Rod Williamson serves as the Vice President for Research and Sustainability for the Iowa Corn Growers Association. He has been with Iowa Corn for 40 years and currently is involved with funding research initiatives, negotiating research and license agreements, developing a patent strategy, and commercializing new technology for biofuels, bioproducts, biotechnology, and sustainability. Rod was instrumental in Iowa Corn’s sale of technology to convert corn glucose into MEG. In addition, Rod was influential in developing a strategy and securing the funding for the National Plant Genome Initiative funded by the federal government and subsequent efforts with the Genome to Fields Initiative. Rod grew up on a grain, livestock and dairy farm in southwest Iowa.