About Us
Born in the field.
Jord BioScience blends science, operational excellence and commercialization experience to deliver custom microbial solutions for the world’s leading ag companies.
The company was created to translate nearly four decades of basic and applied research to real-world applications and bring to life the values of protecting and sustaining our Earth. Dr. Linda Kinkel and her team of University of Minnesota researchers systematically collected thousands of unique soil microbes from diverse crop systems, prairie and forest habitats from around the world to understand the interactions among soil microbes that influence plant productivity.
What they discovered, tested and validated is the ability of certain microbial interactions to specifically enhance other beneficial bacteria in the soil to help protect, stimulate and feed a wide range of plants, boosting plant productivity. Today, Jord BioScience’s proprietary technology and custom formulations are available to commercialize and incorporate with products in the market to extend lifecycle or in development to enhance crop performance, drive more consistent results and expand market adoption.
The History of Jord BioScience
Leadership Team
Dr. Keri Carstens
President, CEO & Member of the Board
- Global leader in Seed Treatment, Regulatory, Sustainability efforts at Corteva 14 years
- Global commercial team for Corteva’s Seed Applied Technologies and Biologicals portfolios
- Recognized industry expert in product development and regulatory – Past Chair, ASTA Seed Treatment Committee
- M.S. Toxicology & Ph.D. Toxicology and Entomology, Iowa State University; active family farm, volunteer faculty at Iowa State University
Dr. Linda Kinkel
Chief Science Officer & Board of Directors
- Over 30 years of leadership in microbial science for crop health and productivity
- Highly regarded as a thought leader by science community and industry
- Deep understanding of microbial products and indigenous microbiomes
- BS in Biology, St. Olaf; M.S. Biostatistics, M.S. & Ph.D. Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Post-doctoral Researcher, University of California-Berkeley
Dr. Andrea Arias
VP - Data Science and Crop Testing
- Global leader in Predictive and Prescriptive analytics for 10 years at Corteva
- Led large Global Data Science and Analytics Team
- Drove decision-making ‘omics and prediction tools for seed product development, cutting product development cost and time to market in half
- B.S. Biotechnology, USFQ-Ecuador; Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Iowa State University
Dr. Briana Kozlowicz
VP - Lab Operations & Product Development
- Global leader with 13 years of experience at Cargill, leading in Product Development and Microbiome Innovation
- Deep experience in building and managing commercial products for feed, food, health, and industrial sectors
- Recognized expert in microbial physiology and microbial genetics
- Ph.D. Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Pathobiology, University of Minnesota
Rob DeWolfe
Chief Financial Officer
- Partner at Growth Operators. 60-person professional service firm specializing in Finance and HR based in Minneapolis, MN
- Experienced CFO who has helped both small and large organizations on their growth journey
- Over 25 years’ experience in financial and operational leadership positions
- University of St. Thomas, BS Accounting
Board of Directors and Advisors
Kip Pendleton
Chair of the Board
Kip is the Chair of the Board of Jord Bioscience. He grew up on a farm in Champaign County, Illinois and works in the family business of helping feed the world. He has led four companies with teams as large as 800 people in public, private and emerging sectors. He has been Chair or a Board Member of eight Ag Tech companies. His focus has always been on commercializing and scaling new technology solutions to the market that create value. Having been a part of more than 30 mergers and acquisitions he understands how to build and scale a strong value-driven organization to meet the mission-critical needs of Agriculture and Food.
Dr. Peter Innes
Board of Directors
Peter has more than 35 years of experience in the agribusiness and biotechnology industries. Innes started his career in plant breeding and has rich experience bringing impactful biological solutions to market. Previously, Peter served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Becker Underwood, Inc., which was acquired by BASF in 2012. Peter has served on numerous Boards of Directors.
Erik Torgerson
Board of Directors
Erik Torgerson has over 30 years of financial and investment industry experience. He is very active as a private investor and works closely with management teams to successfully execute their strategic growth plans and assist them with capital formation, strategic planning, and acquisitions. Erik is a former partner and senior advisor at Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) in Minneapolis, Minn. He joined NEP in 1993 and over the course of his career focused on growth financings, recapitalizations, and management buyouts in the agriculture, distribution, manufacturing, and communications industries across North America, Latin America, and Europe. At NEP, Erik was on the board of Becker Underwood. Erik currently serves as chairman of the board of Sentera LLC and Pure Archery (a NEP portfolio company), and as a director of Native Microbials, Inc., Jord Biosciences, Discovery Capital Advisory Board, as a trustee of the University of Minnesota Foundation, and is a member of the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business Advisory Board and the Tippie Society.
