Dr. Marty Williams is Chief Executive Officer of the Wood Family Farm of northern Missouri. He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Crop Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Marty has a farming background and a 25-year history of leading public-sector crop science research. He has a well-documented, internationally renowned reputation for framing high-caliber research, elucidating critical problems in crop production, and delivering solutions to vegetable seed and food processing industries in the U.S. and beyond. His teams are recognized for significant contributions to the improvement of edamame, snap bean, and sweet corn. He has received numerous special invitations to present his research in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and throughout North America. Dr. Williams is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.