Vinod Khosla, Founder
Charles S. Adams, Director
David Aldous, CEO, Director
Robert E. Fishman, Director
Dotty Hayes, Director
Greg King, Director
Mitch Mandich, Director
KR Sridhar, Director
Pat Wood III, Director
Vinod Khosla founded Range Fuels through his firm, Khosla Ventures. Vinod is widely recognized as an influential advocate for the increased use of ethanol. His outspoken advocacy of ethanol production as a means to achieve greater political and economic security has secured increasing coverage from major media sources. Political instability in oil-producing countries and high prices for petroleum have garnered new attention for his message. He is perennially appointed to prestigious lists of entrepreneurs by various business publications, including Forbes, and featured in interviews by major television networks and newspapers. A consistent theme of his interviews is the advantage ethanol provides through continued utilization of existing infrastructure and vehicles, as well as the benefit accruing from redirecting petrodollars currently heading overseas to domestic producers. Vinod founded Khosla Ventures in 2004 and was joined in 2006 by general partners David Weiden and Samir Kaul, as well as chief scientific officer Doug Cameron.
Khosla Ventures, based in Menlo Park, California, offers venture assistance, strategic advice, and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps extend the potential of the Internet to new markets such as mobile technologies, and supports breakthrough scientific work such as bio refineries. The partners have been involved in founding or growing billion-dollar businesses such as Sun Microsystems, Juniper Networks, and AOL, along with pioneering scientific work, such as the first complete sequencing of a plant genome.
The firm's capital comes entirely from its own partners and a portion of all profits are donated to charitable causes, with an emphasis on micro-finance and affordable housing.
Charles S. Adams, Range Fuels’ Director, has twenty-four years of experience on Wall Street in a number of capacities including banking, debt capital markets and commodities. Currently he is Managing Director in the Commodities Division of Morgan Stanley, heading the firm’s corporate client efforts in North and South America. Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley’s global commodities marketing business. Charles commodities experience included positions at Phibro Energy and Merrill Lynch. He also worked in fixed income at Goldman Sachs, and lending at Chemical Bank in Energy and Minerals. Charles received a BA in political science from Binghamton University and an MA in international finance and banking from Columbia University.
Robert E. Fishman, Range Fuels’ Director, has more than 30 years of experience in large-scale power projects and brings a background in renewable energies, solar technology and geothermal power to Range Fuels and its Board. Bob currently serves as the President and CEO of Ausra, a company that develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology. Prior to Ausra, as Calpine Corporation’s Executive Vice President, Power Operations, he managed a 25,000-megawatt portfolio of natural gas–fired and geothermal power plants as well as Calpine’s development, engineering, and construction programs. Before joining Calpine, Bob was President of PB Power, Inc., where he managed power project engineering services for more than 6,000 megawatts of gas-turbine and renewable energy projects. A former chief engineer in the U.S. Navy, Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s and engineer’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Century Aluminum Company.
Dotty Hayes, Range Fuels’ Director, has more than 30 years of diversified financial experience in global high technology firms. She is currently Vice President of Internal Audit at Intuit Inc. a leading provider of business and personal finance software. She previously served as the company’s Vice President, Corporate Controller responsible for the design, implementation, and operation of control systems, including financial consolidation, external reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and revenue recognition. Before joining Intuit, Dotty served as Vice President, Corporate Controller at Agilent Technologies. Her prior experience with technology companies included financial and control responsibilities at Hewlett-Packard Co., Apollo Computer Inc. and Data General Corporation. Dotty received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and holds a master’s degree in finance from Bentley College.
Greg King, Range Fuels' Director, has 15 years of experience in the oil refinery business, previously serving as Valero's president and having held positions including chief operating officer and general counsel. While at Valero he was a key architect in transforming Valero from a regional natural gas pipeline and liquids company with a single refinery to the largest refining company in North America. Greg is currently President of GCK Ventures, LLC, a private consulting firm. Greg holds a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD from the University of Houston.
Mitch Mandich, Range Fuels' Director, most recently led the initial development and growth of Range Fuels as the company’s CEO. During his tenure as CEO, Range Fuels was able to secure the necessary financial, industry and government support and build a diverse and robust team of executives and employees to establish the company as a leader in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. The company was the first to construct and operate a fully integrated thermo-chemical cellulosic ethanol conversion pilot plant and first to begin construction on a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant. Prior to joining Range Fuels, Mandich was the CEO of Edify, worked in the venture capital community, and managed large international sales and marketing organizations, including a role as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Apple Computer. During his 25 years of management experience gained during the incredible growth of the high-tech industry Mandich managed more than 2,000 employees with annual revenues of over $8 billion, and succeeded in turnarounds at privately held and public companies. His strengths in sales and marketing, product strategy, and building winning teams will continue to provide Range Fuels with an understanding of consumer perspectives and an innovative spirit that is much needed in the energy business. Mandich received an MA in sociology from California State University and a BA from the University of California at Berkeley.
KR Sridhar, Range Fuels’ Director, has performed pioneering work in the areas of space technology, microsensors and devices, multiphase flow, and solid oxide electrolysis and systems. He is the principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, which is focused on developing “green” and highly efficient fuel cell technologies. Prior to founding Bloom Energy, Sridhar was a professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering as well as Director of the Space Technologies Laboratory at the University of Arizona. He has served as advisor to NASA and has served on numerous technical committees, panels and advisory boards. His work in the area of space technology, specifically on NASA payloads to Mars was recognized by Fortune Magazine, where he was cited as one of the five futurists that are “inventing tomorrow today.” Sridhar holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Madras, India, and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Pat Wood III, Range Fuels’ Director, brings two decades of energy regulation and energy infrastructure development experience to the Board. He is currently Principal of Wood3 Resources, an energy-infrastructure development business focused on clean power generation, independent transmission, and natural gas facilities. He is also actively engaged as a strategic advisor and independent director to several firms involved in the development of energy infrastructure and generation. Wood is the former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University, and a JD from Harvard Law School.
