Management
Daphne Preuss (Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer)
Daphne Preuss is the CEO and co-founder of Chromatin, Inc., a biotech company that is using its proprietary technology and sorghum seed products to develop feedstocks for renewable energy markets. At Chromatin, she has assembled technology and crop production capabilities and has commercialized the company's synthetic chromosome technology through partnerships with leading agriculture companies. Prior to joining Chromatin in 2006, Preuss led a research laboratory at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of Chicago, where her team made the first discoveries that led to synthetic chromosomes in plants. She serves on Board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and is a member of its Food & Agriculture Governing Section Board. Preuss earned a Ph.D. from MIT, and performed postdoctoral work at Stanford.
Dave Jessen (Chief Technology Officer)
David Jessen has over 26 years of experience spearheading agricultural biotechnology product development. Dave joined Chromatin from Syngenta A.G., where he served as the Head of Traits & Technology for Corn and Soy, and previously held several strategic leadership roles within the company, including Global Head, Field Crops R&D, and Vice President of Research and Development at Novartis Seeds, Inc. (legacy organization of Syngenta Seeds, Inc.). In his various roles, Dave oversaw multimillion-dollar budgets, managed research and development teams involving over 200 employees, held direct responsibilities for the creation and commercialization of elite corn hybrids, soybean, wheat and cotton traits, and directed global maize breeding activities.
Ken Davenport (Vice President, Strategic Development)
Ken Davenport has over 27 years of chemical R&D and plant biotech business development experience. At Hoechst Schering AgrEvo, Ken led the strategy team and oversaw the implementation of what became Bayer CropScience's FiberMax® cottonseed business. Ken also served as the Business Director for Bayer CropScience's plant-made pharmaceutical initiative and as the CEO of ArborGen LLC, a forestry biotech enterprise. He began his career with Celanese - later Hoechst Celanese - where he was the principal investigator for technologies that underpinned the commercialization of numerous fine and specialty chemicals, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and led to BHC Corporation (Boots Company-Hoechst Celanese) receiving the 1997 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.
Jeff Widder (Vice President, Seeds)
Jeff Widder began his career in the seed industry over 20 years ago. He has held positions managing seed production and distribution at Dekalb Genetics and sales and marketing at Cargill Hybrid Seeds, Mycogen Seeds, Garst Seed Company, and Monsanto Company. Prior to joining Chromatin, Jeff was the Marketing and Specialty Crops Manager at Monsanto, where he has led the sorghum, canola, and alfalfa businesses since 2008. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Fort Hays State University.