Board hears Dakota Bioworks economic update; appoints Jeremy Javers to board

Regents received a multi‑slide update on Dakota Bioworks and the state bioproducts initiative, which highlighted startups and companies working with the PoET Bioproducts Center, economic impact estimates, and committed industry funding. Presenters noted roughly 277 jobs created in a recent two‑year period, investments that produced income and tax impact locally, and committed private support (for example, South Dakota Corn Utilization Council and South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council commitments reported in the presentation).

Board members voted to appoint Jeremy Javers to the Dakota Bioworks board for a three‑year term. Presenters said the organization is in late stages of selecting a new CEO to succeed the outgoing CEO (retiring Sept. 30) and displayed revenue growth projections through 2031. The board also discussed workforce training grants and partnerships supporting scale‑up for agricultural and bioproduct companies.