Russell Webb

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer of Monolith, Russell Webb brings more than 37 years of experience across the refining and petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, polymers, and carbon black industries. He is focused on advancing Monolith’s mission to produce carbon black, hydrogen, and energy at scale, while continuing to strengthen the company’s operations and support its long-term growth. 

Russ has a proven track record of leading complex manufacturing operations and delivering large-scale capital projects. Over the course of his career, he has led Operations and Engineering across multiple global sites, including 17 years in petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, and polymer production, where he served as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. During this time, he oversaw major expansion efforts, including a $750+ million greenfield Acrylonitrile-Styrene-Acrylate (ASA) polymer facility and the expansion of a large ethylene cracker plant. 

He also brings 20 years of leadership experience in the carbon black industry, serving as Vice President of Operations for a multi-site production company. His work included leading reactor technology upgrades across multiple plants, implementing more than $300 million in emissions control projects, and developing a new cogeneration facility. 

Prior to being named CEO, Russ served as Chief Operations Officer at Monolith, where he led manufacturing, environmental health and safety, capital projects, and supply chain strategy, partnering closely with commercial, development, and technology teams to support the company’s growth. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. 

Chris Mesrobian

Chief Strategy Officer

As Chief Strategy Officer at Monolith, Chris Mesrobian leads corporate strategy, business development, and the cross-functional initiatives that drive the company’s continued expansion and long-term value. Chris integrates deep technical insights with commercial commercial  foresight to develop the partnerships that anchor Monolith’s growth and strategic roadmap.

With nearly two decades of experience scaling first-of-a-kind technologies from concept to commercial reality, Chris brings deep expertise in high-temperature pyrolysis, advanced carbon materials, clean hydrogen, and power generation. He joined Monolith as an early employee and has been central to the creation and commercialization of the company’s proprietary methane pyrolysis technology, guiding it from the lab, through demonstration, to full-scale production. 

Over his 11-year tenure at Monolith, Chris has advanced through multiple leadership roles across R&D, technology, and business development. He led the startup planning team and supported initial operations for Monolith's Olive Creek 1 - the world's first commercial-scale methane pyrolysis facility - and later drove continuous improvements to fully prove the technology's commercial viability. He subsequently built the company’s business development function from the ground up, advancing early-stage projects and commercial agreements. Chris has spearheaded the technical diligence supporting the successful close of multiple financing rounds, while also leading international research collaborations, including a strategic partnership with Mines ParisTech. 

Prior to Monolith, Chris developed thermal-fluid systems across the power generation, defense, and biomedical sectors, including engineering roles at Mainspring Energy and MPR Associates.  

He holds a Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech and is a licensed Professional Engineer (Mechanical) in the State of California. 

Anna Wishart

Chief Development Officer

Anna Wishart is Chief Development Officer at Monolith, where she leads the company’s community engagement, government relations, human resources, communications, and corporate giving efforts. In this role, she supports Monolith’s continued growth and long‑term integration within the communities surrounding its operations.

Anna joined Monolith in 2021 as Director of Government Affairs & External Relations and later served as Senior Director of Public Affairs. In these roles, she led the company’s government and community engagement strategy, corporate communications and branding, and corporate giving and volunteerism programs. Her work has helped ensure Monolith’s priorities and long‑term growth are effectively represented and advanced at the local, state, and national levels.

A Nebraska native, Anna brings a strong background in public service and community leadership. She served eight years in the Nebraska Legislature, including four years as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, where she helped oversee the state budget and shaped policy related to infrastructure, education, and economic development. During her tenure, she also helped secure more than $200 million in investment for a second water source to support the City of Lincoln and surrounding communities.

Beyond the Legislature, Anna served five years on the Lincoln Airport Authority Board, including as Chair, and currently holds board positions with several organizations, including the Nebraska Diplomats, Downtown Lincoln Association, and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Earlier in her career, she served as Director of Partnerships for Nebraska’s statewide afterschool and summer learning networks.

Anna holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College.

Tim Rens

Fractional Chief Financial Officer

Tim Rens is the Fractional Chief Financial Officer for Monolith. He brings nearly 30 years of experience in various accounting, financial, and leadership positions associated with the downstream processing of raw materials including mined minerals, natural gas and crude oil. He has extensive experience leading private equity-backed businesses, organizational startup, partnership structures, debt and equity capital transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. He has focused primarily on startup opportunities for the past two decades serving in leadership roles with five startup companies since 1995.

Prior to joining Monolith, Tim held CFO positions at Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, Executive AirShare Corporation, and CVR Energy, Inc., respectively. Before joining CVR Energy, Inc., he was a consultant to Pegasus Capital Investors. From November 1995 to January 2002, Tim was the controller and chief financial officer of Farmland MissChem Limited and Farmland Hydro L.P., respectively.

Tim received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Central Missouri State. 

Tom Lahey

Vice President, Carbon Black Sales

Tom Lahey is the Vice President, Carbon Black Sales at Monolith. Prior to joining Monolith, Tom brought nearly three decades of experience in sales management at global chemical and industrial manufacturing organizations. In his role, Tom is responsible for the sales function of Monolith’s cleanly made carbon black product.

Prior to joining Monolith, Tom Lahey served in sales management roles at Evonik Degussa Corporation for 17 years, including as a Global Key Sales Account Director responsible for global tire, specialty plastics, and ink accounts.

He earned his Bachelor's degree in Logistics and Materials Management at Georgia College and State University.

Ned Hardman

Vice President, Product Development

Ned Hardman is Vice President, Product Development for Monolith, where he is responsible for all analytical testing and analysis, development of new products, and product portfolio management.  

Ned began his career at Cabot Corporation in the performance and new business segments where he held a variety of technology development positions working on the manufacture of new and unique carbon black grades as well as alternative carbon nanoparticles, such as graphene. After leaving Cabot, he continued to work on carbon nanoparticles in leadership roles at XG Sciences where he was a senior project manager. 

Ned received his B.S. from Texas Lutheran University and then graduated from UC Davis with a Ph.D. in chemistry. After UC Davis, Ned was a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos and at Ruhr Universitat Bochum as a von Humboldt Fellow. He is a member of the American Chemical Society. 

Alex Hoermann

Vice President, Technology

Alex Hoermann is Vice President, Technology at Monolith, where he leads the development of our core technology, which enables the clean and reliable production of low-cost carbon black with a natural gas feedstock.  

Prior to Monolith, Alex served as the Director of Product Engineering at a division of Orano, formerly AREVA Solar, a French multi-national group specializing in nuclear power. During his tenure there, Alex was instrumental in the commercialization of a fledgling solar thermal technology, culminating in the construction of a 250MW plant in Rajasthan, India. He started his career at Applied Materials, where he worked on a disruptive product introduction in electro-copper plating.  

He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford. He has published several patents in the fields of copper plating, solar energy, and carbon black production. 

Austin Burk

Vice President, Capital Projects

As Vice President, Capital Projects at Monolith, Austin Burk brings 17 years of experience across hydrocarbon pyrolysis, oil and gas, biofuels, and solids handling. In this role, Austin focuses on leading capital projects, supporting the development and scale-up of new technologies, and advancing operational performance across the organization.

Austin has a strong background in capital project execution, plant operations, and engineering leadership. At Monolith, he has served as Sr. Director, Capital Projects and Plant Manager of Olive Creek 1 (OC1), where he led the commissioning, startup, and early operations of the company’s first commercial-scale facility. Austin has played a key role in building, commissioning, and operating two first-of-a-kind technology plants, including Monolith’s OC1 facility and the Duonix biodiesel plant.

Prior to joining Monolith, Austin held leadership roles at Flint Hills Resources, where he served as Reliability Leader for the Biofuels & Ingredients Division supporting a fleet of ethanol and biodiesel plants. In this role, he directed reliability engineering and maintenance operations. Earlier in his career, Austin held roles at Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery and Cyclonaire Corporation leading capital projects and reliability initiatives.

Austin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Nebraska.

Weston Fanders

Vice President, Olive Creek

As Vice President, Olive Creek at Monolith, Weston Fanders brings more than 12 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and industrial energy systems, with a background in carbon feedstock pyrolysis, ethanol production, and industrial steam and boiler systems. In this role, Weston leads safety, operations, maintenance, reliability, quality, and logistics functions.

Weston has held several roles at Monolith, including Senior Operations Manager, Operations Supervisor, and Production Engineer, playing a key role in scaling the company’s first commercial facility. He led operations through the transition from construction to full plant demonstration at Olive Creek 1 (OC1), driving more than a 100% improvement in production uptime within nine months and safely executing over 125 startups and shutdowns in support of the company's technology validation. Weston also helped establish core operating systems, including management of change, quality systems, training programs, and KPI-driven operating cadences.

Earlier in his career, Weston held roles at Cleaver-Brooks and Abengoa Bioenergy. At Cleaver-Brooks, he supported expansion into the 40–100 MW cogeneration market, enabling entry into large-scale industrial and utility applications. At Abengoa Bioenergy, he served as Shift Supervisor at a commercial-scale ethanol facility responsible for safe operations, process performance, and operations leadership in a PSM-regulated facility.

Weston holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Nebraska.