Company

Leadership

The team bringing FastOx^® gasification technology to market.

Executive team

Mike G. Hart

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Hart, the founder and executive director of Sierra Energy, has spent over 30 years starting and running companies in the industrial sector. In addition to leading Sierra Energy, he serves as President of Sierra Railroad. He has been recognized as an “Environmental Hero” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and as a “Champion of Change” by the White House, and was named an Edmund Hillary Fellow for New Zealand. His railroad was the first in the U.S. to operate on 100% biodiesel. Before Sierra Energy and Sierra Railroad, Hart worked as a management consultant to organizations including FMC, NASA (Mars Mission), TRW, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and General Motors. He is an alumnus of UC Davis, the Stanford Advanced Management Program and Singularity University.

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Scott Kraynak

President & Chief Executive Officer

Scott Kraynak leads the commercial deployment of FastOx gasification technology, which diverts waste from landfills and transforms it into high-value renewable fuels and chemicals. He has over 30 years of experience in project development and execution, engineering and supply chain with Dow Chemical, Kellogg Brown & Root, Owens Corning, Aker Solutions, Husky Technologies and OMNI Conversion Technologies. Scott specializes in commercial innovation that creates high-ROI project solutions, has built and led global supply chain organizations, and has a strong track record in process technology standardization and cost reduction. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from Rice University.

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Torgny Nilsson

Vice President & General Counsel

Mr. Nilsson has extensive intellectual property, corporate governance and corporate finance experience. Prior to joining Sierra in 2004 he worked for law firms and companies including Thelen Reid & Priest LLP, Gartenberg, Jaffe, Gelfand & Stein LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and NASA. He earned two B.A. degrees from the University of California, Davis, and his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Santa Clara Law Review and received the American Jurisprudence Award. He also completed studies in comparative law at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

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Paul Vergnani

Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Vergnani joined Sierra Energy in 2015 and has played a key role in the design, installation, commissioning and operation of the company’s demonstration facility at Fort Hunter Liggett. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming and brings a strong background in process engineering, control and automation. Before Sierra Energy he managed multiple technology R&D projects for CHA Corporation. Outside work, Paul enjoys exploring new places and the outdoors with his wife.

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KC Mulligan

Chief Financial Officer

KC Mulligan is a Certified Public Accountant and seasoned finance executive who serves as Chief Financial Officer of Sierra Energy, where she oversees financial strategy, reporting and operations. KC built her technical foundation in public accounting at firms including CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) and Caliber Accounting, then moved into finance leadership at high-growth consumer brands including Title Nine Sports and NomNomNow. She led finance through significant scale and modernized system implementations at Title Nine, and through rapid, venture-backed growth at NomNomNow. Before joining Sierra Energy, KC served as CFO to growing companies across consumer products, regulated industries, and professional services, building scalable, investor-ready finance functions from the ground up.

Erik Crowder

Chief Security Officer

Erik served for over 22 years as a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). A UC Davis alumnus with a master’s degree from CSU Chico, he began his career with the U.S. Department of Justice and concluded his service overseeing a region from Marin County to the Oregon border. His expertise lies in developing and implementing security measures, building relationships with law enforcement agencies and ensuring the safety of facilities and assets.

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Brandi Ricker-Cordova

Director of Human Resources

Brandi Ricker-Cordova is a Human Resources professional with over 25 years of management experience across a range of industries, including 10 years in human resources. Her work centers on people: she builds strong relationships and supports employees at every level of the organization. She holds a degree from Southern New Hampshire University with a concentration in communication, and is certified SPHR and PHRca.

Advisors

Nicole Woolsey Biggart

Advisory Board Chairwoman

Professor Emerita of Management and Sociology at UC Davis and former dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management (2003–2009). Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. An expert in organizational theory and the management of innovation.

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Bill Davis

Advisory Board Member

Founder of Ze-gen, which raised $35 million through three equity rounds and demonstrated its proprietary technology. Previously launched Database Marketing Corporation, Holland Mark and Cambridge Brand Analytics. Serves on the President’s Council for CERES.

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Christine Gulbranson

Advisory Board Member

Named a Silicon Valley “Forty Under 40” business leader, Dr. Gulbranson earned five degrees, including an MBA, from UC Davis. Former partner at Global Catalyst Partners and founder of two nanotechnology firms and a consulting practice.

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Jim Wunderman

Advisory Board Member

President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. Previously Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Providian Financial Corporation and Chief of Staff to San Francisco Mayor Frank M. Jordan.

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Laura Dodd

Advisory Board Member

Former Vice President of Operations at Sierra Energy who led the funding effort that opened the gates for the Fort Hunter Liggett project. B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering; now in software development at Atlassian.

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Michael C. Child

Advisory Board Member

Managing Director at TA Associates and co-head of its Menlo Park Technology Group. Previously at ROLM Corporation, Boston Consulting Group and Hewlett-Packard. B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis and MBA from Stanford.

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