Dan F. Smith was appointed as our Lead Independent Director in July 2025 and previously served as independent Chairman of the Board beginning in September 2022. Mr. Smith is a retired Chief Executive Officer of Lyondell Chemical Company, which operated in the chemicals, polymers, and fuels business segments ( Lyondell ), and its wholly owned subsidiaries Millennium Chemicals Inc. and Equistar Chemicals, LP., a position he held from December 1996 until his retirement in December 2007. From June 2007 to December 2007, Mr. Smith was also Chairman of Lyondell. Mr. Smith began his career as an engineer with Atlantic Richfield Company in 1968. He was elected President of Lyondell in August 1994 and Chief Executive Officer in December 1996. Mr. Smith has served as a director and Chairman of the Board of Orion Engineered Carbons, S.A. since 2014. Mr. Smith has previously served on the boards of directors of Kraton Corp., where he was Chairman of the Board from 2008 until the company was sold in 2022, Nexeo Solutions, Inc., Northern Tier Energy GP LLC, and the general partner of Valerus Compression Services, L.P. (doing business as Axip Energy Services, L.P.). He also serves as a member of the College of Engineering Advisory Council at Lamar University. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. Mr. Smith is well-qualified to serve as a director because of his significant directorship experience and broad experience in Energy and Energy-related sectors.