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Welcome to the USBC
Board of Directors
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq. is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Board Chair, Policy Chair of the U.S. Biochar Coalition, President and Co-Founder of FACET POWER, Managing Director and Co-Founder of QUINTESSENTIAL.
Amy brings an impressive track record of leadership & success building bio-based and bioenergy industries in the U.S. A founding
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq. is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Board Chair, Policy Chair of the U.S. Biochar Coalition, President and Co-Founder of FACET POWER, Managing Director and Co-Founder of QUINTESSENTIAL.
Amy brings an impressive track record of leadership & success building bio-based and bioenergy industries in the U.S. A founding Board Member of the American Biogas Council, she served as Vice Chair, and Director for 10 years leading growth of the organization from 20 companies to 400.
An environmental, international environmental, and regulatory lawyer (Arnold & Porter, NY , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London;) serial climate & impact entrepreneur; carbon markets, circular business model & policy expert, Amy developed and Chaired the Council's Policy Program for 12 years, building it from the ground up and working together with Maureen Walsh, now USBC's Executive Director, to win hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives for the biogas industry and stimulate $68 billions of economic value creation.
She led a four year, complex, public, private, nationwide stakeholder initiative to develop the Council's Digestate Standard and Certification program.
She is passionate about leveraging her strategic vision & unique skill set to accelerate growth of the next generation industrial scale commercial grade biochar energy & CDR systems industry into the billion dollar industry needed to solve climate it should, can, and working together, will be.
Sebastian Manhart
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Sebastian Manhart is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Secretary of the U.S. Biochar Coalition, Senior Policy Advisor at Carbonfuture,, a leading global high quality carbon removal credit platform; Co-Founder of CDRJobs., a Fellow at the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy
Sebastian is an economist, entrepreneur and brings a wealth o
Sebastian Manhart is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Secretary of the U.S. Biochar Coalition, Senior Policy Advisor at Carbonfuture,, a leading global high quality carbon removal credit platform; Co-Founder of CDRJobs., a Fellow at the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy
Sebastian is an economist, entrepreneur and brings a wealth of global policy, biochar, and CDR market expertise to the Coalition having served as an Advisor to German President Angela Merkel, an Advisor at the World Bank, and tech entrepreneur. Sebastian leads policy at the European Biochar Industry Consortium is also the Founder of the German Carbon Removal Trade Association.
Lauren Breynaert
Amy McCrae Kessler, Esq.
Lauren Breynaert
Lauren Breynaert is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Policy Co-Chair of the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Public Affairs Director at Myno Carbon, an industrial-scale biochar carbon removal project development company.
Lauren brings years of invaluable experience building, uniting, and leading coalitions of diverse stakeholders at the Alliance
Lauren Breynaert is Co-Founder, Founding Director, Policy Co-Chair of the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Public Affairs Director at Myno Carbon, an industrial-scale biochar carbon removal project development company.
Lauren brings years of invaluable experience building, uniting, and leading coalitions of diverse stakeholders at the Alliance for Jobs & Clean Energy helping them find common ground and build long term cooperative structures to achieve climate goals..
Mayo Ryan, AFM
Mayo Ryan, AFM
Lauren Breynaert
Mayo Ryan, AFM, is Co-Founder & CEO of Sitos Group, and USBC Vice Chair.
Mayo is a regenerative agriculture, biochar & CDR expert & entrepreneur who brings extraordinary leadership experience, agribusiness expertise & strategic vision to the USBC Board of Directors.
Prior to co-founding The Sitos Group, Mayo served as General Manager of N
Mayo Ryan, AFM, is Co-Founder & CEO of Sitos Group, and USBC Vice Chair.
Mayo is a regenerative agriculture, biochar & CDR expert & entrepreneur who brings extraordinary leadership experience, agribusiness expertise & strategic vision to the USBC Board of Directors.
Prior to co-founding The Sitos Group, Mayo served as General Manager of North State Hulling Cooperative, where he led construction of a $30M almond hulling facility.
Former Manager of Water Resources for Wonderful Orchards & General Manager of California Olive Ranch, Mayo is passionate about the essential role biochar has to play in safeguarding food security, supporting farmer resilience & building climate smart communities.
Mayo holds a BS in Political Science, an MBA in Agribusiness, is a California Ag Leadership graduate, and holds accreditation in farm management.
Karl Strahl
Mayo Ryan, AFM
Robert Kovach
Karl Strahl is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Oregon Biochar Solutions,, USBC Treasurer, snd Standards Committee Leader.
Karl is an industrial scale biochar production, quality, & application expert with vast knowledge of biochar characterization and performance metrics for agriculture, drought resilience, soil & water remediation,
Karl Strahl is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Oregon Biochar Solutions,, USBC Treasurer, snd Standards Committee Leader.
Karl is an industrial scale biochar production, quality, & application expert with vast knowledge of biochar characterization and performance metrics for agriculture, drought resilience, soil & water remediation, among other uses.
Karl brings invaluable biochar field performance knowledge & a track record of success in high volume, high quality biochar marketing and sales that is unique in the industry.
Robert Kovach
Mayo Ryan, AFM
Robert Kovach
Robert Kovach is the Chief Sales Officer of Pyreg. and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Robert is a distinguished honors graduate of both United States Military Academy at West Point and Ashland University. His professional career spans more than 20 years of combined manufacturing and sales, expertise in the electronics, industrial autom
Robert Kovach is the Chief Sales Officer of Pyreg. and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Robert is a distinguished honors graduate of both United States Military Academy at West Point and Ashland University. His professional career spans more than 20 years of combined manufacturing and sales, expertise in the electronics, industrial automation, and international packaging industries. Over the past decade, he has been increasingly active in the areas of packaging, waste legislation, sustainability and recycling, throughout Europe, as well as in the US and Canada.
After several years working alongside Pyreg to introduce NetZero carbonization technology and promote circular economy/carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects, Robert decided to make a career change where he would actively make a difference. He is particularly passionate about identifying waste-to-value solutions, and the immense value of biochar as a carbon sink, soil amplifier, and as a replacement for non-renewable materials. Following his passion, Robert joined Pyreg as its Chief Sales Officer in March 2022. As CSO, Robert Kovach is responsible for international sales at Pyreg GmbH and it’s US subsidiary Pyreg, Inc.
Chad Goodwin
Chad Goodwin
Chad Goodwin
Chad Goodwin is Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) at Facet Power, Co-Founder & CINO of QUINTESSENTIAL., Founder & CINO at Goodwin Technologies and Terra Mater Labs, and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Chad is a visionary energy transition leader activated carbon expert, cross-sector innovator, and serial entrepreneur with de
Chad Goodwin is Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) at Facet Power, Co-Founder & CINO of QUINTESSENTIAL., Founder & CINO at Goodwin Technologies and Terra Mater Labs, and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Chad is a visionary energy transition leader activated carbon expert, cross-sector innovator, and serial entrepreneur with decades of experience inventing & scaling transformative technologies.
Chad holds 10 Patents in carbon nanostructures & advanced energy storage. His pioneering work developing high-capacity silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries is currently being deployed by Group14 Technologies:, a leader in the transition to second generation lithiium ion batteries valued at $22 billion.
Chad's current work focuses on developing biomass waste-based activated biochar
nanosilicon structures to decarbonize silicon anode lithium ion batteries; and nanocarbon structures for low-pressure hydrogen, storage to accelerate widespread deployment of green and bio hydrogen fueling & next-gen low energy intensity DAC w/ low pressure CO2 storage to reduce costs and speed adoption.
Chad is concluding five years at U.S.D.A. ARS Western Regional Research Center investigating the conversion of Central Valley CA agricultural waste including almond & pistachio shell, into activated carbons for high value applications.
Tom Marrero
Chad Goodwin
Chad Goodwin
Tom Marrero is co-owner and president at Wakefield Biochar. and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Tom is an experienced entrepreneur with an impressive track record of leading advancements in renewables, environment, and climate industries. Skilled in commercialization, leadership, science, and public speaking he is a strong business dev
Tom Marrero is co-owner and president at Wakefield Biochar. and USBC Standards Committee Co-Chair.
Tom is an experienced entrepreneur with an impressive track record of leading advancements in renewables, environment, and climate industries. Skilled in commercialization, leadership, science, and public speaking he is a strong business development professional. Wakefield is a commercial grade biochar industry leader with USDA National Organics Program OMRI listed biochar products distributed at hundreds of locations in the U.S. through Home Depot Pro Centers, Lowes, Tractor Supply Co, Walmart, Meijer and Amazon.
Tom is an expert in design of biochar systems for remediating and stabilizing radioactive wastes and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Analytical Chemistry from University of Missouri-Columbia..
Oliver Erb
Chad Goodwin
Will Hessert
Oliver Erb is a Co-Founder of Cula Technologies, a leading provider of digital infrastructure for biochar carbon removal.
With a keen focus on the critical role of digital verification, Cula has been pioneering the integration of machine data, ensuring the highest standards of durability and reliability in biochar carbon removal processes
Oliver Erb is a Co-Founder of Cula Technologies, a leading provider of digital infrastructure for biochar carbon removal.
With a keen focus on the critical role of digital verification, Cula has been pioneering the integration of machine data, ensuring the highest standards of durability and reliability in biochar carbon removal processes.
The company supports biochar projects worldwide, demonstrating its commitment to effectively scaling biochar carbon removal through digital infrastructure.
Will Hessert
Will Hessert
Will Hessert
Will Hessert is the Co-Founder & CEO of BluSky Carbon.
Will is a CDR expert with a lengthy entrepreneurial background. Catalyzed by the growing global need for carbon negative solutions, he co-founded BluSky has led the innovation of hybrid carbon removal and decarbonizations technologies. Him and his team have one major goal in mind: to r
Will Hessert is the Co-Founder & CEO of BluSky Carbon.
Will is a CDR expert with a lengthy entrepreneurial background. Catalyzed by the growing global need for carbon negative solutions, he co-founded BluSky has led the innovation of hybrid carbon removal and decarbonizations technologies. Him and his team have one major goal in mind: to remove billions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. Will is currently overseeing the deployment of multiple industrial biochar and CDR projects worldwide. He brings his engineering, operations and business expertise to the USBC Board of Directors
Government Relations & Management Team
Maureen Walsh
Maureen Walsh
Maureen Walsh
Maureen Walsh is Policy Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Co-Founder & Partner at SMART Policy Group.
Maureen brings over two decades of legislative, regulatory, and government relations expertise. Her creative, proactive approach to advocacy has generated many critical wins for emerging climate tech industries, including biogas,
Maureen Walsh is Policy Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Co-Founder & Partner at SMART Policy Group.
Maureen brings over two decades of legislative, regulatory, and government relations expertise. Her creative, proactive approach to advocacy has generated many critical wins for emerging climate tech industries, including biogas, compost, and advanced recycling.
Maureen has served as lobbyist for the American Biogas Council for the last 12 years, successfully navigating regulatory hurdles, raising the profile of biogas, and obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars of incentives for the industry. Her record of achievement growing nascent climate tech industries in the U.S. through policy and industry organization is second to none.
Carrie Annand
Maureen Walsh
Maureen Walsh
Carrie Annand is Policy Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Co-Founder and Partner at SMART Policy Group.
Carrie is a biomass policy subject matter expert, with unparalleled legislative, regulatory, and industry knowledge and extensive government & private sector relationships.
She has served as lobbyist for the Biomass Power Assoc
Carrie Annand is Policy Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and Co-Founder and Partner at SMART Policy Group.
Carrie is a biomass policy subject matter expert, with unparalleled legislative, regulatory, and industry knowledge and extensive government & private sector relationships.
She has served as lobbyist for the Biomass Power Association for the last 9 years and has built, run, and achieved tremendous success for numerous industry coalitions and associations including the Renewable Fuel Standard Coalition, the Baseload Power Coalition, and the Circular Economy Coalition, among others.
Sean Trambley
Maureen Walsh
Sean Trambley
Sean Trambley is Policy & Communications Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and a Senior Director at SMART Policy Group.
Sean brings a decade of expertise in strategic communications, public affairs, media relations, and crisis management across the private and public sectors.
Sean has cultivated strong relationships with reporters, p
Sean Trambley is Policy & Communications Director at the U.S. Biochar Coalition and a Senior Director at SMART Policy Group.
Sean brings a decade of expertise in strategic communications, public affairs, media relations, and crisis management across the private and public sectors.
Sean has cultivated strong relationships with reporters, producers, and columnists in markets from coast to coast focused on a variety of issues including government, housing, environment, energy, telecom, and campaigns.
Hailey Faust
Deirdre Seling
Sean Trambley
Hailey Faust is Community & Capacity Building Manager at the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC) and Manager at SMART Policy Group (SPG)..
Hailey comes to USBC & SPG with a B.A. in Government, Politics & Leadership and experience working across a range of legislative, electoral & policy sectors.
Hailey worked ln the New York State Assembly on ap
Hailey Faust is Community & Capacity Building Manager at the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC) and Manager at SMART Policy Group (SPG)..
Hailey comes to USBC & SPG with a B.A. in Government, Politics & Leadership and experience working across a range of legislative, electoral & policy sectors.
Hailey worked ln the New York State Assembly on appropriations & legislative initiatives to improve New York's Metro Transit Authority's public transportation efficiencies. Additionally, Hailey worked to register and turn out the vote on high stakes electoral ballot issues in Virginia & Michigan.
Hailey brings familiarity of key bioenergy regulatory and policy issues from her work at the American Biogas Council.
Deirdre Seling
Deirdre Seling
Deirdre Seling
Deirdre Seling is Communications & Marketing Manager at the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC) and Manager at SMART Policy Group (SPG).
Deirdre comes to USBC & SPG with a B.A. in Political Science, cum laude, and experience working to advance sustainable energy and environmental planning in the State of Virginia's General Assembly.
Deirdre h
Deirdre Seling is Communications & Marketing Manager at the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC) and Manager at SMART Policy Group (SPG).
Deirdre comes to USBC & SPG with a B.A. in Political Science, cum laude, and experience working to advance sustainable energy and environmental planning in the State of Virginia's General Assembly.
Deirdre honed her talent for effective communication of complex climate issues and legislative initiatives to geographically, politically, and socioeconomically diverse stakeholders with her work to advance protection of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, one of the most important, threatened, and politically challenging ecosystems on the East Coast of the U.S.