Overall, I am driven by a desire to create solutions and products that are more sustainable than current options and leave our environment better off. Much of this has been fueled by my graduate work that took me to Greenland to study soil microbiomes and climate change. My academic work motivated me to pursue a career that would allow me to create products or processes that had a direct impact on the environment. I believe that microbes and the study microbiomes hold great potential in providing unique products and solutions to a variety of industries in many different facets. After my graduate work, I spent five years working in a senior leadership role within R&D and Business Development with Blue Marble Biomaterials in Missoula, MT. There I led a cross-functional team of chemists, engineers, and microbiologists to develop innovative solutions for creating a circular economy via green chemistry, biomimetic, and microbiology/fermentation pathways. Much of our work involved the valorization of side-stream material (waste) to generate natural and clean-label ingredients and products for the food, flavor, and personal care industries. After playing a key role in the acquisition of Blue Marble by Socati, a hemp extraction and hemp genetics company, I wanted to get back to my microbial roots. I then joined the TerraMax team as the Director of R&D where I led a team of microbiologists, molecular biologists, and chemists to optimize current biological products and develop new, defined microbial products that address problems in the agriculture industry. Terra Max core products included microbial inoculants for soybeans, corn, wheat, cover crops, and turf. These products target the enhancement of root growth, plant growth, and crop yield in both functional and economical ways for farmers. Leveraging the benefits of soil and plant associated microbes may offset some of the potentially harmful side effects of the overuse of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and other chemical biocides. After spending six years of my career in start-ups and small businesses, I am thrilled to now be a part of the extremely creative and innovative R&D team at Kraft Heinz. Here I lead internal research and external partnerships relating to innovative fermentation techniques that can be used in the non-animal-based protein space.