Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

 

Mr. Carter has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Panda Energy since founding the company in 1982. He has more than 30 years of business experience in the energy sector in the United States and abroad. Prior to founding Panda Energy, Mr. Carter founded Carter Oil and Gas, Inc. in 1980 where he developed oil and gas prospects in the U.S. and Colombia. Before founding Carter Oil and Gas, Mr. Carter was Vice President of Oil and Lease Sales for Reserve Energy where he developed oil and chemical projects in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Carter spent his earlier career in the manufacturing sector where he represented Olin Matheson Chemical and Inland Mead Corporation. Mr. Carter attended the University of Georgia.

President

 

Mr. Carter has served as President of Panda Energy since September 2007 and from 2000 to October 2006. From October 2006 to August 2007, Mr. Carter served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Panda Ethanol. He has been employed by Panda Energy and its affiliates for 17 years. From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Carter served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Carter served as Senior Vice President of International Business Development.  Mr. Carter received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

 

 

 

Executive Vice President

 

With 30 years business experience in the energy sector, Mrs. Carter has served as executive vice president, secretary and treasurer of Panda Energy since she and her husband founded the company in 1982. She served as a director for Panda Energy and Panda Energy International Inc. for more than 20 years. Mrs. Carter was executive vice president and served on the board of Carter Oil and Gas since its inception in 1980. As executive vice president of Panda Energy International, she opened corporate offices in Katmandu, Beijing, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Teguchigulpa. She was responsible for staffing and setting up the operating and reporting systems for these offices in addition to all of Panda’s domestic facilities. She has also handled all corporate communications for the Panda companies. Before starting Carter Oil and Gas Inc., Mrs. Carter was employed in the engineering department of Otis Engineering, a division of Halliburton, for seven years, where she was the executive assistant to the president of the company. Mrs. Carter has served on numerous boards and is active in community affairs.

 

 

Mr. Nordlund rejoined Panda Energy in November 2006 as a Senior Vice President. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of Finance from 1997 to 1998 and Senior Vice President and General Counsel from 1993 to 1997 at Panda Energy.  Prior to rejoining Panda Energy, Mr. Nordlund served as an energy consultant to a large hedge fund where he, along with Mr. Graham, advised the fund on a number of emerging market energy portfolio acquisition and investment opportunities. From June 2002 to September 2002, Mr. Nordlund served as Head of Power Generation at ABB Equity Ventures until the company was put up for sale. From June 2000 to June 2002, Mr. Nordlund served as President and acting Chief Executive Officer of Dolphin Networks Ltd., a portfolio company of Dolphin Equity Partners engaged in the development of fiber optic cable networks. Mr. Nordlund has also served as Vice President and General Counsel at The Oxford Energy Company (a CMS Energy affiliate), an attorney at Constellation Holdings (a Baltimore Gas & Electric Company affiliate) and as a Partner at Winston & Strawn.  He has approximately 25 years experience in the energy sector. Mr. Nordlund received a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Management Policy from Northwestern University, a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business Administration from Vanderbilt University.

 

 

Mr. Graham joined Panda Energy as a Senior Vice President in January 2007 responsible for corporate development. Mr. Graham has 16 years of senior level experience in the energy sector. Prior to joining Panda, Mr. Graham was founder and Chief Executive Officer of an energy advisory firm from 2002 to December 2007 that advised various hedge funds on the acquisition of Prisma Energy International from Enron and on various other energy related investments in the international markets. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Graham served as Senior Vice President Corporate Development and was an Executive Committee Member for Enron Latin America located in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 1997 to 2001 and Vice President Corporate Development for Enron International and Enron Capital & Trade from 1996 to 1997. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Graham served as Vice President of Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch & Co. in the Global Energy, Project Finance and Utilities Group. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Graham was Manager of Financial Advisory Services of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Graham received a Master of Business Administration degree in International Finance from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University.

 

Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

 

L. Stephen Rizzieri is the chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary of Panda Energy. Prior to being promoted to general counsel, Mr. Rizzieri served in various executive roles including senior vice president of the company. He began his career with Panda Energy in April 1996.

From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Rizzieri was assistant general counsel of Enserch Development Corporation. From 1985 to 1993, he served in various capacities with Sunshine Mining Company and its affiliated companies, most recently as assistant general counsel and secretary. From 1981 to 1985, he served in various capacities with Woods Petroleum Corporation and its affiliates, most recently as president of Woods Securities Corporation. In 1980, Mr. Rizzieri was named deputy general counsel for the Enforcement Division of the Oklahoma Securities Commission.

Mr. Rizzieri's extensive and varied legal career has involved negotiation of joint ventures for diamond mines in Sierra Leone, where he negotiated opposite the United Nations on behalf of the government; performing due diligence to acquire gold mining operations in Costa Rica; and negotiating oil concessions in the Sultanate of Brunei. Mr. Rizzieri has also served as the primary interface with the NYSE, SEC and NASD in compliance and audit functions. He has negotiated power purchase agreements in India in addition to negotiating with the Chinese government for power purchase agreements and international joint venture partners relating to ownership, operation and production of power from merchant projects. Mr. Rizzieri also has extensive marketing, merger and acquisition experience in the oil and power industries including sales of public drilling programs sponsored by a leading independent oil and gas company and all aspects of administration, valuation and transfers of such interests.

While at Panda, Mr. Rizzieri has been responsible for negotiating and administrating engineering, procurement and construction contracts in the ethanol and power industries in addition to power sales contracts, joint venture and joint development agreements with domestic and international entities, land options, purchase and sales agreements and all other contracts required for successful project financing. These functions also included all aspects of dispute resolution including, but not limited to, litigation management on behalf of the company.

Mr. Rizzieri earned a  B.A. from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma.

 

 

Mr. Killian rejoined Panda Energy in December 2004 and has served  as Senior Vice President of Development of Panda Ethanol and Panda Energy. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Killian provided consulting, advisory and management services to various companies in the energy industry including the organization and management of a wind energy company. Mr. Killian previously served Panda Energy in many roles from 1989 through 2001, with senior management responsibility over business development, fuels, power sales, operations and asset management. Prior to joining Panda, he was Senior Vice President for Texas Eastern Gas Transmission Corporation and served in various management and engineering positions with Amoco Production Company. Mr. Killian received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida.

 

Chief Financial Officer, Finance

 

Vice President, Fuels

 

Jim Adams was promoted to vice president of fuels for Panda Energy in 1997. He served as manager of fuels beginning in 1994. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Adams was a partner with Energy International Consulting Corporation of Houston, Texas where he specialized in gas marketing and transportation issues. From 1989 to 1991, Mr. Adams was vice president of gas supply for Nortech Energy, a subsidiary of Montana Power Company and Northridge Petroleum of Calgary. Mr. Adams helped create Nortech Energy to provide a gas marketing and futures trading presence in the Gulf region for the two parent companies. From 1981 to 1989, Mr. Adams was vice president of Louisiana Energy and Development Corporation and its subsidiaries.

Mr. Adams graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana Tech University.

 

Controller

 

Salwa Nicolas joined Panda Energy in October 2006. Prior to joining the company, Mrs. Nicolas was the controller and acting chief financial officer for Telpar Inc., a subsidiary of R. R. Donnelly, for almost 10 years. Her Lead Auditor Certification allowed the company to become ISO 9001 Certified. She was also a major contributor in implementing Sarbanes–Oxley compliance.

Mrs. Nicolas received her B.A. in accounting and finance from the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon and a M.S. in accounting from The University of Texas in Dallas. Mrs. Nicolas is a certified public accountant.