The BioConnect Iowa Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Steve Brody has been named the new President & CEO of BioConnect Iowa. Brody succeeds Jim Register, who announced his intent to retire during the summer.
“Under Jim Register’s leadership, BioConnect Iowa has advanced the work of innovation in our bioscience subsectors light years beyond where we started with the release of the state’s monumental bioscience report in 2017. We look forward to keeping this momentum going with Steve Brody at the helm. Steve’s expertise, background and ability to build coalitions will be instrumental to our continued growth and progress,” said Debi Durham, Executive Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority.
Brody comes to this role with over 30 years of experience in both public and private sectors, often working at the intersection of the two. He joins BioConnect Iowa from Genus plc, a world leading animal genetics company, where he was Global Director for Genus’ Research and Development External Affairs. Prior to joining Genus, he was at DuPont Pioneer in various roles over a 20-year career leading global biotechnology and regulatory efforts, industry relations, North America’s customer service operations and coordinated sales and marketing planning, and Pioneer’s federal government relations efforts.
Besides Genus and Pioneer, his career includes ten years’ experience in Washington D.C. as legislative & staff director for an Iowa congressman, and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture where he was a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture and at USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
An Iowa native, Brody received his master’s degree in Agribusiness from Kansas State University, and another master’s degree in Administration from the University of Iowa. His undergraduate degree is from Morningside College in Sioux City.
With BioConnect Iowa he will continue the effort initiated in 2018 to foster economic growth of Iowa’s bioscience sector, by working across partners from research institutions, global companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and government to accelerate commercialization of new ideas and technologies. He will also continue to lead BioConnect Iowa’s administration of the State’s successful SBIR/STTR Outreach program and work with partners at Iowa State University and VentureNet Iowa to lead the Iowa G2M Accelerator program.
“I am so excited for Steve to join BioConnect Iowa,” said Paul E. Schickler, Chairman, Board of Directors. “With the solid position BCI now enjoys, we are ready to build on that and enable the bioscience startup community in Iowa to flourish. Steve’s knowledge of the agriculture industry and the respect he enjoys in the public sector is a perfect fit for BCI.”
Biosciences continue to be a major contributor to Iowa’s economy, with the potential to drive tremendous future growth. Employment in Iowa’s bioscience sectors is well above the national average, with these jobs paying, on average, paying significantly more than the median private sector job.