20 for the Next 20: Tiffani Hull, Corteva Agriscience

This research scientist and Kaua‘i native leads the Waimea Global Genotyping Laboratory, where she works to produce resilient corn seeds.

Kaua‘i native Tiffani Hull loves giving back. “It’s important, seeing how it affects your community,” Hull says of her extensive experience in volunteering and engaging with the community.

Hull was raised in south Kaua‘i and attended Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, where her son is currently a student. Later, she graduated from the University of San Francisco, with a degree in biology.

But she knew she wanted to return to Kaua‘i and says she was pleased to find Corteva Agriscience (formerly Pioneer Hi-Bred International), an agricultural seed company, right in her own backyard. Hull began her professional career at Corteva’s Waimea facility in 2006 and says she’s been learning and growing ever since.

“We work with a lot of robotics. There’s always some kind of new equipment coming in that we get to learn about, so it’s not boring. You’re always learning something new,” Hull says.

She leads the Waimea Global Genotyping Laboratory at Corteva, with several other scientists reporting to her. While Corteva has different branches and areas of focus, she says its main mission is to study and produce conventional and genetically modified corn seeds that help farmers worldwide deal with drought, disease, pests and other challenges.

“Tiffani is a great leader and is always there to assist other teams,” says co-worker Laurie Yoshida.

Through Corteva, Hull has become increasingly involved in volunteering, including with the company’s Relay for Life team as it raised money for the American Cancer Society. She’s even captained the team at times.

In the past few years, Hull has has also gotten involved with Kaua‘i United Way, and last year she was asked to join the Kaua‘i United Way’s board as chair of its fundraising campaign.

“I love the United Way,” Hull says, “because you can contribute to one place, but it goes to multiple agencies, so it makes it a little easier for people. I try to communicate that.”

Hull’s volunteer work includes time spent on the board of the Kaua‘i Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, and she even led her son’s Boy Scout troop when no one else was available.

“I don’t know anything about Boy Scouts, obviously, and I wasn’t even a Girl Scout. That was something that I just did because I wanted it to be an opportunity for the boys to have and I did my best,” Hull says. “It was fun, and I learned a lot. But they probably did things that were much different from normal Boy Scout troops.”