Industry Advisory Board (IAB)

IIPA’s inaugural Industry Advisory Board (IAB), officially launched at a kickoff meeting on Monday, June 29, 2026.

The board brings together 16 leaders spanning the agricultural value chain—from major equipment manufacturers and venture capitalists to working farmers in Georgia—forming a pipeline between institute-led research and the industries it aims to serve.

IAB Members

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Michael Bailey
Global Director, High Value & Small Crops, Deere & Company
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Mark Breutzman
Global Engineering Leader, Kubota Research & Development N.A., Kubota Corporation
Justin Burns, a man with short brown hair, wears a light blue suit jacket and white dress shirt, smiling at the camera against a softly blurred background.
Justin Burns
Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA)
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Donald Chase
Elected Chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission, Peanut Farmer (Macon County, GA)
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Juan F. DeVillena
Senior Vice President, Quality Assurance & Food Safety, Wayne-Sanderson Farms
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Brad Edenfield
Farmer & General Manager, RT Farms, Inc., Burke County, GA
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Travis Frey
Chief Technology Officer, Pivot Bio
Kelly Gillespie, a woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, wearing hoop earrings and a grey top, smiles in front of a blue wall.
Kelly Gillespie
Chief Science Officer and Vice President, Digital Farming, Bayer Crop Science
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Michael Howell
VP of Agronomy, Ostara
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Caitlin Jackson
Director of AgTech, Center of Innovation, Georgia Department of Economic Development
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Mark Rodgers
Farmer & General Manager, Hillcrest Farms, Inc. (McDuffie County, GA)
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Matt Rushing
VP, Global Deployment Lead – Farm & Data Connectivity, AGCO Corporation
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Nick Schroer
Partner & Venture Capitalist, Trailhead Capital
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Loran Shallenberger
VP, Regenerative Energy & Agrivoltaics, Silicon Ranch
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Mark Theuerkauf
Chief Business Officer, AgZen
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Bryce Wilberding
Vice President & Venture Capitalist, Lewis & Clark Partners