Energy & Government Experts R. James Woolsey, TJ Glauthier & Donald Kennedy Join Solazyme Leadership
Energy & Government Experts Join Solazyme Leadership
R. James Woolsey, TJ Glauthier & Donald Kennedy Join Solazyme's Strategic Advisory Board
South San Francisco, Calif. – October 19, 2009 – Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil and bioproducts company using algal biotechnology, brings three national leaders on energy, national security, and science and technology to form the Solazyme Strategic Advisory Board. R. James Woolsey will chair the board, and will be joined by TJ Glauthier and Dr. Donald Kennedy. Solazyme's Strategic Advisory Board will advise and guide the company on public policy and strategic business decisions.
Woolsey served previously as the Director of Central Intelligence and the Under-Secretary of the Navy. He is currently a venture partner and senior advisor at VantagePoint Venture Partners, and is the Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Clean Fuels Foundation, and also serves on the National Commission on Energy Policy. Woolsey has been a pioneer in the clean energy sector for more than a decade and his advice, guidance and experience will provide great benefit to Solazyme as it solidifies its strategic position as a leader in renewable fuel production and energy security.
"Having looked at many technology solutions in the renewable fuels arena, I strongly believe that Solazyme is a definite leader. The company’s technology will help to decrease our dependence on oil and put us on a much more sustainable basis with a wide range of products," said Jim Woolsey. "I am honored to serve as chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board and to help Solazyme expand its capacity to deliver clean, efficient and renewable fuels and other products for the future."
In this role, Woolsey will lead a board of experts, including TJ Glauthier, Donald Kennedy and additional future members, who will help drive Solazyme’s leading role in the nation’s charge to expand clean renewable energy solutions and enhanced energy security while also guiding the company’s expansion into foods and chemicals.
Glauthier is an advisor and corporate board member in the energy and "clean tech" sector. Previously, Glauthier was the Deputy Secretary and COO of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from 1999 to 2001. Prior to that, he served in the White House for five years as the Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy and Science in the Office of Management and Budget. He worked closely with President Clinton and Vice President Gore in their Administration and was a member of President Obama’s economic transition team.
Dr. Donald Kennedy is the President Emeritus of Stanford University, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the former editor-in-chief of Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His present research program entails policy on such trans-boundary environmental problems as: major land-use changes; economically-driven alterations in agricultural practice; global climate change; and the development of regulatory policies.
"Solazyme is honored to have such distinguished leaders on our Strategic Advisory Board. Jim Woolsey, TJ Glauthier and Don Kennedy bring years of expertise and leadership at the federal level, in the private sector and in the scientific community, as well as a deep understanding of renewable energy and the importance of national energy security," said Jonathan Wolfson, CEO of Solazyme. "We expect this Board to further the company’s efforts to commercialize our renewable oil and bioproducts technology, which will play a meaningful role in the preservation of our planet, securing our energy independence, and growing our economy."
"I believe that Solazyme’s technological approach will prove to be the most viable for producing algae-based fuel and other products into the market at scale, and I am excited to be a part of making that happen," said Glauthier.
"I am excited by the opportunity to serve on the Strategic Advisory Board of a truly innovative company like Solazyme," Dr. Kennedy stated. "Their vision has created advanced technology that will fuel and feed our future."
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About Solazyme:
Solazyme, Inc. is a renewable oil and bioproducts company and the leader in algal biotechnology. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in South San Francisco, Solazyme’s unique technology allows algae to produce oil and biomaterials in standard fermentation facilities quickly, efficiently and at large scale. These oils and biomaterials are tailored not only for biofuel production, but also as replacements for fossil petroleum and plant oils in a diverse range of products running from clean fuels and chemicals to cosmetics and foods. Solazyme’s oils and fuels provide compelling solutions to increasingly complex issues of fuel scarcity, energy security and environmental impact while fitting cleanly into the pre-existing multi-trillion dollar fuel infrastructure. Solazyme’s investors among others include Braemar Energy Ventures, Harris & Harris Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, The Roda Group, and VantagePoint Venture Partners. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.solazyme.com.
For More Information Contact:
Genet Garamendi
Solazyme
650-963-5228
ggaramendi [at] solazyme [dot] com
Leah Hardesty
Peppercom
415-633-3204
lhardesty [at] peppercom [dot] com