Webinar recording

Event description

In this Business of Alt Protein seminar, you’ll hear from Maureen McCusker, Co-Founder/CEO of Blackhawke Behavioral Science. Dr. McCusker brings her deep expertise in assembling powerful teams that propel startups and early-stage companies to success. From choosing a co-founder to crafting and filling critical roles, Dr. McCusker will cover the team fundamentals that are essential  for launching and scaling.

Topics include:

  • The most important characteristics of a strong co-founder relationship.
  • The most important characteristics of a healthy team dynamic.
  • How companies can create balanced and well-rounded teams.
  • The most common pitfalls startups face when building a team.

About the speaker

Dr. Mo McCusker is CO-CEO and Co-founder of Blackhawke Behavior Science, where she supports entrepreneurial teams in assessing, understanding, and developing their human capital. She also works with other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem (e.g., investors, coaches) to leverage data and analytics to their competitive advantage. Mo is an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist who has spent the last decade studying and working with leaders and teams from a wide variety of organizational sectors. Her scientific research focuses on understanding and predicting effective leadership and team dynamics within the work context, focusing specifically on shared leadership, team communication, and conflict. She has published over 30 scientific papers and book chapters, has earned several awards and federal grants for her scholarly research, and teaches MBA Management courses at American University. She holds a Ph.D. and a M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Virginia Tech and a B.A. in Psychology and French from Georgetown University.

Upcoming events

View all events
An illustration of the globe with two hands reaching towards one another.  third party event featured image.
Minneapolis, MN

Reuters Events Transform Food & Agriculture USA 2025

Join GFI’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Engagement, Caroline Bushnell at Reuters Events: Transform Food & Agriculture in Minneapolis.

An illustration of a person speaking at a podium
North Carolina State University

NCSU Bezos Center Summit

GFI’s Maddie Cohen, associate director of regulatory affairs, will join a panel at the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein’s inaugural summit, contributing to an energizing discussion on the current state…

Https://gfi. Org/wp content/uploads/2025/10/sci25056 soap webinar graphics october header featured
Virtual Event

The Science of Alt Protein: Enzymatic treatment of hemp for highly functional plant-based meat ingredient in commercial manufacturing

Discover how Dr. Simsek aims to provide value-added strategies through enzyme modification for hemp processing byproducts.

Https://gfi. Org/wp content/uploads/2025/10/sci25054 pulse canada x gfi webinar graphics header featured
Virtual Event

The state of Canadian and U.S. pulse farming in 2025

Join GFI and Pulse Canada for The Pulse Chain, a three-part webinar series spotlighting Canadian and U.S. pulse growers at the heart of sustainable protein innovation. Hear firsthand how pulses…

An illustrative graphic of a microscope on a stack of books

Bridge2Food North American Symposium – APP Regional Student Symposium (Alt Protein Project)

After a successful student-led showcase in Brazil earlier this year, the Alt Protein Project is headed to the U.S.! Meet some of our incredible student leaders at the Bridge2Food North…

An illustration of the globe with two hands reaching towards one another.  third party event featured image.
Indiana Convention Center

National FFA Convention & Expo

Event description The National FFA Convention & Expo is all about growing the next generation of leaders—and so is GFI. That’s why Jeremy Eltz, Ph.D., GFI’s Education and Workforce Development…

Https://gfi. Org/wp content/uploads/2025/10/sci25054 pulse canada x gfi webinar graphics header featured
Virtual Event

Sustainability from farm to fork: pulse grower practices

Join GFI and Pulse Canada for The Pulse Chain, a three-part webinar series spotlighting Canadian and U.S. pulse growers at the heart of sustainable protein innovation. Hear firsthand how pulses…

Plate of chicken with pasta and mushrooms on ripple background

COP30: United Nations Climate Change Conference

COP30 Belém brings the world together at a critical moment for global transformative climate action. Join GFI and other alternative protein experts at this historic event!