Co-Director

Chris has over 18 years of experience in the field of renewable energy resources.  He served as the Director of Research and Development for Community Fuels, a biodiesel producer that operates a production facility and fuel terminal in Port of Stockton, California.  He has worked as an independent consultant on several projects related to biomass energy, wave and tidal energy, energy and water efficiency in agriculture, and sustainable systems for local production of food and energy.

Chris is a part-time chemistry lecturer at the Windward Community College campus of the University of Hawaii and has also taught at several other colleges and universities (past assignments have included Hawaii Pacific University, Laney College, UC Davis and Cal State East Bay).  He has served as an adjunct faculty member of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii.

Chris was born and raised in Hawaii, where he attended Punahou School.  He received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Oceanography from the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.  He was selected as a postdoctoral fellow of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Program and performed his postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  

Chief Financial Officer

Jeff Rola is the founder of Go Bio. For the past ten years he has collected Used Cooking Oil (UCO) from hundreds of restaurants to make low-carbon bio-diesel fuel. He recently sold the cooking oil business after collecting the feedstock for nearly one million gallons of bio-diesel. In 2018 Go Bio was repurposed to supply biofuels directly to customers through the use of smart phone technology Go Bio Community Fuels. Jeff moved to Central Oregon more than 30 years ago with his wife Susan. He has broad experience in media, journalism, marketing, public relations, non-profit development and management, community action, and natural resources conservation. He has worked in the private and public sectors as well as owned his own businesses. He also serves his community through service on the boards of 350 Deschutes, the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District, and recently as the Chief Financial Officer of the Nikua Training Center. Jeff seeks and prefers work that sustains, conserves, and enhances our quality of life. That was his motivation behind the founding of Go Bio.

Co-Director

Taniela Tabuya serves as the Principal Scientific Officer for the Fiji Department of Energy.  Professional strengths include research, project development, Review of Policy & implementation, Standards, and management.

In working for the Department of Energy Taniela has expanded his knowledge in mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering.  Taniela has the experience needed to rapidly identify the drivers and opportunities for the development of renewable energy projects, water projects, and environment impact assessments.