Jerry Steiner

Jerry brings a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with using genomics to make agriculture more sustainable. Currently, Jerry serves as the executive chairman of Pluton Biosciences, an Illumina Ventures portfolio company that harnesses microbes to develop sustainable solutions for agriculture and climate, as well as a number of other private companies.

In 2015, Jerry co-founded and served as the CEO of CoverCress, commercializing a new winter cash crop for Midwest farmers that protects the soil, and then led its successful sale in 2022. As the former executive vice president of Sustainability and Global Corporate Affairs for Monsanto, Jerry was part of the team that transformed Monsanto from a chemical company to an agricultural biotech company while overcoming complex regulatory, public relations and business model challenges. He also held roles as vice president of Product and Corporate Strategy and general manager in the US and Europe, as well as co-founded Field to Market, an agriculture sustainability organization. Earlier in his career, Jerry was part of the leadership team at Celera Genomics.

He received a Master of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis after earning a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin.