Karsten Temme, Ph.D.
CEO and Co-Founder
Karsten Temme, Ph.D.
CEO and Co-Founder
For years, Karsten has been fascinated with the limitless potential of the unseen microbes that inhabit our world. Seeking to produce “more than scientific journal articles” and driven by the desire to create meaningful change in the world, Karsten partnered with his friend and colleague, Alvin Tamsir, to create Pivot Bio.
Alvin Tamsir, Ph.D.
CSO and Co-Founder
Alvin Tamsir, Ph.D.
CSO and Co-Founder
As co-founder and leader of Pivot Bio’s scientific team, Alvin Tamsir, Ph.D., grew Pivot Bio’s research team from two scientists to a group of 50+. Based in Berkeley, CA, Alvin continues to lead the organization’s interdisciplinary research teams.
Lisa Nunez Safarian
COO and President
Lisa Nunez Safarian
COO and President
Lisa Nunez Safarian leads commercial, manufacturing, and product development at Pivot Bio. Dedicating her career to advancing agriculture and helping farmers achieve better outcomes, Lisa oversees the day-to-day operations to ensure we are meeting the nitrogen needs of our customers.
Prior to joining Pivot Bio, Lisa held several leadership positions at Bayer and Monsanto. Most recently, she served as President, Crop Science North America for Bayer where she launched innovative technologies and go-to-market strategies that grew the business.
Doug Jeffries
Chief Financial Officer
Doug Jeffries
Chief Financial Officer
Doug Jeffries leads the business operations teams to ensure the company has the talent, information and capital to efficiently become the premier provider of sustainable nitrogen products to the world’s farmers.
Mark Reisinger
Vice President - Commercial Operations
Mark Reisinger
Vice President - Commercial Operations
Mark is responsible for the commercial strategy for Pivot Bio’s cutting-edge technology and novel fertilizer solutions. A farmer himself, Mark brings a deep knowledge of grower needs as well as extensive experience in commercial strategy, brand development, marketing and advocacy.
Ernie Sanders
Senior Vice President - Product Innovation
Ernie Sanders
Senior Vice President - Product Innovation
Ernie directs the design, development and launch strategy of new Pivot Bio products. With a deep understanding of the range of farming practices, Ernie oversees field trials and analyzes performance data to understand how products interact with the environment and their efficacy in different conditions.
John Walls
Chief Information Officer
John Walls
Chief Information Officer
John Walls leads the company’s information and data strategy at Pivot Bio. An agriculture industry leader, John is responsible for optimizing and scaling Pivot Bio’s data and information technologies to accelerate the company’s business growth.
Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer with ADM Investor Services where he led the Global IT function and the FX Clearing and Execution group. John has held several Global IT leadership roles at Archer Daniels Midland Company.
Jim Wiley
Vice President - Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Jim Wiley
Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Jim Wiley joined Pivot Bio in October 2021 and leads the Manufacturing and Supply Chain teams.
Tracy Willits
Vice President - Communications and Government Affairs
Tracy Willits
Vice President - Communications and Government Affairs
Tracy brings a wide breadth of expertise to Pivot Bio, where she oversees all corporate communications efforts for the company and develops high-impact public relations programs that drive business results and stakeholder engagement.
Evan Wittenberg
Chief People Officer
Evan Wittenberg
Chief People Officer
Evan leads talent acquisition, employee experience, people operations, talent development, and total rewards at Pivot Bio.