Meet Our Management
Bill O'Neill
Chief Executive Officer
Bill O’Neill joined Bion as its Chief Executive Officer in May 2022. He brings 30 years of experience developing distribution channels for specialty meat products. Throughout his career, he has partnered with leading retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons-Safeway, Ahold-Delhaize, HEB and Wegmans to create new product solutions for consumers.
Mark Smith
President & General Counsel
Mark A. Smith has been President, General Counsel, interim Chief Financial Officer and a director of Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. since late March 2003. Since that time, he has also served as sole director, President and General Counsel of Bion’s wholly-owned subsidiaries including Bion Services Group.
Craig Scott
Senior Vice President
Craig Scott has been involved with Bion since 1993. In 2006 he became Bion’s Director of Communications. He is responsible for a wide range of duties: public communications, including public relations, social media communications and web presence; shareholder and broker communications; and business development, corporate and project finance, and business intelligence. Mr. Scott studied business and com-munications at Montana State and Denver-Metro Universities.
Steve Pagano
Chief Technology Officer
Steve Pagano joined Bion in 1993 as its operations engineer. Since then, he has been involved in or led all three generations of Bion’s technology R&D and system development, from engineering and oversight to construction, startup, and operations. Mr. Pagano received his M.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Florida in 1991. Before joining Bion, he was a Materials Engineer with NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
Jeremy Rowland
Senior Scientist
Jeremy Rowland joined Bion in 2006. He is responsible for a wide range of policy, regulatory, and academic issues related to Bion’s business and product opportunties. Prior to joining Bion, he worked for URS Corporation, a major national engineering and consulting firm, for 16 years, where he developed and lead URS’s efforts in the renewable energy marketplace. Mr. Rowland earned his MS in Environmental Science in 1987 from Southern Illinois University, School of Agriculture Science.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Mark Smith
Chairman
Mark A. Smith has been President, General Counsel, interim Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. since late March 2003. Since that time, he has also served as sole director, President and General Counsel of Bion’s wholly-owned subsidiaries including Bion Services Group.D
Jon Northrop
Secretary - Independent
Jon Northrop has served as our Secretary and a Director since March of 2003. Since September 2001 he has been self employed as a consultant with a practice focused on business buyer advocacy. Mr. Northrop is one of our founders and served as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director from our inception in September 1989 until August 2001.
Ed Schafer
Independent
Ed Schafer joined Bion’s Board in August, 2010, as Executive Vice Chairman, to provide Bion with strategic advice, focusing on areas of public policy related to the livestock industry both domestically and internationally. Mr. Schafer served as governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and served as Secretary of Agriculture under Pres. George W Bush from 2008 to 2009.
Bill Rupp
Independent
Mr. Rupp spent 25 years with Cargill, the last ten as President of Cargill Beef. He oversaw Cargill’s global beef business operations that did over $25 billion in annual sales in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Australia. Mr. Rupp also served five years as President of JBS Beef, where he led JBS’s North American beef business that did approximately $20 billion in sales. In 2021, Mr. Rupp was inducted into the National Provisioners’ Meat Packer Hall of Fame. Mr. Rupp joined Bion’s Board in Feb 2023.
Salvatore Zizza
Independent
Mr. Zizza brings decades of experience in institutional finance, commerce, and public company practices. He is a Director of several of the Gabelli Funds. He is also Chairman of Bergen Cove Realty, and a Director of Trans-Lux Corp. He is a retired Chairman of BAM and former CEO & Chairman of LVI Group, a NYSE-listed firm. Mr. Zizza joined Bion’s Board in Feb 2023.
Bill O'Neill
Bill O’Neill joined Bion as its Chief Executive Officer in May 2022 and became a Director in Mar 2023. He brings 30 years of experience developing distribution channels for specialty meat products. Throughout his career, he has partnered with leading retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons-Safeway, Ahold-Delhaize, HEB and Wegmans to create new product solutions for consumers.
Meet Our Advisory Group
Bill Rupp
Mr. Rupp spent 25 years with Cargill, the last ten as President of Cargill Beef. He oversaw Cargill’s global beef business operations that did over $25 billion in annual sales in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Australia. Mr. Rupp also served five years as President of JBS Beef, where he led JBS’s North American beef business that did approximately $20 billion in sales. In 2021, Mr. Rupp was inducted into the National Provisioners’ Meat Packer Hall of Fame.
Lily Edwards-Callaway
Dr Edwards-Callaway received a PhD in Animal Sciences/Livestock Behavior from Colorado State University, where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences focusing on livestock behavior and welfare. She will oversee development and implementation of the animal health and welfare program for Bion’s sustainable beef projects.
Matthew Lamb
Mr. Lamb is a third-generation dairy farmer in Upstate New York with extensive experience in agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy production, and beef-on-dairy. Lamb Farms is focused on sustainable dairy production at six locations, with a milking herd of more than 7,000 cows, as well as crop farming that provides feed for the cows and cash crops.
Dennis Tristao
Mr. Tristao spent almost 33 years, last as the Environmental Affairs Officer, at J.G. Boswell Company, a large California agricultural producer and processor. He advises Bion on environmental regulations and policy, agricultural tech and engineering, and air quality issues, and he is experienced with California Air Resources Group (CARB), San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, and the California State Water Resource Control Board.
Dennis Bracht
Mr. Bracht is the President at Seitec Genetics, an independent technology-based seed company that provides maximum flexibility in seed traits and genetics across all leading developers. He will advise Bion on organic seed, corn and feed grain cultivation, and related matters.
Stan Rapp
Mr. Rapp is the Senior Partner at Greenlee Partners, LLC, a prominent government affairs and lobbying firm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has worked with Bion for several years on environmental and clean water policy related to PA and the Chesapeake Bay and will continue to advise Bion on government affairs at both state and federal levels.