Dale Wahlstrom, President & CEO
LifeScience Alley and The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
Jeremy Lenz, Chief Operations OfficerIn addition to launching The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, Jeremy's wide-ranging responsibilities include coordinating and implementing Minnesota’s first ever statewide industry assessment and leading the creation of BIOMAP, a nation leading, comprehensive, interactive online mapping tool of Minnesota’s bioscience industry. He also leads legislative strategies that have resulted in over $5 million for the organization.
Jeremy sits on the board of directors for University Enterprise Laboratories, Minnesota’s premier bioscience incubator, Jumpstart Inc., a nationally recognized non-profit focused on the economic impact of entrepreneurial ventures, and is a judge for the Minnesota Cup, Minnesota’s business plan competition.
Jeremy is a 2008 Twin Cities Business Journal 40 Under Forty honoree and a 2006 recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship from the German Marshall Fund, where he studied throughout Europe in a month-long, transatlantic leadership exchange. He earned his MBA in the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management Executive MBA Program in 2009.
Rebekah Kent, Vice President, Medical Technology Cluster
Rebekah (“Bekah”) Kent joined the organization in January 2007. She is the point person for the BioBusiness Resource Network, which supports companies and develops biobusiness infrastructure in the state.
Bekah has a degree in Political Science and Psychology along with a joint degree in Law and Health Services Research and Policy from the University of Minnesota. She came to us from Anglia Ruskin University in England where she taught public health and social policy. Prior to then, she was with Halleland Consulting at Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson.
Gregg Mast, Vice President, Agriculture/Biomass Cluster
Gregg has been with The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota since January 2008. He is responsible for convening and leading diverse stakeholder groups to develop a long-term strategic direction for Minnesota in the subject areas of renewable energy, biomaterials and food products for Destination 2025. In his role, he also leads and supports statewide capacity building projects, including company recruitment.
Gregg brings a background in green entrepreneurship to the organization, having successfully founded and led Earthtech Energy, an agricultural biomass pellet fuel company. He has also worked in various corporate finance capacities throughout his career, most recently, at Allianz Life, a U.S. subsidiary of Allianz SE.
Tim Welle, Program Manager
Tim joined the organization in September 2007 and began working full-time in January 2010 as Program Manager for the renewable materials market. His primary responsibility is to understand, organize and develop resources in Minnesota to support the development of end product manufacturing with renewable materials. Tim graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in December 2009 with a degree in Economics. He brings an agricultural background to the organization. Since joining the BioBusiness Alliance, he has been involved in the research and writing of Destination 2025 and the development of the Renewable Energy systems dynamics model.
Cheryl Matter, Pharmaceutical and Biological Products
Consultant
Cheryl
Matter joined The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota in November 2010. She is a consultant responsible for the organizational and company support for the medical device and biologics/biopharmaceutical industries. Cheryl received
a Ph.D. in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology from the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she was a Eugene V. Cota-Robles
Fellow. She holds a BS degree in microbiology and chemistry from
Minnesota State University, Mankato (suma cum laude).
Susan Melton, Office Manager
Susan Melton joined The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota in September 2007. She has extensive experience in all areas of office management and support. She has worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Susan worked as an office manager for over six years for a cellular sales company, and most recently served as assistant to the Executive Director of Washburn Child Guidance Center, a children's mental health agency.