Dr. Jeremy Williams
Jeremy Williams serves as Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming Solutions and Commercial Ecosystems for the Crop Science division of Bayer, where he leads a diverse team that develops digital tools to help unlock the next wave of Ag innovations. Based in Creve Coeur (St. Louis, Mo.), Jeremy is also a member of the Crop Science Executive Leadership team.
Previously, Jeremy served as a member of the Research & Development Leadership Team as SVP, Head of Plant Biotechnology for the Crop Science division of Bayer. In that role, he led a global team to enable a robust plant biotechnology pipeline developing highly effective solutions to strengthen a plant’s resistance to insects, diseases and other environmental stresses.
Jeremy has 20 years of diverse biotechnology and agrochemical R&D experience. He came to Bayer Crop Science in 2018, having served in several R&D leadership roles at Monsanto including as head of chemistry R&D. He began his career as one of the founding scientists at Divergence Inc, a St. Louis-based startup, where he held a variety of scientific research and leadership roles, including Vice President of Discovery Research, prior to the company’s acquisition by Monsanto in 2011. He is a co-inventor of several patents held by Divergence and its collaborators and was named a Senior Monsanto Fellow in 2016. Jeremy is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity, and previously served as the President of the African Americans in Monsanto business resource network, as a sponsor for the WiSE Guys ally network and as a member of the GROW Cabinet.
Jeremy graduated from Washington University with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and French.
Stacey Stater
Stacey Stater serves as the Head of Law, Patents & Compliance (LPC) for Bayer’s Crop Science division, leading a multidisciplinary organization that provides strategic counsel across all legal matters. Drawing on extensive experience advising agricultural businesses on the challenges associated with developing and commercializing innovative technologies, she helps drive business growth, manage risk, protect intellectual property, strengthen Bayer’s license to operate, and advance solutions that support growers in addressing the evolving challenges of agriculture and environmental sustainability.
Throughout her career, Stacey has demonstrated a strong commitment to product stewardship, sustainability, and talent development. She is passionate about building high-performing teams and helping individuals grow both personally and professionally while creating an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives drive better outcomes.
Originally from south central Iowa, Stacey earned her Juris Doctor, Order of the Coif, from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, and her Bachelor of Arts in International Management, cum laude, from Central College in Pella, Iowa. Prior to joining Monsanto, which later became part of Bayer, she practiced law with Thompson Coburn LLP and held in-house legal roles at Mallinckrodt Inc.
Outside of work, Stacey enjoys traveling, running marathons at a slower than average pace, and trying new vegetarian recipes. She is an active volunteer with the United Way and the St. Louis Area Food Bank. Stacey lives in the St. Louis area with her husband and dogs and is the proud mother of two adult children.
JD Rossouw
J.D Rossouw serves as a member of the Research and Development Leadership Team as Senior Vice President & Breeding Lead for the Crop Science division of Bayer based in St. Louis, USA.
J.D. started his career more than 25 years back as a maize breeder in South Africa and held various leadership roles in Plant Breeding across Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America North. He had the opportunity to be based with his family in Johannesburg, South Africa, Singapore, and now St. Louis, USA. He also had the opportunity to develop pipeline and breeding strategies for more than 28 crops on a global scale focus on value for farmers, the value chain, and consumers.
Most recently, J.D. was the Vegetable R&D Lead for Bayer Crop Science where he was also a member of the Vegetable Seeds Business Leadership Team. J.D. and his team were responsible globally to deliver innovative and healthy seed products, tailored and digital solutions to address the needs of vegetable growers, packers, shippers, and consumers.
He has continued his passion for progressing global agriculture and has proudly served as President for the Southern Africa Plant Breeders’ Association (SAPBA) from 2006 to 2008, a Plant Biotech and Seeds Strategy Board Members for Crop Life Asia from 2010 to 2011 and recently as President of the National Association of Plant Breeding (NAPB). J.D. received a Ph.D. Plant Science in Plant Breeding & Plant Pathology from University of the Free State, South Africa.
Growing up on a livestock, alfalfa, and vegetable seed production farm in the Karoo region of South Africa, J.D. witnessed firsthand how sustainable farming can improve the lives of farmers and local communities.
Stephanie Dahl
Stephanie Dahl serves as the Business Enablement Lead for the North America and Australia/New Zealand Region. In this role, she leads a team focused on streamlining sales processes through cross-functional collaboration, delivering user-friendly tools to enhance sales performance, and providing data insights that support data-driven decision-making. The team also drives strategic business planning and supports internal communication and employee engagement across the region.
Stephanie began her career with the company in 2006 in the Accounting department and has since held a variety of Finance and Commercial roles within the Crop Science and Consumer Health divisions. Her experience includes supporting U.S. sales and product teams, working at the Luling, Louisiana manufacturing site, and serving as Global Credit Risk Manager. Most recently, she led Product Supply Finance for Bayer Consumer Health in Basel, Switzerland.
Stephanie currently resides in St. Louis, and outside of work, she enjoys running, cooking, and traveling with her husband, Brandon, and two children, Owen (16), and Clara (14). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Texas at Austin.
As a St. Louis native, Stephanie is proud to serve as co-chair for this year’s United Way campaign and views this as a meaningful way for her to give back to the community. This is her second year serving as co-chair, but she has been a long-time supporter and active participant in campaign events in the past.
Nathaniel Thomas
Nathaniel Thomas serves as Head of Crop Protection Production and is a member of the North America and Australia/New Zealand Product Supply Leadership Team. In this role, he leads a diverse organization responsible for delivering high-quality Crop Protection products to customers through close partnership with teams across Crop Protection Planning, Finance, Formulation Technology, Procurement, and other key functions.
Nathaniel began his career with the company in 1996 as a Process Engineer at the Luling, Louisiana site. During his 30-year career within Crop Science, he has held a variety of leadership roles of increasing responsibility across Product Supply’s Crop Protection, Row Crops, and Vegetable Seeds businesses. His global experience includes serving as the Product Supply Lead for EMEA Vegetable Seeds in Bergschenhoek, the Netherlands.
A native of Louisiana, Nathaniel now calls the St. Louis area home. Outside of work, he enjoys tennis, pickleball, cooking, and travel. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MBA from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business.
Nathaniel is honored to serve as co-chair of this year’s United Way campaign, viewing it as a meaningful opportunity to support and strengthen the local community. While this is his first year in the co-chair role, he has been a long-time supporter of United Way and an active participant in campaign initiatives throughout his career.
Division Leads
| Function | Executive Sponsor | 2026 Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Farming Solutions | Jeremy Williams | Kelly Gillespie |
| Commercial | Brian Naber | Elizabeth Brand |
| Country Platform | Guru Ramamurthy | Rocio Romero |
| HSE | Enrique Wehlen | Nicolas "Nic" Monroy, Alexandra Welsko |
| CSPM/STS | Frank Terhorst | Jeffrey "Jeff" Neu |
| Digital Transformation & IT | Alex Buschermoehle | Jennifer "JJ" Klenke |
| Veg Seeds | Inci Dannenberg | Melania Harris |
| Human Resources | Marina Hong | Courtney Mclaughlin |
| Law, Patents & Compliance | Stacy Stater | Robyn Buck |
| Research & Development | Mike Graham | Julia Honold |
| Product Supply | Shannon Hauf | Megan Schuler, Tracy Young |
| Pledge Leaders | Patrick Boyle, Isaac Banks, Scott Huesgen |