Board Of Directors

Paul W. Bateman, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Mr. Bateman is President of the Klein & Saks Group, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that advises clients, principally in the mining and metals industries, on public policy matters. He joined the firm in 1994 and became its President in 1997. A graduate of Whittier College, he began his career in the late 1970’s, as an aide to then President Richard M. Nixon. In 1981, he joined the White House Staff under President Reagan and, subsequently, served in that Administration in senior positions at the Departments of Commerce and Treasury. From 1989 to 1993, he served on President George H. W. Bush’s White House Staff as Deputy Assistant to the President for Management. Since 2005, Mr. Bateman has been the Chairman and Chief Executive of the International Cyanide Management Institute, which administers a voluntary industry program aimed at improving the management of cyanide used in gold mining. He is a member of the Economic Club of New York, the nation’s leading nonpartisan speaking forum, and was its President from 2004 to 2007. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of Green Seal, a non-profit, third-party certifier and standards development body for eco-labeling in the United States. Mr. Bateman is an independent member of our Board of Directors.

Edward M. Gabriel, Director

Ambassador Gabriel is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, and, since 2002, is President and Chief Executive Officer of a Washington, D.C.-based strategic business consulting company, The Gabriel Company, LLC. Ambassador Gabriel brings a diverse background in a variety of petroleum and other energy sources. Ambassador Gabriel’s experience is both domestic and international, with extensive relationships with the U.S. and Middle Eastern governments and investment capital companies interested in energy projects. He is a member of the advisory board of Guggenheim Partners, a private wealth management firm. His career includes senior management positions with firms such as CONCORD and the Madison Public Affairs Group, where he advised Fortune 100 Companies on multi-national matters in technology, energy, banking, environmental, and tax policy. Ambassador Gabriel served the Federal Energy Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, as Senior Economic Analyst. He serves as Vice Chairman of the American Task Force for Lebanon and is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also on the Board of Directors of the American School of Tangier and the Casablanca American School. He is a Bachelor of Sciences graduate of Gannon University, where he was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws. Ambassador Gabriel is an independent member of the Tri-Valley Board of Directors.

Henry Lowenstein, Director

Dr. Lowenstein has been Professor of Management at the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina, since 2007, and from 2007 to 2009 was Dean of the College. Prior to joining Coastal Carolina University, he was Dean of Business and Public Administration at California State University, Bakersfield, from 2000 to 2007. Dr. Lowenstein has a broad background in management within business, academic, government, and public service organizations. He has served as an experienced reviewer, consultant, and on a number of committees for AACSB International, the top accreditation agency for business schools worldwide. Previous academic positions include universities in Illinois, Virginia, and West Virginia. He is Chairman of the Board of the Ocean View Memorial Foundation of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and provides economic and policy research for the Executive Committee of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp. Dr. Lowenstein has published in the fields of human resource management, public policy, and transportation. During his business career, he was a corporate officer for Kemper Group-Insurance and Financial Services, Dominion Bankshares Corporation, and Americana Furniture, Inc. He previously served as a management analyst for the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Office of Management and Budget, during the Gerald R. Ford Administration. Dr. Lowenstein received his Ph.D. in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois; an M.B.A. from George Washington University; and a B.S. in Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Lowenstein is an independent member of our Board of Directors. He is chairman of both the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Loren J. Miller, Director

Mr. Miller served as Treasurer of the Jankovich Company from 2001 until his retirement in 2008. Prior to Treasurer, he served in other positions at Jankovich from 1994 to 2001. He served successively as Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Hershey Oil Corporation from 1987 to 1990 and Mock Resources from 1991 to 1992. He was Senior Financial Vice President & General Manager of Tosco Production Finance Corporation from 1975 to 1986 and was a Senior Auditor for the accounting firm of Touche Ross & Company from 1968 to 1973. Mr. Miller is a member of Financial Executive International, the nation’s leading senior financial executive organization and is a Past President of the Los Angeles Chapter. He is experienced in exploration, production, product trading, refining, and distribution, as well as, corporate finance. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Southern California. Mr. Miller is an independent member of our Board of Directors.