Edward C. Dowling Jr. became the President and CEO of Compass Minerals, effective Jan. 18, 2024. He will continue as a member of the Board of Directors. Compass also announced the promotions of Jenny Hood to Chief Supply Chain Officer, and Ben Nichols to Chief Sales Officer.
Dowling brings more than 30 years of leadership experience and international mining expertise to the role. A former petty officer in the US Navy, he earned a Bachelor of Science in mining engineering and mineral processing, a Master of Science in mineral processing, and a Doctorate in mineral processing from Pennsylvania State University.
In her new role on the company’s senior management team (SMT), Hood will continue to lead the next-generation Fire Retardant business and will have oversight of the global supply chain function, including the customer experience, integrated business planning, logistics and procurement teams. Nichols, also joining the SMT, will now oversee the sales, product management and marketing functions for the company’s Salt and Plant Nutrition businesses.
Hood and Nichols have both held roles of increasing responsibility at the company. Hood was most recently Head of Fire Retardants and previously served as Vice President, Supply Chain. Nichols was most recently Vice President, Commercial, and previously served as Vice President, Plant Nutrition, and Vice President, Salt, Consumer, and Industrial.
Hood holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts in technical writing from Christopher Newport University. Nichols has a Bachelor of Science in management and marketing from Baker University and a Master of Business Administration from Pittsburg State University.
Additionally, Compass has appointed Jordan Taylor to Vice President, Operations, Utah. He is responsible for leading operations and strategy at the company’s Ogden, Utah, facility. Taylor has been with the company for more than four years and has served as Vice President, Lithium Operations, and Director, Engineering and Operational Support.
Prior to Compass, Taylor held several operations and engineering roles of increasing responsibility at companies such as Covia Corp., Anglo American, and BHP. Along with his 17 years of professional experience, he holds a Bachelor of Science in mining and minerals engineering from Virginia Tech. He is also a licensed professional engineer.