Resource Innovation Institute adds six members to Board of Directors

The Resource Innovation Institute announced the addition of six members to its Board of Directors.

The new members will help drive RII’s mission to scale resource-efficient and circular food production systems, enhance nutritional security and strengthen community resilience through the integration of controlled environment agriculture.

“The future of CEA depends on optimizing unit economics and demonstrating the sector’s value to society,” said RII Executive Director Derek Smith. “RII plays a critical role in facilitating the public-private collaboration needed for scale, such as our current partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to advance the U.S. Department of Energy-funded CEA Market Accelerator. The addition of this multi-perspective cohort of board leaders strengthens our ability to guide the sector toward greater productivity, efficiency and resilience.”

The six new board members include:

Keith Coursin (board chair) recently retired as president of Desert Aire, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial dehumidification systems used in CEA and other applications. He has held various leadership roles within the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the HVACR industry, and is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. Prior to Desert Aire, Coursin worked in sales and marketing at Great Lakes Instruments, a manufacturer of water and wastewater instrumentation products. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Carroll University.

Vonnie Estes is vice president of innovation at the International Fresh Produce Association, where she helps companies navigate, develop and commercialize innovation in agriculture. She has held leadership roles at DuPont, Monsanto, Syngenta and various startups and venture funds. She was served vice president of business development for Caribou Biosciences, a biotechnology company specializing in CRISPR Cas9 genome engineering. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture from New Mexico State University and a Master of Science degree in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis.

Patrick Hidder is a partner and shareholder of ARCO/Murray, a design-build general contractor with more than 40 offices and 5,500 projects across North America. Since joining ARCO/Murray in 2010, he has provided operational leadership and played a key role in expanding the company’s footprint, including co-founding its Dallas office in 2015. Hidder has led teams across multiple industries, managing more than 200 projects in heavy processing, entertainment, industrial, controlled environments and waste-to-value sectors.

Andrew Horowitz was formerly director of strategic development at KUBO Greenhouse Projects, where he connected commercial and operational teams to help North American growers maximize efficiency. Prior to KUBO, he worked as a project manager and engineer at Little Leaf Farms and as a process engineering consultant at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group. With experience in both the U.S. and Dutch CEA markets as both an operator and a supplier, Horowitz brings insight into the strategic relationships and innovations shaping the future of CEA

Julia Kurnik is the senior director for innovation start-ups at the World Wildlife Fund, where she researches emerging trends and tools with the potential to drive environmental sustainability and financial growth in food and agriculture systems. She has extensive experience launching multi-stakeholder initiatives, designing and piloting new business strategies. and developing policies that support sustainable CEA practices. Prior to WWF, she led research and policy initiatives at Hart Research Associates and the National Women’s Business Council. Kurnik is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers Business School, where she designed and teaches courses in social entrepreneurship. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Public Administration in sustainability from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Michael Yates leads innovation agricultural strategy at Walmart, focusing on transformative solutions for fresh food divisions. With two decades of experience in sustainable energy and CEA, he specializes in aligning consumer preferences, scientific advancements and sustainability goals. His work optimizes food supply chains for quality, affordability and environmental impact, leveraging technology to drive large-scale progress.

These board members join Jonathan Eisenberg (independent investor), Brian Herrington (The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company/Hawthorne Gardening Company), Chieri Kubota (The Ohio CEA Center at The Ohio State University), Shanita Penny (Forbes Tate Partners), Kim Player (Player Research & Consulting), Michael Roth (Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture), Jan Westra (Priva) and Elizabeth Whalen (former board member, U.S. Green Building Council).

Resource Innovation Institute is a nonprofit, public-private partnership dedicated to advancing community resilience by integrating controlled environment agriculture into the future of farming yhrough collaboration with states, utilities, industry leaders and academic experts.

RII’s work is organized around three core program areas: Market Development, which fosters collaboration to accelerate CEA adoption; Education & Training, which equips stakeholders with best practices for resilient and efficient operations; and Data & Research, which delivers insights and benchmarking tools for optimized decision-making.