Sam Fiorello is the President and CEO of Cortex. Home to more than 400 companies, Cortex is an innovation community that serves as a catalyst for innovation, bringing together big-thinking problem solvers with state-of-the-art resources, facilities, and innovative programming to inspire and drive collaboration. Prior to Cortex, Sam spent over two decades at the Donald Danforth Plant and Science Center, where he served as COO and SVP for Administration and Finance. Under his leadership, the Danforth Plant Science Center grew to become the world’s largest independent research institute focused on plant science. Sam also served as the President of the Bio Research & Development Growth Park (BRDG). During this period Sam also founded the Ag Innovation Showcase, an annual ag-tech innovation conference that became an industry gold standard. Before moving to the Danforth Center, Sam worked at Monsanto Company, working on international public-private partnerships.