Algae Biomass Organization Announces New Board Chair and Vice Chair

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Oct 29, 2014) - The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today announced that Tim Burns, Co-founder and Board Member of BioProcess Algae LLC, has been appointed Chair and Martin Sabarsky, CEO of Cellana, Inc. has been appointed Vice Chair of the organization's Board of Directors for the 2014-2016 term. The previous Chair, Margaret McCormick, CEO of Matrix Genetics, maintains a position on the board.

Burns and Sabarsky will be leading ABO's board, which guides the organization in its mission to educate the general public, policymakers, and industry about the benefits and potential of algae to provide sustainable solutions for commodity chemicals, fuels, food, and feed applications, as well as for high-value applications such as, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, among other applications. In addition, ABO's board works closely with its executive director to advocate for policies that can accelerate the development of key market segments and commercial-scale algae production facilities for the full range of products that can be made from algae.

ABO's board is comprised of representatives from multiple sectors of an industry that is experiencing more investment and seeing new commercial facilities opening or being planned around the world. Board members come from industry sectors that include academia, professional services, algae biomass producers, technology suppliers, project developers, and end-users.

"Tim and Martin are highly regarded algae industry leaders, and I'm looking forward to collaborating with them as we move the industry forward," said Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. "Their expertise in CO₂ utilization and the entire range of algae-derived products will be invaluable to ABO's efforts to improve policy, markets, and investment opportunities for all our members. Outgoing Board Chair Margaret McCormick also deserves special thanks for the incredible contributions she has made to ABO and the algae industry at large."

Tim Burns most recently served as the Vice Chair of the ABO board. He is a Co-founder and Board Member of BioProcess Algae LLC. Burns has over 25 years of experience in the development, treatment and filtration of industrial organic and inorganic for water reuse and purification using advanced technologies. He previously founded three successful companies, the most recent being BioProcess H2O. Burns is an alumnus of Brown University and Providence College and serves on the Board of Directors of OceanPoint Financial Partners and BankNewport. He is a past President of the board of Save The Bay, a nationally recognized environmental organization and an Incorporator of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Martin Sabarsky is the CEO of Cellana, Inc., a leading developer of algae-based products. Prior to joining Cellana, he led the corporate development function at Diversa Corp. (now known as Verenium Corp., a subsidiary of BASF) as Vice President of Corporate Development. Before Diversa, Sabarsky worked as a life sciences investment banker with Bear Stearns, where he was a lead banker on Diversa's $200 million IPO in 2000. He also worked as a transactional attorney with Latham & Watkins LLP. Sabarsky has a B.A. in Biology and Political Science from Brown University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing the world today. This tiny but powerful organism has the ability to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, reuse CO₂, provide nutrition for animals and people, and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies, and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits, and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: www.algaebiomass.org.