I'm currently the Managing Director for the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub Campus Programs and the Bakar Fellows Program, and as a member of the directorate I am involved in strategic planning and management. In addition, I integrate policy, outreach, education and communications activities for these programs and serve as a liaison to campus, state, federal and international entities Year ago, I was a founding member of the Washington DC-based Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL), a consortium of universities committed to advancing the role of higher education and research in the energy field by informing policy makers across all energy sectors and served as president and as a member of the executive committee (2008 – 2016). I've lectured on innovation in genome editing, bioenergy and related areas of research and have advised foundations, institutes and companies in the US, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia on developing multilevel/multidisciplinary stakeholder initiatives to address regional issues relating to the bioeconomy, bioenergy, sustainability and climate change. I've served as an instructor and mentor with the NSF I-Corps Regional program at Haas Business School, UC Berkeley. I'm a plant biologist by training with a B.S. degree in Genetics from UC Davis, a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from UC, Berkeley, and a certificate in Executive Management from Haas School of Business. I've been running complex, high-level academic research partnerships and strategic initiatives for 20+ years.