As Senior Director of Commercialization, Jennifer Wagner-Lahr oversees projects in partnership with Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) staff members, commodity groups, state and federal agencies, and other collaborators and stakeholders that fulfill the AURI mission and advance the development of value‐added agricultural products within Minnesota. Her time is also employed toward advocating as a spokesperson for AURI and presenting value‐added opportunities to the public.

Prior to joining AURI, Wagner-Lahr worked as a Program Specialist and, later, Executive Director of Global Outreach, Inc. During her time in the latter position, she also took on an economics faculty member position at South Central College in Minnesota.

She and her husband run a diversified crop and livestock farm in Central Minnesota and have three young children.

Wagner-Lahr received her Bachelor of Science in applied economics, trade and development from the University of Minnesota, MN and Master of Science in international agricultural sciences from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany. She also has a mini‐Master of business administration from the University of St. Thomas, MN and was an exchange student to Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands. A recipient of numerous awards, Wagner continues to prove why she a vital member of the AURI team.