Leadership Team: Engineers, Experts and Managers
Rashi Akki, Ph.D., Founder and CEO
Dr. Akki launched Ag-Grid Energy LLC in 2016 with a vision for carbon negative production of renewable biofuels from cow manure and food waste that would simultaneously improve the viability and financial stability of American dairy farms. Previously, Dr. Akki worked at the DuPont chemical company, where she held senior positions in central R&D, DuPont Titanium Technologies, Nonwovens and Industrial Biosciences. Dr. Akki is a member of the American Biogas Council and Mid-Atlantic Biomass Energy Council. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University, M.S from University of Connecticut and Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Abu Akki, Director Business Development
Abu joined Ag-Grid Energy after 2 years of manufacturing experience as a process improvement engineer at Eastman Chemical Company. In that position, he implemented large-scale changes, improved manufacturing processes and increased capacity. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Andrew Ferguson, Director Business Development
Andrew joined Ag-Grid Energy after 3 years as a project manager at Ecostrat. In this role he conducted due diligence and feedstock sourcing efforts for biogas projects. Andrew graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Global Energy Transition and Governance from Centre International de Formation Europeénne in Nice, France.
Kenneth Verhelle, Director Food Waste Strategy & Operations
Ken brings over three decades of experience in the solid waste industry, including expertise in logistics management for moving waste. Most recently, Ken was with Agri-Cycle Energy, which collects, de-packages and recycles organics through anaerobic digestion. Previously he managed special waste projects that included site remediation and managed recycling services for municipalities and hauling companies.