AgBio 2025: Innovating Agricultural Resilience

Toni Bucci, chief executive officer and founder, Sable Fermentation

Bucci is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience working in the agriculture technology industry. She began her career at BASF and left the multi-national corporate world in 2018 to serve as the chief operating officer at AgBiome. In 2023, she left AgBiome and co-founded ActiveCross, an ag biotech company focused on developing organic pesticides to support sustainable farming. Additionally, she also launched Sable Fermentation, a scale up biomanufacturing facility designed to help biotechnology companies, such as ActiveCross, successfully achieve commercialization. She holds a B.S. in biology and chemistry from Augusta State University, an M.S. in entomology from University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in entomology and genetics from North Carolina State University.

Karen Carr, partner, FDA practice leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Group leader, ArentFox Schiff

Carr counsels, advocates and litigates on behalf of food and agriculture companies and industry groups, with a focus on agricultural technology, food, biotechnology, pesticides and other chemical substances, and environmental law. She is a fellow of the Farm Foundation Round Table and was recognized as one of the nation’s leading Food & Beverages: Regulatory & Litigation lawyers by Chambers USA in 2023 and 2024. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from the University of Oregon Law School.

Nanasaheb Chougule, director of biomodalities, AgroSpheres

Chougule directs the biomodalities pipeline at AgroSpheres, leading the development of biological solutions from laboratory discovery to field application. Prior to AgroSpheres, he spent nearly a decade at Bayer CropScience and BASF, driving the discovery and engineering of insecticidal proteins for transgenic crop protection. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from B.A.M. University, India, where his research focused on identifying and characterizing plant-derived insecticidal proteins with activity against key Lepidoptera pests.                                            

Kody Cobb, vice president, Middleland Capital Ag Partners and VTC Ventures

Cobb focuses on identifying and supporting innovative companies in food, agriculture and healthcare. With a focus on the Research Triangle and surrounding areas, he manages diligence processes for over 150 prospective companies annually, negotiates deal terms as a lead investor and takes board roles to guide portfolio companies on strategy and growth. Cobb also works closely with Virginia Tech to foster research collaborations that drive innovation in the food and agriculture sectors. In his role, he actively engages with startups to support their business development, market strategy and corporate governance needs.

Krista Covey, chief executive officer and president, First Flight Venture Center

Covey has been supporting the development and growth of early-stage companies through her work building and leading award-winning innovation hubs in Florida and Texas. She has an extensive background in banking and finance and has experience in business incubation and acceleration, strategic management, business development, marketing, economic development, economic development, economic gardening for high-growth science and tech companies, and public relations. Covey is a certified business incubator manager with the International Business Innovation Association and currently serves as the chair of the InBIA Executive Board of Directors. She holds a B.S. in business marketing from Southeastern University and an MBA from Saint Leo University.

Braden Croy, program director, Dominion Energy Innovation Center

Croy has over a decade of experience supporting startup communities and building entrepreneurship programs at R1 institutions; taking the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad from zero to 4,000 entrepreneurs in three years. He has presented training on entrepreneurship ecosystem development internationally (China, Indonesia) and published a novel entrepreneurship ecosystem canvassing method. He has coached 500+ entrepreneurs from idea stage to acquisition and currently spends a significant portion of his time helping advanced energy startups commercialize cutting edge technology.

Megan Damico, associate director, focused initiatives, NCBiotech

Damico leads strategic efforts in organizing the NC bioeconomy to help translate new technologies or policy ideas to broad stakeholder groups and scope out new opportunities in life sciences to bring coalitions of thought leaders together. She joined NCBiotech in May 2023 as an intern on FIT where she did foundation research on the NC bioeconomy and created bioeconomy definitions and conducted landscape analyses of the bioeconomy ecosystem in NC and continued in Aug. 2023 as a NC STEM policy fellow. She received her Ph.D. in environmental health sciences from UNC Greensboro where she studied strain-level diversity in honeybee gut microbiome and agricultural dietary supplement regulatory policy. Damico received her bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. 

Bryan David, program director, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia 

David advances economic, workforce and community development in Southern Virginia and leads the operations of the Growth and Opportunity Virginia Region 3 Council. He has over 30 years of professional experience, serving rural Virginia localities as a county administrator and in other local government leadership positions. David received a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, a post-graduate certificate in litigation from the National Center for Paralegal Training, and a bachelor of arts in political science from Hampden-Sydney College. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute.

Kathleen Denya, director of innovation partnerships, Plant Sciences Initiative, NC State University

Denya develops new research and business partnerships to propel the N.C. PSI forward and works on entrepreneurial efforts to encourage startups and commercialization opportunities for faculty and graduate students. She previously worked in early R&D for Bayer and BASF where she led a multidisciplinary research program. She went on to hold leadership positions at local biotech startup companies Tiamat Sciences and Biomason. She completed her B.S. in biotechnology and M.S. in in environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Denya received her Ph.D. in plant pathology, with her dissertation research focusing on the population biology of mummy berry disease on blueberries.

Beth Ellikidis, vice president, agriculture and environment, BIO

Ellikidis is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the development of policy, advocacy and communications strategies on behalf of BIO's membership in the innovative biotech, agricultural, environmental and industrial sectors. It centers on promoting a legislative and consumer environment that supports innovation to secure the food supply, advance sustainable technologies to fight climate change and support a robust and inclusive food system. Prior to BIO, she spent six  years as head of U.S. public affairs at Zoetis. She received a master’s degree in political management from The George Washington University.

Michael Evans, co-director, Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center

Evans has been involved in CEA research and education for approximately 30 years. He is currently a professor of CEA at Virginia Tech. He previously served as director of the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. He conducts research in controlled environments with an emphasis on the production of crops in various systems with an emphasis on production, quality and flavor. He also works with private and public companies on the development and application of new technologies in CEA. Prior to his current position, Evans was a professor in the Dept. of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas where he conducted research related to CEA, and he taught classes in greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture crop production. He has also served on the faculties at the University of Florida and at Iowa State University in similar roles.

Beth Farrell, ag program development coordinator, NC Dept. of Ag and Consumer Services

Farrell joined the NCDAS in 2010 and is making contributions to a broad range of activities to strengthen and enhance agriculture in the state that directly impact farmers and agribusiness. She collaborates with diverse stakeholders to ensure that agriculture and agribusiness remain our State’s number one industry. Additionally, Farrell is the owner and operator of Pack House Farm and was elected to the Wake (NC) Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors in 2022 and serves as chair.

Laura Gunter, president, NCLifeSci

Gunter directs the work of the life science advocacy association in conjunction with the executive committee and board of directors. She works closely with state and federal partners on the advocacy and policy front. Previously, she served as NCLifeSci’s membership development and government affairs director. Before joining NCLifeSci, she served as business development director for NCBiotech and as a technical sales representative for Fisher Scientific. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia and earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dan Jenkins, vice president, regulatory and government affairs, Pairwise

Jenkins has 20+ years’ experience working in the food and agriculture industry. Prior to joining Pairwise, he was the managing director and chief of staff of the Agricultural Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization trade association in DC. He also led Monsanto’s regulatory team in DC, overseeing all domestic chemistry and biotech crop approvals across FDA, EPA and USDA, and at the beginning of his career, worked in pesticide commercial sales, as well as R&D, for Dow AgroSciences. Jenkins currently sits on the American Chemistry Society’s editorial board for the Agricultural Science and Technology journal, and the advisory board to North Carolina State University’s Plant Sciences Initiative’s Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science in Agriculture. He earned a B.S. in biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, an M.S. in entomology and applied ecology from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Laura Kilian, associate state legislative director, NC Farm Bureau

Kilian began her role at the NC Farm Bureau in Nov. 2022. Previously, she was the director of NCDA&CS legislative affairs, with skills in navigating through state government and helping state legislators understand the impact of agriculture in the state of North Carolina by connecting them directly to the farmers. In addition to lobbying, Kilian covers rural issues and aquaculture policy for NCFB and is involved the NC Ag Leads project, creating a strategic plan for North Carolina agriculture. She is a Nuffield International Farming Scholar, where she has traveled to over ten countries studying regulatory issues farmers face and has written a report entitled, “Keeping it in Balance: A talent Pipeline for Agri-Advocacy.”  Kilian is a graduate from North Carolina State University, Poole College of Management with a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in marketing.

Frank Klemens, managing director, Generation Food Rural Partners Fund, Big Idea Ventures

Klemens leads and supervises the fund’s team of experts to evaluate intellectual property developed at collaborating universities with the strongest commercialization potential. Previously, he was the managing director of DuPont Ventures and oversaw all aspects of sourcing, analyzing and executing strategic equity investments and licensing agreements for DuPont’s businesses. As the licensing director, he collaborated with DuPont businesses to in-license or out-license technology. As the venture liaison, he generated collaborative technology investment options to create new business opportunities. He holds a bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University, an M.S. in chemistry and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Purdue University.

Chris Ladner, senior director, portfolio strategy, OerthBio

Ladner oversees the company's Indication Strategy across both Crop Protection and Crop Efficiency programs. In addition to his strategic leadership, he also heads alliance management for all Oerth Bio collaborations and plays an integral role within the business development team, driving key partnerships and growth initiatives. Ladner holds a B.S. in chemistry and applied mathematics from Spring Hill College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from NC State University.                                                                                             

Matthew Lohr, secretary of agriculture and forestry, Commonwealth of Virginia

Lohr was raised on a Century family farm in the Shenandoah Valley and has spent his entire life working for the betterment of agriculture. He has more than 30 years of experience as a professional leader and communicator. Lohr served as chief of the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency with more than 10,000 employees across 3,000 offices. He also previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates, as commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as director of the Farm Credit Knowledge Center and as a middle school agriscience teacher. He received his B.S. in agricultural education.

Scott Lowman, vice president, applied research, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

Lowman joined IALR in 2014. Prior to joining IALR, he worked in the pharm industry and co-founded Lynchburg Grows, a non-profit urban farm and job training center in Lynchburg, Va. He has championed work in biotechnology and robotic imaging to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability. In 2020, Lowman teamed with Virginia Tech to launch the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center on IALR’s campus. The center, along with the Applied Research Division at IALR, focuses on supporting industry, governmental, and academic partners to help drive economic transformation in the Southern Virginia Region. Lowman earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Tech, his master’s in biology from the College of William and Mary, and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Andrew Magyar, co-founder, Capra Biosciences

Magyar previously served as principal scientist at Draper Laboratory where he led large teams and complex R&D projects. He received his Ph.D. in materials science from MIT, where he developed new bio-templated materials for photocatalytic water splitting. As a Harvard University postdoctoral fellow, Magyar studied the chemical composition and optical properties of ommochrome-containing pigment granules from cuttlefish.

John Newby, chief executive officer, Virginia Bio

Newby supports 300 companies spanning biopharmaceuticals, medical device, med tech, diagnostics, digital health, bioinformatics, agriculture and industrial bio and related fields in Virginia. Virginia Bio is the sole state affiliate and works closely with key national industry organizations BIO, AdvaMed, MDMA, PhRMA and We Work for Health. Newby was formerly the commissioner of the Virginia Dept. of Veterans Services. Prior to leading VDVS, he practiced corporate, intellectual property and Hatch-Waxman biopharmaceutical law at international law firms in Richmond and Washington DC, and at a multinational company. Newby received a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy, with Military Distinction, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Ryan O'Quinn, partner, Finnegan

O’Quinn is a leader of Finnegan’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical practice group and has extensive pre-trial and trial U.S. district court litigation experience. He also maintains a patent prosecution and counseling practice in the fields of small molecule drugs, biologics, medical devices, biosensors and nucleic acid compositions. Prior to joining Finnegan, O’Quinn conducted doctoral and undergraduate research in cellular and molecular biology and biomedical engineering. He previously served as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School in the Scholarly Writing Program. O’Quinn received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law, his Ph.D. in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and bachelor’s degrees from North Carolina State University.

Sasha Preuss, senior vice president, science and software, Plenty

Preuss joined Plenty in 2023 to lead R&D efforts to optimize crop performance in the Plenty vertical architecture, with a current focus on optimizing strawberry performance. Prior to joining Plenty, he was based in Germany as the vice president for software development for Bayer Crop Science Labs globally. In previous roles with Bayer in St. Louis, MO (and prior to the acquisition in 2019, Monsanto), Preuss led teams developing high-throughput genomics to support molecular breeding, and teams focused on using biotechnology to improve yield in corn, soybeans, and wheat. 

Edwin Rogers, chief executive officer and co-founder, Bonumose

Rogers has 30+ years of business experience as a technology company founder, CEO, investor, adviser and attorney. Earlier in his career, he founded an animal health company using technology licensed from a U.S.-based research university. Prior to his start-up experience, Rogers was a litigation and corporate lawyer for 11 years. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law.

David Saravitz, partner, Williams Mullen

Saravitz has extensive experience in worldwide patent procurement and has helped clients obtain patents on their inventions in countries in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. He also has experience in general patent counseling, strategic planning, patent licensing, IP-related due diligence in business transactions and patent-related opinions. Saravitz earned a J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law, a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Duke University, an M.S. from North Carolina State University and a B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University.

Heather Smith, head of regional strategy, Novonesis

Heather has 10+ years of commercial bioindustrial experience working with Novonesis (previously Novozymes) across multiple industries and geographies. Her current role focuses on growing biosolutions in the U.S. and Canada with ownership of the regional strategy, external relations, regional innovation and communications. Smith's previous experience spans from agriculture, food and beverage and technical applications across marketing, sales, business development and commercial excellence roles. She received an MBA from NC State University and a B.S. in marketing and a B.S. in biology from Virginia Tech.

Phil Taylor, director, community ecosystem development, Bayer

Taylor has nearly 20 years’ experience in AgTech and has spent the last seven years at Bayer. Prior to his current role, he served as Bayer’s director of open innovation and outreach where he played a central role in building external innovation ecosystems, fostering strategic relationships around the globe and developing novel programs to accelerate innovation throughout Bayer’s R&D pipeline. He also spent 12 years at Monsanto. Taylor received his B.S. from Durham University, his M.Res. in plant biology and biotechnology from the University of York and his Ph.D. in plant cell biology from the University of East Anglia.

Ekene Tharpe, head grower, Babylon Micro-Farms

Thorpe has nine years of versatile experience in the field of Controlled Environment Agriculture..She has filled several CEA roles, including graduate researcher in Virginia Tech's CEA Innovation Center and now head grower with Babylon Micro-Farms. She leads scientific trials and enacts innovative changes for enhanced crop performance across Babylon’s large network of farms. Thorpe has both a master's and bachelor's degree in horticulture.  

Paul Ulanch, senior director, focused initiatives, NCBiotech

Ulanch joined NCBiotech’s Agriculture Sector Development unit in Oct. 2011, and he was promoted to lead the Crop Commercialization Program in Feb. 2013. In that role, he pursues value-add opportunities to improve crops that result in increased profits for NC growers and strengthens the state’s agribusinesses. Before joining NCBiotech, Ulanch served three years as director of technology commercialization services with the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center. He also held faculty and administrative responsibilities for several years with the Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Ulanch received a B.S. in biology from Michigan Technological University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Texas A&M. He also earned an executive M.B.A. from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.

Zhiwu (Drew) Wang, associate professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech

Wang is also a director leading the Center for Applied Water Research and Innovation. He is responsible for developing advanced technologies to meet the industrial needs of sustainable wastewater management and is becoming a role model for University-Utility cooperation in the United Stats. As a professional engineer, Wang’s research focuses on developing useful technologies for advanced wastewater treatment and resource recovery. His research has been performed in close collaboration with utilities, consulting firms, national laboratories and other higher education institutions with an overarching goal to promote water technology ideation, development and application. He received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and a B.E. in environmental engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology, China.

Eric Ward, attaché to the president and chief of staff, Norfolk Healthy Produce

Ward has worked in the agricultural biotechnology industry for over 35 years, in large multinational and startup companies. Most recently, he co-founded AgBiome, a microbial discovery and development company that successfully commercialized two live microbial fungicide products. In addition to his duties as board chair of Norfolk Plant Science and its U.S. subsidiary Norfolk Healthy Produce, he serves in the not-for-profit sector, as board chair of the Two Blades Foundation, as a board member of the 2 Frontiers Project and as chair of the scientific advisory board of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Ward received his undergraduate training at Duke University and his Ph.D. in plant biology from Washington University in St. Louis. 

A courtesy room block has been made at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Raleigh - Durham located at 2515 Meridian Parkway, Durham, NC 27713. You must book by March 8th to receive the special rate.

• King bed suite w/ sleeper sofa $159.00 plus 13.5%
• Double/Double suite w/ sleeper sofa $159.00 plus 13.5%

Click here for detailed booking instructions.

The NC Biotech Center also has a list of preferred hotels.