David Boehm

Director

As Director, David’s responsibilities include:

  • Provide administrative leadership for Institute’s fiscal, personnel, and program efforts

  • Secure state and private funding

  • Lead public relations efforts with regional, national and international partners

Click here to learn more about David.

 
 

Casey Peterson, Ph.D.

Program development manager

As Program Development Manager, Casey’s responsibilities include:

  • Coordinate the delivery of educational programming.

  • Lead the development of educational programming that meets the needs of customers.

  • Assist with long-term strategy development and implementation.

Click here to learn more about Casey.

 
 

Krista Jansen

program manager

As Program Manager, Krista’s responsibilities include:

  • Coordinate educational programs for international and domestic participants

  • Serve as a liaison for agricultural organizations and commodity groups

Click here to learn more about Krista.

 
 
 

Liz Benson

program manager

As Program Manager, Liz’s responsibilities include:

  • Coordinate educational programs for international and domestic participants

  • Serve as a liaison for agricultural organizations and commodity groups

Click here to learn more about Liz.

 
 

Kali Heiberg

communications & marketing specialist

As Communications & Marketing Specialist, Kali’s responsibilities include:

  • Create, solicit, coordinate and manage content pertinent to the Northern Crops Institute, its technical services, courses and any other services rendered to the industry and community 

  • Lead coordination and production of webinar series or handbooks

  • Coordinate and implement the collection, validation, storage, and retrieval of data for the purpose of NCI’s outreach to clients, potential clients, colleagues, constituents, and stakeholders

Click here to learn more about Kali.

 
 
 

Kari Tusler

communications & marketing specialist

As Communications & Marketing Specialist, Kari’s responsibilities include:

  • Create, solicit, coordinate and manage content pertinent to the Northern Crops Institute, its technical services, courses and any other services rendered to the industry and community 

  • Lead coordination and production of webinar series or handbooks

  • Coordinate and implement the collection, validation, storage, and retrieval of data for the purpose of NCI’s outreach to clients, potential clients, colleagues, constituents, and stakeholders

Click here to learn more about Kari.

 
 
 

Janel Brooks

accountant

As Accountant, Janel’s responsibilities include:

  • Maintain NCI budget records, financial statements and projections

  • Tracking of special funds

  • Accounts payable and accounts receivables

Click here to learn more about Janel.

 
 
 

Lynn Stadum

administrative assistant

As Administrative Assistant, Lynn’s responsibilities include:

  • Provide administrative support to Director and Northern Crops Council

  • Coordinate and supervise student and grad student employees

  • Prepare and coordinate new hire personnel related documents

Click here to learn more about Lynn.

 
 
 

Fatemeh Zare, Ph.D.

technical manager

As Technical Manager, Fatemeh’s responsibilities include:

  • Oversee safety programs for NCI staff and maintain facilities and equipment

  • Mid and long-term planning for capital improvements

  • Coordinate and schedule services and project updates with staff and clients

  • Help address industry for value-added processing and educational programming

Click here to learn more about Fatemeh.

 
 

Shane Mueller

feed mill manager

As Feed Mill Manager, Shane’s responsibilities include:

  • Feed Production to supervise the manufacture of complete feeds, supplements, concentrates, and premixes used by the on-campus livestock units of NDSU.

  • Educational out-reach and technical service to encourage faculty and researchers increased experimental feed production to demonstrate the efficacy and/or the unique properties and advantages of using northern-grown crops in food animal production.

  • Maintain lines of communication with commodity groups.

  • Continue with mill upgrades and maintenance.

Click here to learn more about Shane.

 
 

Rachel Carlson

food scientist

As Food Scientist, Rachel’s responsibilities include:

  • Special focus on baking with wheat and soy

  • Conduct laboratory analyses on northern grown crops

  • Participate in demonstrations and training for domestic and international trade team and short course participants.

Click here to learn more about Rachel.

 
 
 
 

Edil Vidal Torres

food technologist

As Food Technologist, Edil’s responsibilities include:

  • Conducting laboratory analyses on grains, oilseeds, pulse crops, and processed products.

  • Performing product development and testing on baked products, snack foods, soy food, and protein and oil testing.

  • Assisting with pilot-scale processing and product development projects.

  • Assisting with the development and conducting of educational programming through crop promotion activities and laboratory and pilot scale demonstrations.

Click here to learn more about Edil.

 
 

Deepa Pradhan

food technologist

As Food Technologist, Deepa’s responsibilities include:

  • Conducts laboratory analyses on northern-grown crops including grains, oilseeds, pulse crops, and processed food products.

  • Participates in demonstrations and training for international trade teams and short course participants.

  • Assists with pilot-scale processing and product development projects, including baking, pasta processing, extrusion, milling, and other applications.

Click here to learn more about Deepa.

 
 

Amrita Ray, Ph.D.

milling specialist

As Milling Specialist, Amrita’s responsibilities include:

  • Providing expertise in the field of stone milling for the promotion of grains from NCI’s four-state region. Coordinate and conduct stone milling projects for public and private organizations; provide technical consulting both in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Creating and conducting short course program on stone milling of the grains from the region. Performing demonstrations in conjunction with NCI’s educational programs.

  • Assisting in food product development projects that utilize stone-ground flours.

Click here to learn more about Amrita.

 
 

Rilie Morgan

process project manager

As Process Project Manager, Rilie’s responsibilities include:

  • Operation and maintenance of Single Screw Demaco Pasta Press, Wenger Twin Screw Extruder, Fitzpatrick Hammer Mill, and Pilot Swing Mill (Hard Red Spring Wheat/Durum Wheat) 

  • Support educational programming through lab demonstrations using the equipment listed above

  • Work with parties interested in conducting product development at the NCI by discussing scheduling, formulas, and project objectives

Click here to learn more about Rilie.

 
 
 

Chris Cossette

process project manager

As Process Project Manager, Chris’s responsibilities include:

  • Operation of Demaco Pasta Press, Wenger Twin Screw Extruder, and Pilot Swing Mill  

  • Support educational programming through lab demonstrations and product quality discussion

  • Work with parties interested in conducting product development at the NCI by discussing scheduling, formulas, and project objectives

Click here to learn more about Chris.

 
 

Owen Oltman

processing technician

As Processing Technician, Owen’s responsibilities include:

  • Operation and maintenance of Laboratory testing equipment, Pilot scale soy milk and tofu processing equipment, Komet Screw Expeller, Armfield solvent extractor, Single Screw Demaco Pasta Press, Wenger Twin Screw Extruder, Fitzpatrick Hammer Mill, and Pilot Swing Mill (Hard Red Spring Wheat/Durum Wheat)

  • Support educational programming through lab demonstrations using the equipment listed above

Click here to learn more about Owen.