Meet The Ecovia Renewables Team
Jeremy Minty, PhD, Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Jeremy Minty is a biotechnology entrepreneur dedicated to addressing the global problems of fossil fuel dependency and climate change. Jeremy co-founded Ecovia Renewables with the mission to develop and commercialize cost-effective routes for producing high-performing biobased ingredients and materials. He earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan under the direction of Dr. Xiaoxia “Nina” Lin.
Kousay Said, MBA, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Kousay Said previously served as the Senior Vice President- Commercial and Strategy, at Leggett & Platt Automotive. Prior to that, he was the President and CEO of GreenMantra Technologies, the Chief Commercial Officer of Sirrus, LLC, and Managing Director of Dow Solar Solutions.
Kousay studied mechanical engineering, holds an MBA from Oakland University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Wharton.
Amy Wirth, MBA, Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Amy Wirth joined Ecovia’s team in December 2021. She specializes in working with entrepreneurial, growth-oriented companies. Previously, she worked 15+ years at Ford Motor Company where she had the opportunity to work within their business incubator for several years. There she supported internal startups and the acquisition and integration of several entrepreneurial companies. Amy earned her MBA from the University of Michigan.
Chao Peng, PhD, Research Scientist — polymer Chemistry
Dr. Chao Peng is currently a Research Scientist intern at Ecovia Renewables, focusing on the development of scalable chemistries and processing methods for the Ecovia Biopolymers products. Chao has a strong research background in polymer chemistry. Before joining Ecovia Renewables, Chao was a research assistant at the University of Akron and his research focused on the development of functionalized polyurethanes for antimicrobial applications. Chao graduated from the University of Akron with a Ph.D. degree in Polymer Science.
Eric Traub, Research Associate - Fermentation R&D
Mr. Eric Traub is a Research Associate in Fermentation R&D at Ecovia Renewables. He has previously worked at Dow Agrosciences performing research with filamentous actinobacteria in both High Throughput Strain Improvement and Systems Biology. While there, Eric gained valuable experience in conducting experiments around small scale fermentations and performing omics-related analysis of various strains. He has also worked with MSU Biotechnology Institute gaining valuable experience in performing fermentations on a pilot-plant up to production scale with both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Eric received his Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from Saginaw Valley State University in 2013.
Jason Stansell, MS, Controller
Mr. Jason Stansell is an outsourced Controller/CFO that specializes in working with startups and small businesses. Mr. Stansell initially worked in public accounting for over 5 years, auditing both public and privately held companies throughout the Midwest. After leaving public accounting, Mr. Stansell worked for a local development firm that specialized in project development for stadiums, arenas, and other destination centers. Jason oversaw the budget for nearly $500M in ongoing projects including Lambeau Field, The Edgewater Hotel, and the PPL Center in PA. Prior to his current role, Jason worked with manufacturing firms in need of turnaround accounting services and cash management. Jason holds a Masters in Public Accountancy and is a Certified Public Accountant in Wisconsin.