bpia board members

William J. Foster:
BPIA Board Chairman

President & CEO, of BioWorks, Inc. since 1998, Mr. Foster has over 20 years of experience in management, marketing and technical research in the horticulture and turf care industries. In addition to BPIA’s Board Chair, Mr. Foster is also Director and Executive Committee for the Floriculture Industry Research and Scholarship Trust.

Frederick S. Betz
BPIA Board Member

Director of Global Regulatory Affairs for AgraQuest, Inc. Mr. Betz held scientific and management positions in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs from 1976-1994 where he helped develop and implement EPA's biopesticide regulatory program. From 1999 to 2007 Mr. Betz was Director of Regulatory Affairs for Eden Bioscience Corp. Before joining Eden, Mr. Betz led the biotechnology practice at JSC, a Washington DC - based regulatory consulting firm.

Mike Donaldson
BPIA Board Member

Michael D. Donaldson is President and Chief Operating Officer of Valent BioSciences Corporation in Libertyville, Illinois. He has been involved in agriculture for over 25 years, focusing on the worldwide development, sales and marketing of biorational products to improve crop production. He has been active in various industry associations, and is currently Vice Chair of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance, and a member of the Advisory Board of Meister Media Worldwide.

Pam Marrone
BPIA Board Member

Pam Marrone is Founder and CEO of Marrone Organic Innovations, Inc. Before that she founded AgraQuest Inc., and led the company as CEO and then Chairman for ten years. She is Founding Chair of BPIA, she served as President of Novo Nordisk Entotech, Inc. and Sr. Group Leader of Insect Biotechnology at Monsanto Ag Company. She is a member of the University of California President's Council on Technology and Cornell University College of Ag and Life Sciences Dean's Advisory Council. She is also on the Board of the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists and the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Amy Roberts
BPIA Board Member

Regulatory consultant with Technology Sciences Group Inc. (TSG) since 1997. Ms. Roberts specializes in biopesticide registration (microbials and biochemicals) and the distinctive issues relating to this class of products. Ms. Roberts is a a founding member of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance, as well as a member of that group’s Board of Directors and Regulatory Committee.

Steve Hartmeier
BPIA Board Member

Steve is currently President of Suterra LLC, which develops, manufactures and markets environmentally friendly pest control products for commercial agriculture and retail markets. Involved in the agrichemical industry for over 25 years, he has held senior managerial and sales positions at Consep, Inc., Pacoast, Inc. and Monsanto. He is a member of the California Plant Health Assoc. and the California Agricultural Production Consultants Association, has worked with the California Weed Conference and is a former board member of the AGR Alumni Corporation.

Eda Reinot

Eda Reinot has been a member of BPIA since Becker Underwood joined. Eda has substantial experience in the field of Biopesticides. Her current role is Head of Research and Development for Becker Underwood’s global business since 2002. Becker Underwood is a developer and producer of innovative specialty products, including biopesticides, for horticulture, agriculture, seed enhancements and landscape. Eda has been on the Board of Directors for the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers (ANBP) since 2003. Serving as a Secretary of the Board and leading the PR Committee. Eda also maintains strong working relationships with regulators (EPA, PMRA, OMRI, PSD, etc.).

Rick Melnick

Rick Melnick is the Corporate Editorial Director at Meister Media Worldwide. After joining the BPIA PR committee in 2005, Rick became its chair in 2006. With more than 10 years experience as an agricultural editor and business director in the area of crop protection reference products, Rick has intimate knowledge not only of the agriculture industry, but on the use of print and online tools to deliver an impactful message. Rick has a solid base of knowledge in the biopesticide segment, having authored VBC’s Guide to Understanding and Evaluating Biorational Products in 2006. Rick’s energy, visibility, and knowledge will be an asset as BPIA steps up its efforts to increase education and awareness of biopesticides.