DES MOINES, IOWA — Rebecca Lucas has been named director of research and development for human nutrition and health at Kemin Industries.
A 10-year veteran of Kemin, Ms. Lucas has held a variety of roles in R&D, marketing and strategic acquisitions at the company. Since 2018, she has been with MedPharm Iowa, owned by Kemin president and chief executive officer Chris Nelson, where she helped launch the state’s first licensed manufacturer of medical cannabis. As technical development manager, she supported a line of 14 products, advocated for legislation that increased patients’ access to medical cannabis, boosted physician and community outreach and oversaw expansion efforts for MedPharm Iowa outside of the state. She holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa.
In her new role, Mr. Lucas will lead all aspects of discovery research, product development and formulation activities from conception to commercialization for Kemin’s human nutrition and health business unit.
“We are pleased to have Rebecca leading our R&D team as director and are excited to bring her decade of experience in various areas of Kemin to our business unit,” said José Piccolotto, president of human nutrition and health at Kemin. “Rebecca’s time at MedPharm Iowa also adds even greater technical and research knowledge of plant-derived molecules, which will drive new market innovations for Kemin human nutrition and health. We look forward to seeing where Rebecca takes R&D in the future.”