,
Oregon. Dr. Johnson obtained his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science
from North Carolina State University in 1991. He also holds
a masters degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin
(1979), and a bachelors of science degree in atmospheric
science from Oregon State University (1977). From 1997 until
2004 Dr. Johnson served as the Applied Climatologist for
the USDA-NRCS, National Water and Climate Center, also in
Portland. From 1979 to 1991 Greg spent twelve years as an
Agricultural Meteorologist with the USDA Extension Service, on
the Horticultural Science Department Faculty at North Carolina
State University. Dr. Johnson has authored numerous publications
in the atmospheric science and statistical climatology fields.
He is a native Oregonian and enjoys hiking, golf and biking.
He will celebrate his 25th anniversary with his wife Elizabeth
(an avid Tar Heel fan) in October, and has two sons--one a junior
at Biola University in La Mirada CA, and one a sophomore at Western
Oregon University.
Arlen Lancaster
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Appointed August 23, 2006, Arlen Lancaster heads the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, the primary agency for voluntary
conservation on working agricultural lands. As the thirteenth
Chief for the agency, he directs the work of 12,000 employees
and manages a budget totaling nearly $3.2 billion. Before
joining NRCS, Mr. Lancaster served as USDA Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Congressional Relations. Previously he worked
for the Congress in a variety of positions including senior
policy advisor for Senator Mike Crapo, staff director for
the Senate Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation, and Rural
Revitalization and staff member for Senator Robert Bennett.
He played a key role in crafting the conservation title of
the 2002 farm bill. As NRCS chief executive officer, Mr.
Lancaster guides the agency in helping people help the land through
locally-led, cooperative conservation programs. Under his
direction, NRCS works with private landowners and partners to
conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources, which supports
sustainable agriculture and enhances the environment. NRCS conservation
partnerships provide public environmental benefits such as
a cleaner environment, clear and abundant water, increased
biological diversity and a scenic landscape. A graduate of the
University of Utah, Mr. Lancaster is the first Asian American
Chief of NRCS. He is an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman. He
and his wife Staci live in Alexandria, Va.
Brian Lindley
Executive Director, No-Till on the Plains
Brian is the Program Coordinator for No-Till On The Plains.
He has an extensive agricultural background and has farmed
and ranched for many years. Brian was a member of Kansas
Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program (KARL) Class V
through Kansas State University and has served in a number
of leadership capacities statewide.
Michael Marsh
Executive Director, Western United Dairymen/Western United
Resource Development, Inc.
Michael Marsh is the CEO of Western United Dairymen/Western
United Resource Development, Inc. A graduate of the University
of Wyoming with degrees in history and accounting, Mike brings
a unique perspective to the management of Western United.
Having worked extensively in the areas of farm, ranch and
estate taxation, Mike takes a disciplined business approach
to the activities of the association. Accountability and
results-oriented decision making have been key to the manner
in which he addresses issues. Mike has been with Western
United since 1999 after having worked with California's almond
industry for the previous seven years.
Elin Miller
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 10
Elin D. Miller is the Regional Administrator for EPA Region
10, which has jurisdiction in the Pacific Northwest states
of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. EPA Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson announced the appointment of Ms. Miller
to serve as Regional Administrator, effective October 30,
2006.With over twenty years experience in environmental and
agricultural issues, Elin brings a wealth of knowledge to
the Agency. Most recently, she served as President and CEO
of Arysta Life Science North America & Australasia, a crop protection company based in
Tokyo. From 1996-2004, she held various positions at the Dow
Chemical Company including Global Vice President of Public Affairs,
Vice President of Global Pest Management and Vice President of
Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Dow, Elin served as the Director
of the California Department of Conservation, where she was responsible
for regulating oil and gas production, as well as the state's
mining, recycling and agriculture land conservation initiatives.
She also served as the Chief Deputy Director of the California
Department of Pesticide Regulation at Cal EPA. She has served
as the Chair-Elect for the Sponsor's Board of the Future Farmers
America, was a member of the President's Cabinet at California
Polytechnic State University, was on the board of the American
Farmland Trust, and was the Chair of Responsible Industry for
a Sound Environment. Elin holds a Bachelor of Science degree
in Agronomy/Plant Protection from the University of Arizona where
she was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and was recently recognized
with their 2006 Outstanding Alumni Award in her profession. She
and her husband Bill own a working farm in Umpqua, Oregon
Wayne Nastri
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 9
Wayne Nastri, a lifelong westerner, was appointed Regional
Administrator for Region 9 in October 2001. Mr. Nastri has led
the Region to real progress in meeting the west's environmental
challenges, especially in improving air
quality in the Central Valley and Southern California and
in protecting of scarce water resources
throughout the arid west. Clear communication, strong enforcement and
accountability to the public for a measurable "bottom line" have
been the hallmarks of his tenure. A strong proponent of partnership
as the best route to environmental protection, Mr. Nastri has
launched many creative collaborations to protect the health and
environment of all those who live in the Pacific Southwest. Most
recently, Mr. Nastri partnered with EPA's Seattle region to launch
the West Coast Diesel
Emission Reduction Collaborative which will speed voluntary
reductions of diesel emissions from ports, trucks and other federally
regulated sources in a significant assault on one of the west's
gravest air quality problems. Mr. Nastri also created EPA's
Southern California Field Office in Los Angeles -- a major
improvement in EPA's local presence for the region's largest
metropolitan area. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Nastri held
various environmental leadership positions, including Board
membership for California's South Coast Air Quality Management
District (covering Southern California), as well as participation
in advisory boards for California's state air quality and waste
management agencies. His fifteen years of environmental consulting
experience culminated in his presidency of Environmental Mediation
Inc. before accepting his position at EPA.
Jean-Mari Peltier
President, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Jean-Mari Peltier is President of the National Council of
Farmer Cooperatives. Prior to joining NCFC, Peltier served
in the Bush administration as counselor for agriculture policy
for the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Peltier has also served as president of the California
Citrus Quality Council, executive director of the California
Pear Advisory Board, president of the California Pear Growers
and director of public and government relations for the California
Grape and Tree Fruit League. In addition, she has served
as a director or board officer for a wide range of agricultural
and trade organizations including the Coalition for Urban/Rural
Environmental Stewardship, Minor Crops Farmer Alliance, Future
Farmers of America Foundation, Agricultural Technical Advisory
Committee on Trade, Agricultural Council of California, and
Capital Agri-Women.
Cory J. Reed
Manager, factory marketing for large row crop tractors, John
Deere Waterloo Works
Cory Reed has worked for John Deere since June 1988 and holds
an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Miami
University of Ohio and a Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State
University.
Jon Scholl
Administrator for Agricultural Policy, EPA
Jon Scholl was appointed Counselor to the Administrator for
Agricultural Policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency in August of 2004. In this position, he advises the Administrator
on agricultural issues and serves as a liaison with agricultural
organizations and agencies. Mr. Scholl joined EPA after 25
years with the Illinois Farm Bureau where he most recently held
the position of Executive Assistant to the President. Beginning
in 1979, his tenure at the Farm Bureau included stints as director
of public policy and director of national legislation where
he worked with legislators on the state, regional and national
levels. He earned a B.S. degree in agricultural science from
the University of Illinois. He currently serves as the chairman
of the Illinois FFA Foundation and is a member of the University
of Illinois Agricultural and Consumer Economics Department Advisory
Board.
Lori Stewart
Deputy Director, Transportation and Regional Programs Division,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation,
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
Lori Stewart is Deputy Director of the Transportation and
Regional Programs Division, in the Office of Transportation
and Air Quality at EPA. Ms. Stewart’s division focuses
on innovative emission reductions programs such as the National
Clean Diesel Campaign, the SmartWay program, and Best Workplaces
for Commuters as well as working with States to incorporate mobile
source reduction programs (including cleaner fuels) in State
Implementation Plans and to meet transportation conformity requirements.
Ms. Stewart joined the EPA transportation programs in 1995, and
has been with the Environmental Protection Agency in a variety
of positions for more 20 years.
Randy S. Swanson
Manager, Marketing Services, John Deere Power Systems
Randy S. Swanson has worked for John Deere since 1979 and
holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from University
of Minnesota.
Randall von Wedel
Principal Biochemist, BioSolar
Randall von Wedel is the founder and principal biochemist
for CytoCulture International, an environmental microbiology
laboratory and consulting firm on the San Francisco Bay. More
recently he also created the BioSolar Group of technical consultants
working to develop renewable fuel strategies for corporations,
government fleets and other countries. Dr. von Wedel pioneered
environmental research (including the first marine toxicology
studies ever performed on biodiesel), marketing and distribution
of biodiesel in the Bay Area since his first experiments were
conducted over 12 years ago in November, 1993. Dr. von Wedel
is a graduate of Dartmouth College (BA 1974 in biology and chemistry)
and received his Doctorate in Biochemistry (Ph.D. 1981) from
the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. After
5 years of research in neuroscience and cell culture, he founded
CytoCulture in 1986 as an environmental biotech research and
consulting firm to address public health issues associated with
water, soil and air pollution. Dr. von Wedel worked under
grants from the United Soybean Board and USDA to develop an oil
spill cleaner “BioSolvent” made from soybean oil
methyl esters similar to biodiesel. The “CytoSol” process
proved to be effective in removing spilled crude oil from shorelines,
marshes, beaches and ships in field studies and oil spill simulations
conducted at Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. Dr. von Wedel has
been the Principal Investigator managing biodiesel research contracts,
the development of marine biodiesel programs under an NREL grant,
and the establishment of the first B-20 fleet in California at
the University of California Davis campus. In 2000, CytoCulture
was awarded the contract to provide biodiesel to the Channel
Islands National Park Service as the first B-100 fleet of research
vessels and shore-based diesel equipment to run continuously
on pure biodiesel. Earlier that year, CytoCulture launched the
first B-100 truck fleet in California at the Curbside Recycling
Program of the Ecology Center in Berkeley. After 17 months of
running all its city diesel vehicles on B-20 as a pilot study
set up by CytoCulture, the City of Berkeley became the first
municipality in North America to dedicate all 192 diesel powered
vehicles to run entirely on B-100. A year later, Kyoto,
Japan followed this example. Dr. von Wedel has been involved
in the start up and operation of retail B-100 fueling stations
including the first B-100 station on the continent opened with
World Energy in May, 2001. New stations are now being developed
around the Bay Area to replace the original San Francisco station.
He has served for three years as a consultant on technical and
regulatory affairs for the NBB. Dr. von Wedel is currently completing
a Feasibility Project for the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District to evaluate the potential for local production, distribution
and use of biodiesel in fleets, ferries, generators and other
applications of the Bay Area that would significantly lower exhaust
emissions. He is a technical advisor and consultant to the City
of San Francisco and several corporations.