AgriNovus Indiana, a nonprofit coalition focused on growing Indiana’s agbioscience economy, announced today that Trent Torrance, chief operating officer of United Animal Health, will serve as chair of the organization’s board of directors.
The board unanimously approved Tim Bettington, executive vice president for Center of Strategic Growth at Elanco, as its vice chair. Phil Brewer, vice president of strategy at Keystone Cooperative, and Bernie Engel, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture at Purdue University, were also approved to the AgriNovus Executive Committee.
Stéphane Frijia, president and CEO of Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, and Drew Garretson, vice president of Innovation and Sustainability at Keystone Cooperative, were unanimously approved as additions to the organization’s Board of Directors. The board also approved the addition of Darren Dillenbeck, CEO of BW Fusion, Mike Jacob, board representative at The Pantheon, and Sarah Oznick, general counsel at GDM North America, to replace outgoing directors.
“AgriNovus is on a mission to accelerate growth in Indiana’s agbioscience economy and that requires a coalition of strong leaders,” said Christy Wright, president and CEO of AgriNovus. “These additions to our board and its leadership create opportunities for new experience, insights and collaboration across the value chain that will continue to define and differentiate Indiana as a global leader in agbioscience innovation.”
Torrance is the chief operating officer and is a member of the board of directors for United Animal Health, a Sheridan, Ind. based company focused on providing solutions for animal nutrition and health. He has served in various roles for the company since 2001 including research and development, project management and corporate leadership. Torrance holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in animal science from the University of Missouri. He also serves on the board of directors for United Animal Health’s Joint Venture in China, Shandong United Nutrition.
Bettington serves as Elanco’s executive vice president for Center of Strategic Growth, responsible for corporate strategy and market development, focusing on launch readiness and driving growth initiatives. He also oversees business development, government affairs, strategy, global farm animal sustainability and global innovation. Bettington is a recognized animal health leader with more than 25 years of experience across both livestock and pet health, beginning in his native country Australia, the United States and across Europe. He has built some of the industry’s most successful portfolios and overseen some of the most significant commercial businesses in animal health. Bettington was formerly executive vice president and president of U.S. Operations and Global Customer Experience at Zoetis. He joined Zoetis from Boehringer Ingelheim where he served as North American Region Head of Commercial Operations for its animal health business. Bettington holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Western Sydney University and a master’s degree in marketing management from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia.
Brewer serves as vice president of Strategy for Keystone Cooperative, an Indianapolis, Ind.-based farmer-owned agricultural cooperative formed in March 2024 through the merger of Co-Alliance and Ceres Solutions. In his nearly 29 years serving the cooperative, he has held roles of increasing responsibility including location manager and vice president of Agronomy. Brewer holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Taylor University.
Engel is the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture at Purdue University, where he previously served as senior associate dean and as head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Over the course of his career, Engel has received numerous honors from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), including the Outstanding Young Researcher Award (1999), ASABE Fellow (2014), the Gilley Academic Leadership Award (2016), and the Hancor Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Award (2019). At Purdue, he has been recognized as the College of Agriculture’s Outstanding Researcher and Outstanding Graduate Educator, named a University Scholar, and received the College of Engineering’s Best Teacher Award.
Frijia is president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (NEI), leading economic development for the region’s 11 counties since 2021. Before joining NEI, he spent a decade at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, where he advanced cluster-based attraction strategies, led international business development, and supported the relocation and expansion of more than 35 international companies, helping generate billions in new investment and thousands of new jobs. At NEI, he has driven organizational revitalization by accelerating lead generation and project activity, strengthening the brand, and launching initiatives that enhance regional competitiveness, including Plug and Play partnerships, automation efforts, and inclusive growth programs. He is a three-time Indiana Top 250 Honoree and was named a DCI “40 Under 40” in economic development (2019). Frijia holds a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical management technology from Arizona State University and is fluent in English, French and Italian.
Garretson serves as the vice president of Member Engagement and Public Affairs at Keystone Cooperative, spending nearly 20 years in the cooperative system. He has previously held roles for Keystone Cooperative and Land O’Lakes Inc. in both agricultural technology development and digital strategy, leading teams across the United States. Garretson serves on The Pantheon board of directors, the Purdue College of Ag Alumni board of directors, Purdue Alumni Association Executive Council and is a graduate of the Indiana AgrIInstitute Leadership Program. He also serves as co-chair of the Rural Broadband Taskforce in Knox County. Garretson holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education from Purdue University.
Dillenbeck is the CEO of BW Fusion, a Fort Wayne, Ind.-based agricultural company that specializes in agronomy, digital scripting and bio-nutritional products. With more than 30 years in the industry, he held roles of increasing responsibility starting at Dow AgroSciences to his most recent role as president of FMC North America where he led commercial, development and regulatory teams while developing growth strategies for the business. Dillenbeck holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of New Brunswick.
Jacob is a board representative of The Pantheon and founder of TerraForce, an automated harvesting solution for fruit farmers. A farmer turned engineer and entrepreneur, Jacob founded Veritas Engineering Group in 2015 and led the company through several consecutive years of rapid growth before exiting in 2023. He serves as a board member of The Pantheon, chairman of Jacob Farms, and is an active member of The Pantheon’s Ag Tech Committee. Mike received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and resides with his wife and four children in Knox County.
Oznick is general counsel for GDM North America, entering the industry via Westfield, Ind.-based AgReliant Genetics in 2016. Her role was instrumental in GDM’s acquisition and integration of AgReliant into its global company. Oznick is a member of the GDM North American operating committee and oversees legal operations, risk management, regulatory and compliance, and safety. In addition, she plays a key role in the company’s approach to industry affairs and biotech strategy. Oznick has nearly two decades of broad in-house experience across legal subject matters in diverse industries, including private, nonprofit and government. Oznick serves on the Indy Chamber board of directors as well as committees of various industry and community organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Indiana University, a juris doctor from New England School of Law and is admitted to the bar in Indiana and Illinois.
The AgriNovus Indiana Board of Directors is comprised of leaders from industry, academia and government. Learn more about our members here.