Meet Our Team
Alfonso Romo Garza Laguera
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Romo has a degree in Agricultural Engineering from ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico). He has participated as an executive in various companies such as Vector Casa de Bolsa, Agromod and now NSIP. In 2006 he founded the company EducarUno where he leads several educational projects. He works with the Business Development team of NSIP as well as being the Chief Executive Officer.
Steven Tanksley
Advisor
Steven Tanksley holds a B.S. in agronomy and a Ph.D. in genetics. He was a co-founder of Nature Source Genetics, and is an Emeritus Professor of Plant Breeding at Cornell University. He was one of the pioneers of genome mapping and molecular breeding in plants and spear-headed the first successful DNA map-based gene cloning in plants. Steve has received many awards for his work, including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award, the Wolf Prize in Agriculture, and the Japan Prize. He is an advisor to NSIP and on the Board of Directors.
Theresa Fulton
Director, Genetics Division
Theresa Fulton holds an MS in Plant Breeding and Genetics, and a Ph.D. in Science Education. She worked in plant breeding for 14 years before becoming the Director of Education & Outreach for the Institute for Genomic Diversity, a non-profit, where she worked to develop educational materials for both plant breeders and the general public, and taught short courses in plant molecular breeding in countries across Africa for many years. She was a co-founder of Nature Source Genetics, and was the Director of Operations there before helping co-found NSIP. She directs the Ithaca division of NSIP and is on the Board of Directors. Theresa is also Vice-Chair of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission and the Coordinator of the Mutual Aid Tompkins Food Sharing Cabinets.
Jessica Salinas, M.S.
Data Science and Bioinformatics Consultant
Jessica Salinas holds a degree in Biotechnology Engineering and a Master of Science in Computational Sciences from ITESM, where she developed projects in machine learning and genomic data analysis focused on gene regulation in plants and public health. She has experience in bioinformatics, genetic data analysis, data engineering, and cloud infrastructure. At NSIP, Jessica is responsible for data processing and the development of analyses that support genetic improvement programs. She also collaborates with the software team in the development of bioinformatics tools and the implementation of software development best practices.
Mauricio Diaz, B.Eng.
Business Development and Project Management Lead
Mauricio holds a degree in Biotechnology Engineering from ITESM and has more than eight years of experience in the agricultural and bio-business sectors. At NSIP, he leads business development and project management, overseeing each project from proposal through delivery. His cross-functional understanding of technical, commercial, and operational areas enables him to coordinate both internal teams and client teams, ensuring agile responses to current and emerging needs.
Josue Ortega, Ph.D.
Research, Development, and Plant Breeding Lead
Josue Ortega earned a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from CINVESTAV, specializing in plant genetic improvement. He leads breeding teams and programs, integrating NSIP technologies and biotechnological tools to develop effective strategies across diverse cropping systems. His leadership bridges scientific expertise with operational implementation, driving the development of innovative solutions, process optimization, and the application of advanced technologies in breeding programs. His work helps translate NSIP’s scientific and technological capabilities into effective strategies for plant material development and the advancement of the organization’s strategic objectives.
Trevor Yeats
Director of Breeding Sciences
Trevor Yeats holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Cornell University. He joined NSIP in 2019 as a Research Scientist & Project Manager, and now leads the Breeding Sciences team in translating NSIP’s powerful computational technologies into effective breeding strategies for diverse crop systems. He also advises the Research & Development team of the In Vitro division in Tapachula, leveraging broad research experience in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Jason LaCombe
Director of Research & Development, Genetics Division
Jason LaCombe joined Nature Source Genetics in 2011 after having received his PhD in Statistics at the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology from the University of Rochester, NY. He now leads NSIP’s Research and development team, both managing and participating in the strategic development of new computational technologies. Jason also provides support for internal training in methodologies, internship outreach, and the application of data analytics in developing solutions for current and prospective clients.
Steve Zembek
Associate Director of Software Development & IT
Steve Zembek was one of the earliest employees of Nature Source Genetics, starting in 2008 as a Software Engineer and Systems Administrator. Steve has a B.S. in Information Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In his current position as Associate Director of Software Development & IT, Steve not only leads the software development team but also manages all our IT needs and supervises the IT team in Tapachula.
Guven Ince
Associate Director of Operations Research
Guven Ince joined the team in 2014 after receiving his Ph.D. in Operations Research from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Since then, he has been developing solutions to optimization problems in plant breeding and leading the implementation of optimization technologies.