Meet
Our Team
Christy Wright
Libby Fritz
Cayla Chiddister
Dan Dawes
Megan DeVelvis
Kaylee Versteegh
Karis Witte
Geoff Zentz
Christy Wright
PRESIDENT + CEO
Christy Wright’s career is underlined by her call to serve others and a passion for uniting innovators and changemakers across the agbioscience value chain. As president and CEO of AgriNovus, she leads our team’s efforts to grow the agbioscience economy while championing our unique, differentiated innovation story.
Previously, she served as Director of Global Food Systems at Corteva Agriscience, partnering with food and agriculture stakeholders to create a more resilient, customer-centric food system. Christy also held leadership roles on the company’s global food chain crop protection and advocacy teams. She joined Dow AgroSciences, one of Corteva’s preceding companies, and held roles in U.S. and global brand management, communications and public policy. Christy began her career in public affairs, working for advertising and communications firms Young and Laramore and Hetrick Communications.
Christy graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor of science and a master of science degree in Public Affairs. She is a graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series and Indiana AgriInstitute’s Agriculture Leadership Program (Class 16). Christy is also a Trustee of the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Libby Fritz
VICE PRESIDENT
Libby Fritz is our supreme multi-tasker. She collects information quickly, can swiftly and effortlessly bounce between projects and has the memory of an elephant.
In her role as our director of all things messaging, she leads our communication and marketing efforts, stakeholder engagement messaging and event development. If there is a way to tell our story—whether through fun computer stickers, airport advertising or bringing people together to engage in a conversation—she will find it!
Libby has been telling the Indiana agriculture story to several different audiences throughout her career. She understands the importance of sharing the story to legislators and elevating farmer success stories from her time at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the fun challenge of sharing the agriculture story to urban audiences from her time at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center. She is a Boilermaker through and through with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communications.
Cayla Chiddister
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Cayla Chiddister coins her upbringing as “farm-adjacent,” but she didn’t discover her passion for the agbiosciences until later in life when her career in broadcast led to telling the story of Indiana agriculture.
As senior manager of communications, Cayla works closely with strategic partners to produce timely and relevant information for stakeholders + partners and for public education + awareness efforts, too. You’ll hear her work on the Ag+Bio+Science podcast with Inside INdiana Business and read it in our monthly newsletter, among other places. Where there is communications, there is Cayla.
A lifelong Hoosier, she has great pride in the welcome mat that Indiana has rolled out for collaboration among key industries, higher education institutions and startups. Cayla is a proud graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
Dan Dawes
CONSULTANT
Dan Dawes is our champion connector and metrics keeper. He also spends one day a week as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Purdue Foundry where he helps students, faculty and local alumni move innovative ideas to the marketplace more effectively.
Prior to AgriNovus Indiana, Dan had an impressive 30+ year career at DuPont Crop Protection and served in a variety of sales and marketing roles. His extensive experience in business leadership, project management, marketing and sales makes him a critical asset to advancing Indiana’s agbioscience sector. He leads the efforts of building an agbioscience entrepreneurial ecosystem and serves as a catalyst for strategic collaboration among individuals, corporations, industry associations, government and universities.
Dan is a proud Boilermaker. He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with an emphasis on Ag Economics and currently serves as Vice Chairman for the Board of Directors for the Purdue Alumni Association.
Megan DeVelvis
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY GROWTH
Megan DeVelvis likes to think big about agbioscience. As our senior director of industry growth, she works with partners across industry, academia, government and non-profit organizations to shape our economy of the future.
Prior to her work at AgriNovus, Megan held leadership roles at TriCal Group and Teleos Ag Solutions. She’s also a veteran of Corteva Agriscience, serving in multiple roles during the merger and standup of the company, and at Dow AgroSciences before that. She has worked across geographies and functions, including marketing, supply chain, research and development, packaging, IT, customer service and manufacturing.
Megan got her bachelor of science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and also has completed Family Enterprise Governance education at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She was also a member of Class 17 of AgrIInstitute’s Ag Leadership Program.
Kaylee Versteegh
MANAGER OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Kaylee Versteegh has always had a knack for storytelling. Throughout her life, she would spend her free time filling sketchbooks with drawings, taking countless photographs and creating videos to document her favorite moments.
Producing meaningful stories remains an essential part of her professional career and personal life. As digital media manager, she joins the public education + awareness team to help tell the agbioscience story through social media and design. A born-and-raised Hoosier from a family of farmers, it’s also no surprise that Kaylee found her way back to her Indiana roots.
Her once creative hobbies turned into passions that led her to pursue a B.A. in Communications (Electronic Media) with minors in graphic design and photography and an M.A. in Communication and Business Leadership at High Point University.
Karis Witte
CAREER SUCCESS MANAGER
From college career fairs to campus relationships, Karis Witte is our connection point between young talent and professional opportunities in agbioscience. As career success manager, she oversees the Field Atlas Ambassador program, champions the agbioscience story with Indiana colleges and universities and helps students connect to real-time internship and early career opportunities via the Job Board. Karis is on the go and ready to meet with you! Connect with her here.
Prior to her role at AgriNovus, Karis served as a technical recruiter for TEKsystems. She received her bachelor’s degree in business communications from Purdue University. She also served as vice president of engagement for College Mentors for Kids, Inc. and is an active volunteer at Partners for Animal Welfare Society.
Geoff Zentz
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION
Geoff Zentz has a history of helping others transform great ideas into successful realities. As our senior director of innovation, he focuses on some of the agbioscience sector’s most pressing challenges – from hunger to sustainability – and connects these challenges to innovators and entrepreneurs to solve.
Giving entrepreneurs the tools to thrive and grow their businesses is what Geoff has been doing throughout his career. He most recently served as managing director of gener8tor’s gBETA, a nationwide startup accelerator serving multiple industry verticals across several states. Geoff has also held roles at Up Nest, One Click Ventures and SHS International, Inc., and is on the board of directors for Leadership Johnson County.
Geoff graduated from Franklin College with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
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