Board Of Directors

Schnitzer Board of Directors

Front Row (left to right): William Furman, John Carter, Kenneth Novack, Jean Reynolds.
Back Row (left to right): Ralph Shaw, Judith Johansen, Scott Lewis, Robert Ball, Jill Schnitzer Edelson, William Larsson, Mark Palmquist.


Kenneth Novack

Chairman

Kenneth has been a Director since 1991 and Chairman since May 2005. Kenneth was Chief Executive Officer of Schnitzer Investment Corp. (SIC) from January 2002 until January 2006 and Chairman of the Board of SIC from 2004 to 2006, and President of SIC from 1991 until 2002. Kenneth served as Chairman of the Board of Liberty Shipping Group from 1991 until 2006 and Chairman of the Board of Lasco Shipping Co. from 2000 to 2003. He was an Executive Vice President of Schnitzer Steel from 1991 until 2003 and is a director of Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Kravis Leadership Institute.


John Carter

President and Chief Executive Officer

John joined Schnitzer Steel as President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2005. From 2002 to May 2005, John was engaged in a consulting practice focused primarily on strategic planning in transportation and energy for national and international businesses, as well as ownership of other small business ventures. From 1982 to 2002, John served in a variety of senior management capacities at Bechtel Group, Inc. including Executive Vice President and Director, as well as President of Bechtel Enterprises, Inc. and other operating groups. He retired from Bechtel at the end of 2002. Prior to his Bechtel tenure, John was a partner in a San Francisco law firm. He is a director of Northwest Natural Gas Company and FLIR Systems, Inc. and Kuni Automotive.


Scott Lewis

Director

Scott has been a Director since April 1998. Scott is a graduate of Stanford Law School and is the founder and principal of Brightworks, a leading provider of organizational sustainability consulting and green building advisory services.


Jean Reynolds

Director

Jean has been a Director since September 1993. She was previously a marketing and efficiency consultant.


Jill Schnitzer Edelson

Director

Jill has been a Director since July 2005. Jill was a business development manager for Sarcos, Inc. from 1990 to 1992 and a consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton from 1985 to 1987.


Robert Ball

Independent Director

Robert has been a Director since September 1993. From 1982 to 2005, he was a partner in the Portland, Oregon law firm of Ball Janik LLP. In July 2005, he became Senior Counsel to Ball Janik LLP. He is now retired from the practice of law.


William Furman

Independent Director

William has been a Director since September 1993. William serves as chairman of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Since 1981, he has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of The Greenbrier Companies of Portland, Oregon, a publicly held company engaged in manufacturing, marketing and leasing of railcars and other equipment.


Judith Johansen

Independent Director

Judith has been a Director since January 2006. Judith joined PacifiCorp, an electric utility, in December 2000 as Executive Vice President of Regulation and External Affairs, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer from December 2001 through March 2006. She was an Executive Director of ScottishPower plc until March 2006. Judith is a director of Cascade BanCorp, IDACORP and Idaho Power, and Kaiser Permanente Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan.


William Larsson

Independent Director

William has been a Director since March 2006. Since 2000, William has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Precision Castparts Corp. of Portland, Oregon. William joined Precision Castparts in 1980 as Vice President of Finance and became Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1993. Prior to that time he held various financial management positions with the Whiting Corporation, Wheelhorse Products Inc., and Ford Motor Company.


Mark Palmquist

Independent Director

Mark has been a Director since January 2006. Since 2000, Mark has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, AgBusiness, of CHS Inc., a large integrated agricultural company. Mark joined CHS in 1979 and has held a series of management positions of increasing responsibility with CHS.


Ralph Shaw

Independent Director

Ralph has been a Director since September 1993. Ralph served as Chairman of the Company’s Audit Committee until January 2007 and Compensation Committee until August 2007. Ralph is President of Shaw Management Company, Inc., a financial services and venture capital firm. Ralph is also a director of Rentrak Corporation and the Tax-Free Trust of Oregon.


Board Committees

Schnitzer Steel has three standing committees comprised entirely of independent directors. The committees and their current membership are:

Audit Committee
  • William Larsson (Chair)
  • Robert Ball
  • Judith Johansen
  • Ralph Shaw
Compensation Committee
  • Mark Palmquist (Chair)
  • William Furman
  • Judith Johansen
  • Ralph Shaw
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
  • William Furman (Chair)
  • Robert Ball
  • Mark Palmquist
  • Ralph Shaw

For committee charters, please see the Corporate Governance page.