09 October 2020, Wilmington, DE:Corteva Agriscience proudly announces that two of its leaders have received distinguished awards from Great Minds in STEM™ (GMiS). Priscila Vansetti, Director, Global Strategy and Business Development, was honored with its 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award and Luis Verde, PhD, Research Director for Latin America, was recognized with its 2020 Outstanding Technical Achievement Award. The awards were conferred at the GMiS “Every Challenge, Every Frontier” Conference held October 5 – 9, 2020
For 31 years, Great Minds in STEM has recognized the achievements of America’s top engineers and scientists from the Hispanic community. Nominees undergo a rigorous review process by a selection committee composed of industry, academic and government professionals. Leaders are selected for awards in 14 categories.
“We are enormously proud of Priscila and Luis for their ongoing contributions to our business and for all that they do to support their communities and help nurture the next generation of talent,” said Jim Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Corteva Agriscience. “They truly embody our company purpose, which is to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come.”
Priscila Vansetti
Vansetti, a native of Brazil, has blazed a trail of “firsts” during her 30-plus year career. She was the first female agriculture engineer hired by DuPont in its agriculture business in Brazil, and the first female business director at one of its Latin American operations, and ultimately the first female president of DuPont do Brasil; and in her current position, Vansetti is the first woman to lead the cross-functional, executive level Corporate Strategy Steering Team.
Throughout her career, Vansetti continuously shared her passion, advocacy efforts and personal leadership to support the development and advancement of women, minorities and the Latin community in science and business, both within our company and externally. She currently sponsors the Indianapolis chapter of the Corteva Latin Network business resource group, which aims to foster education, advancement and outreach.
Verde, who was born in Uruguay and raised in Argentina, joined Corteva’s heritage company, Pioneer, after completing his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 2003, and has gone on to become one of the most prolific plant breeders in the company’s history. The inbreds and hybrids he and his team developed have been commercialized in 18 markets worldwide, helping to generate billions of dollars in economic value for farmers and their local communities every year. As Research Director for Latin America, Verde now leads the company’s efforts to increase farmer productivity across the region’s highly diverse ecosystems and farming operations. A strong developer of talent, Verde was instrumental in forming Corteva’s Latin American Network and remains actively involved in mentoring youth and young professionals, several of whom are now employed by the company.
