Rare Earth & Critical Materials Summit

Jackie Bowman Ponder is the Chief Legal Officer and co-owner of Bowman Family Holding, Inc., which she runs alongside her brother, Fred. After over 40 years of active surface and underground coal mining in southwestern Indiana, the Bowman family sold the mining business but retained over 80 million tons of coal assets and 8,000 contiguous acres in Pike County, Indiana.  Deeply rooted in the livestock industry, the company manages swine multiplication and grow-out facilities across Indiana and Michigan, as well as turkey grow-out operations in Indiana.

In her executive role, Jackie navigates the complex intersection of production and policy—overseeing corporate contracts, environmental compliance, labor, and government relations while driving overall corporate strategy.

A dedicated advocate for the agricultural community, Jackie serves on the Boards of Directors for both Indiana Pork and the National Pork Producers Council. She also brought her industry expertise to public service, leading Indiana Governor Mike Braun’s transition vertical focusing on energy and natural resources. Jackie holds a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University, a J.D. from Indiana University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Congresswoman Erin Houchin proudly represents the 9^th Congressional District of Indiana. As a mother, community leader, and small business owner, Erin is dedicated to serving the 9^th district to better the lives of all Hoosiers who call it home. 

Erin currently serves on the House Rules Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Energy & Commerce Committee. Previously, Erin represented the 47th District in the Indiana Senate for eight years and served as a member on several committees with jurisdiction over issues important to Hoosiers, including: Commerce and Technology; Elections; Family and Children Services; Utilities; Veterans Affairs and the Military; Homeland Security and Transportation; Energy, Utilities, Telecommunications; and Ranking Member of the Tax and Fiscal Policy.

Along with her service in the State Senate, Erin was a small business owner operating a communications firm focused on helping law enforcement communicate the good work they do. In addition to her private sector work, Erin held several leadership positions in her community. These positions included 9th District Chairwoman of the Indiana Republican Party, 9th District Chairman of the Indiana Federation of Republican Women, Vice Chairwoman of the Washington County Republican Party, and the Governor’s appointee to the Indiana Commission of Women. In 2011, Erin also served as Southeast Indiana Regional Director for U.S. Senator Dan Coats which covered most of Indiana’s 9^th Congressional District.

Erin graduated from Indiana University with her Bachelor’s degree, and proceeded to earn her Master’s degree in Political Management from the George Washington University.

Erin was born in Southern Indiana and is a native to the 9th District. She married her husband Dustin in 2002, and they currently live in Washington County with their three children.

Suzanne Jaworowski is the Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources for the State of Indiana, appointed by Governor Mike Braun. Secretary Jaworowski brings extensive experience in energy policy as a leader in the private sector and the U.S. Department of Energy.

As the Secretary of Energy, Jaworowski will provide leadership to navigate Indiana’s energy challenges and improve accessibility. Consistent with Gov. Braun’s agenda, the Administration is focused on ensuring the state has enough affordable and reliable energy sources to sustain current residents and attract new development.

Jaworowski most recently served as Executive Director of Stakeholder Services at MISO Energy, overseeing stakeholder relations and client services. She previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Policy & Communications in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy during the first Trump administration.  While at DOE, Ms. Jaworowski lead the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation, as chairperson for the 65-country, government-to-government initiative on safeguards, security and development for nuclear energy.   She later went on to work at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.  

Before her federal service, Jaworowski directed communications and government relations at Hallador Energy and founded Ryder Research Consulting, where she advised energy companies, utilities, and industry associations.

Recognized for his impressive more than 30-year career as an expert in the critical minerals industry and global operations, David brings his unparalleled experience and knowledge to his role as Chief Executive Officer and President of Cirba Solutions.  

Dr. Woong Sun Lee is a CEO at SK hynix Semiconductor West Lafayette LLC, and Senior Vice President at SK hynix, the second largest semiconductor memory chip company.

Dr. Lee succeeded in developing products using TSV(Through silicon via) and WLP(Wafer level package), the original technologies of Microelectronics Packaging, and mass-producing them for the first time in the world 2013. Typically, High Bandwidth Memory(HBM) products  have been successfully full automated mass-produced since 2020, and SK hynix has contributed to solidifying its No. 1 position in the HBM market.

In addition, as a microelectronics packaging expert, he is active as a technical committee of various organizations such as IEEE EPS(Electronics Packaging Society), ITRS(International Technical Roadmap for Semiconductors), and IMAPS(International Microelectronics Assembly & Packaging Society) since 2007.

Dr. Lee joined SK Group in 2005 and served in charge of PKG product development and PKG technology development from 2005 to 2018, Wafer level package manufacturing technology from 2019 to 2023, and is currently in charge of AP&M technology and SK hynix Indiana Office.

He received Ph.D in Materials Science and  Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST).

Rob Lundstrom’s business background includes experience in the formation and execution of business funding strategies, financial performance measurement, business plan implementation, operations administration, commercialization of business concepts, business valuations, transaction structuring, forensic due diligence, contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, business divestitures, Federal and State funding programs, and international trade finance.

Rob’s career has included executive, advisory and Board positions in financial management, commercial banking, microprocessor technologies, solid waste services, remediation and environmental services, healthcare services and telehealth, eSports, casino gaming, apartment development, hospitality, commercial real estate development, property management, historic restorations, event venue operations, food and beverage, ballistics manufacturing, site security training services, and higher education.

Rob has served as the CFO and primary financial strategist overseeing the operation and development of four private companies which completed high value owner exits to publicly held companies within five years of formation.

Josh Richardson serves as President of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation within the Indiana Commerce Vertical under Secretary David Adams. He previously served as Commissioner and Chief of Staff at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), where he held various leadership roles since rejoining the agency in March 2018.

 Richardson has an extensive background in public service. He began his career with the State of Indiana, serving in multiple roles at DWD and in the Office of Governor Mitch Daniels as a Policy Director. Under Governors Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence and Eric Holcomb, he held several key positions within DWD, including Director of Indiana’s Unemployment Insurance System.

Between his two stints at DWD, Richardson worked at the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ Integrity Center, where he advised states on reducing fraud and improper payments in unemployment insurance programs.

A native of Blackford County, Richardson earned his undergraduate degree from Ball State University and his law degree from the McKinney School of Law.

Nien-Hwa Wang is the Maxine Spencer Nichols Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering. Her research interests are in chemical and biochemical separations. Current projects are focused on adsorption and chromatography processes, which are highly selective and versatile techniques capable of producing pure materials of uniform size, shape, composition, and surface properties. The goals of her research are to understand the kinetics and equilibrium of competitive adsorption at liquid-solid interfaces and to develop novel, economical large scale adsorption processes. Various theoretical analyses, computer simulations, and experimental studies are used to address these key issues. In collaboration with industry and national laboratories, her research group is developing novel large scale simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography processes for the recovery of nonbiodegradable chemicals from waste streams and a variety of biochemicals including sugars, antibiotics, anticancer drugs, amino acids, peptides, and proteins from biological sources. Analysis based on the concept of standing concentration waves has been developed to facilitate the design and optimization of multiple system and operating parameters in SMB systems for multicomponent fractionation. Computer simulations based on a detailed parallel pore and surface diffusion model have been developed to understand the transient wave propagation and its relation to port movement frequency and intra-column and extra-column mass transfer effects. A systematic SMB design and optimization method based on the standing wave analysis has been established. A versatile simulated moving bed pilot plant has been developed and tested for multi-component separation.

Michael J. Woods is the President & Managing Member of Woods Capital, LLC.  Woods Capital, a global financial advisory firm, is exclusively focused upon institutionally based financial structures and modeling, capital solutions and real estate development.   Innovation, Infrastructure and Impact are Woods Capital’s three business verticals of expertise.

Michael is a general partner of Founder Friendly Venture Capital (FFVC) Company, currently on their 7th Venture Capital Fund.   He is also a partner of Carbon Quest Solutions, an environmental credit advisory firm based in Chicago and Dubai.  Michael is a board member and partner of Roman DBDR, a SPAC sponsor specialist focused on structuring projects for innovative technology companies.  He is also an owner and board member of the CROVER Group and Harmony Group, both based in Sri Lanka and global real estate development firms focused upon building resort communities.  

Michael previously served as the CEO & COO of Rothschild & Co. Asset Management U.S., Inc., and Global Partner of Rothschild & Co.  Prior to Rothschild & Co., he served as CEO of DWS Investments and Head of the Americas, Global Client Group, for Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management. 

Michael is a Senior Advisor of KingsRock Advisors in New York City; a network of former Deutsche Bankers focused on capital and financial solutions and structures.  He is the Chair of the Long Island Chapter for Tiger 21, a global peer-to-peer learning community of entrepreneurs, wealth creators, and investors.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Finance Committee for the Business Council for International Understanding based in New York City and Washington, DC, and a Board Member and Chair of the Development and Communications Committee of The Korea Society based in New York City.  Michael is a member of both The Leadership Council and the Small Business Technology Council for the National Small Business Association (NSBA) in the U.S., and a member of the Global Executive Consultation Group of the Blue Dot Network, a division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) based in Paris.   Michael is a 2018 honoree of the “New York Responsible 100 Award” and a member within the “Top 100 Innovators & Entrepreneurs Magazine” for 2023.  He previously served on the Board of Directors of The New York Metropolitan Opera, The Children's Village in New York City and The Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization of Massachusetts Bay. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Taylor University located in Upland, Indiana, where he is a member of their Board of Visitors. He resides on Long Island, NY, with his wife, Jennifer, and twin daughters.