Cultivating Solutions: Dennis and Matt Plummer’s Shared Family Passion for Plant Science

Dennis, an agtech investor and co-founder of CoverCress Inc., first became aware of the Danforth Center through the Ag Innovation Showcase. Having spent 29 years at Monsanto, Dennis was inspired by what he heard: “Here’s the Danforth Center solving really big problems that private industry wasn’t,” recalls Dennis. His passion for agriculture stems from his upbringing in a small Iowa farming community, where he learned the value of hard work and innovation. For Dennis, supporting the Danforth Center is personal: “I’m all-in on the Danforth Center’s mission,” he says. “It’s better for the environment, better for the food system, better for the human condition.” Dennis serves on the Danforth Leadership Council Executive Committee. Together with his wife Carolyn, he has been a member of the Danforth Society for more than a decade.

Father and son, Dennis and Matt Plummer, at Toast to Innovation in 2023. Says Dennis: "I couldn’t be happier that Matt is involved with the Danforth Center!"

The Danforth Center’s mission touches every single person on this planet,” adds Matt. “Whether it’s plants that grow with fewer inputs or crops that resist disease, it’s all about improving food security and nutrition for everyone.

Matt Plummer
Chair, Danforth Center Young Friends

Dennis's son Matt began his path to the Danforth Center in 2014 when he returned to St. Louis to work in the startup/innovation space after a stint in Utah on the US Speedskating Team. He currently serves as chair for the Danforth Center Young Friends Committee. Like his father, Matt’s enthusiasm for the Danforth Center is rooted in a deep belief in its mission: “I would say it was my passion for the mission, the vision, the things that the Danforth Center does,” Matt explains. “It was not hard for me to make a decision to contribute financially.” Today, as COO of seed company Saluna, Inc., Matt has been instrumental in the Center’s efforts to engage the next generation of leaders, driving the growth of the Young Friends group and leading the Grow Challenge Party with the Plants fundraising effort to its biggest year ever in 2024.

For both Dennis and Matt, philanthropy is a family value. As Dennis puts it, “I couldn’t be happier that Matt is involved with the Danforth Center. The best conversations I have are with the people there—they’re solving problems that matter.” “The Danforth Center’s mission touches every single person on this planet,” adds Matt. “Whether it’s plants that grow with fewer inputs or crops that resist disease, it’s all about improving food security and nutrition for everyone.”

You Can Make a Difference

There are many ways to get involved at the Danforth Center. Visit danforthcenter.org/get-involved to learn more.

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A version of this story originally appeared in the WHD Legacy Society Newsletter, a free newsletter for members of the WHD Legacy Society of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Sign up to receive more stories like this straight to your inbox.