Shane Thomas is the founder of the globally read agribusiness newsletter Upstream Ag Insights. With a unique fusion of technical agricultural depth and business acumen, from more than a decade of working in senior-level ag retail and agtech positions, Shane informs tens of thousands of agribusiness leaders across more than 100 countries with a strategic vantage point. Upstream Ag Insights delivers business intelligence and deciphers agricultural innovation through a pragmatic lens, offering actionable insights that steer professionals through the complex agribusiness landscape every single week. 

Kent grew up on a family farm and has a lifelong passion for advancing agriculture using technology. Beginning his career in the 1980’s with testing for research and development of advanced defense and missile systems with the Department of Defense. He was involved with the fielding of GPS technology inthe Gulf War for both air and ground warfare. He returned to his farm rootsemploying his skills with GPS first for SATLOC then joining Trimble in 1998 as one of two original sales representatives serving the Agriculture market segment.

Kent has held numerous positions in sales and sales management, OEMaccounts and Business development with pioneering companies such asTrimble, Ag Sync that was acquired by Raven, and Muller Electronics that was acquired by Trimble. He has a strong understanding of technology employed forboth precise positioning and precision application as well as the AgriculturalRetail segment of North America.

In 2019, he joined Topcon Agriculture and is currently the vice president of sales for North America. As a strong believer in continuous improvement coupled with entrepreneurial spirit, he remains strongly positive on the future of American Agriculture using technology.

Kent currently lives in Southwest Indiana, near the small family farm where he grew up. He and his wife Alice have five children between them, along with 5 grandchildren and two more on the way. He enjoys outdoor activities, beach destinations and working on classic cars.

Jinchen Zou is an Associate at S2G Ventures. Her responsibilities include research, evaluation, and execution of potential investments as well as support of S2G’s portfolio companies. Prior to joining S2G, she advised on climate finance transactions at Pollination Group and served public, private, and social sector clients on business strategy at McKinsey & Company.

Jinchen graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics and Global Affairs. She has previously worked with USAID, Treasury, and spent time in the South Pacific and in Ethiopia understanding the implications of climate change on migration.

Jaymie Forrest leads Activ Technologies to help companies and their trading partners enable digital supply chains. With over 30 years of experience, Jaymie specializes in supply chain operations and logistics technologies in a variety of industries and applications.

As CSCO, prior to Activ, she delivered the first high-speed produce handling conveyance with integrated cross-border operations, world-class food safety, and full case-level traceability. While serving as Managing Director of the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute, she founded the Integrated Food Chain Research Center working with governments and industries to improve logistics performance and developing cold chain programs designed to reduce food waste. Also, founder of The Logistics Council for the Republic of Panama, and Logistics Innovation Centers in Singapore, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Brazil—all focused on operational strategies and logistics efficiencies.

Courtney Yuskis joined Yara International in 2021 as the North America Incubation Lead for Yara and is currently based on the family farm in Illinois.

She serves as the interface between Yara Digital Ag Solutions and the North American market, and is responsible for regional growth strategy, go-to-market experimentation, and business and service model development in North America.

Yuskis has more than 18 years of experience in operational excellence, client relationship management, and development of enterprise solutions that combine digital technologies and market intelligence for the agriculture industry.

Ron Osborne is the Global Head of Technology for Agriculture at AWS (Amazon Web Services). Ron helps global agribusinesses across the value chain to modernize, achieve business and enterprise agronomy product and IT goals, and innovate. Ron has over 15 years of experience leading product development, enterprise IT, and business development within agribusiness and financial services.

Prior to joining AWS, Ron served as the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer of Farmers Edge. In addition to being a Certified Solutions Architect at AWS, Mr. Osborne has a Masters in Software Development, an Executive Masters in Business Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management, and a Bachelor of Arts. 

John Church is the Founder and Principal of John Church Advisory Services, LLC. He provides consulting and advising services on operational effectiveness, business and digital transformation, M&A assessments, and executive coaching. A partial client list includes Kimberly Clark, Allina Health, and Chick-fil-A. He leads within the supply chain profession as a member of Gartner’s Executive Advisory Board and as a member of The Visibility Council, a C-suite group focused on leading digital transformation.

Church retired from General Mills, Inc. in 2022 as Chief Transformation and Business Services Officer after a 33-year career. Prior to this role, Church was Chief Supply Chain Officer for 13 years with global responsibility for procurement, logistics/planning, manufacturing, engineering, as well as human/food safety and ESG.

John is a Board Member of Allina Health. He is also an independent board member for EverAg, a software company focused on connecting and empowering partners in the food supply chain. He served as lead director of Cereal Partners Worldwide, and as lead director of the board of Yoplait, SA.

Sachi Desai is a member of Bayer Crop Science’s (BCS) Strategy and Sustainability Organization focused on Digital Farming. He is the global lead for strategic digital partnerships and alliance across BCS that bring new innovations to farmers and the industry.  In addition, Sachi contributes to BCS’s overall digital strategy.

Previously, Sachi spent 16 years in various roles with the U.S. Department of Defense, IBM, McKinsey, and Amazon focused on AI/ML, Digital Transformation, Big Data, and Cloud. Sachi is the co-inventor of several patents and has over 80+ publications in peer reviewed journals across various concepts. 

Sachi holds an MBA from NYU, Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, and a Master’s in Systems Engineering from USC.  

He lives in San Francisco but often spends times with family in New Jersey. His hobbies include landscape photography, basketball, and golf.