As the director of sustainability for Ascend Performance Materials, Chris Johnson is responsible for driving the company’s efforts around environmental impact reductions and setting sustainability targets throughout the business.

Prior to becoming the sustainability director in 2019, Mr. Johnson held a number of roles at Ascend and its predecessor over the past 23 years. He has extensive experience in manufacturing and capital projects, including stints as a production supervisor for acrylonitrile, as a turnaround and reliability lead, and as director of capital planning.

He graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Jack recently retired from Shell as a Principal Engineer for Utilities, Energy/GHG Reduction, Renewables. Jack has a keen interest in helping companies with the Energy Transition and is currently doing consulting work with Petrogenium and Buehler Consulting. Jack has over 40 years of operations, engineering, and commercial experience with Shell, Union Carbide, and DOW Chemical including the last 15 years with Shell focused on energy efficiency, reliability, and GHG reduction. He has helped Shell identify Energy and GHG reduction opportunities for assets and new capital projects and was most recently supporting Renewable energy projects supporting the Energy Transition. He has broad experience working with Downstream Refining and Chemicals, Upstream, and LNG. Jack has conducted energy assessments at the major Shell North and South America refinery sites and supported JVs and 3rd party Energy Studies. Prior to joining Shell, he had with many roles including Operations management, site Utility optimization, start-up of three ethylene crackers, Process Engineering, Feedstock purchasing, and JV contract negotiations.

Jack is member of AIChE and the Ethylene Producers Committee (EPC) and has chaired the EPC Technology session at the annual EPC conferences. He is active member of the Advisory Board of TIEEP (Texas Industries Energy Efficiency Program). Jack has a Bachelor’s Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.

George Chen is an Energy Technology Engineer working with Chevron Pipeline and Power in Houston. He graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. For the last 9 years George has worked with various Chevron facilities on identifying “no or low cost” opportunities with steam system optimization to help reduce energy consumption and GHG. He provides central support on steam system related issues at the Chevron Refineries as well as Lubricant and Oronite facilities.

Previous to his current assignment, he worked 18 years as a Design Engineer and Project Engineer at the El Segundo Refinery; supporting Routine and Turnaround Maintenance work, small capital projects, and energy management efforts. George is a power user of the Visual MESA steam/utility optimization software that is utilized by Chevron U.S. Refineries.

John Curry is an Engineering Consultant for Energy, Utilities and Combustion Equipment for CITGO Petroleum. For the past 15 years John has developed best practices for Energy Programs to aid in day to day optimization programs at the CITGO Corpus Christ Refinery. These programs have helped the refinery reach and maintain first quartile Energy Intensity Index (EII) rating with Solomon and Associates since 2006 as well as achieve “Energy Star Certification” through the DOE the past few years. John is the corporate Fired Equipment SME and helps the other CITGO refinery sites with process heater troubleshooting, optimization and revamps. He has broad experience working with downstream refining, combustion equipment and process chemicals, upstream natural gas plants and midstream pipelines.

Prior to joining CITGO, John worked for Conoco, Koch Pipeline, John Zink Company, and Betz Process Chemicals with many roles including Operations Engineering, Project Engineering and Management, and Technical Sales. John is a member of American Petroleum Institute Subcommittee for Heat Transfer Equipment developing industry standards and is the current Chairman of API Standard 535, “Burners for Fired Heaters”. He was a previous member of the Texas Industries of the Future Advisory Council out of which evolved the TIEEP Advisory Council. John has a B.S in Petroleum Engineering and an MBA from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Gavin Dillingham is Director for Clean Energy Policy and Director of the US DOE’s Combined Heat and Power TAP. Dr. Dillingham joined HARC in 2012 where he leads efforts focusing on policy and programs to improve the climate resilience of power infrastructure and built environment. He has worked climate related matters for the last twenty years in the private and public sector. This work includes working with city’s and states to identify, develop and implement appropriate policies and programs to support climate action planning and greenhouse gas mitigation.

His current work includes developing climate risk mitigation strategies, climate action decision making and planning, and clean energy finance. He is the principal investor for multiple projects including DOEs Solar Energy Technology Office grant on solar+storage in low income neighborhoods and developing TX SECO’s Clean Energy Platform. He is working on a new HARC business venture to develop climate risk analytics to lead scenario planning for the energy sector. Education and Certification: Dr. Dillingham received his PhD in Political Science from Rice University in 2008. He holds the Climate Change Professional certifications from the Association of Climate Change Officers and the Sustainability Associate from the Institute for Sustainable Professionals.

Dr. Carlos Gamarra is a Research Scientist at HARC and Assistant Director of the US DOE’s Combined Heat and Power TAP. Carlos joined HARC in 2017 where he leads applied research on energy system integration both at the community and building levels. He has over 14 years of experience in different research and engineering positions in the energy field.

His research is focused on real-life applications of optimization and risk analysis techniques to energy systems integration with cost savings, energy efficiency, resiliency, and decarbonization goals. He leads multi-year DOE-funded work to provide technical assistance to potential Combined Heat and Power system users and to develop a public tool to support the identification of profitable opportunities to develop clean and resilient community energy systems (district energy and microgrids).

Carlos holds a Ph.D. in Community Microgrids, an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and a Certified Energy Manager.

Ian M. Glasgow is the Director of Project Development at International Alliance Group (IAG) with nearly 20 years of process engineering and process integration experience for the refining, syngas, and chemical industries. In his current role, he is responsible for project feasibility analysis, process scope development, and owner’s engineering support executed at IAG. Services include performing process/project feasibility studies, technology evaluation, site evaluation, 3rd party due diligence, project assurance, and owner’s engineering oversight. Ian has a broad understanding of various process technologies that allows him to support clients' business, economic, and operational objectives. Prior to IAG, Ian was a Senior Process Engineer at Wood Group Mustang for over 10 years, and a Research Associate at the Process Integration in the Pulp and Paper Industry Research Chair at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal.

Ian is an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) where he has Chaired the Executive Board Programming Committee, Fuels and Petrochemical Division, National Spring Meeting Topical of Refining, and Southwest Process Technology Conference. He is currently a Director on the Chemical Technology Operating Council. He also is on the Advisory Board for the Lamar University Midstream Research Center. He holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and MS degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University.

Frank Roberto retired from ExxonMobil in 2021 as a manager in the Offsites and Utilities discipline in the Global Projects Company with over forty four years of service. In this role, he supported new project development, as well as existing operations worldwide, across the company.

Frank joined Exxon Chemical Company in their Florham Park, New Jersey facility in 1976. Through a variety of engineering and technology assignments in the U.S. and Europe, he focused on energy and utility systems, including key roles in the development of several cogeneration projects and the global energy management system. He has supported existing operations of the company's facilities worldwide, been involved in several major project development activities for new facilities and has served as the global energy advisor for ExxonMobil Chemical Company, actively involved in the implementation and sustainment of the company's energy management system.

Frank graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey where he also serves on the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science Advisory Board and is active in the Stevens Alumni Association.

James Turner is Manager, Fluor Houston Process and HSE Departments - Executive Director, Process Technology.

He has more than 30 years of experience in process design for a wide range of projects in the refining and gas processing industry, in domestic and international locations. He has served in many roles, including Process Engineering on Projects, Office Management, Project Management and Engineering Management. He is currently the Department Manager for the Fluor Houston HSE and Process Technology Departments.

He has published and presented many technical articles about process design, project execution, energy transition and decarbonization, and holds patents for a combined hydrotreater process design.

Active in several professional organizations, he is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and has served as Chair Elect, Chair, and Past Chair of the South Texas Section of AIChE. He has also served as a Trustee on the AIChE Foundation Board, and has held several positions with AIChE, including member of the Executive Board Programming Committee, and several positions with the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division, including Chair of the Division, Director, Newsletter Editor, and Treasurer. In 2012 he received the Fuels and Petrochemicals Service Award for distinguished service to the division and industry, and in 2017 received the South Texas Section Distinguished Service Award.

He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He serves on the Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Department Industry Advisory Council, supports the Chemical Engineering Senior Design Class, and has been inducted into the Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni.