Making a Vision a Reality

Our leadership unites some of the brightest minds in science, business, education, and civil service to execute the Danforth mission and steward its legacy.

Principal Investigators
Meet the People Changing the World with Plants

Our principal investigators are the engine that powers the Danforth Center. Their accomplishments have laid the groundwork for countless new technologies. They attract the brightest minds in the field for their labs and land major national research grants. We are honored to work with them.

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Board of Directors Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board of Directors Board of Directors
Board of Directors

Penny Pennington

Chair | Managing Partner, Edward Jones

Lisa Ainsworth, PhD

Professor of Plant Biology, USDA-ARS, Photosynthesis Research Unit, University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign

Teddy Bekele

SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

Senator Roy Blunt

Chairman, HBS Leadership Strategies Advisory Services

Sara Yang Bosco

Former SVP, Secretary and General Counsel, Emerson

Blackford F. “Beau” Brauer

President, Hunter Engineering Company

Lee Broughton

Broughton Brand Company

Patrick O. Brown, MD, PhD

Chief Visionary Officer and Founder, Impossible Foods

Johannes Burlin

Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Tilia Holdings, LLC

Mun Y. Choi, PhD

President, University of Missouri System; Chancellor, University of Missouri-Columbia

Desiree Coleman-Fry

Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance

Christopher B. Danforth

Owner, President, and Chairman, Kennelwood Pet Resort

Steven M. Fox

Chairman, SV Capital Management

James L. Johnson, III

Partner, Johnson Bender Asset Management

Robert J. Jones, PhD

Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Vice President, University of Illinois

Wesley Jones

Co-Founder and Principal, Sage Capital, LLC

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Olympian, Founder and CEO of Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation

Ruth E. Kim, JD

General Counsel, Senior Vice President and Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard

Sanjeev Krishnan

Chief Investment Officer, Seed 2 Growth (S2G) Ventures

Ann C. Marr

Former EVP, Global Human Resources, World Wide Technology, LLC; President, WWT Foundation

Andrew D. Martin, PhD

Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis

Anna E. McKelvey, LLM

Community Volunteer

Thomas C. Melzer

Managing Director, RiverVest Venture Partners

William L. Polk, Jr.

Managing Partner, Egis Capital Partners

Robert Reiter, PhD

Head of R&D, Executive Vice President, Bayer Crop Science

Michael W. Riney

Founder and Managing Director, QRM Capital

Todd R. Schnuck

Immediate Past Chair | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schnuck Markets, Inc.

Peter S. Wyse Jackson, PhD

President, Missouri Botanical Garden

John F. McDonnell

Emeritus Director | Retired Chairman of the Board, McDonnell Douglas Corporation

Philip Needleman, PhD

Emeritus Director | Former Chief Scientist and Head of R&D, Monsanto/ Searle/ Pharmacia; Former Chairman, Department of Pharmacology, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine

Board of Directors

Penny Pennington

Chair | Managing Partner, Edward Jones

Lisa Ainsworth, PhD

Professor of Plant Biology, USDA-ARS, Photosynthesis Research Unit, University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign

Teddy Bekele

SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

Senator Roy Blunt

Chairman, HBS Leadership Strategies Advisory Services

Sara Yang Bosco

Former SVP, Secretary and General Counsel, Emerson

Blackford F. “Beau” Brauer

President, Hunter Engineering Company

Lee Broughton

Broughton Brand Company

Patrick O. Brown, MD, PhD

Chief Visionary Officer and Founder, Impossible Foods

Johannes Burlin

Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Tilia Holdings, LLC

Mun Y. Choi, PhD

President, University of Missouri System; Chancellor, University of Missouri-Columbia

Desiree Coleman-Fry

Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance

Christopher B. Danforth

Owner, President, and Chairman, Kennelwood Pet Resort

Steven M. Fox

Chairman, SV Capital Management

James L. Johnson, III

Partner, Johnson Bender Asset Management

Robert J. Jones, PhD

Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Vice President, University of Illinois

Wesley Jones

Co-Founder and Principal, Sage Capital, LLC

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Olympian, Founder and CEO of Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation

Ruth E. Kim, JD

General Counsel, Senior Vice President and Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard

Sanjeev Krishnan

Chief Investment Officer, Seed 2 Growth (S2G) Ventures

Ann C. Marr

Former EVP, Global Human Resources, World Wide Technology, LLC; President, WWT Foundation

Andrew D. Martin, PhD

Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis

Anna E. McKelvey, LLM

Community Volunteer

Thomas C. Melzer

Managing Director, RiverVest Venture Partners

William L. Polk, Jr.

Managing Partner, Egis Capital Partners

Robert Reiter, PhD

Head of R&D, Executive Vice President, Bayer Crop Science

Michael W. Riney

Founder and Managing Director, QRM Capital

Todd R. Schnuck

Immediate Past Chair | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schnuck Markets, Inc.

Peter S. Wyse Jackson, PhD

President, Missouri Botanical Garden

John F. McDonnell

Emeritus Director | Retired Chairman of the Board, McDonnell Douglas Corporation

Philip Needleman, PhD

Emeritus Director | Former Chief Scientist and Head of R&D, Monsanto/ Searle/ Pharmacia; Former Chairman, Department of Pharmacology, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine

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Scientific Advisory Board Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Board Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Board

Eric Ward, PhD

Chair | President, AgBiome, Inc.

David Braun, PhD

Director, Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, and the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri – Columbia

Natalia de Leon, PhD

Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jen Heemstra, PhD

Charles Allen Thomas Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis

Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, PhD

Associate Dean, Research and Discovery, CALS, and Professor, Agronomy & Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University

Jan Leach, PhD

Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural Sciences, University Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University

Jennifer Nemhauser, PhD

Professorship for Excellence in Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington

Scientific Advisory Board

Eric Ward, PhD

Chair | President, AgBiome, Inc.

David Braun, PhD

Director, Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), Professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, and the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri – Columbia

Natalia de Leon, PhD

Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jen Heemstra, PhD

Charles Allen Thomas Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis

Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, PhD

Associate Dean, Research and Discovery, CALS, and Professor, Agronomy & Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University

Jan Leach, PhD

Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural Sciences, University Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University

Jennifer Nemhauser, PhD

Professorship for Excellence in Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington

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