Dale Wahlstrom, President & CEO LifeScience Alley and The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
Dale retired from Medtronic in 2006 after 24 years. Most recently he served as V.P. of CRDM Venture Programs. Prior to this he served as V.P./G.M. of the CRDM Therapy Delivery business. Before Medtronic, he held management and sales positions at Litton Microwave and Burroughs Corporation and managed a clean technology start-up company.

Today, he serves as the President and CEO for LifeScience Alley and The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota. LifeScience Alley is the largest state-based life sciences trade association in the United States and provides industry players with a powerful forum for communication and collaboration through education, networking, and advocacy. The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota is an industry led nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of bioscience-based businesses in the state of Minnesota. On November 1, 2010, a Strategic Affiliation between the two organizations was formed that leverages the unique capabilities and resources of each to the benefit of the state and region's life science industry.

Dale is currently a member of several industrial advisory and governance boards for different universities and companies. In 1988, he was a recipient of the Medtronic Star of Excellence Award, and in 1997 received the Wallin Leadership Award. In 2002, Dale was recognized as the outstanding graduate of the year by the engineering department of St. Cloud State University. In 2007, he was honored by Twin Cites Business Magazine and was the recipient of the Bioscience Success Story Award. In 2010, Twin Cities Business Magazine selected Dale as one of 200 "Minnesotans You Should Know." He currently has eleven patents in medical device technology with more pending.

Dale received his M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of St. Thomas in 1994, and his B.S. in Engineering and Technology from St. Cloud State University in 1978.

Jeremy Lenz, Chief Operations Officer
In 2005, key industry and community leaders recruited Lenz to be the founding staff person of The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota. 

In 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.