2013 WISER/Galvin Center Seminar Series
"Growing the World's Fuel"
Cynthia (CJ) Warner (M.B.A.'87)
Chairman and CEO
Sapphire Energy, Inc.
Thursday, February 21, 2013 | 3:00 pm
Illinois Institute of Technology
Main Campus | IIT Tower | 16th Floor
10 West 35th Street | Chicago
[IIT ID or guest registration required at lobby desk]
Metered guest parking available in lot D5-V, view parking map)
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
RSVP to Peg Murphy (murphym@iit.edu), 312.567.6881
IIT Co-hosts:
Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (WISER)
Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation
Office of Alumni Relations
Abstract
Energy production is one of the most challenging issues facing scientists and engineers today. Sapphire Energy is at the intersection of biotechnology, energy, and agriculture; breaking down many of the barriers that were once thought to hinder algae-to-energy technology with advances in biology, chemistry, and engineering. Our product, Green Crude, is a renewable, sustainable form of crude oil that is scalable to meet growing demand and uses marginal resources like non-potable water and non-arable land. By addressing the entire value chain of algae-to-energy production and incorporating world-scale industrial analogs into a first-of-its-kind commercial demonstration site, we are well on track to reaching our goal of bringing Green Crude to commercial scale and changing the world’s petrochemical landscape. Sapphire has headquarters in San Diego, California, an R&D facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is currently operating the first Integrated Algal BioRefinery in Columbus, New Mexico.
Bio
![]() | Cynthia (CJ) Warner joined Sapphire Energy, Inc. in February 2009 as President, and was named Chairman in May of 2010, and CEO in April of 2012. She brings more than 27 years of experience in the energy, refining and transportation industries. At Sapphire Energy, Ms. Warner is leading the company’s ongoing technology development and transition into commercial-scale crude oil operations. During Ms. Warner’s tenure at Sapphire Energy, she has played an integral role in securing government financing, Sapphire Energy’s series C investment funding, and the successful design, construction, and startup of the Integrated Algal Biorefinery (IABR). Ms. Warner holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Illinois Institute of Technology. She is a featured leader in the 2008 book, "Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence" (Harvard Business School Press). |

