As the Vice President of R&D and Innovation, Dr. Jennifer Aurandt-Pilgrim leads innovation initiatives including technical and market development of investments in decarbonization including Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), Ethanol to Jet Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and CO2 Utilization. Jennifer also serves on four scientific advisory boards for the US Department of Energy and is an observer in the United Nations -ICAO- Fuels Task Group (UN-ICAO-FTG). With nearly 20 years of industry experience, including protein and oil separation technology development at Trucent. As an Associate Professor at Kettering University she directed the DOE sponsored Center for Energy Excellence. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Bowling Green State University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Joop Hazenberg (197😎 has been working and living in Brussels since 2013, specialising in Europe’s energy and climate policies. Amongst others, he was EU correspondent for a range of international media, campaign manager for European NGOs on the phase-out of coal power plants, and Director External Affairs at the GSMA, representing the mobile telecommunications industry in Europe. He also worked for the European Heat Pump Association and represented SolarPower Europe and WindEurope on the topic of corporate renewable energy sourcing.

Before moving to Brussels, Joop worked in political circles in his home country The Netherlands. He held several functions in the Dutch Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a national newspaper. He also founded a think-tank for young professionals, wrote six books and many op-eds and essays. His latest book deals with climate action (including a chapter on CCS and DAC).

Through his consulting practice, Mr. Durante serves as the Executive Director and Washington Representative of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC), a non-profit organization he formed in 1987. The CFDC has a broad-based membership including automotive, agricultural, and other alternative energy interests supporting programs and policies that expand the market for ethanol and other biofuels. Mr. Durante has been working in the fields of energy, transportation, and the environment since 1977 serving as the Director of Public Affairs for the National Alcohol Fuels Commission and later served as a Special Assistant in the Office of Alcohol Fuels at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Mr. Durante was on the negotiating committee between industry and the U.S. EPA for the reformulated gasoline and oxy fuel programs created in the Clean Air Act of 1990 and served as an advisor on the ad hoc Senate Committee that created the Renewable Fuels Standard and represents ethanol and biofuel interests nationally and internationally.

He has served on numerous state and federal advisory clean fuels committees including Chair of the Fuels Subcommittee of the Federal Biomass Advisory Committee and on the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition Biomass Advisory Committee. He also served on the U.S. EPA Clean Fuels Advisory Committee, and the Department of Energy's Business Roundtable Group. He has served on fuel and pollution control commissions in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Mexico.

Mr. Durante has been a media spokesman for ethanol interests and authored numerous articles on energy and transportation. He has represented the CFDC and other clients before Congressional Committees, state legislatures, the United Nations Sustainability Council, and at major US and international conferences. He has also helped develop several ethanol projects in the U.S. preparing business plans and marketing strategies.

Simona Vackeová, Director of Government Affairs: Simona joined ePURE in October 2020 and is responsible for energy, environment and trade issues. She spent nearly a decade working on horizontal trade issues affecting the European ceramic industry and assumed the role of Trade Policy Director at the European Ceramic Industry Association. Simona holds a Master’s degree in Politics & International Relations from the University of Aberdeen and in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges.

Fernanda Roso, Trading Ethanol Director at Raízen, leads the company's global energy solutions for the ethanol business. Fernanda and her team focus on providing decarbonization solutions for their business partners around the world, with a commitment to sustainability and innovation. She began her career as an Industrial Engineer, specializing in Business Management. Over the past seven years, Fernanda has been part of the Trading Team at Raízen, initially implementing Integrated Planning across Raízen’s value chains and, for the past year, leading the Ethanol Business. Specialties: Industrial Engineering, Business Management, Upstream and Downstream Oil Industry (with a focus on Retail Sales and Logistics/Operations), Business Process, Biofuels Industry.