Rich Schoonover joined CEESI as the President in November 2017 and was appointed to President of Corporate Operations in January 2018, then to President and CEO in 2021. Before joining CEESI he spent more than eight years at Solix Algredients, a venture-backed Colorado State University spinout that supplies algae-based, natural ingredients to health-conscious consumers. During his tenure as chief operating officer, he successfully pivoted the company from a producer of algal biomass for renewable biofuels to an FDA-regulated supplier of algalbased nutraceutical ingredients. Before joining Solix, he held leadership roles at Enginuity (now a Dresser-Rand company) and Tenneco Energy. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, and was one of three graduate students responsible for the construction of the Large Bore Engine Testbed at CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory.

Education

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University