CRAIG HURLBERT
CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Craig Hurlbert has served as our Chief Executive Officer since December 2023 and as a member of our Board since November 2021. He previously served as our Senior Vice President of Strategy from June 2023 to December 2023 and our Co-Chief Executive Officer from November 2021 to June 2023. Mr. Hurlbert co-founded Local Bounti in August 2018. Mr. Hurlbert also co-founded BrightMark Partners, LLC, a growth equity and management firm providing capital and resources to venture, growth phase and middle-market businesses, and served as a Managing Partner from January 2014 to March 2021. Previously, Mr. Hurlbert served in various leadership roles at TAS Energy, a leading provider of high efficiency and modular cooling and energy systems for the data center, commercial, industrial, and power generation markets, including President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board. Mr. Hurlbert also held leadership roles at General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) and North American Energy Services. Mr. Hurlbert is currently the Chairman of the Board at Clearas Water Recovery, a company utilizing patented, sustainable, and proprietary technology to solve high nutrient wastewater challenges in the municipal and industrial water markets. Mr. Hurlbert earned his B.S. in Finance from San Diego State University and his M.B.A. from California State University-Long Beach.
TRAVIS JOYNER, JD, PH.D.
CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Travis Joyner has served as our Chief Technology Officer since June 2023 and has served as a member of our Board since November 2021. He previously served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer from November 2021 to June 2023. Mr. Joyner co-founded Local Bounti in August 2018. Mr. Joyner also co-founded BrightMark Partners, LLC, a growth equity and management firm providing capital and resources to venture, growth phase and middle-market businesses, and served as a Managing Partner from January 2014 to March 2021. At BrightMark Partners, LLC, Mr. Joyner was an active director for many portfolio companies, driving with growth plan execution, building core business infrastructure, and leading many successful debt and equity transactions. His areas of expertise include quantitative analysis, corporate strategy, technology development, market analysis, organizational design structure, market strategy, branding, and capital campaigns. Mr. Joyner earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, where his graduate focus was market research and statistics, a Certificate of Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from the University of Montana, and his B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, graduating with distinction.
KATHLEEN VALIASEK
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
An entrepreneurial executive, Kathleen brings a 30 year record of driving profitable growth in public and privately held companies from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, within the biotech, retail, telecommunications, real estate and healthcare markets.
Most recently, Kathleen served as CFO and CBO of Amyris, Inc., a publicly traded biotech and commercial stage manufacturing company with global operations. She closely partnered with the CEO to expand product offerings in B2B and consumer markets. Kathleen raised over $1B in debt and equity financing while simultaneously reducing debt and attracting institutional investors. As CBO, Kathleen led the strategic market entry into the pharmaceutical industry. During her tenure Amyris’ market cap grew from $300M to $5B.
Prior to Amyris, Kathleen provided strategic and financial consulting services through Lenox Group, Inc., the company she founded in 1996. Clients included Fortune 500 companies such as Albertsons, CVS, Gap, Kaiser Permanente and Softbank, as well as smaller clients preparing for IPOs. She was typically engaged for critical roles on multi-year assignments including M&A transactions, debt and equity financings, IPOs and spin-offs.
Kathleen earned a Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.