Management Team

D. Hunt Ramsbottom - Chief Executive Officer, President & Director
With over a quarter-century of experience acquiring and growing both publicly traded and privately held companies, Hunt Ramsbottom is CEO, President and Director of Rentech. Since joining Rentech in September 2005, Mr. Ramsbottom has leveraged his extensive business and management experience to focus on commercializing Rentech’s patented clean-fuel technologies. Over the course of his career, Mr. Ramsbottom acquired nearly 70 small to medium sized-companies with strong market potential, growing them into larger, more profitable ventures and strategically taking select private companies into the public realm. He joined Rentech from Circle Funding Group LLC, a buyout firm where, as Principal and Managing Director, he spent two years acquiring a range of companies in the distribution and manufacturing sectors. From 1998 to 2005, he was CEO and Chairman of the automotive repair venture M2 Automotive. Prior to that, he led Thompson PBE for seven years, taking the company public in 1995 and growing it into the largest supplier of paints and related supplies. He also previously served as President and CEO of Kellow Brown, a printer, packager and distributor for major computer hardware and software clients. Mr. Ramsbottom holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Plymouth State College.

Dan J. Cohrs - Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President
Since October 2008, Dan Cohrs has served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Rentech, and is responsible for all finance and accounting functions; mergers and acquisitions; corporate strategy; government affairs and external communications of the company. Mr. Cohrs brings more than two decades of experience in corporate finance, strategy and planning and mergers and acquisitions. Joining Rentech from the private investment and consulting firm Skycrest Ventures, LLC, Mr. Cohrs previously held senior positions in corporate strategy, development and finance in industry-leading companies such as Marriott, Northwest Airlines, GTE and Global Crossing, where he was Chief Financial Officer for five years. In those positions, Mr. Cohrs built and managed global financial and planning organizations, raised more than $25 billion of capital, and participated in some of the largest M&A transactions in the history of the telecommunications industry. Mr. Cohrs has been a strategy consultant with Marakon Associates, and a faculty member at Cornell University and Harvard University, teaching courses in corporate governance and finance. He earned a B.S. degree in engineering from Michigan State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in finance, economics, and public policy from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Douglas M. Miller - Executive Vice President, Project Development
Responsible for the development of Rentech’s biomass initiatives, Doug Miller was appointed to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President for Renewable Energy Businesses in January 2009. This appointment follows two years of service as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Rentech. Mr. Miller joined Rentech after finishing a 14-year tenure with Unocal Corporation (through its acquisition by Chevron Corp.), the last five years as Vice President, Corporate Development. Mr. Miller received his Bachelors of Earth Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

John H. Diesch - Senior Vice President of Operations
As Senior Vice President of Operations for Rentech, John Diesch is responsible for plant operations at Rentech Energy Midwest Corporation (REMC), Rentech’s Product Demonstration Unit in Colorado, and the operation of future synthetic fuels plants, including the Company’s proposed facility near Natchez, Mississippi. Mr. Diesch was promoted in January 2008 from President of REMC and Vice President of Operations for Rentech, positions he had held since April 2006. Joining Rentech after seven years as Managing Director of Royster-Clark Nitrogen, he previously served as Vice President and General Manager of Nitrogen Production and Distribution for IMC AgriBusiness. In 1991, he joined Vigoro Industries as Cincinnati Plant Manager after serving as Plant Manager, Production Manager and Process Engineer with Arcadian Corporation, Columbia Nitrogen Corp. and Monsanto Company. Mr. Diesch is a board member of the Gasification Technologies Council and previously held board seats at the Fertilizer Institute and with the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, and was recently Management Chairman of the Board for the Dubuque Area Labor Management Council. Mr. Diesch is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and Bemidji State University, with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Studies.

Richard J. Wesolowski - Senior Vice President, Human Resources
A seasoned human resources executive with more than 35 years of HR and business experience, Dick Wesolowski is Senior Vice President, Human Resources. Prior to joining Rentech in February 2006, Mr. Wesolowski spent most of his career with Eastman Kodak, where he led that company’s employee and labor relations function. He also worked as a senior HR consultant for Mountain States Employers Council, where he assisted the 2,400-member organization in establishing its human resources consulting practice. He currently serves on the boards of the Colorado Safety Association and the Hospice and Palliative Care of Northern Colorado and previously served on the boards of the Colorado Community College System and the Colorado Workforce Coordinating Council. He is also past Chair of the Employers Advisory Council for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Mr. Wesolowski received a B.S. in economics from the State University of New York and is also a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business, where he received his MBA as a participant in the executive development program.

Dr. Harold A. Wright - Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Harold Wright leverages deep experience in fuel technology development to serve as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Rentech. He joined the Company in 2005 after serving as Vice President of Technology for Eltron Research & Development, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. This followed a 14-year tenure with ConocoPhillips where he worked in various capacities including Director of gas-to-liquids (GTL) research and development from 2004-05 and Director of synthesis gas development from 2000-04. In these roles, he was responsible for synthesis gas technology development; GTL commercial reactor design; directing GTL catalyst development; and product upgrading technology development. He oversaw all aspects of the company’s scale-up of GTL technology, which resulted in a 400 barrel per day demonstration plant in Ponca City, Oklahoma. With 24 U.S. Patents issued to his credit, he is also a registered patent agent and is authorized to practice patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dr. Wright received a B.S. in chemical engineering, cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Purdue University.

Colin M. Morris - Vice President and General Counsel
Colin Morris has served as Vice President and General Counsel of Rentech since June 2006. He practiced corporate and securities law at the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins LLP from June 2004 to May 2006. Previously, Mr. Morris spent four years practicing corporate and securities law in the Silicon Valley office of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati after completing similar work in the Silicon Valley office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

John A. Ambrose - President, REMC
John Ambrose is President, Rentech Energy Midwest Corporation (REMC). Joining REMC in 2007, Mr. Ambrose has three decades of chemical manufacturing experience, including specialty and commodity chemical manufacturing, international responsibilities, Six Sigma, OSHA VPP, ISO9001, Responsible Care, and Environmental Management. He previously served as Plant Manager at Ferro Corporation’s New Jersey plasticizer production site from 2003-2007. Mr. Ambrose began his career with PPG Industries where he advanced through several manufacturing positions over the course of fourteen years, holding positions such as manufacturing manager and environmental compliance/remediation manager within the Optical Monomers business unit. He has also managed and expanded multiple worldwide plants for the company’s Precipitated Silica business unit. Mr. Ambrose is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He is on the Board of Directors of The Fertilizer Institute and the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council. He is also active in the Dubuque Rotary and the Galena, Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Julie Dawoodjee - Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications
Julie Dawoodjee brings over a decade of investor relations, communications and public reporting experience to her position of Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications at Rentech. Prior to joining Rentech in 2007, Ms. Dawoodjee served as Senior Manager, Financial and Operations Analysis and Investor Relations at Overhill Farms, a NYSE AMEX US-traded food manufacturer. She also previously held the position of Manager, Investor Relations and Financial Research for fiber optic telecommunications provider Global Crossing, a NYSE listed company. Prior to that, she worked at the Investment Banking firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (Credit Suisse First Boston) where she worked on IPO and M&A transactions. Ms. Dawoodjee graduated with honors from the University of Southern California, with a B.S. in business administration with concentration in finance and a minor in psychology. She is a member of the National Institute of Investor Relations (NIRI) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Ken Fish - Vice President, Corporate Development and Treasurer
Ken Fish joined Rentech in 2009 as Vice President, Corporate Development and Treasurer. Mr. Fish has over 20 years of corporate finance, business development and strategic planning experience at Fortune 500 companies in the energy, telecommunications, and high technology industries. Mr. Fish previously worked for Atlantic Richfield Company, MCI Communications, Airtouch Communications, Hughes Electronics Corporation, and Broadcom Corporation. He also previously led and managed private and public equity investments at The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and at Bankers Trust Company. During the course of his career, he has closed over $40 billion in M&A transactions, participated in over $17 billion in debt capital and project financing raises and completed over $12 billion of joint ventures and alliances. Mr. Fish graduated cum laude with a B.A. from P rinceton University and received his MBA, with a dual concentration in Finance and Strategy, from the University of California at Los Angeles.

James McVaney - Vice President, Government Affairs
Jim McVaney joined Rentech in 2007 as Vice President of Government Affairs. He has more than 13 years of experience in advocating on behalf of industries and companies on energy interests, including those in the aviation, chemical, retail and agricultural sectors, and more than 17 years in political affairs. Prior to joining Rentech, Mr. McVaney served as Director of Government and Political Affairs for the Air Transport Association, the leading trade association for the U.S. airlines, where he headed their advocacy efforts on energy and environmental matters before Congress and the White House during what was the most difficult energy environment that the industry had faced. Before that, he served as Team Leader, Energy and Climate Policy and as chief lobbyist on those and other issues at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the leading trade association for the U.S. chemical industry. Mr. McVaney came to ACC from the Food Marketing Institute were he led the supermarket industry’s energy advocacy efforts, including those related to electric power usage. Mr. McVaney began his career in Washington as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds a bachelors degree in politics from the University of Georgia.

Eileen Ney - Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
Eileen Ney joined Rentech in 2009 as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Ms. Ney brings 25 years of experience with publicly traded and privately held companies to Rentech in the areas of financial planning and forecasting, business integration, organization design, SEC reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Over the course of her career, Ms. Ney has served as Vice President – Finance for Lantronix Inc., Controller for NexGen Inc., Director of Business Planning for Global Crossing, Director of Financial Reporting for Dole Packaged Foods, and Audit Manager for Nestlé USA. She has provided leadership to establish internal controls, financial policies, accounting procedures and financial system infrastructure at each company with whom she has been associated and has vast knowledge of SAP, Oracle and Hyperion software implementation. Ms. Ney received a B.S. in Business Administration from Oakland University and an MBA in Finance from University of Southern California.