Elemental Enzymes adds Mark Deadwyler to Leadership Team as new CFO

Lis Nimani

Lis holds an MBA in Finance and Supply Operations Management Specializations from Marquette University, as well as a Master’s in Biological/Biosystems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned two undergraduate degrees in Biological Systems Engineering and Biochemistry. He brings more than a dozen years’ experience in operations management, process engineering and research to his role at Elemental Enzymes.

Lis is responsible for creating and overseeing Elemental’s manufacturing and engineering processes, as well as leading its quality and supply chain, including sales operations.

Elsa Smith

After joining the company in 2015 as our Office Assistant, Elsa has grown with us into her role as Human Resources Manager. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and after joining Elemental Enzymes, attended Webster University to receive her Masters in Human Resource Management.

In her years at Elemental Enzymes, Elsa has implemented many of the benefits and programs we have today. Currently, Elsa leads HR activities including providing leadership and guidance to management on strategic staffing plans, compensation, benefits, training and development, payroll, employee relations and performance management.

Bret Gygi

Bret brings 20 years of experience in many agricultural fields ranging from horticultural production and agricultural microbiology research to seed treatment development.

Bret leads the Elemental Enzymes technical services team in the U.S., trialing and developing additional innovations from the field towards commercialization. Bret is excited at the potential for Elemental Enzymes to bring a step-wise change to agriculture, using biochemistry and developing products with well-understood modes of action to solve specific problems – plus a transformative approach using ‘nature’s own machinery’ to solve big problems in nutrient availability, plant defenses and new modes of pesticidal action.

Keith Reding

Keith brings over 27 years’ experience in the agricultural regulatory and compliance industry to Elemental Enzymes.

Before joining Elemental Enzymes, Keith worked for USDA as a regulatory biotechnologist and then 23 years at Monsanto in various regulatory roles, including affairs, policy and compliance.

Keith oversees the development and implementation of international and domestic regulatory strategies as our Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Keith received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, where he studied soil microbiology, microbial physiology and microbial ecology.

Guy Perriman

Guy Perriman is a highly experienced agribusiness professional with a 35-year background in commercial agronomy and agribusiness in Australia and globally.

Guy has worked at all levels in agriculture from the farm to CEO in building business partnerships, running sales and cross-functional teams to develop strategic new business segment categories and product solutions.

Guy is based in Melbourne, Australia, and leads Elemental Enzymes’s international expansion initiatives and activities. Guy has a Diploma of Applied Science (Agriculture) from Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, NSW, Australia.

Scott Keuhn

Scott brings 20 years of experience from a range of financial industries: healthcare and public accounting, to startups and financial regulatory reporting.

Prior to joining Elemental Enzymes, Scott worked with International Marketing Group as its CFO. Scott also spent 11 years with Edward Jones, where he led accounting, reporting and regulatory functions as well as implementing and maintaining the strategic planning and budgeting processes.

Scott is responsible for the management of the financial department, including policies and procedures, management of outsourced functions and operations of the accounting.

Ashley Siegel

Ashley brings a multidisciplinary background to Elemental Enzymes. Ashley has performed extensive research in muscle regeneration, enzymatic optimization and developmental biology. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri, Ashley was a research fellow at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute. She has experience in oncology modeling, genome editing, cell motility and microbial cell interaction.

Ashley joined Elemental Enzymes as a Senior Science Adviser, providing input on technology diversification and niche marketing, and has transitioned into the role of Chief Science Officer to focus more on product development, patent writing and product efficacy.

Jagresh Rana

Jagresh earned his MBA with Specialization in Agriculture from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences. He brings more than 25 years of global experience in marketing, sales, strategy, and managing businesses, in addition to growing up on a smallholder family farm in India.

Jagresh is responsible for alignment of Elemental’s commercial and business strategies to drive growth and expansion, and works closely with our CEO to set a vision for the company’s future.

Mark Deadwyler

Mark holds an MBA from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Trulaske College of Business. Over his career, he has been instrumental in integrating strategy, planning, analysis, valuation, negotiation, investor relations, accounting and governmental compliance.

As CFO, Mark is responsible for enabling performance of the company’s growing operations, as the company expands into new markets and countries. He works as a strategist, helping shape the strategy and direction of the company.

Katie Thompson

Katie studied molecular and cellular biology at the University of Missouri and received her Ph.D., specializing in the characterization of proteins involved in signaling.

Katie has performed several key roles in her 10+ years at Elemental Enzymes, including running the day-to-day operations, product development and expansion of the innovation pipeline, investor and partnership establishment, as well as driving the strategic mission and culture development of Elemental Enzymes.

Michelle Leslie

Michelle is a plant cell biologist by training, with 15 years’ research experience in peptide-receptor signaling.

Michelle received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, where she worked with a team to dissect the genetics of flower development and discover a trio of receptors that control the release of cell wall degrading enzymes. During her postdoc at the University of Missouri, Michelle turned her attention to the plant immune system, and the spatial regulation of peptide-receptor signaling required for pathogen resistance.

At Elemental Enzymes, Michelle leads a research team focused on novel peptide and natural biochemical solutions for protecting plants from disease and abiotic stress. Michelle’s areas of interest span across peptide discovery, translational field research, and regulatory testing to ensure product safety and efficacy.

Jeff Kammermeyer

Jeff brings 20 years of multidisciplinary experience to Elemental Enzymes with a background in operations, commercial sales, and R&D for organizations of all sizes.

Prior to joining Elemental Enzymes, Jeff worked as Senior Director of the US Poultry Business Unit for Elanco Animal Health where he led the commercial business that delivered over $100 million in annual sales. Jeff also spent over 11 years with Monsanto and held various roles of increasing responsibility in Commercial, Manufacturing, and Global R&D.

Jeff is currently responsible for Elemental Enzymes US strategy development, partnership expansion, and commercial operations.

Brian Thompson

Brian received his Ph.D. from Kansas State University before continuing his research in microbiology in his postdoctoral work at the University of Missouri. While at the university, Brian co-discovered key processes that would become the VersaShield® platform technology of Elemental Enzymes.

As President and CEO, Brian is focused on growing Elemental Enzymes into a company that can take complex developing technologies from bench to market. He has worked to establish partnerships with key academic and industry partners to identify and validate next-generation solutions for a variety of industries.

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Elemental Enzymes selects Begemann to lead Board of Directors

Elemental Enzymes selects Jagresh Rana as new Chief Commercial Officer

Request a speaker

Elemental Enzymes selects Begemann to lead Board of Directors

Elemental Enzymes selects Jagresh Rana as new Chief Commercial Officer

Elemental Enzymes selects Begemann to lead Board of Directors

Elemental Enzymes selects Jagresh Rana as new Chief Commercial Officer

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