EVERSOLE ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO of Infinite Eversole Strategic Crop Services
Elizabeth "Beth" Hood is the CEO of Infinite Eversole Strategic Crop Services. She brings thirty-five years of experience in biology to IESCS. She is a Lipscomb Distinguished Professor of Agriculture at Arkansas State University and CEO of Infinite Enzyme, another biotechnology start-up company. She was previously, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer at ASU; Program Director in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the National Science Foundation: Leader in forming one of the world's foremost transgenic plant research groups at ProdiGene, a plant biotechnology company and; Director of the cell biology group for plant production of therapeutic proteins at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a Fortune 500 Company Internationally recognized for research program and associated expertise as evidenced by over 80 publications and patents as well as invitations to speak nationally and internationally. She was an advisor for Biotechnology graduate programs.
IESCS is honored to have Beth, and all the expertise and experience she brings, as our CEO.
Beth was awarded a Ph.D.in Plant biology by Washington University and Master of Science in Botany awarded by Oklahoma State University.
Kellye Eversole is a pioneer in agricultural genomics, biotechnology, and the development of pre-competitive, public-private agricultural research. Since 1994, she has led international consortia and projects to obtain reference genome sequences for agriculturally important crop, livestock, and poultry species. She leads the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, the international, public-private consortium that obtained the reference sequence of the bread wheat genome, and, since 2016, the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research which is pioneering a holistic, systems approach to understanding the complex interactions between the biological and geophysical components of agricultural production systems and support the development of novel, site specific products for enhanced sustainability.
In addition to her work in genomics and convergent systems, Kellye advises public and private entities on regulations related to agricultural biotechnology/genetic engineering, microbial products, and plant protection products. She is a faculty affiliate in the Ag Biology Department at Colorado State University and is on the scientific advisory board for Trace Genomics.
She has received many honors and appointments throughout her career. In 1999, she received an Outstanding Performance Award by the National Corn Growers Association for her efforts to establish the US Plant Genome Initiative. In 2013, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her work in plant and microbial genomics.
Kellye has published widely in several top tier journals including multiple articles in Science and Nature. She has been a sought-after speaker at over one hundred national and international conferences, workshops, seminars, and symposia.
Passionate about innovation for societal benefits, increased diversity in STEM, and giving back to society through volunteering, Kellye mentors entrepreneurs from emerging economies who are launching science and technology based businesses, serves on the advisory board for Zaidi-STEM (a nonprofit organization supporting STEM innovation and mentoring for girls in Sub-Saharan Africa) and the advisory board for Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology (WEST), and founded in 1998 the Women in Genomics networking group. She is also a member of the Arlington Diversity Task Group and an active participant in anti-racist activities in Massachusetts.
Kellye grew up in Oklahoma in a farming and ranching family. This early agricultural foundation led her to pursue a career of service in support of the agricultural enterprise. She founded Eversole Associates in 1991 following years of professional training in political science and philosophy (Oklahoma State University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University), working as a professional staff member in the US Senate, and leading a Federal study commission. She co-owns a farm in southwestern Oklahoma.