Advisory Board

Lizbeth Cisneros

Customer Technical Services Manager for Base Oils

Motiva Enterprises

Bio
Dr. Lizbeth Cisneros is Customer Technical Services Manager for Base Oils at Motiva Enterprises, where she leads technical engagement with customers, additive companies, OEMs, and industry associations. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the chemical and refining industries, combining technical depth with commercial strategy to strengthen partnerships and support innovation across the lubricants value chain. Her career includes roles as Process Engineer, Quality Control Laboratory Manager, Process Development Team Lead, and Economics & Scheduling Economist. She has authored six peer-reviewed publications and holds two patents. Dr. Cisneros earned her Chemical Engineering degree with highest honors from Tecnológico de Monterrey, with a minor in Business Administration, and later received a Fulbright Scholarship to complete her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Linda Perry

Senior Business Development Executive

The Viswa Group

Bio

Michael D. Holloway

President

5th Order Industry

Bio
Michael D. Holloway is an industrial strategist, author, educator, and systems thinker with more than 40 years of experience in reliability engineering, lubrication, condition monitoring, designed experiments, and industrial workforce development. He is the President of 5^th Order Industry where he has developed advanced technical training systems serving thousands of professionals across manufacturing, energy, transportation, and process industries. Holloway has authored numerous technical books and papers spanning tribology, analytical chemistry, reliability engineering, microgravity materials science, and industrial cognition. His writing and speaking style uniquely blend systems engineering, philosophical inquiry, and lived operational experience, focusing not merely on how systems fail, but why humans misunderstand failure itself. His work emphasizes pattern recognition, decision quality, uncertainty management, and the hidden relationships between mechanical systems, organizational behavior, and human perception.

Greg Miiller

Chief Technical Strategy Officer

Savant Group

Bio
Greg Miiller has worked around the globe for the energy, automotive and aerospace industry over the past 30 years. With both scientific and advanced business degrees, his R&D career has progressed to be the Chief Strategy Officer for the Savant Group.  His primary influence has been enhancing the industry through innovative engineering, research technologies, process improvement and lean production methodology. Greg has been co-awarded eighteen patents for designs on testing equipment and authored many technical papers. He is currently the 2nd vice chair of ASTM D02 and actively serves as an officer with Standards Development Organizations such as Energy Institute, the Coordinating European Council and the Society of Automotive Engineers.  In 2019 Greg formed the Global Lubricants Test Standards Team that provides a communication link between specification setting organizations, standards development organizations and trade organizations from around the world.  His various narratives have been instrumental in his growth as a company entrepreneur and has founded/co-founded of four other companies within the United States.

Todd Cawley

VP of Sales, The Americas

SBZ Corporation

Bio
Mr. Cawley has a strong sales and technical background in the oil, fuel, and lubricant industries with almost 35 years in the business. Leadership roles at Sinclair Oil, American Refining Group, Nanotech Industrial Solutions and now SBZ Corporation give him a unique understanding of how additives work in the fuel and lubricants industries.   Mr. Cawley has been heavily involved in introducing new technologies to the industry including DEF, biodiesel, cetane improvers, tungsten disulfide nanoparticles, nano-carbons, and nano-ceramics. He presented at the prestigious Society of Triboligist and Lubricant Engineers yearly conference on multiple occasions.  Mr. Cawley received the Industry Innovation Award in 2008 from the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute.   Mr. Cawley has extensive international experience of business development in over fifty countries. He is fluent in many languages including Spanish.     When not working, Mr. Cawley has a passion for soccer, hiking, walking, and learning languages. As a father of seven, he takes great pride in being a good dad and now grandpa.   Education: BA in Business at The University of Utah David Eccles School of Business   Honors: International Golden Key Honor Society 

John Pezzillo

CEO

SantoLubes® Manufacturing LLC

Bio
John Pezzillo is the CEO at SantoLubes Manufacturing, a privately held, global specialty lubricants company. SantoLubes offers unique and innovative synthetic fluids, lubricants, and greases that provide solutions for difficult applications where extremely high temperatures, chemical inertness, radiation resistance, and difficult lubrication problems are encountered. John holds a BS in Chemistry from Widener University, an MBA in Finance from Fordham University, and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. His career spans over 25 years in the chemical and lubricant space. Merging his chemical, business and legal experience, John is able to identify new growth opportunities, develop proven business strategies, and execute operation plans across the entire organization. Prior to joining SantoLubes, John held various positions in production, development, sales, strategic planning, finance, and M&A at Ciba-Geigy, ICI, and Witco Chemical.

Faye Parrilla

Senior Manager – Technical Development, Lubricants & Performance Fluids

Brenntag

Bio

Faye Parrilla is a Senior Manager – Technical Development, Lubricants & Performance Fluids at Brenntag, where she leads strategic supplier engagement and drives technical and commercial initiatives across North America. In this role, she shapes regional technical strategy, strengthens key partnerships, and accelerates growth opportunities by aligning supplier capabilities with market needs. Previously, Faye served as a Technical Manager at Brenntag, where she oversaw technical inquiries, guided customers through formulation challenges, and advanced high‑value pipeline projects.

Her earlier career includes technical positions at Infineum and WD‑40 Company, where she contributed to product innovation, performance testing, and new technology development.

Faye holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (with a Minor in Mathematical Sciences).

With over a decade of experience in the lubricants industry, she brings deep technical expertise, a collaborative leadership style, and a proven ability to translate innovation into commercial success.

Sabrina Craciun

Business Development Director

Kline+Company

Bio
Sabrina Craciun is a Business Development Director at Kline+Company, specializing in international growth, market entry, and strategic partnerships across the energy and industrial sectors. She leads commercial initiatives across the Americas, EMEA, APAC, and emerging markets, working closely with executive teams to support international expansion, ecosystem development, and long-term revenue strategy. Her expertise lies in bridging market intelligence with commercial execution, helping organizations identify new value pools and scale in complex, evolving markets. Sabrina’s experience includes growth strategy, cross-border negotiations, strategic alliances, and senior stakeholder engagement. She regularly collaborates with C-suite leaders and boards, and represents Kline at major industry platforms focused on lubricants, base oils, and energy transition to support strategic growth and market positioning.

Debby Neubauer

Global Business Manager

Advancion

Bio
Debby Neubauer is Global Business Manager at Advancion Corporation, where she leads strategy and commercialization of high-performance specialty ingredients for beauty and personal care applications and Metalworking Fluids. Her background spans B2B and B2C roles, global portfolio strategy, and commercialization in highly regulated markets. Known for her practical, direct approach, Debby works at the intersection of chemistry, regulation, and market strategy, helping brands navigate performance demands alongside evolving regulatory and sustainability expectations. She holds an MBA and combines strategic insight with hands-on execution to support formulators and manufacturers worldwide.

Bhupinder Singh

Director Global Lubricant and Base Oil Business Development

Bluechem Group

Bio
Mr. Singh brings over 30 years of international experience in lubricants, and base oils across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. He has held senior leadership roles with globally recognized organizations including Castrol, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), Universal Lubricants, Duckhams Oils and most recently, Bluechemgroup, where he serves as Global Director, driving strategic expansion and commercial excellence across the globe. In addition to his corporate achievements, Mr. Singh is the Founder and Owner of the largest online group of lubricants and base oil professionals, LUBRICANT SPECIALISTS LinkedIn group with over 35,000 members worldwide. This platform serves as a key hub for industry professionals to share insights, network, and stay ahead of market trends. Renowned for his thought leadership, Mr. Singh is a regular chairman and keynote speaker at prestigious international forums such as ICIS, UEIL, Petrosil AMEA and BOLAT. His expertise spans international business development and strategic partnerships, making him a sought-after voice in the lubricants ecosystem.

Min Chen

Vice President of Business Development

CCI Corporation

Bio
Min Chen is Vice President of Business Development at CCI Corporation, a major international automotive OEM/OES fluid supplier. Based in Chicago, he leads market development and strategic expansion at CCI, with a focus on data centers and emerging applications. With more than 20 years of experience in the specialty chemical industry across water treatment, liquid cooling, and metalworking fluids, Min has held leadership roles in R&D, Sales, Marketing, and Business Management at Ecolab/Nalco Water, Dober, and Advancion. His expertise spans new product commercialization, emerging market development, and international business expansion. Min holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Duke University.

Dr. Z. George Zhang

Vice President, R&D

Valvoline Global Operations

Bio
Dr. Z. George Zhang is Vice President of R&D of Valvoline Global Operations (a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco) based in Lexington, Kentucky, where he leads corporate R&D, long-term strategy development, and product innovations. Dr. Zhang joined Valvoline in 1999 and held various roles within R&D with increasing responsibilities. In 2019-2020, he served an expat assignment as Managing Director of Valvoline China. Dr. Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nanjing University (Nanjing, China), a PhD degree in chemistry from Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY), and an MBA from University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY). He is a STLE certified lubrication specialist (CLS) and certified oil monitoring analyst (OMA I), and a certified Six-Sigma Green Belt.  He is the inventor/co-inventor of 8 US patents, and the author/co-author of 49 peer-reviewed technical publications.

Rebecca Warden

Senior Research Engineer

Chevron Oronite

Bio
Rebecca Warden is a Senior Research Engineer at Chevron Oronite, functioning as a test engineer and OEM liaison for driveline and hydraulics, with a focus on lubricant development for next generation electric vehicles. Prior to Chevron Oronite, Rebecca was the manager of Advanced Drivetrain Lubricants at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), focusing on lubricant evaluations for electrified vehicles, automatic transmissions, axles, tractor hydraulic systems, and gear/hydraulic systems in industrial applications. Rebecca has been active for nearly 14 years in the lubricants industry with over a decade of experience in driveline testing.

Jeffery L. Yost

Founder & CEO

BioRenewable Solutions LLC

Bio
Jeffery has over 30 years Global Sales Management experience within these sectors, coupled with extensive experience with Georgia-Pacific Pine Chemicals. He began his lubricant career as a Sales Engineer for D. A. Stuart, selling finished metalworking fluids to the Big Three automakers in the Detroit Metro area. Jeff then transitioned to Quaker Houghton, as a Process Engineer, with heavy focus on drawing and stamping compounds for the Ford Motor Company. After Quaker, he went on to selling vegetable-based metalworking fluid additives.

Michael Tekletsion Berhan

Powertrain Gear and Bearing Technical Expert

Ford

Bio
Michael Tekletsion Berhan is the Powertrain Gear and Bearing Technical Expert at Ford Research with over 27 years in the design and integration of gears, bearings, shafts, chains, and electric motors. He is Ford Transmission/Driveline Patent Committee Chair and teaches geartrain systems and CAE. Mr. Berhan’s been a member of the SAE Automatic Transmission Technical Committee for 21 years, sponsoring multiple standards, was SAE’s AE-29 Design Practices book’s Gear, Splines, and Chains Editor and revision author, and was geartrain lead for the SAE/Timken-Howard Simpson Transmission Innovation Award given to Ford’s 10-Speed RWD transmissions. He’s also on the AGMA Electric Drive Committee, teaches AGMA/ABMA’s Integration and Trade-Offs in Gear and Bearing Systems class, and taught STLE’s EV Transmission System, Electric Machine, and Geartrain class. He received his mechanical engineering MS from MIT, with the thesis “Implementation of a Halbach Array in a Tubular Linear Motor”, and his mechanical engineering BE from Stevens Institute, with minors in material engineering and science, technology, and society.

Anderson Vicente

General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Americas

Chevron Oronite

Bio
Anderson Vicente is the General Manager of Sales & Marketing for the Americas at Chevron Oronite, based in Houston, Texas. His role encompasses a broad range of duties, including sales operations, marketing, customer support, and comprehensive P&L responsibility for the lubricant and fuel additives business in the Americas region. He also leads the development and execution of successful market and customer strategies. Prior to his role at Oronite, Anderson held various roles at Chevron Lubricants, including B2B and B2C Sales Management, Regional Pricing Manager, and Regional Business Support Manager. Anderson’s academic credentials include a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Centro Universitário do Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia (1992 – 1997) and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Fundação Getulio Vargas (2004 – 2005), both in Brazil. With a proven history of leading sales teams throughout his 25-year career, Anderson has utilized his proficiency in account management, market segmentation, and channel management to foster enduring customer relationships that drive customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

Erica Snedegar

Vice President, Business Development

Vertex

Bio
Ms. Snedegar has been with Vertex Energy since 2014 and offers 23 years of business expertise in leadership and executive management, with 20 years of special focus in the petroleum industry, the procurement and sales of off-specification petroleum hydrocarbons, distillate fuels, non-hazardous chemicals, and transformer oils. Prior to joining Vertex Energy, she was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Heartland Petroleum, LLC. Ms. Snedegar has successfully built and owned several businesses over her 23 years — most notably, she was the Co-founder, owner, and Vice President of Heartland Refinery Group, LLC, which was the United States’ third successfully built Used Motor Oil re-refinery producing GR II + base oils.  Currently, Ms. Snedegar oversees Vertex Energy’s base oils, refined intermediate by-products and the branded products divisions.

Mike Ramsey

Publisher

Precision Lubrication Magazine

Bryan Pryor

Global Technical Specialist / Engineering Technical Leader

General Motors

Erik Willett, PhD

President

Functional Products Inc.

Bio
Erik leads Functional Products Inc., an Ohio-based producer of polymeric and specialty lubricant additives. FPI designs formulations for lubricant blenders based on their key raw materials and technical specs. Then FPI manufactures and supplies tailor-made components that provide optimal performance-to-cost ratio for the customer. Erik earned his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut and his Doctorate in Polymer Science at the University of Akron. He has previously been a technology scout for Fortune 500 firms and co-managed a small investment group supporting local tech startups in the Northeast Ohio region. Through his time at Functional, Erik has received the NLGI Development Author Award, NLGI Award for Academic Excellence, and the NLGI India PPC Gonsalves Memorial Award for various work on improving the understanding of polymers in lubes and greases.

Mark Petraroia

IOEM Manager – Americas

TotalEnergies

Bio
I am Mark Petraroia, I am the current Industrial OEM Manager for TotalEnergies overseeing all OEM technical relationships in North and South America. I have been with TotalEnergies for 11 years as of 2024. I spent, 3 years as Global Product Manager for stationary gas engine, turbines, and transformer lubricants supporting our business around the globe. In the Global Product Manager role I was responsible for product life cycle as well as providing technical support to customers and affiliates around the world.  I started my career in the US with over 7 years of experience in the technical department as a product manager and field engineer for the local TotalEnergies lubricants affiliate. I am pleased to be back in the US and be able to support the local lubricants industry once again.

Troy P. Muransky

Lead Organic Materials Engineer

American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM)

Bio
Troy received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University. He has over 17 years in the automotive industry and has held various roles in Materials Engineering, Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Analytical Chemistry, Quality, and Laboratory Management. Troy’s technical expertise is focused on lubricants, surface treatments, and coatings with most of his career being centered around research, development, testing, troubleshooting, and product launches of organic materials used in driveline applications. He currently serves as the Chairmen and ASTM D7452 (L-42) reviewer for the Lubricant Review Institute (LRI) for all SAE J2360 gear oil approvals, and an active member of ASTM, SAE, API, and STLE organizations.

Sanya Mathura

Managing Director and Senior Consultant

Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd

Bio
Sanya is the Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd based in Trinidad & Tobago and operates in the capacity of Managing Director and Senior Consultant. She works with global affiliates in the areas of Reliability and Asset Management to bring these specialty niches to her clients. She holds her BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, MSc in Engineering Asset Management and is an ICML certified MLE (Machinery Lubrication Engineer) – the first female in the Caribbean. Sanya was also the first female in the world to achieve the ICML Varnish badges (VIM & VPR). She sits on the Editorial board for Precision Lubrication Magazine and is a digital editor for STLE’s TLT Magazine for 2024. Sanya is also a bi-monthly columnist for Equipment Today Magazine. She is the author and co-author of five books; Lubrication Degradation Mechanisms, A Complete Guide , Lubrication Degradation – Getting into the Root Causes , Machinery Lubrication Technician (MLT) I & II Certification Exam Guide and “Preventing Turbomachinery ‘Cholesterol’ – The Story of Varnish.” She has also been assigned the Series Editor of the book series, “Empowering women in STEM with the first book being launched in Dec 2022, Empowering Women in STEM – Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World . When not writing or managing the business, you can find her supporting projects to advocate for women in STEM.

Inga Hermann

Sales Manager & Sustainability Lead

Ergon International

Bio
Inga Herrmann has been in the lubricant industry for about 25 years and has a unique perspective from professional and strategic selling, key account management and evaluating sustainability concepts for the lubricant industry. Inga has a bachelor’s in business administration and holds a degree as certified professional for lubricants technology. Inga is currently head of the lubricants department at VSI – German Lubricant Manufacturers Association. She worked as industrial key account manager at Shell Deutschland GmbH more than two decades. The last years at Shell she was responsible for evaluating and gaining new business with OEMs and key customers in different segments of industrial lubrication, e.g. Power Generation, General Manufacturing, Auto Components Cement and Steel, etc. with a focus of the grease business. In 2020 Inga Herrmann joined VSI with a responsibility for establishing a European sustainability standard for the lubricant industry and other lubricant topics like standardization of highest importance for the member companies. In 2018 Inga joined the Earthwatch Expedition “climate change in northern ecosystems” in Churchill Manitoba in the western Hudson Bay region of Canada as a volunteer where she supported the scientific research at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. This is a long-term research programme to understand climate-related changes in northern ecosystems. Annual data provides deeper insight into these systems and evidences the signs of global environmental change. Participants help collect data on features of permafrost, soil, tree growth, plant phenology, mammals and birds.

Kiko Franchini

Executive Customer Centricity Manager

Infineum Italia srl

Bio
In his role as Executive Customer Centricity Manager, Kiko is accountable for the Customer Centricity Transition to put the customer at the heart of everything Infineum does. This is a key component of the broader Infineum strategic transformation initiatives to achieve our mission: create a sustainable future through innovative chemistry. Kiko started his career with Fiat Lubrificanti, now Petronas Lubricants International, responsible for the technical services and OEM relationships. In his 23 years with Infineum, Kiko has covered many commercial leadership roles spanning from global business management to regional/segment marketing responsibilities. He has also had extensive experience in corporate positions such as enterprise and operational risk management, customer performance and corporate communications. He has been able to expand his professional experience through expatriate assignments in UK and Asia Pacific, returning from Singapore mid-2021. Throughout his career, he has supported the Additives industry with roles on various industry bodies and associations as an advisor and senior member. He is passionate about golf, tennis and skiing and currently chairs a well know charity association in his home town of Genoa.

Bernard Fisic

Managing Director

Setral

Bio
Bernard Fisic is Managing Director at Setral, a German-French producer for specialty lubricants. Setral was founded in 1969 and is specialized in greases, special oils, pastes, PFPE and food grade lubricants and has a global presence in more than 90 countries. Bernard has led Setral since 2018 and he brings more than 20 years of experience in specialty lubricants. He holds a diploma in business administration and is a Senator at Senate of Economy Germany. About Setral: setral ® develops and produces high-performance and special lubricants for industrial applications. Well-known customers worldwide benefit from our fifty years of experience. With partnerships in over 80 countries we are represented worldwide. The use of the most modern laboratory facilities, excellently trained staff and a high-end production line make us an innovative and strong partner. Our broad product range of high-performance and special lubricants offers the answer to most questions in the field of lubrication technology.

Jerry DiNello

Global Business Team – Head of Automotive & Bearing Industries North America

Klüber Lubrication

Rafe Britton

Technical Specialist

Lubrication Expert

Bio
Rafe Britton is a Lubrication Engineer with 14 years of oil industry experience, split evenly between drilling operations and maintenance and downstream lubricants engineering. During his 12 years at ExxonMobil, Rafe worked across some of the largest, most complex capex projects in the ExxonMobil portfolio, including PNG-LNG and Gorgon-Jansz. He then transitioned into the finished lubricants business, helping industrial customers across the APAC region improve machine reliability. In 2020 Rafe started the Lubrication Explained YouTube channel, seeking to accomplish the following objectives: Help provide freely available, high-quality information about lubricants technology Create a community of learning for the lubricants industry Connect a wide array of experts with each other The channel has since expanded into a podcast (Lubrication Experts), an online training business (Lubrication Explained Pro) and led to multiple speaking engagements at industry events. Rafe now works as an independent consultant across all parts of the lubricants value chain. This includes working with base oil and additive suppliers, lubricants blenders, marketers & distributors, as well as end-users. With connections throughout the industry, if Rafe doesn’t hold the answer to your specific problem, he likely knows someone who does.