ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc., located at Cornell University, has announced that Stephen H. Howell will be the institute's new vice president for research, Joyce L. Frank will be the new vice president for operations, John M. Dentes will be the new vice president for finance, and Anne Zientek has been promoted to human resources manager.

Stephen H. Howell/vice president for research

Prior to assuming this position, he served as the director of plant molecular biology at BTI since 1988, as well as an adjunct professor of plant biology at Cornell University. He has been a professor of biology at the University of California at San Diego and a visiting scientist at the Division of Plant Industry (CSIRO) at Canberra, Australia.

Howell earned his bachelor's degree at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, in 1963 and his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, in 1967. While at Johns Hopkins, he was Phi Beta Kappa. In 1976, he earned a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, and in 1997, a Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship. He is now the Boyce Schulze Downey Scientist at Boyce Thompson Institute. He lives in Ithaca.

Joyce Lowery Frank/vice president for operations

Frank will manage the institute's operations, fundraising and intellectual property efforts. She also will develop the institute's relationships with the community and with corporations nationwide. This is a newly created a position dedicated to technology transfer and development.

Prior to coming to BTI, Frank was vice president of Initiatech Inc. in Ithaca, N.Y., and she served as regional sales manager at Life Technologies Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., while based in Rochester, N.Y. Prior to working in sales and marketing of biology products, Frank was a research technician and laboratory supervisor at the University of Chicago Department of Medicine.

Frank earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1981. She lives in Newfield, N.Y.

John Michael Dentes/vice president for finance

The institute also promoted John Michael Dentes from treasurer to vice president for finance and treasurer. Dentes has worked at BTI since 1982, starting as comptroller. Prior to this promotion, he also has served as acting corporate secretary and director of personnel at BTI.

During his work at BTI, Dentes also was an interim instructor in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he taught accounting. Prior to working at BTI, he was comptroller at Tompkins Cortland Community College and an adjunct instructor in accounting.

In 1968, Dentes earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics, and in 1969 he earned a master's degree in business administration, both from Cornell. He was born and raised in the Ithaca area and now resides in Aurora, N.Y.

Anne Zientek/human resources manager

The institute also has promoted Anne Zientek from personnel coordinator to human resources manager. She has worked for BTI since 1990.

Prior to working at the institute, Zientek served as the quality assurance records review coordinator for the D.M. Graham Pharmaceutical Laboratories in Hobart, N.Y. Formerly, she was a zookeeper at the Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton, N.Y., and the Sante Fe Teaching Zoo, Gainesville, Fla.

Zientek earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Gannon University, Erie, Pa., in 1984 and received an associate of science degree in biological parks training from Sante Fe Community College, Gainesville, in 1982. She is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Professional in Human Resources and is pursuing a master's degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell. She lives in Newfield.

The Boyce Thompson Institute was established in 1924, founded and endowed by Col. William Boyce Thompson, who believed in keeping a plentiful food supply and started the institute to study plant physiology in order to help "protect the basic needs of 200 million" people. BTI, with laboratories and offices in Yonkers, N.Y., relocated to the campus of Cornell University in 1978. The move was made possible by an act of the New York State Legislature in 1972, which provided funds for the State University of New York for construction of a new laboratory facility assigned to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for use by BTI.