Jayson WelterUnitedAg has tapped Jayson Welter to serve as general counsel. Bringing more than 20 years of experience to the role, Welter previously worked at BeneSys as a compliance officer. He succeeds Clare Marie Einsmann, who retired after serving as the corporate secretary and executive vice president for more than 35 years.
Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Nora Vargas to sit on the California Air Resources Board. Vargas has served as a supervisor on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors since 2021.
Ocean Mist Farms has promoted Bobby Bellew to director of farming, Serafin Ruiz to director of harvesting and Glen Alameda to director of supply chain and compliance. Bellew will oversee Ocean Mist Farm’s Northern California farming operations.
Ambassador Darci Vetter has joined The Nature Conservancy as the global head for policy and government relations. Vetter previously was a principal at Sower Strategies and senior adviser at Edelman Global Advisory after serving as the chief agriculture trade negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan has announced the appointment of Robin Morris Collin to be EPA’s senior adviser to the administrator for environmental justice. Collin is known for her leadership and scholarship in the areas of sustainability, energy, and environmental justice. She joins EPA after serving as the Norma Paulus Professor of Law at Willamette University in Oregon. She was one of the first law professors to teach sustainability courses in a U.S. law school and has also served as founding chair of the State of Oregon’s Environmental Justice Task Force.
The Global Cold Chain Alliance has promoted Brian Lynch as executive vice president, business development and executive director of the Controlled Environment Builders Association (CEBA); James Rogers as vice president, business development; Katie Sastre as manager, business development; and Madison Jaco as manager, international programs. Lynch joined GCCA in July 2020 as senior vice president, business development. Rogers has been with the organization for 14 years, and most recently served as senior director of business development. In addition to these promoti
Darci Vetter ons, GCCA has also added two new staff members. Lydia Barr has joined as the coordinator of education and programs. She previously served in event, programming and communication roles at TRSA, the Association for Linen, Uniform and Facility Services Industry, and American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). Ecaterina (Kate) Leonova is the finance coordinator.
Scott Bennett is leaving the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and heading to Boehringer Ingelheim to serve as the senior associate director of government affairs and public policy for the Animal Health division. He will be primarily handling the livestock, poultry, and equine portfolios. Bennett currently serves as the director of congressional relations at AFBF and his last day will be Feb. 10. He will begin his new role on Feb. 14.
Katie Jordan has joined Corteva’s government and industry affairs team in D.C. as a federal government affairs associate. Jordan joins Corteva from the Hill where she worked on the Senate Ethics Committee as the financial disclosure program manager. Before that, she was a member of the Dow Public Affairs team as a communications specialist working with the transaction communications team and the Office of Inclusion.
Courtney Chabot has accepted a new role with GreenPoint Ag Holdings as the senior legal counsel, located in Huntsville, Alabama. Chabot previously worked for Corteva as senior counsel. Before that, she worked for DuPont Pioneer as the company’s legal counsel.
The United Sorgh
Scott Bennett um Checkoff Program has named Adam York as the new sustainability director. York previously served as the program director for the Kansas Grain Sorghum and before that, York served in senior staff roles for Rep. Steve Watkins, R-Kan., and Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., advising on federal agricultural, environmental, and nutritional policies.
Allie Nelson has left the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council where she was the director of operations. She is moving to the Block Chain Association as the new chief of staff.
KCoe Isom has added Corey Getz and Theodore “Quint” Shambaugh V to the organizations agricultural land management services division. Getz and Shambaugh previously co-founded DIGS Associates.
The Farm Credit Administration has selected Mike Duffy to serve as the agency's new chief examiner and director of the Office of Examination. Duffy succeeds Roger Paulsen, who retired on Dec. 28. Since 2016, Duffy has served as manager of the Office of Examination’s credit specialist program.
Robert Fraley has joined Verdesian Life Sciences’ board of directors. Fraley spent nearly four decades as chief technology officer at Monsanto, later retiring in 2018. During his time at Monsanto, Fraley led a team that helped develop the first genetically modified seed.
USDA has appointed four new members to the National Organic Standards Board. The new members will serve five-year terms, through January 2027. Elizabeth (Liz) Graznak of Missouri will hold an environmental protection and resource conservation seat. Graznak is an organic farmer and has a degree in environmental studies. Allison Johnson of California was appointed to a public interest or consumer interest group seat. Johnson currently works for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Dilip Nandwani of Tennessee will hold the scientist seat. Nandwani is a professor at Tennessee State University. Javier Zamora of California was appointed to a farmer seat. Zamora is with JSM Organics, a 100-acre vegetable and fruit farm, and has 20-years of farming experience.
Don Schiefelbein
Don Schiefelbein became the new president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association during the organization’s 2022 Cattle Industry Convention. Schiefelbein and his family operate Schiefelbein Farms, a diversified farming operation in Kimball, Minn. Other officers elected were Todd Wilkinson of South Dakota, as president-elect; Mark Eisele of Wyoming as vice president; Nebraska rancher Buck Wehrbein as chair of the NCBA Policy Division; Gene Copenhaver of Virginia as the new policy vice chair; and Brad Hastings of Texas and Clark Price of North Dakota were elected as chair and vice chair of the NCBA Federation Division.
The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board has elected Norman Voyles, Jr., Jimmy Taylor and Andy Bishop as new officers. Voyles, the 2021 vice chair, will now serve as chair, while Taylor transitions from his role as the 2021 secretary-treasurer to become the 2022 vice chair. Bishop is the newest member of the officer team, taking on Taylor’s former responsibilities as secretary-treasurer.
The International Poultry Council’s executive committee has reelected Robin Horel, Ricardo Santin and Jim Sumner as president, vice-president and treasurer, respectively.
Members of TEGMA, a trade association whose members include grain shippers, receivers and rail carriers, have reelected Terry McDermott as chairman of the board. McDermott serves as the director of supply chain for Bunge. The group also re-elected Wyatt Brummer, vice president-western rail grains for The Scoular Company, as first vice chairman and Greg Beck, senior vice president of the Grain Division for CGB Enterprises, as second vice chairman.
Jackie Negro has joined the World Food Prize Foundation as the new program coordinator of communications. Before taking over this position, Negro worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) as the global food security communications and social media intern.
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