University of Minnesota startup company Jord BioScience, a leading global provider of microbial solutions and technology to agriculture products companies, announced the appointment of Dr. Keri Carstens as its new chief executive officer, effective February 16, 2023.
Carstens brings 15 years of agriculture industry experience, and a deep passion for delivering safe, sustainable solutions for farmers globally. Prior to Jord, where she has served as Chief Operating Officer since June 2022, Carstens led global regulatory strategy for Corteva Agriscience, where she also served in key roles in regulatory science, program management, and on the global leadership team to build and launch Corteva's seed applied technologies and biologicals businesses. She is a recognized industry leader, having served as chair of the American Seed Trade Association's Seed Treatment & Environment Committee, as well as service for the Honey Bee Health Coalition and Entomological Society of America.
"I am proud to lead a science-based company bringing a fundamentally different playbook to the market, a new playbook that harnesses the biology of the microbiome to deliver consistent, better performing biological products for farmers," said Carstens. "Jord's unique technology and collaborative approach to commercialize new biological products improves outcomes and sustainability for farmers, consumers and ag technology providers."
Founded in 2019 by UMN plant pathology professor Linda Kinkel, Jord BioScience is based on four decades of basic and applied research on the interactions among soil microbes that influence plant productivity.