Participants
Danesha Seth Carley is the Director for the NSF Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM), and the Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science in Agriculture (CERSA), both at NC State University. As an Associate Professor in Horticultural Science at NC State, Dr. Seth Carley’s research and outreach programs focus on sustainable managed landscapes. Recent projects include the restoration of historic Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 4 Golf Courses, and pollinator protection and habitat conservation. She has recently published her first book (Pollinator Gardening for the South: Creating Sustainable Habitats) on how to create beautiful pollinator-friendly gardens designed to welcome beneficial pollinators across the South. Combining up-to-date scientific information with artful design strategies, this information is accessible to gardeners of all levels. She is currently hard at work on her second book.
Susanne Kjemtrup is the principal consultant for Phyta BioTech Consulting, LLC, a consulting company specializing in workshop facilitation and strategic planning for start-ups, academia, and industry. She has been working in agricultural biotechnology for over 20 years. She has worked in academic, start-up and large company settings in both technical and operational leadership roles. She relishes the challenge of scientific and strategic direction setting in both entrepreneurial or academic settings, using her strengths in critical thinking, talents as a people leader, and passion for community science education.
Rodolphe Barrangou Rodolphe Barrangou Ph.D. is the T. R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University. Barrangou is focusing on the characterization of CRISPR-Cas systems, and their applications in bacteria, especially for the study and development of probiotics, including for genotyping, phage resistance, screening, genome editing and antimicrobials. Rodolphe spent 9 years in R&D and M&A at Danisco and DuPont, and has been at NC State since 2013. For his CRISPR work, Rodolphe received several international awards, notably the Canada Gairdner International Award, and was elected into the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Barrangou earned a BS in Biological Sciences from Rene Descartes University, France, a MS in Biological Engineering from the University of Technology in Compiegne, France, a MS in Food Science from NC State, a PhD in Genomics from NC State and a MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Barrangou is also the former Chairman of the Board of Caribou Biosciences, a co-founder of Intellia Therapeutics, Locus Biosciences, TreeCo, Ancilia Biosciences and CRISPR Biotechnologies, an advisor to Inari Ag, Invaio, Provaxus, Felix Biotech, the IGI, and the Editor in Chief of the CRISPR Journal.
Randy Deinhammer is currently Director of Regulatory Affairs at Novozymes North America, Inc., and is based in the Raleigh / Durham area in NC. He has global regulatory responsibility for Novozymes’ bioagriculture business. Randall has been with Novozymes for over 20 years and therein has contributed through a variety of scientific and leadership roles across several industries. Randall holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and a PhD degree in Chemistry from Iowa State University.
Carrie Rogers is Program Manager at CERSA and CIPM. She organizes workshops and manages the internship program at CERSA and works on the communications team at CIPM. She has worked in nonprofits and aquatics programs in Raleigh, NC and is a graduate of NC State’s communications program.
Sharon A. Berberich Currently Senior Director, Pipeline Management at Pluton Biosciences Inc. experienced Ag Business and start-up C-Level Executive. Over 30 years’ experience in food and agriculture with a focus on executive leadership & strategy, business development, product development, marketing, licensing, venture capital investment, regulatory, intellectual property and field operations. Background includes Monsanto Company, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Dow AgroSciences and multiple start-ups. Built and led the US Operations for Kaiima Bio Agritech, a subsidiary of an Israeli-based start-up. Established a consulting business to serve the Ag Tech entrepreneurial community. Portfolio included serving as CEO of Plastomics, a plant biotechnology company, CEO for Impetus Agriculture, a start-up focused on biological insect control, and Business Development Lead for Aker Technologies a precision ag start-up as well as multinational companies, academic institutions and other start-up companies as mentor, board member, and business advisor.
Annie Gutsche is the NA Genome Editing Policy Lead at Corteva Agriscience. From 2004-2022 she was responsible for overseeing US biotechnology policy at Corteva (and legacy DuPont Pioneer) and worked closely with the US Registration team to gain US authorizations for Corteva’s seed products. She represents Corteva at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and International Seed Federation (ISF) Plant Breeding Innovation Working Groups, as well as the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Technical Committee (ABSTC). She has previously worked on policy issues at CropLife International (CLI) and Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS). Annie started at DuPont as a staff scientist in Computational Biology within Central Research and Development (CR&D), then moved to a position as a Research Engineer in CR&D where she set up and managed a laboratory automation and high-throughput screening facility. Annie received her BS in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.