AgriNovus Indiana announced today its 2023 executive committee along with additions to its board of directors.

Led by AgriNovus board of directors Chair and Ag Alumni Seed CEO, Jay Hulbert, and Vice-Chair and Executive Vice President of Research at Purdue University, Karen Plaut, the following are members of the executive committee:

• Latoya Botteron – president and chief financial officer, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership
• Sherilyn Emberton – president, Huntington University
• Mitch Frazier – president and chief executive officer, AgriNovus Indiana
• Aaron Schacht – chief executive officer, BiomEdit
• Wes Sprinkle – chief executive officer, Indiana Farmers Insurance
• Trent Torrance – chief operating officer, United Animal Health
• Jim Wispinski – vice president of global portfolios, Corteva Agriscience

The board unanimously approved the addition of Phil Brewer, chief strategy officer at Co-Alliance, to the board and approved the following seat changes to replace outgoing directors:

• Melina Kennedy – chief executive officer, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership
• Don Lamb – director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture
• David Rosenberg – chief operating officer and chief of staff, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Senay Simsek – head of the Department of Food Science, Purdue University

“Indiana’s agbioscience economy continues to record growth and strength thanks to the direction and support of the AgriNovus board of directors,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “The addition of these experts to our Board brings even more leadership and industry context to our team as we work together to build the agbioscience economy of the future.”

Brewer is the chief strategy officer for Co-Alliance, creating out-of-box business strategies that continually support the organization’s diversification efforts. He previously served as Co-Alliance’s vice president of Agronomy for 22 years.

Kennedy serves as the CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), which brings together the chief executives of the region’s prominent corporations, foundations and universities in a strategic and collaborative effort dedicated to Indiana’s continued prosperity and growth. CICP also sponsors five key talent and industry sector initiatives including AgriNovus Indiana.. She previously served in roles at Cummins and has more than 25 years of experience in law, government and business.

Rosenberg is the chief operating officer and chief of staff of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), overseeing strategic initiatives, advancing economic priorities and accelerating entrepreneurship. He previously worked at Market Street Group and for former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

Lamb is the director for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and director of Agribusiness Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. He is a second-generation farmer for Lamb Farms in Boone County and owner of AgRecycle, a composting business, and Lamb Farms Agronomy, which provides neighboring farmers with agronomy products and services.

Simsek is the head of the department of food science and is Dean’s Chair in Food Science at Purdue University. Upon receiving her doctorate from Purdue University, she began her career at North Dakota State University where she received numerous awards for research and teaching and published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles.

The AgriNovus Indiana board of directors is comprised of leaders from industry, academia and government. All members are listed online at www.AgriNovusIndiana.com/Board.