Riggs Eckelberry — President & CEO

One of the inventors of the Company’s breakthrough technology, Riggs Eckelberry brings his veteran technology management skills to the alternative energy sector. As President and COO of CyberDefender Corporation from 2005 to 2006, he was instrumental in building the company and its innovative product line, helping to achieve initial funding and a public company filing. From 2001 to mid-2005, he helped launch and turn around technology companies as founder and President of TechTransform, a technology consulting firm. In 2004, he was a key member of the team that commercialized YellowPages.com, resulting in its sale for $100 million to SBC/BellSouth. In 2003, he helped make Panda Software a key player in the US market as the General Manager of its US unit. During the high-tech boom of the 1990s, he was responsible for the global brand success of the software product, CleanSweep; as Chief Operating Officer of MicroHouse Technologies, he drove record sales and a modernization of the company’s technology, helping to achieve a successful sale of the company to Earthweb; and as VP Marketing of venture-backed TriVida, he was a key member of the team that commercialized the company’s technology and achieved the sale of this technology company to BeFree, Inc. (now part of ValueClick: VCLK).

In January of 2011, Riggs Eckelberry was named to the Advisory Board of the National Algae Association. In a recent Biofuels Digest industry poll, he was named one of the Top 100 People in Bioenergy for 2012-2013.

Jose L. Sanchez — General Manager, Algae Division

Mr. Sanchez is a veteran in the design and field operation of open pond, photobioreactor and dark-growth algae production systems, as well as an experienced executive in product and intellectual property development. An expert in the commercialization of algae, he designed Mexico’s first biodiesel plant and advised Mexican lawmakers in the creation of the country’s biofuel industry.

Before joining OriginOil, Jose Sanchez was General Manager of Aurora Mexico, a subsidiary of San Francisco-based Aurora Algae, where he launched Aurora’s Mexico-based field operations, built and opened its R&D facilities, managed initial scale-up endeavors, provided information to decision makers to aid in site selection, and carried out negotiations on land acquisition, water rights and CO2 procurement. Sanchez also introduced landmark Mexican legislation to address the environmental, water management and land use aspects of algae production systems.

In 2007, Sanchez was the founder and CEO of AgroSens, a wireless sensor automation company based in Ensenada, Mexico. From 2006 to 2008 he was Biofuels Research Division Director at LP Bond/CENI2T, also in Ensenada. Earlier, as Engineering Director at furniture manufacturer Good Companies in Tijuana, he managed product development teams in Mexico, China and the USA. He also served from 2001 to 2004 as Computational Analysis and Product Engineer at the Delphi Dynamics & Propulsion Innovation Center in Ciudad Juarez, where he collaborated on two patents and seven records of invention.

Sanchez has a Bachelor’s degree in Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Manufacturing Systems, both from the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey. He earned an MS in Environmental Health Management from Harvard University. In a recent Biofuels Digest industry poll, he was named one of the Top 100 People in Bioenergy for 2012-2013.

Bill Charneski — General Manager, Oil and Gas Division

As a highly experienced C-level executive, engineer and manager, Bill Charneski has operational and profit/loss responsibility for OriginOil’s new oil and gas division. He is responsible for all aspects of the company’s solids separation and concentration technology, spanning product development, sales and licensing, manufacturing control and integration with other industry systems. Prior to joining the company he served as CEO of two startup firms, with a demonstrated track record of creating sustained sales growth through the introduction of new products and process innovation within the companies he managed.

Earlier in his career as a chemical process engineer, plant supervisor and regional sales manager for Dow Chemical, Bill gained extensive experience with process development and industrial equipment design and manufacturing, as well as a range of cross-functional knowledge and skills regarding marketing, sales, finance, operations, project management, team building, and quality control systems in an industrial environment.

Bill holds an MBA degree from Central Michigan University, as well as a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Alex Leshnick — General Manager, Licensing Group

Alex Leshnick, General Manager of OriginOil’s Licensing Group, has significant experience in both the patenting of technology and in business development.

During his tenure at the University of Southern California as a Business Development and Technology Licensing Specialist, Alex managed a portfolio of over 150 technologies consisting of several hundred patents and patent applications. Alex has brought many promising and emerging technologies to the market by successfully licensing technologies to both startups and established companies in the areas of clinical therapeutics, nanotechnology and network analytics.

“Alex has successfully prosecuted the company’s patent portfolio for the past two years, and understands the market opportunities for OriginOil’s solids extraction technology and its revenue potential,” stated Riggs Eckelberry, CEO, on February 13, 2013. “We are confident that he will handle these added responsibilities with his usual speed and competence.”

Alex Leshnick holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from U.C. Davis in Genetics and has studied in the USC Marshall School of Business; Entrepreneurial Studies program. He is also a Registered Patent Agent.

Eric Sandler — Controller

With over 15 years of accounting and finance experience in the technology and legal sectors, Eric Sandler has a proven track record of effective corporate financial management and internal controls. In 2000, Eric joined Neptune Networks, Inc. when it was a startup and as Financial Controller contributed significantly in the growth and expansion phase of the Company into a market leader in the industry. He negotiated and maintained numerous contracts adding significant amounts to annual revenue, implemented many internal controls and efficient cost reduction strategies and was instrumental in positioning the Company for eventual buyout.

Eric holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Northridge.