Rex Bernardo, Director
Rex is Distinguished University Teaching Professor and endowed chair in maize breeding and genetics at the University of Minnesota. He obtained his undergraduate degree in the Philippines in 1983 and his Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988. Rex developed the widely used genomic best linear unbiased prediction or GBLUP procedure in 1994, and most of his work has focused on marker-assisted breeding. Rex teaches graduate courses in plant breeding and in professional skills for scientists as well as an undergraduate course on coffee. He has written two textbooks, entitled Breeding for Quantitative Traits in Plants and Essentials of Plant Breeding. In his leisure time, Rex enjoys playing the acoustic guitar, going tandem biking with his wife, and spending time with their six adult F1 progeny and four F2 progeny.
Mei-Tine Chong, Program Coordinator
Mei-Tine, a proud University of Minnesota alumna, coordinates the center’s events, scheduling, and committees. She earned her M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management and built her career in accounting, finance, and consulting in organizations including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Knight Ridder, Inc., and Ernst & Young, LLP. After years of volunteering and organizing events through her sons’ school parents’ association, she's been delighted to come out of retirement to serve as the center’s program coordinator. Mei‑Tine enjoys traveling around the country and the world with her husband and two adult sons. She also loves playing pickleball and on occasion, cheering for the Minnesota Vikings.
Alyssa Headley, Social Media Manager
Alyssa, who is a Ph.D. student in Applied Plant Sciences, maintains the center's social media presence on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Alyssa is advised by Brandon Miller and Jerry Cohen in the Department of Horticultural Science, and her dissertation research focuses on developing a novel approach for propagating hybrid hazelnut for the Upper Midwest. Alyssa obtained her M.S. in Applied Plant Sciences from the University of Minnesota in 2024 and her B.S. in soil and crop science from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2022. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys exploring Minnesota, cooking, and reading.