Board of Directors

American Vanguard is managed under the direction of the Board of Directors, whose purpose is to maximize long-term economic value for our stockholders by responsibly addressing the concerns of our employees, business partners, the communities and governments where American Vanguard has operations and does business, and the public at large. In fulfilling its duties, the Board and its committees oversee the corporate governance of American Vanguard, oversee and advise management in developing our financial and business goals, oversee our public disclosures and the processes behind them, and evaluate management's performance in pursuing and achieving those goals.

Board Diversity

As part of our commitment toward diversity, we have focused our efforts at the highest echelon of management oversight, namely, our Board of Directors. With the recent addition of Marisol Angelini, American Vanguard's nine-person Board of Directors is now one-third women and, for purposes of California's board diversity mandates (SB 826 and AB 979), includes three women as well as three persons belonging to underrepresented groups (in this case, persons who, respectively, identify with LBGTQ, and Latinx).

To contact our Board of Directors, please email directors@amvac.com.

MARISOL ANGELINI

Director Since

2021

COMMITTEES

Audit, Compensation, Finance (Chair)

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Marisol Angelini, age 60, was elected as a director with the Company in December 2021. Ms. Angelini served through 2018 in positions of increasing responsibility over 22 years at The Coca-Cola Company, including in the capacity of GM and VP of Global Tea/Water Business and Chief Marketing Officer (Mexico, Brazil and most recently Central and Eastern Europe Business Units). Prior to that service, she was Group Brand Manager for Procter & Gamble in Venezuela. Ms. Angelini currently sits on the board of Bush Brothers & Company (a privately held food company) where she serves on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. She is also a member of the board of NACD Atlanta Chapter (National Association of Corporate Directors), which is dedicated toward director education and best practices for public company boards. Ms. Angelini’s experience in the food sector (which is our ultimate customer), global management/marketing, new product launching, and governance are all valuable traits for our board of directors. 

Scott D. Baskin

Director Since 

2014 

COMMITTEES

Audit, Nominating and Corporate Governance, Risk (Chair)

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Scott D. Baskin, age 68, was elected as a director with the Company in January 2014. Mr. Baskin has extensive experience as a litigator arising from his 35-year career with the law firm of Irell & Manella, from which he retired at the end of 2013. During his tenure at Irell & Manella, Mr. Baskin concentrated his practice on intellectual property, technology, real estate, business torts and securities actions for a multitude of corporate clients. A frequent lecturer and writer, he has published many articles on intellectual property rights, patent infringement, trial preparation and discovery. He was an assistant instructor at Yale Law School and clerked for Hon. Y. C. Choy, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Baskin holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Stanford University and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Mr. Baskin brings legal acumen and extensive experience in intellectual property matters, which complement the Company’s commitment to technology innovation.  

MARK BASSETT

Director Since

2022

COMMITTEES

Compensation

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Until December 31, 2021, Dr. Bassett was the Chairman and CEO of Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC). The leadership of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) selected him to manage the transition of HSC to becoming a standalone company of approximately $1 billion in revenue and roughly 1,200 of employees. HSC is a leading provider of ultra-pure polycrystalline silicon and other silicon-based products used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, solar cells and modules. Prior to leading HSC, from 2012-2016 he was a global VP, Polyurethanes at The Dow Chemical Company responsible for a multi-billion-dollar global P&L with over 2000 associates at over 35 sites globally. From 2009-2012, he led the formation of Dow Oxygenated Solvents which consolidated three separate businesses into a multi-billion-dollar portfolio with 10 sites and approximately 500 employees. He graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and holds a M.S. and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He was selected as a National Science Foundation post-doctoral fellow.

Debra F. Edwards

Director Since

2011

COMMITTEES

Compensation (Chair), Finance, Risk

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Debra F. Edwards, age 68, was elected as a director with the Company in 2011.  Dr. Edwards has over 35 years of experience specializing in pesticide residue chemistry, human health risk assessment, human health and ecological risk management, registration, re-registration and regulatory policy development. The majority of her career has been spent in leading large scientific and regulatory organizations within the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”), culminating in her serving as Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs. Except for a two-year stint in Guatemala as an agricultural extension volunteer in the United States Peace Corp. (1997-1999), Dr. Edwards worked for the USEPA from 1985 until 2010. Following her retirement from the USEPA, Dr. Edwards worked for more than 10 years as an independent consultant specializing in global regulatory strategy for pesticides and biocides. Her clients included the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, pesticide industry task forces and trade associations, food crop trade associations, and individual pesticide and biocide companies. Dr. Edwards holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in Plant Pathology, has been the recipient of numerous academic and professional honors, including the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service as a Senior Executive of the USEPA, and has published and made presentations in national and international fora on pesticide regulation, food safety and integrated pest management. Given the large number of active ingredients that the Company has registered for use across the globe and the rapidly changing and increasingly challenging regulatory climate, Dr. Edwards assists the board in mapping out strategy for product defense, regulatory compliance both domestically and internationally, and in the evaluation of acquisitions.  

Morton D. Erlich

Director Since

 2013

COMMITTEES

Audit (Chair), Compensation, Nominating and Corporate Governance

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Morton D. Erlich, age 77, was elected as a director with the Company in October 2013. Mr. Erlich has extensive experience in accounting and auditing, arising from his 34-year career with KPMG LLP and being licensed as a CPA (currently inactive) since 1974. During his tenure at KPMG, Mr. Erlich served as Audit Engagement Partner for numerous public and private companies in a wide range of industries and also served as Managing Partner of the firm’s Woodland Hills office. In addition to his audit and accounting work he also developed expertise in merger, acquisition and due diligence projects, as well as SEC compliance and employee benefit plan audits. Since 2004, Mr. Erlich has provided financial and managerial consulting services to a number of middle-market companies and professional service firms. Since 2006, he has been a member of the board of directors of Skechers USA, Inc. a prominent global footwear company, where he has served as lead independent director and chairperson of both the audit committee and the compensation committee, and as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Mr. Erlich brings the experience and expertise of a seasoned auditor and provides counsel in connection with oversight of independent registered public accounting firms, guidance on compiling financial statements, and management of internal controls. Further, Mr. Erlich is the sole member of the Company’s audit committee who meets the definition of “audit committee financial expert” under applicable SEC regulations, and, as such, fulfills the requirement that at least one such expert on the audit committee of public companies.  

PATRICK E. GOTTSCHALK

Director Since

2022

COMMITTEES

Audit

Biographical Information & Qualifications 

Mr. Gottschalk is the former Chairman and CEO of Union Carbide from 2007 until 2012. Most recently Mr. Gottschalk served as President of Coatings, Monomers and Additives, a multi-billion-dollar business within The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), which is a chemicals manufacturer, and served in this capacity from 2012 until 2016. Mr. Gottschalk currently serves as a director of the Superior Plus Corporation, which is a publicly listed corporation the Toronto stock exchange (TSX: SPB). He received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Emer OBroin Gunter

Director Since

2019

COMMITTEES

Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair), Finance, Risk

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Emer Gunter, age 61, was appointed as a director with the Company in 2019 after a 34-year career at Monsanto, during which she served as Director of Manufacturing for Latin America (overseeing 20 plants), Asia Pacific (overseeing 15 plants) 14 and, ultimately, as Vice President of Environmental, Safety and Health. During that time, she led multiple initiatives in various countries relating to process optimization, de-bottlenecking, quality, cost reliability, ESH (environmental, safety and health), six sigma, factory automation, succession planning and new facility construction. She also served as a member of the Manufacturing Leadership Team and Monsanto Advisory Council, where she operationalized human rights initiatives, influenced ESH throughout the culture and led a step-change in contractor and employee safety performance, reducing the number of recordables by half, while the company doubled in size. Ms. Gunter’s extensive expertise in manufacturing, international business operations and ESH make her a valuable resource to the Company, which has a long history in manufacturing, and is committed to the principles of sustainability.

keith rosenbloom

Director Since

2022

COMMITTEES

Finance

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Mr. Rosenbloom is the co-founder of Cruiser Capital Advisors, LLC, which acts as the investment advisor to pooled investment vehicles on a discretionary basis. During his tenure, Mr. Rosenbloom has helped the boards of public companies such as A. Schulman (formerly NASDAQ: SHLM), Ashland Global (NYSE: ASH) and Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), add highly qualified members to their boardrooms, seeking to improve stockholder value at those companies. Mr. Rosenbloom also serves on a number of charitable boards including Hillel International (Board of Governors) and Hatzalah (Israel's private EMT service). Keith graduated cum laude from Yale University and has extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and public market and private equity investing.

ERic G. Wintemute

Director Since

1994

Biographical Information & Qualifications

Eric G. Wintemute, age 66, was elected as a director with the Company in June 1994. Mr. Wintemute served as President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) from July 1994 until June 2011, and Chairperson and CEO since June 2011. With 27 years’ experience on this Board, 42 years’ experience at the Company (27 years as CEO) and membership in leading crop protection trade groups (current member of the board of directors and the executive committee and past chairperson of CropLife America), Mr. Wintemute brings a broad industry perspective to the Board. From 2013 until 2018, Mr. Wintemute served as a member of the board of directors of TyraTech, Inc., during which time it was a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange. TyraTech, Inc. was acquired by the Company in November 2018 and delisted at that time. His interaction with the heads of the Company’s peers, suppliers and customers; legislators; and enforcement authorities has enabled him to identify economic, technological and political trends affecting the Company. He is an invaluable resource to the Board, particularly when evaluating future business plans, including acquisitions, and providing strategic direction to the Company.