Distinguished Alumni

Mr. John Rabby (Bachelor of Science in Entomology, 1977 and Master of Science in Integrated Pest Management 1979) is the Distinguished Fellow for the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology. The Wiggins, Mississippi native has more than 30 years' experience in global agribusiness development. In 2011, he founded RE LLC, a global agribusiness consulting firm, which is actively engaged in agricultural projects around the globe. From 2013-2019, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of AgBiome Innovations, a North-Carolina based biotechnology company. He is currently on AgBiome's board of directors. Prior to that, Mr. Rabby had various leadership roles in agricultural companies including ADAMA Ltd., a global crop protection company, where he was CEO and President of the North American Business Unit and a global director on the executive board. Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years in leadership roles with American Cyanamid Company and BASF, which purchased American Cyanamid in 2000. He is currently the elected chairman of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center's Board of Directors, a state funded nonprofit focused on life sciences startups in North Carolina. Mr. Rabby is married and has three children and one grandchild and resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina.