Keri Carstens and Jenni Talbott’s journey from roommates to C-suite executives

As high school students, Keri Deppe Carstens ’01 and Jenni Donohue Talbott ’01 ran the 400-meter hurdles against each other at the state track meet. As first-year Knights, they were matched as roommates on the third floor of Vollmer Hall. Fast forward more than 20 years later and the two have been in each other’s weddings, taken family vacations together, and are godparents for the other’s children.

“I mean it when I say that if I had a sister, I would want it to be the person I am looking at on this screen,” said Carstens during a video call with Talbott. “We’ve been together through thick and thin. She is my person.”

In between raising their kids — Carstens has three and Talbott has two — and maintaining their friendship, the women are taking charge in their respective fields with seats in the C-suite.

Talbott has been with McFarland Clinic in Ames for more than 17 years, including nearly three years as the chief operating officer. Carstens spent 14 years at DuPont Pioneer and Corteva Agriscience. Then in 2022 she joined Jord BioScience as the chief operating officer and now chief executive officer.

 You were both busy students. How did you find time to cultivate your friendship?

Keri: We were both driven students. I majored in biology and secondary education and ran track.
Jenni: I was in business administration and played volleyball and basketball. I added track
my sophomore year so we could spend more time together.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time living together?

Keri: Where do we even start? We always decked out all of our doors. There were always challenges to overcome with athletics so there were lots of motivational speeches. Jenni broke her arm her sophomore year during basketball season, and I would help her tape it up so she could shower. There was always creative shopping on a limited budget.
Jenni: We were just each other’s ongoing support system. Keri would come to my basketball games. I remember we made it to the Elite Eight, and she was up there cheering.

How did you manage to stay so close after graduation?

Keri: Regular communication was key, but it was easy because I always said if I had a sister, I would want it to be Jenni. We were there for each other through thick and thin — planning weddings, having babies, or when things just weren’t going like we had hoped they would.
Jenni: Keri is the magic. She is very intentional about staying connected. It’s not that she isn’t always on my mind, but Keri is the one that always does something about it. She’s the glue.
Keri: But even now that we are both in Ames, we still don’t get to see each other as much as we want. I am so thankful and incredibly lucky for the human on the screen right now. I know I’m getting emotional, but she is my person, my sister for life. I am so thankful for whoever it was that saw fit to room us together. My life is better because of her being in it.

Who were your mentors while you were at Wartburg?

Jenni: I am so appreciative of Prof. Gloria Campbell helping me navigate internships. I started in retirement planning at Principal and then found out that health care business administration was a thing.
Keri: I was convinced I would be a vet, like most farm girls were, so I did the pre-vet track, but I realized that the kind of vet I wanted to be, helping both large and small animals, wouldn’t really exist by the time I graduated. So I thought I would become a science teacher. Thank goodness for Dr. Roy Ventullo. He pushed me to look at research and research internships, and I am so thankful for that. Between my junior and senior year, I did research at Iowa State University in the toxicology lab. I didn’t know then that the area of pesticide toxicology even existed, but I realized that it was an intersection of my interests where I could help people.

How did participating in athletics shape your college experience?

Keri: Marcus Newsom was also one of my favorite people on campus for showing me what a great leader and role model looks like. The value of hard work and teamwork has been foundational in my whole life, but especially in my career.
Jenni: My collegiate athletic experience was very important in shaping how I operate today and am able to put things into perspective. In volleyball, every point is someone’s error; you have to accept that and move on. You will have errors, and you have to shake them off. Working together, time management, those are all things that translate into everyday life and work.

What happened after Wartburg?

Jenni: I went to the University of Iowa for a Master of Health Care Administration and Master of Business Administration. Then I worked in Chicago before coming back to Iowa and joining McFarland Clinic in Ames. It’s great to be back by my hometown and work where I was seen when I was little.
Keri: I earned a Master of Science in toxicology and a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology and entomology from Iowa State. Coming from a farming background, I knew farmers needed great tools and to be safe where they work. So I started my work at Pioneer and was there for 14 years. About three years ago, I was contacted about a new role at a start-up called Jord BioScience. I felt very strongly that Jord exists to make products better, which was why I went to Wartburg — to make the world better.