Leaders

Tom Adams, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief executive officer

Dr. Tom Adams co-founded Pairwise and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Tom has over 25 years of leadership experience heading up biotechnology for global companies, serving most recently as Vice President of Global Biotechnology at Monsanto where he led the team developing a broad range of innovative products. Tom wanted to realize the possibilities of CRISPR and gene editing in plants, and co-founded Pairwise to realize this potential in a mission-based environment. Formerly a faculty member at Texas A&M University, Tom holds a PhD in microbiology and plant science from Michigan State University and a BS in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University. Tom is a long-time distance runner and often competes in local events.

Haven Baker, PhD

co-founder & chief business officer

Dr. Haven Baker co-founded Pairwise and serves as Chief Business Officer. Haven is the former Senior Vice President / General Manager of Simplot Plant Sciences, where he led the team that launched the innovative, non-browning Innate® potato. He holds a PhD in chemistry from Northeastern University, an MBA from Harvard University, and a BS in biomedical engineering from Yale University. Hailing from central Washington state, Baker describes himself as an “an over-educated farm kid.” A lover of the outdoors, Haven enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking in his native Pacific Northwest.

Lynsey Wenger

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Lynsey Wenger is Chief Financial Officer and oversees financial strategy, planning, and management. Lynsey most recently served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at Calysta, a biotechnology company developing alternative protein ingredients using a novel fermentation technology platform. She also spent 16 years with Goldman Sachs, including spending the greater part of a decade specializing in global natural resources investment banking. Lynsey holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University. Historically a distance runner, years of wear-and-tear on her knees have led her to refocus her athletic pursuits towards triathlons.

Ian Miller, JD

Chief development officer

Ian Miller serves as Chief Development Officer, overseeing business and corporate development, and business operations. Ian joined Pairwise in 2018 as Vice President, Business Operations. Ian brings diverse technical, legal, and operational leadership experience in the life sciences field to Pairwise, serving most recently as Chief Business Officer and General Counsel at Epic Sciences. Ian holds a JD, with honors, from Duke University School of Law and a BS in biochemistry and cellular biology from the University of California, San Diego. An avid fan of Duke sports, Ian also enjoys brewing his own craft beer.

Ryan Bartlett, PhD

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Ryan Barlett joined Pairwise in 2023. Having done his postdoctoral studies on protein-protein interactions related Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ryan left academia to take a research scientist position at Monsanto. After almost ten years at Monsanto, Ryan held several positions at Compass Minerals including VP of Innovation and Product Development, Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Genetics and a doctorate in Biochemistry and Biophysics from University of Kansas, Lawrence. Ryan continues to be involved as 5th generation owner in the planning and management of his family’s farm and cow-calf operation in Paradise, Kansas. He is the author and co-author of numerous publications in the field of biochemistry, biophysics and cell biology.

VP, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Aaron Hummel, PhD

Dr. Aaron Hummel has been improving crops through better genetics for 15 years. Aaron joined Pairwise in 2018 from global plant breeding company KWS, where he established their US-based genome editing team and program. As Vice President of R&D for Pairwise, Aaron leads discovery and development efforts to support the Company’s diverse business, including crop traits, seeds, finished goods, and the enabling technologies platform that is creating new opportunities in agriculture and beyond. Aaron is an expert in plant molecular genetics and genome editing technologies, holding over 25 patents and patent applications, and over ten peer-reviewed research publications. Aaron did postdoc research at the University of Minnesota, holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Iowa State University, and a BS in Biology from Hillsdale College. He is a decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

VP, COMMERCIAL - BERRIES

Tom Spaulding

Tom Spaulding is Vice President, Commercial for the Pairwise Berry Portfolio. Tom joined Pairwise from Driscoll’s, where he spent a decade as District Production Manager in Watsonville, Calif. and then Senior Director of Blackberry Business for the Americas. In his role, he is focused on integrating all parts of the company’s caneberry business — from breeding programs/edited varieties to nursery, grower business models, packer/shipper relationships, product specifications, and delivering products to the marketplace. Tom holds an MS in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MBA from Cal State—San Jose, and a BS from the University of Wisconsin.

VP, Regulatory and Government Affairs

Dan Jenkins, JD

Dan Jenkins is VP, Regulatory and Government Affairs. Dan has 20+ years’ experience working in the food and agriculture industry. Prior to joining Pairwise, he was the Managing Director and Chief of Staff of the Agricultural Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) trade association in Washington, DC. Dan also led Monsanto’s Regulatory team in DC, overseeing all domestic chemistry and biotech crop approvals across FDA, EPA and USDA, and at the beginning of his career, worked in pesticide commercial sales, as well as R&D, for Dow AgroSciences. Dan currently sits on the American Chemistry Society’s editorial board for the Agricultural Science and Technology journal, and the advisory board to North Carolina State University’s Plant Sciences Initiative’s Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science in Agriculture. Dan earned a BS in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, an MS degree in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware, and his JD from Loyola Law School.

VP, Enterprise Operations

Ramtin Ahmadi

Ramtin has led the development and improvement of agricultural organizations and operations – namely Syngenta, the Baha’i World Center, and Illovo Sugar – for over 25 years, in three different sectors and across four continents. He has led Pairwise’s Product Discovery teams and now leads critical enterprise operations that support its diverse business, including the company’s Data Science, Software Engineering, and IT teams, along with Lab Operations and Facilities. Ramtin holds an MBA from the Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom, and MS and BS degrees in Agronomy from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

VP, Supply Chain

John Schouten

John Schouten has 20+ years of senior operational management experience from seed to consumer across a diverse set of horticultural products. He has held leadership positions at Dole Fresh Vegetables, Dole Fresh Flowers, Ready Pac (Bonduelle), and Syngenta AG. His agriculture experience ranges across open field production and CEA on perishable items such as leafy greens, cucurbits, herbs, and flowers. He graduated from the University of Oregon with BA and resides in Salinas, Calif.

director, marketing & communications

Diana Souder

Diana Souder leads marketing and communications for Pairwise. She joined the company in 2023 and brings nearly two decades of experience in developing integrated marketing and communications strategies for public and private food and agriculture companies and global technology clients. Most recently, Diana led external communications across the vertically integrated food and agriculture businesses at Perdue Farms. At Smithfield Foods, she built the PR function for the company’s domestic CPG portfolio, led internal and external communications, and drove B2B marketing strategies. She began her career supporting clients in the government defense, maritime, satellite, and public safety sectors. Diana holds a BS in Corporate Communications and Business from Old Dominion University and an MBA from Western Governors University.

director, strategy & finance

Mary Hahn

Mary Hahn leads Strategy & Finance at Pairwise and is responsible for overseeing a diverse set of programs including strategy development, annual planning, forward-looking financial projections, sustainability, and competitive intelligence. She came to Pairwise in 2022 from Monitor Deloitte, where she was a Senior Manager in the Growth Strategy consulting group, identifying opportunities for organic growth alongside clients in the food, travel, and hospitality sectors. Mary holds a BA from the University of Texas and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke.

Our Executive Team