Team

Ryan Chittaro

MBA, Chief Financial Officer

Ryan Chittaro joined Ecovia’s team in May 2023.  He specializes in working with entrepreneurial, growth-oriented companies and has over 20 years of finance and corporate strategy experience across a variety of industries. Ryan is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Michigan State as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Elise Gregory

Process and Operations Engineer

Elise Gregory joined Ecovia in August, 2024, as a process and operations engineer. Previously, Elise had a critical role in taking a biotech startup from benchtop through pilot scale and on to production and acquisition. She provided engineering, data management, organization and execution in all facets of production. Experienced in operations, purchasing, inventory, QA/QC, regulatory, and documentation, Elise holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Geoff Horst

PhD, Chief Innovation Officer

Geoff Horst was named Chief Innovation Officer of Ecovia in January 2025. Previously, he co-founded Algal Scientific, which commercialized the first algae-based beta glucan for use in animal and human immune health supplements. After Algal was acquired by Kemin Industries, Geoff led new product development for beta glucan products, expanding into nearly every major animal production market and the top human nutraceutical brands. At Ecovia, Geoff leads product development efforts and expanding sales into new global markets. Geoff has degrees in biology and evolution from University of Michigan, Cal State Northridge and Michigan State University.

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.

Chao Peng

PhD, Research Scientist — Polymer Chemistry

Dr. Chao Peng is a Senior Research Scientist at Ecovia, 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, he was a research assistant at the University of Akron where he focused on the development of functionalized polyurethanes for antimicrobial applications. Chao graduated from the University of Akron with a Ph.D. in polymer science.

Kousay Said

MBA, Chief Executive Officer

Kousay Said has over 30 years of executive experience at Dow, other specialty chemical companies, and PE and VC-based firms, where he has successfully commercialized new technologies and led operational, financial and sales teams. Kousay studied mechanical engineering and holds an MBA from Oakland University. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Wharton.

Eric Traub

Research Associate – Fermentation R&D

Eric Traub is a Research Associate in Fermentation R&D at Ecovia, where he manages every part of the upstream process for producing our biopolymers. Previously, he worked at Dow AgroSciences, performing research with filamentous actinobacteria in both high throughput strain improvement and systems biology. While at Dow, 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 experience in fermentation in both pilot plant start-up and production scale. Eric received his bachelors of science in biochemistry from Saginaw Valley State University.

Craig Banotai

Senior Director at Ecovia Renewables

Mr. Craig Banotai is an accomplished biotechnology executive with over 30 years of experience spanning fermentation science, operations management, and recognized leadership in both startup and established environments. Currently serving as Senior Director at Ecovia Renewables Inc., Craig leverages his deep technical expertise and operational acumen to drive innovation in sustainable biobased materials and ingredients.

Craig is recognized for his expertise in fermentation and bioprocessing, with a proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams and scaling innovative technologies from lab to commercial production. His career, spanning roles at Parke-Davis, Pfizer, Draths Corporation, Algal Scientific, and Kemin Industries reflects a commitment to sustainability, operational excellence, and the advancement of renewable, biobased solutions for diverse industries.