The National Farmers Union named Chase Kusel director of communications. Kusel relocates to the nation’s capital from Kansas City where he has worked for Curious Plot and the Woodruff agency, focused on food and agriculture clients.
Anne Knapke joined the Meridian Institute and the Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation as senior director. She will focus on collaboration between stakeholders in climate, food and agriculture. Knapke has worked at USDA since 2021 as deputy assistant secretary for congressional relations and most recently as deputy chief of staff.
FMC president Darren Dillenbeck was elected to a two-year team as chair of the CropLife America board. Dillenbeck previously was vice chair of the association’s executive committee. He succeeds Andy Lee, president and CEO of Valent USA, who chaired the board in 2022-24.
Nick Crocker leaves as senior policy adviser and coalitions director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to be government affairs professional for the Department of Commerce.
Fifth-generation Colorado rancher Tim Canterbury was elected president of the Public Lands Council at the group’s annual meeting. He owns and operates a ranch in Howard, Colo., where his family has been ranching for nearly 150 years. Before the election, Canterbury was president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and chaired the Colorado Public Lands Council.
Torrey Advisory Group added Grace Walker as a member and events manager. She will focus on expanding association management work and meeting and event planning. A University of Oregon graduate, she previously worked in events coordination for a realty corporation.
Grace Walker, Torrey Advisory GroupIris Figueroa was promoted to western hemisphere marketing manager at the US Rice Producers Association. She has been with the organization since 2022, most recently as office and technology manager.
Kevin Moore Porter joined the office of House Ag Committee member Yadira Caraveo as communications director. He was previously in the same position for North Carolina Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel.
Drew Marsh transitioned from legislative assistant to regional manager in the office of Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. He will be based in Flint, Michigan. Marsh has been with Stabenow’s staff since 2019.
Justin Masucci has left the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to join the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies staff.
Duda Farm Fresh Foods made changes to the sales and marketing team. Alan Ediger was hired as vice president of sales to lead commodity and value-added product line sales strategy. He previously worked at California Giant Berry Farms, Dole Fresh and Dole Berry Co. Jeff Goodale was promoted to senior vice president of strategy and business development. Goodale has been with Duda for 19 years, recently as a senior director of sales, strategy and analysis.
Genevieve O’Sullivan joined National Waste and Recycling Association as chief of communications and senior vice president of communications. She had led communications at CropLife America. O’Sullivan began her career in the waste and recycling industry.
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Former Mars Pet Nutrition General Manager Daniel Calderoni has been named CEO of Mars’ Kind Snacks. He has worked on Mars and Unilever brands for more than 20 years. He replaces Russell Stokes.
Dabney Hegg will join Cornerstone Government Affairs’ federal government relations team Oct. 1. She was most recently staff director for the Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee.
Chelsey Stoa was promoted to public relations and social media channel lead at Flint Group of Agencies. She has been with the group three years and has worked for Sun Country Airlines.
Sean Kelly left the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is now a director of government affairs and public policy at Atlas Air.
Jeff Goodale, DudaAfter 24 years, Beverly Flores departed from John Deere. She launched Thyme Out Consulting with services for personal and business growth.
Elizabeth Biser left as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality after three years. Biser also was president of the Environmental Council of the States for the past year. She joins the private sector.
The Interior Department tapped Anne Hawke as deputy director of the Office of Communications to lead digital and internal communications. Hawke was most recently at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
GROWMARK communications manager Cliff Dolbeare is the new president of the Cooperative Communicators Association. During his 2024-25 term, Dolbeare and six others will focus on enhancing communications strategies for cooperatives.
The National Automatic Merchandising Association added Daniel Martin as manager of member engagement. He was most recently with Targeted Victory as a client strategy manager.
MBOLD tapped Compeer Financial CEO Jase Wagner as coalition chair. Part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul partnership, the coalition of Minnesota-based food and agriculture business leaders and innovators collaborate to accelerate solutions to food and agriculture challenges. Wagner succeeds Dimitrios Smyrnios, former CEO of Schwan’s Co.
Meristem Crop Performance Group added Michael Wied as a sales representative and dealer coach. Based in west Texas, he will focus on expanding in the region. Wied previously worked for Corteva and Capital Farm Credit and is a graduate of the Texas Grain and Feed Emerging Leadership program.
Stephen Lamb is the new grower outreach lead at Andes Ag Inc., an Alameda, California, firm that uses biology to address climate change. He previously worked in sales at DTN and Total Farm Marketing.
Continuum Ag added David Hora as ag sales representative. A brother of founder Mitchell Hora, David will have operations and sales responsibility. He is an Iowa State agronomy graduate.
Paige Jergens joined the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as a soil conservation technician. Jergens is a recent Iowa State graduate who served as president of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council.
Amanda Sollman is joining PTx Trimble as a marketing operations manager. She worked for McCracken Consulting the past four years focused on agriculture clients, including PTx Trimble.
Stratovation Group hired Olivia Spaight as an account coordinator. A recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Spaight brings photo, video and graphic design to the team.
Rachel Zumbach is the new chief marketing officer at Farm4Profit Podcast. She was most recently with the Iowa Corn Growers Association as a public relations manager.
Richard Oarr, 61, of Alexandria died at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Aug. 12, and a celebration of his life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Falls Church, Virginia. Oarr is survived by his wife Anne Simmons, staff director for the minority staff on the House Agriculture Committee, and other family members.
Farm publications pioneer Roy Reiman died Sept. 16. He was 90. Roy graduated from Iowa State in 1957 with a degree in agricultural journalism and founded Reiman Publications in 1965. Based in Greendale, Wisconsin, his company grew to the largest subscription-supported publishing firm in the United States with no ads in his glossy publications. It eventually grew to 14 national magazines with more than 16.3 million paid subscribers. His early successes included Farm Building News and Farm Wife News and Farm & Ranch Living. But his largest was Taste of Home, a cooking magazine with more than 5.3 million subscribers. Roy and his wife, Bobbi, invested time and resources in their alma mater, supporting the construction of Reiman Gardens, the alumni center and the completion of the Jack Trice Stadium end zone.
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