Northern Cascades SAF Event Series​

Dr. Ypma has over 35 years of experience in higher education. She has taught mathematics at the high school, community college, and university level where her focus was developmental math and helping students overcome their fear of mathematics. Dr. Ypma has been an administrator at Bellingham Technical College for the past 7 years, serving as the Vice President of Instruction for the past 4 years. Her doctoral dissertation, which she completed in 2019, focused on gender inequity in computer science. 

James Lemerond, Ed.D. has served as President of Bellingham Technical College (BTC) since January 2023, leading northwest Washington's only technical college in its mission to provide skills-focused, accessible education to the region's workforce. He brings more than two decades of technical college leadership experience, most recently as Vice President of Instruction at Lakeshore Technical College in Wisconsin, where he expanded degree offerings, grew competency-based education programs, and helped the institution navigate in-person learning recovery during the pandemic.

At BTC, Lemerond has focused on reducing enrollment barriers, strengthening high school-to-trades pipelines, and deepening partnerships with regional employers to align curriculum with workforce needs. His priorities include expanding dual-credit and Running Start opportunities, creating guided pathways for adult learners, and building on-site training partnerships with local businesses.

Lemerond holds an Ed.D. in Education Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands, an M.S. in Training and Development from the University of St. Francis, and an A.S. in Radiography from Northcentral Technical College — the program type where his own career began.

Marc Blasey represents AmSpec Group, a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services with over 320 locations worldwide and more than 7,200 employees. AmSpecoperates across the full SAF supply chain from feedstock evaluation through finished fuel certification, and is an active member of API, ASTM International, and the TIC Council. 

AmSpec’s renewables portfolio continues to expand across SAF, renewable diesel, hydrogen, and related fuels, supporting the growing demand for verified and compliant energy solutions. 

AmSpec brings deep expertise in the full commercial testing and certification process, including the ASTM standards framework, what producers must demonstrate, how feedstocks are evaluated, and what the certification workforce looks like in practice. This complements Dr. Yang’s university research perspective within the SAF ecosystem: where research advances the science, AmSpec and other TIC companies ensure every commercial batch meets specification before entering the supply chain. 

Ken Huste is an accomplished economic developer and business development manager with 21+ years of sales, marketing, and origination experience across the Offshore, Maritime, Energy, and Hospitality sectors, with a strong focus on clean fuels and decarbonization for shipping and port operations. Most recently, he spent 12 years with Innovation Norway as Maritime Sector Lead and Senior Advisor, where he helped craft Memoranda of Understanding between Innovation Norway and both Washington State and Louisiana, fostering international government and business collaboration. His offshore, maritime, and energy work has centered on Norwegian companies doing business in the United States—and U.S. organizations engaging with Norway.

As Deputy Director, Huste is responsible for business recruitment, retention, and expansion, as well as strategic planning, program implementation, project management, and cultivating relationships with key stakeholders in the Skagit Valley region.

Originally from Norway, Ken and his family recently relocated to Skagit County from the Houston area, and they are excited to discover all that the region has to offer.

Keith Gillard is Co-Founder and CEO of SUSTAERO, a Canadian company developing a scalable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production platform. SUSTAERO's proprietary SOAR process converts cellulosic biomass into ASTM-certified, drop-in jet fuel using a Fischer-Tropsch pathway, with a model designed for repeatable deployment across multiple Canadian sites.

A seasoned operator and investor with decades of experience across sustainability, deeptech, and venture capital, Keith has founded, led, and exited numerous companies. His career spans investment banking, serial software entrepreneurship, and senior roles at BASF Venture Capital America, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Pangaea Ventures. He is also Co-Founder and Chair of Foresight Canada, the country's largest cleantech accelerator, supporting over 1,500 client companies.
Keith has advised the World Economic Forum on sustainability and spoke at Davos in 2020. He is a co-author of Inside The Minds: Best Practices for Energy Venture Capital and a twice-nominated Canadian Independent Music Award winner.

Ross is an advocate for climate, clean energy and democracy based in Seattle, Washington with more than 40 years of experience working on public policy and environmental issues. He is a founding Board member and Secretary for the Clean Energy Transition Institute. He also serves on the boards of the Sierra Club Foundation and the Way to Win Action Fund. He recently was Vice President for Conservation and a Director for the National Sierra Club. Ross was a Senior Advisor at Climate Solutions, where he managed the Business Partnership Program. He also led Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest, the first stakeholder roadmap for cleaner fuels to power the next generation of flight, and helped developed sustainable aviation plans for Brazil and Singapore. A Northwest native, Ross is a graduate of Pomona College and the University of Washington School of Law.

Ashwin Jadhav is the Vice President of Business Development of Twelve, a chemical company for the climate era that makes everyday products from air instead of oil. As part of Twelve's leadership team, Ashwin is the accountable revenue leader for a multi-billion dollar sales pipeline and oversees the customer acquisition, sales and commercial strategy of Twelve’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) products. Most recently, Ashwin spearheaded two large SAF offtake deals with the International Airlines Group (parent company of British Airways) and the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA). Ashwin brings over 15 years of aviation industry experience in business development, strategy, sales, and marketing with companies across the aviation value chain like Pratt & Whitney, Bombardier and the International Air Transport Association. In 2023, he was named in the Top 20 Under 40 in Canada by Wings Magazine.

Prashant Kuchi is Business Development Manager at Anvil Corporation, a Bellingham-based engineering firm serving energy, sustainability, manufacturing, and mission-critical industries. He helps clients connect business needs with engineering solutions, supporting projects from initial assessment to implementation, with a focus on understanding operations and collaborating with Anvil’s technical teams.

David Lanning is Vice President of Forest Concepts, LLC, and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. He leads the Science and Engineering and Sales and Manufacturing teams, developing technologies like rotary shearing systems, biomass handling equipment, and preprocessing facility models. An active ASABE member, he has chaired committees, co-led a biomass assessment course, holds over 27 patents, earned three AE50 awards, and authored multiple technical papers.

Eric Seck has 13 years of mechanical engineering and project management experience and works at Mercurius Biorefining, which is expanding feedstock options for renewable fuel production using HEFA technology. The company’s efforts to use more types of waste fats, oils, and greases help overcome limits of traditional sources like used cooking oil, boosting both the supply and economic viability of sustainable aviation fuel.

Dr. Pitre became Chancellor in September 2016, after serving as Academic Dean of the campus from 2011- 2016.

Dr. Pitre is an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology at WSU. Prior to accepting a faculty position at WSU, he was a member of the Auburn University faculty. Pitre has worked in Public Affairs for the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and as a Program Management Analyst at the U.S. Department of Education. He has also held several administrative posts in higher education.

His research interests center on P-20 education policy, leadership and governance in higher education, and college access and choice. Pitre received his doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Maryland. He also received his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from New York University and his bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Western Washington University.

Harry Birak is an Economic Development Policy Analyst with Snohomish County, Washington, leading strategic initiatives in business expansion, retention, and recruitment, as well as regional economic development and tourism through the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). A Certified Economic Developer with a Master of Public Policy, he serves as the county lead for the Commercial Terminal Expansion and Sustainable Aviation Fuel R&D Center economic impact study at Paine Field, coordinating consultants and regional stakeholders. He regularly represents the county in partnerships with organizations such as the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County and the CleanTech Alliance. Prior to joining the county in July 2025, Harry was Senior Business Development Manager at the Washington State Department of Commerce, where he led initiatives across clean technology, value-added agriculture, maritime industries, and advanced manufacturing, bringing deep experience translating policy analysis into data-driven, real-world economic development strategies across the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Harrison Zhibin Yang is the Manager of the Paine Field Sustainable Aviation Fuel Repository, the world’s first R&D center for collecting, testing, and distributing SAF samples. Located at Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington, the facility is a partnership between Snohomish County and Washington State University. Under Dr. Yang’s leadership, it will provide standardized reference materials to support global SAF research, testing, and commercialization.​

Dr. Greg O’Neil is Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Western Washington University, where he researches organic synthesis and sustainable energy. Since joining WWU in 2008, he has focused on developing methods to access valuable natural products and exploring biofuels and bioproducts from algae, advancing renewable feedstock and sustainable fuel research.​

Ray Kubista is the Dean of Professional Technical Education at Bellingham Technical College, overseeing workforce programs that support the region’s refining and growing biorefining industries. As SAF production expands in the Pacific Northwest, BTC provides hands-on, industry-informed training to prepare workers for careers in sustainable fuel production.

Mayor Dan O. Rankin has led the Town of Darrington, Washington, since 2012, combining deep roots in the timber industry with a focus on sustainable economic growth. A third-generation Darrington resident, former logger, and sawmill owner, he brings practical forestry experience to his leadership. Under his guidance, Darrington has become a center for sustainable wood innovation, showing how rural timber communities can adapt to new markets while preserving their heritage and natural resources.

Brian Aries is a Process Technology instructor at Bellingham Technical College, a former refinery operator, and an industry trainer who prepares students and working operators to run process units safely, efficiently, and in compliance with environmental limits, with a strong emphasis on team-based operations and communication. His background includes refinery operations, process control, instrumentation, and industrial safety, including experience under Shell operational and safety standards, with a focus on managing plant pressures, temperatures, levels, flows, chemistry, alarms, and abnormal situations where close coordination between console and field operators is critical. He works with industry partners to align training with current plant needs and support the safe scale-up of emerging energy systems such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and he holds an AAS in Process Technology, a BAS in Operations Management, and is a graduate student in Educational Leadership at Western Washington University, focusing on workforce development, safety culture, and team performance.

Samantha Chang is the Interim Executive Director at Glacier Peak Institute, which helps young people discover their potential through place-based, hands-on learning and skill-building experiences.  She is an active member of the Society of American Foresters and past Washington State Chair and retired as a certified silviculturist from the USDA Forest Service where she developed complex silvicultural prescriptions for forest thinning, with emphasis on forest resilience and accelerating development of late seral habitat structure.

Roy Mann has a diverse background as an entrepreneur and commercial real estate executive, serving clients on three continents. Roy has facilitated multi-million-dollar deals in both the private and public sector and provided leadership on economic development to CEOs, boards, and civic groups. For the last ten years, Roy has represented the Dunn Lumber Company; he provided the vision and the driving force for Dunn's headquarters expansion in Seattle in the 196,000 SF Mass Timber commercial development known as Northlake Commons. In 2022, Roy also directed a Transit-Oriented Communities study as well as a Portfolio Sustainability Strategy for 200 acres in Silicon Valley for the transportation agency responsible for expanding BART in the San Francisco Bay Area. On the North Olympic Peninsula, Roy is advising the Natural Resources Innovation Center and the Composite Recycling Technology Center which produces cross-laminated timber accessory dwelling units in Washington in partnership with the Makah Tribe.