John Colman
Founder and CEO
John was trained as a chemist at Carleton College and an aquatic geochemist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before working 2 years for the Thai Department of Fisheries, 2 years as a Rockefeller Fellow at the Asian Institute of Technology, 2 semesters at Ohio University, and then 30 years at the U.S. Geological Survey.
At the USGS, he investigated nutrient and pesticide fluxes in agricultural rivers in Illinois; tributaries to Lake Champlain; groundwater-ocean interaction on Cape Cod; east coast-west coast comparison of mercury in freshwater fish; and mercury changes during migration of Pacific bluefin tuna. Subsequently, John wanted a hand in changing geochemistry rather than simply studying it and so he started Cover Crops Innovations. Farmers control the air-soil interface for the productive soils of the world and so are key players in re-balancing CO2 in atmosphere. Early seeding of cover crops by farmers helps move carbon from the atmosphere to the soil and helps soil maintain its fertility. Win-win.
Elizabeth Hynes-Bruell
Director of Development
Elizabeth recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she studied Environmental Science. At college she took courses on soil science, sustainability, and environmental policy and also worked in the permaculture garden.
Her interest in agriculture stems from her time at UMass Amherst and the difference she observed from growing food in the city of Boston (her hometown) and growing food in Western Massachusetts. As part of the Cover Crop Innovations’ team, Elizabeth hopes to help farmers improve their soil quality and increase the overall usage of cover crops.
Qisen Luan
Technical Intern
Qisen is a college junior majoring in Computer Science and Statistical Mathematics at University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
During his internship with the Cover Crop Innovation team, Qisen will help the team with the field seeding process as well as the design and programming for seeder unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), using his experience and knowledge in programming and problem-solving he has gained during his time in college.
Cover Crop Innovations 