Director

James E. Manley

James E. Manley founded Atlantic-Pacific Capital, Inc., one of the largest global privately owned placement and advisory firms dedicated to raising capital for alternative investments, in January 1995 and as chairman is responsible for business development.

Prior to founding Atlantic-Pacific Capital, Inc., Jim was a co-founder and managing director of Everest Capital Limited, a global investment advisory firm for a family of hedge funds.  Prior to establishing Everest Capital Limited, Jim was a vice president with Prudential Securities Capital Markets after starting his career in the High Yield Bond Department at Merrill Lynch & Co.

Jim earned a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University.  Jim has served on multiple public, private and non-profit boards in the past includingWisdomTree Investments, Inc., the American Institute for Stuttering and the University of Virginia Health and Medical School Foundations.

Director

Wendy Ormond

Wendy Ormond has practiced transactional law for more than 35 years. Ms. Ormond served as the General Counsel for GE Structured Finance, Inc. While there, she was responsible for a global transaction business with $20 billion in assets, including equity and debt financing of infrastructure projects and big-ticket assets, privatizations, securitizations, distressed-debt programs and investment funds, all on a highly structured, project-finance or tax-advantaged basis. This work included power generation and transmission equipment and systems, telecom, commercial aircraft, ocean-going vessels, and other transportation equipment and facilities (seaports, airports, toll roads) and industrial facilities, such as paper mills, chemical plants and plastic factories.

Founder, Director

David Schwedel

David Schwedel is the Founder of ENCINA. Mr. Schwedel has a demonstrable career in building businesses and creating shareholder value for more than 25 years. He has a depth of experience in complex cross-border financing, project financing, and global capital markets. Mr. Schwedel has been responsible for completing more than $2.1 Billion in financing for various businesses over his career. He previously served as the Senior Vice President of OLMC Group, a Venture Capital firm. He was the founder of Florida Marine Management (MAREX), which he grew from a $2 million investment into a $550 million NASDAQ listed company. He served as the lead investor for notable energy technology companies within the gasification, FCR, and petrochemical sectors. He also founded Corallum, a diversified holding and investment enterprise with interests in energy, energy technology, and corporate finance. Mr. Schwedel is a member or advocate of several Florida charitable organizations. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Miami Waterkeeper.

Director, Chief Sustainability Officer

Sheida R. Sahandy, Esq.

Ms. Sahandy has over 25 years of cross-sectional experience spanning business, government, science, and law. After graduating from Columbia Law School, she practiced corporate and securities law, focusing on access to capital markets and M&A transactions. She then earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a focus on environmental science and policy. She has experience in regulatory, legislative, and governance systems at the federal, state, and local levels with deep experience in the creation of public/private partnerships to advance environmental and social goals. Most recently, she served as a member of the executive cabinet for Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, where she led the turnaround of the state agency responsible for the recovery of the nation’s largest estuary. 

Director

Carlos Cabrera

Mr. Cabrera worked at UOP LCC, now a Honeywell company, from 1973 to 2009. He served as chairman, president and chief executive officer from 2005 to 2009, strengthening UOP’s position as the leading licensor of chemistry-based technology to oil and gas firms worldwide. Mr. Cabrera served as an independent director for Ivanhoe Energy from 2010 to 2015, as well as executive chairman from 2011 to 2015; independent director for Gevo from 2010 to 2015 and president and chief executive officer of the National Institute of Clean and Low Carbon Energy from 2009 to 2011. In addition to his chemical engineering degree from UK, Mr. Cabrera received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Mr. Cabrera is a distinguished associate at FGE, a global energy consultancy, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Gas Technology Institute. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Chemical Engineering Department at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is also a Board Member of the Loker Institute at the University of Southern California.

Among Mr. Cabrera’s awards and recognition, he was awarded the 2007 Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Leadership Award by The American Institute of Chemical Engineers in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the fuels and petrochemical industry. He also received the Honeywell 2008 Senior Leadership Award, the company’s highest honor awarded to Honeywell leaders. Mr. Cabrera was added to the 2009 Hispanic Business Magazine’s Corporate Elite; he has also received an Honorary ISA Lifetime Membership from the Instrument Society of America. The. U.S. Patent Office has granted him nine patents. The University of Kentucky College of Engineering inducted Mr. Cabrera into its Hall of Distinction in 2006.

In February 2021, Mr. Cabrera was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. Mr. Cabrera received induction “For leadership in developing and commercializing widely adopted processes for fuels and intermediate chemicals.” Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

Carlos holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Director

Elaine Wong

Ms. Wong has over 20 years of private equity experience. In addition to founding H+ Partners, Ms. Wong also co-founded HAO Capital, a China-focused growth equity fund. As a private equity investor, she has helped build, fund, and take companies public in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Frankfurt, London, and New York.

She is on the Board of Trustees of MIT, is the Lead Independent Director for Hyzon Motors, is a Board member of Protium Green Solutions, she also serves on the Advisory Board for Enapter AG, and World Hydrogen Advisory Board for the Sustainable Energy Council.

Ms. Wong graduated from MIT with a B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering and has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Director

Kustin Lee

Kustin Lee is the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner of IMMG based in Hong Kong, responsible for leading the firm’s investment strategies and proprietary investments. Prior to founding IMMG, Mr. Lee led the Real Assets team at BNP Paribas in Hong Kong, where he focused extensively on various cross-border investments. Prior to BNP Paribas, he also held positions at Shinhan and Deutsche Bank. Mr. Lee brings over 14 years of experience in real asset and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Lee received his B.A. in Economics from Kyunghee University.

Director

Leslie Hess

Leslie Hess is a senior financial executive with over 29 years experience and expertise in strategy development, execution, and financial leadership in complex domestic and international transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures. Her industry experience includes energy, renewables and alternative energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, industrial, chemical, environmental services, engineering and construction, distribution, logistics.

Ms. Hess is the Chief Financial Officer of a specialized civil construction company focused on the water infrastructure market. Previously, she was a partner with Ernst & Young LLP in the Strategy and Transactions practice. Her career in public accounting started at Arthur Andersen LLP where she assisted clients during initial public offerings and other registration statements for issuance of equity or debt securities.

Ms. Hess received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Washington & Lee University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas.