AgriNovus Indiana, a nonprofit coalition focused on growing Indiana’s agbioscience economy, named Christy Wright president and CEO, effective Aug.18.

Wright brings 15 years of leadership in food and agriculture to the role. She most recently served as the director of Global Food Systems at Corteva Agriscience.

“Christy has a focus and commitment to accelerating impact at AgriNovus and driving this critical agbioscience economy forward,” said Karen Plaut, former Purdue University executive vice president for research and AgriNovus Indiana board of directors chair, in a press release. “The AgriNovus Board welcomes her to the team, and we look forward to supporting her leadership to make Indiana a global leader in agbioscience innovation.”

During her tenure at Corteva Agriscience, Wright partnered with food and agriculture stakeholders to create a more resilient, customer-centric food system. She served in leadership roles on the company’s global food chain crop protection and advocacy teams. Wright joined Dow AgroSciences and held roles in U.S. and global brand management, communications and public policy. She began her career in public affairs.

“Indiana has a unique opportunity to lead at every stage of the value chain, bringing innovation to market that solves some of our most pressing challenges,” Wright said. “I am ready to get to work alongside our partners, emerging innovators and a talented AgriNovus team to drive continued success and collaboration that addresses the needs of the farmer, the climate, the consumer and beyond.”

Wright graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public affairs. She is a graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series and Indiana AgriInstitute’s Agriculture Leadership Program. Wright is also a trustee of the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

“Christy’s expertise uniquely positions her to lead AgriNovus into its next chapter,” Melina Kennedy, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership CEO, said. “As the organization continues its efforts to grow the agbioscience industry, her leadership will be vital to a sector that is critical to Indiana’s success.”