Dr. Bill Hendrix recently retired as Vice President, Technology for Valent USA LLC concluding a 32-year career in the industry. At Valent, Bill oversaw all research and development (R&D) functions, as well as all regulatory activities for Valent. Valent is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited, engaging in the development, registration, sales, and marketing of integrated technological solutions for crop production and pest management that deliver value for our customers and stakeholders. Previously, Bill had been with Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva) for 28 years holding numerous roles as varied as discovery research, product stewardship specialist for Asia/Pacific and biology team leader for corn traits & seed treatments. He is also an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University Department of Entomology.
Bill holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State University and received degrees from the University of Arkansas and Clemson University. Bill is author or co-author on 19 refereed papers. He has served on numerous state, regional and national professional committees and presented over 106 professional posters or presentations. Bill was selected for the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award for the Entomology Department in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
Bill has served on several boards, most recently with Cultivating Change Foundation working to elevate LGBT+ agriculturalists (2018-present) and AFA’s Executive Ambassador Program (2022-present). He also served on the FFA’s President’s Advisory Board (2019-2022) and for six years at Indiana Youth Group (and was board president in 2006), a United Way agency and nationally recognized resource for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth and served on Central Indiana United Way Board of Directors (2017-18) while leading the Diversity Committee (2018).
Bill has testified before congress twice on workplace equality and was recognized by Out and Equal with the prestigious Trailblazer for Workplace Equality award in 2010 and as GLBT Scientist of the Year in 2011 by the National Organization for Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGSTP).
Bill’s passion is increasing student opportunities in STEM and working to ensure that diverse voices are represented within this conversation.