The Resource Innovation Institute ( RII ) announced the addition of six raw members of its Board of Directors .
" The future of CEA depends on optimize whole economics and prove the sphere ’s time value to companionship , " said Derek Smith , Executive Director of Resource Innovation Institute . " RII play a critical persona in facilitating the public - individual collaboration needed for weighing machine , such as our current partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to advance the US Dept . of Energy fund CEA Market Accelerator . The increase of this multi - perspective age bracket of board leaders strengthens our ability to guide the sector toward keen productivity , efficiency , and resiliency . "
The six new display board member include former Desert Aire President Keith Coursin , IFPA Vice President of Innovation Vonnie Estes , ARCO / Murray Partner Patrick Hidder , former KUBO Greenhouse Projects North American Director of Strategic Development Andrew Horowitz , World Wildlife Fund Senior Director Julia Kurnik , and Walmart Sr . Director Innovations Agricultural Strategy Michael Yates .
Keith Coursin , Board Chair , recently retired from his role as President of Desert Aire Corp. , a manufacturer of commercial and industrial dehumidification arrangement used in controlled environment agriculture ( CEA ) and other applications . He has held various leadership function within the Air Conditioning , Heating and Refrigeration Institute ( AHRI ) , a Washington , D.C.-based trade connexion for the HVACR manufacture , and is a appendage of the American Society of Heating , infrigidation and Air Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE ) . Prior to Desert Aire , Coursin bring in sales and marketing at Great Lakes Instruments , a manufacturer of water and sewer water orchestration product . He holds a Bachelor of Science stage in chemistry from Carroll University .
Vonnie Estes serve as Vice President of Innovation at the International Fresh Produce Association ( IFPA ) , where she helps companies navigate , develop , and market initiation in agriculture . With a passion for engineering and sustainability , she has sustain leadership roles at DuPont , Monsanto , Syngenta , and various inauguration and speculation funds . She previously served as Vice President of Business Development for Caribou Biosciences , a biotechnology company specializing in CRISPR Cas9 genome engineering . A recognized industriousness leader and frequent speaker system , Estes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in gardening from New Mexico State University and a Master of Science degree in plant pathology from the University of California , Davi
Patrick Hidder is a partner and shareholder of ARCO / Murray , a chancellor design - figure oecumenical contractor with over 40 offices and 5,500 task across North America . Since join ARCO / Murray in 2010 , he has provided operating leadership and play a key role in expanding the company ’s footprint , including co - set up its Dallas office in 2015 . Hidder has successfully led teams across multiple industries , contend more than 200 projects in heavy processing , entertainment , industrial , controlled environments , and wasteland - to - note value sector .
Andrew Horowitz was formerly KUBO Greenhouse Projects North American Director of Strategic Development , where he connected commercial and in operation teams to help North American growers maximize efficiency . Prior to KUBO , he worked as a projection coach and engineer at Little Leaf Farms and as a cognitive process engineering consultant at Barry - Wehmiller Design Group . With experience in both the U.S. and Dutch CEA markets — as both an operator and a provider — Horowitz bring valuable insight into the strategic kinship and innovations shaping the future of insure surround agribusiness .
Julia Kurnik is the Senior Director , Innovation Start - Ups at the World Wildlife Fund ( WWF ) where she researches emerging tendency and tools with the potential difference to drive environmental sustainability and financial growth in food and USDA systems . She has extensive experience launching multi - stakeholder initiative , designing and piloting new business strategy , and developing policy that confirm sustainable CEA practices . Prior to WWF , she conduce research and insurance initiatives at Hart Research Associates and the National Women ’s Business Council . Kurnik is also an appurtenant professor at Rutgers Business School , where she designed and teaches courses in social entrepreneurship . She hold a Bachelor of Science level from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania , and a Master of Public Administration in sustainability from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government .
Michael Yates leads Innovation Agricultural Strategy at Walmart , focusing on transformative solution for fresh food divisions . With two decades of experience in sustainable energy and controlled surround agriculture , he specializes in aligning consumer preferences , scientific procession , and sustainability goal . His work optimizes food provision chains for lineament , affordability , and environmental impact , leverage technology to drive large - scale progress .
These board members join Jonathan Eisenberg ( Independent Investor ) , Brian Herrington ( The Scotts Miracle - Gro Company / Hawthorne Gardening Company ) , Dr. Chieri Kubota ( The Ohio CEA Center at The Ohio State University ) , Shanita Penny ( Forbes - Tate Partners ) , Kim Player ( Player Research & Consulting ) , Michael Roth ( Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture ) , Jan Westra ( Priva ) , and Elizabeth Whalen ( Former Board Member , US Green Building Council ) .
For more data : Resource Innovation Institutewww.resourceinnovation.org
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