The Renewable Fuels Association congratulated three of its members, as well as a leading renewable fuels scientist, for receiving awards today at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo in Omaha.
“RFA is thrilled to see these leaders being recognized for their invaluable contributions to the U.S. ethanol industry,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We are lucky to have such thoughtful and passionate leaders in our midst; their vision and dedication have helped to continuously move the industry forward. We congratulate them on their well-deserved awards and look forward to celebrating their achievements today at the FEW.”
The High Octane Award for 2025 was presented to Mike Jerke, CEO and General Manager at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, an RFA producer member. He has served as CEO or General Manager of five different ethanol companies, was a founding board member of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, and was instrumental in the development of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association. He is a member of RFA’s executive committee and former treasurer of the board.
Rick Schwarck, President of RFA producer member Absolute Energy, received the 2025 FEW Distinguished Service Award. As co-founder of Absolute Energy, he has been a key advocate for ethanol, a unifying force during industry challenges, and a champion of scientific research on fuel health impacts. A former RFA board secretary, Schwarck received RFA’s Industry Award at the 2025 National Ethanol Conference.
The Women in Ethanol Award went to Gillian Harrison, CEO at Whitefox Technologies, an RFA associate member company. Harrison was honored for her exceptional leadership, industry impact, and unwavering advocacy for women in the sector. As CEO of Whitefox since 2009, she has led the transformation of an early-stage innovation into a globally deployed solution – now used in nearly 20 ethanol plants worldwide. RFA’s Vice President for Events and Initiatives, Mary Giglio, was a finalist for this award.
Finally, Steffen Mueller, Principal Economist at University of Illinois at Chicago, received the Award of Excellence. A frequent collaborator with RFA on research, Mueller advanced ethanol science through pioneering work in life cycle emissions analysis and land use modeling. A co-author of the land use interface for Argonne’s GREET model and a principal researcher on the Hormel Institute’s carcinogen and aromatics study, he has also published over 30 peer-reviewed papers and served as a science-based defender of the RFS.
Cooper noted that two of the awardees, Rick Schwarck and Steffen Mueller, were instrumental in recent research on the human health dangers of gasoline aromatics and the role ethanol can play in reducing those harms.
In addition, two college students received the Kathy Bryan Memorial Scholarship for higher education studies related to the ethanol industry, and have connections to RFA member producers: Isaac Harder, son of Seth Harder, General Manager and CEO of Husker Ag, LLC in Plainview, Neb.; and Claire Weibye, daughter of Richard Weibye, Chief Technical Officer at E Energy Adams, LLC in Adams, Neb.
