We are revealing the people whom you said are redefining leadership in the seed industry.
A Management Maverick tends to break away from conventional expectations, showing creativity and originality. This trait can be especially valuable in a seed industry that requires innovation and fresh perspectives. Mavericks are usually unafraid to forge new paths or to challenge the status quo, making them pivotal in driving change and progress in their environments.
We asked our readers to nominate leaders in North America with these characteristics. Now, we’re unveiling those who go beyond the ordinary, those who champion employee well-being and inclusion, those who nurture a culture of mentorship and those who excel in talent retention and career development. In alphabetical order, these are the Top Management Mavericks of North America. First up, the eight U.S. honorees. Check back each day for more leader profiles!
Keri Carstens, CEO, Jord BioScience
Attributes: Innovative, Empathetic, Visionary, Decisive, Inclusive
Nominators said:
Keri displays exceptional leadership in driving transformative change within Jord BioScience and the broader seed industry. She leads her team in pioneering innovative practices and technologies, managing significant cultural shifts, and implementing strategies that result in sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
Under Keri’s leadership, Jord BioScience has flourished as a collaborative, innovative and inclusive workplace. She champions open communication, ensuring every team member feels valued and heard. By promoting continuous learning and professional development, Keri has empowered employees to excel and take on new challenges. Her commitment to diversity and sustainability has fostered a sense of purpose and pride among the staff.
Keri embraces taking key calculated risks to accelerate success. Recently, she challenged her team to take seed treatment products through standard on-seed processing and field testing to develop early proof points for fast-tracking commercial discussions. She also made substantial early investments in plant growth facilities to fast-track plant testing capacities. She can balance risk with reward.
She prioritizes creating and supporting a highly collaborative working environment that emphasizes continuous improvement and learning for all employees. Her emphasis on communication clarity stimulates ongoing innovation. Keri’s ability to ensure a deep understanding of the shared vision is critical to the team’s capability to deliver innovative outcomes.
More About Keri:
Keri has devoted her career to delivering safe, sustainable solutions that globally benefit farmers. Before Jord, Keri spent 14 years at Corteva Agriscience, where she led global regulatory strategy, served on the leadership team to build and launch Corteva’s seed-applied technologies and biologicals businesses, and held key roles in regulatory science and program management. In 2019, she was recognized as a Laureate in Corteva’s R&D organization, one of the company’s highest honors for scientists.
Keri is a recognized industry leader, having served as chair of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Seed Treatment and Environment Committee and in steering roles for the Honey Bee Health Coalition and Entomological Society of America. She also holds adjunct graduate faculty status at Iowa State University, where she mentors graduate students and co-teaches regulatory toxicology and pesticides courses. Keri earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and education from Wartburg College, and a master’s and Ph.D. in toxicology and entomology from Iowa State University. She and her family enjoy their small farm, which includes row crops and pollinator habitat, outside of Ames, IA.
Nathen Deppe, General Manager, Incotec
Attributes: Engaging, Compassionate, Enabling, Trailblazing, Encouraging
Nominators said:
Nathen is a trailblazing leader known for his non-traditional approach that unites people from all parts of the organization around the company mission. His ability to rally and engage employees across different departments fosters a cohesive and motivated workforce.
Nathen brings positivity into every situation and ensures that everyone feels part of the greater mission. He keeps morale high and helps employees remain productive and focused on achieving their goals. He creates a work environment where employees feel valued and motivated, contributing to overall organizational success.
Nathen’s unique leadership style allows him to lead at a high level while also delving into the details of employees’ responsibilities and daily activities. This deep engagement enables him to understand the challenges employees face and provide tailored feedback and resources. By being both a strategic leader and an involved manager, Nathen ensures that employees have what they need to perform their jobs efficiently and effectively.
More about Nathen:
As general manager, Nathen is responsible for the commercial team and setting the strategy for North America. He also leads the Incotec management team and provides insights into P&L for Croda North America.
A third-generation farmer, Nathen has dedicated his entire life and career to agriculture. Growing up on a Central Iowa farm, he studied agriculture at Iowa State University. Fascinated by the crop life cycle and the genetic potential of seeds, he enjoys collaborating with customers on seed treatment innovations to feed a growing population. He watched his father adopt new technologies and practices that support conservation without sacrificing farm profitability.
Nathen enjoys spending time with his wife Jenna and their sons Lane and Wyler. They enjoy activities such as gardening, raising livestock, swimming, fishing and hunting.
Mike Dillon, Vice President, Corteva Oil Seeds Portfolio
Attributes: Customer-focused, Inclusive, Forward-looking, Transparent, Integrity
Nominators said:
Mike Dillon knows his customers and the business intimately, leads in a way that upskills his entire team, always does what’s right and he genuinely cares about the well-being of those who work with him. He commits to customer satisfaction, ethical leadership and team development.
Mike leads by example with the customer in mind. When introducing new projects or ideas, Mike takes the time to explain the “why” so that everyone understands the importance of their work. He communicates respectfully, inclusively and transparently, ensuring everyone feels improved and more knowledgeable. He His open-door policy means he is always available for face-to-face conversations making every team member feel valued.
He approaches each discussion pragmatically yet thoughtfully, bringing a human element that allows him to connect with individuals at all levels of the organization. He is a servant leader who positions himself as part of the team and ensures that both he and his team enjoy their work. Known as “The Bean Guy” who works with “The Fun Crop,” Mike has a unique way of engaging his team.
Mike ensures that new team members understand the financial measures and how they contribute to delivering value to customers. He engages team members in thought-provoking discussions with integrity and transparency, seeking diverse perspectives and input from all meeting participants. He directed the strategy for the launch and rapid ramp-up of Enlist E3 soybeans, which have become the #1 soybean HT trait in the United States.
More About Mike:
Mike works closely with commercial regional business teams, prioritizes research and development for germplasm and traits and with supply production/supply chain coordination. He is a member of Corteva’s Seed Business Unit Leadership Team.
Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural studies and a master’s degree in agriculture. Before joining Pioneer, Mike was an agronomy salesman, managed a multi-site retail fertilizer facility, and served as a U.S. Army Infantry officer. He has held several roles throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Mike Graham, Head of Breeding, Bayer Crop Science Division
Attributes: Transformational, Empathetic, Committed, Catalytic, Resilient, Visionary, People-Oriented, Status Quo Challenger, Compassionate, Inspiring
Nominators said:
Mike has an unparalleled commitment to people. He has consistently focused on unlocking their maximum potential to bridge connections between people and innovation. His efforts have significantly accelerated progress toward collective aspirations. Mike is a humble and empathetic leader. He shatters existing paradigms by encouraging innovative thinking and is deeply passionate about driving business transformation with a strong emphasis on people-centric strategies. His empathetic approach focuses on helping others grow and develop.
Mike sets clear strategic alignment across global business regions and technical functions, starting with a clear vision, mission and “north star” objectives. He collaboratively establishes key strategies, works on values and behaviors to set an exemplary mindset across the organization, and builds clear objectives to enable strategic initiatives and business outcomes. He maintains high energy and speed, which are contagious.
Mike’s ‘Team of Teams’ culture globally connects teams with a shared purpose, developing leaders at all levels and radically increasing diversity in gender, skills and talents. He was the architect of radical transformations within Monsanto and Bayer, which allowed the development, deployment and scaling of cutting-edge technologies. Each strategic shift was enabled by organizational redesign, allowing upskilling of the current organization and the flow of new talent. Mike constantly reads and researches new technologies and ways of working and challenges the organization to think differently and more creatively about solving key challenges.
More about Mike:
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Mike oversees the plant genetics and breeding program at Bayer, leading a global team to develop seeds with better genetics for farmers.
Mike joined Bayer Crop Science in 2018 after a 25-year career at Monsanto, where he held several roles in the plant breeding and biotechnology. Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in plant breeding from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
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