Leadership

David Kettner – President & General Counsel

Dave Kettner is Virent’s President & General Counsel and a dedicated renewable industry executive who specializes in strategies to take the company to the next level of growth and opportunity. Dave joined Virent in 2007 and served as the company’s VP of Legal Affairs and Business Operations before taking on his current role in 2019. He is a licensed attorney with 25+ years of experience in intellectual property, contracts and other corporate matters. Dave’s vision for Virent is to drive organizational impact in the renewable industry, which is why he currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Advanced BioFuels Association (ABFA), BIO and BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, and the Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition. Throughout his career, Dave has demonstrated his ability to inspire a high performance culture & align the organization towards a common vision. He is also a recognized industry leader with the commitment and dedication to accelerate commercialization of renewable technologies. Dave holds a JD in Law and BS in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota.

Edgar Steenwinkel – Senior Vice President of Technology 

Edgar joined Virent in 2014 as VP of R&D to lead the technology development efforts for Virent’s BioForming® platform. Prior to working for Virent, Edgar worked for Albemarle, where he served as Global Business Director for Alternative Fuels Technologies. At Albemarle, he led multiple global development and commercialization efforts for catalysts and other new, innovative products for biobased transportation fuels. Edgar has 20+ years of demonstrated success in R&D, manufacturing and building new global business groups. He received a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Amsterdam.

Andrew Held – Vice President Engineering and Operations

Andrew Held has over 25 years of broad management, engineering, and operations experience. He joined Virent in 2007 and currently leads the engineering and project efforts to de-risk and implement commercial scale projects. He also manages EHSS and IT, as well leading Virent’s feedstock development efforts with commercial and next generation cellulosic feedstocks. Prior to joining Virent, Andrew had 10 years of operations and R&D experience at Cargill, Inc. leading technical, engineering, and operations management teams. Andrew has a BS from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and an MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, both in Chemical Engineering.

Bob Rozmiarek – Vice President Strategy and Business Development

Bob has extensive experience in process technology development, project management and business analysis. Bob joined Virent in 2005 and has served in various roles from managing Process Engineering activities through leading Business Analysis in areas such as techno-economics, life-cycle assessments, feedstock evaluations and market analysis.  Prior to joining Virent, Bob spent 5 years at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) where he was a Development Engineer for the Catalysis and Reaction Engineering group.  At PNNL, he was involved in a broad range of activities including process and catalyst development, process design and economics and reactor design. Bob holds a BS degree from Iowa State University and a MS degree from Washington State University, both in Chemical Engineering.

Dana Hatch – Research Manager

Dana joined Virent in 2007 as a Chemist in the Analysis Lab and has been responsible for technology team management since 2015.  In her current role, Dana leads Virent’s teams responsible for pilot plant and analytical work.Dana has over 15 years of experience in research and development starting in consumer products at Spectrum Brands prior to joining Virent. She holds a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.

Shelly Norris – HR & Office Manager

Shelly joined Virent in 2010 and has held multiple roles within the company. In 2016, Shelly became Virent’s Office Manager and Human Resources Administrator and also manages Virent’s Marketing & Communications. With 20 years of experience in the renewable energy industry, Shelly has a real passion for building the business, making a name for Virent and showcasing the unique, one-of-kind BioForming® technology that differentiates Virent from its competition. From recruiting top talent, attending renewable conferences and workshops, coordinating highly publicized marketing events and managing a seamless and collaborative administrative organization, she is determined to put Virent on the map. Shelly holds a BA degree in Public Relations and Communications from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

David Runnels – Facilities Manager

Dave joined Virent in July 2007 as a Pilot Plant Operator.  Dave spent 15 years prior to Virent in the production of chocolate coatings with roles in Equipment Operation, Supervision, Production Manager, and Production Scheduling.  In his 10+ years at Virent, Dave has progressed through various roles as Pilot Plant Operator, Production Operator, Pilot Plant Lab Group Leader, Production Lead, and now holds the role of Facilities Manager.  As Virent’s Facilities Manager, Dave leads activities around employee safety, security, environmental reporting, electrical, controls and machining.