Rural Investment to Protect our Environment named Minnesota farmer Alana Petersen president. She is principal at Petersen Group/Canary Consulting and served as RIPE’s interim executive director in 2023. Petersen was earlier deputy chief of staff and state adviser to Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and deputy chief of staff for Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. She succeeds William (Bill) Beam, who was appointed administrator of USDA's Farm Service Agency.
Alana Petersen (RIPE photo)The American Veterinary Medical Association hired former congressional chief of staff Paul Gage as director of its federal government relations division. He was deputy vice president of federal advocacy at PhRMA and served Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., for 12 years. Gage will lead AVMA’s federal legislative advocacy.
Bryce McWilliams joined the office of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., covering agriculture. He was legislative aide and special assistant on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Republican staff for the past three years.
Gary Wheeler resigned as CEO and executive director of Missouri Soybeans for personal reasons effective immediately, according to a news release. He led the organization for 11 years. The Missouri Soybeans Joint Oversight Committee appointed Casey Wasser, deputy executive director and chief operating officer, as interim CEO.
Jack Long joined the office of Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., as a legislative assistant covering agriculture issues. He worked at the National Association of Wheat Growers for nearly two years as a government relations representative.
The Brewers Association hired Sam Beaver as a federal government affairs manager. He was director of government relations at the National Association of Manufacturers for five years. Beaver worked for the Senate Finance Committee and as a policy adviser for then-Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Rachel Dumke is now communications director for Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. She worked in the Office of Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., for four and a half years, most recently as deputy communications director.
Audra Kruse was named director of engagement strategy and partnerships at Social Driver. She was a manager of digital communications at the Consumer Brands Association and communications manager at the International Dairy Foods Association.
Hormel Foods hired Kerri Boling McGee as senior attorney of regulatory, food law and external affairs. She was lead regulatory and food law senior counsel at Kraft Heinz. Boling McGee is a board member of both the Women's Meat Industry Network and Dean's Partnership Council at the University of Arkansas Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural Food and Life Sciences.
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Guru Ramamurthy was named chief financial officer for Bayer’s Crop Science division. He has worked at the company for 20 years, most recently as chief financial officer of Bayer US. Ramamurthy will be based in St. Louis. He succeeds Oliver Rittgen, who is leaving the company after 25 years. The change will be effective July 1.
Guru Ramamurthy (Bayer photo)Purdue University appointed Nicole Widmar to head its Department of Agricultural Economics and Tomas Höök to lead the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Widmar has been on Purdue’s faculty since 2015 in several leadership positions with research focused on farm business management, production economics and decision-making under risk. Höök has been director of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant since 2018. The Swedish-born Höök’s research focuses on the fish and fisheries ecology of the Great Lakes.
Mike Santostefano joined Leaf Agriculture as vice president of business development. He was vice president of produce at Brilliant Harvest and previously worked for TELUS Agriculture and Consumer Goods.
Black Earth hired Justin Miller as director of sales, North American agriculture. He was vice president of strategic accounts and sustainability relations at Ostara and director of North America sales at Trace Genomics.
Brooke Gillespie joined Barrett Agri as a marketing specialist. She worked for the Steffes Group for the past 10 years, most recently as content marketing lead.
Valerie McMakin joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as director of institutional giving. She worked at USDA during the Biden administration, most recently as chief of staff in the Office of Congressional Relations.
Jonathan Knutson, longtime Agweek reporter and former National Association of Agricultural Journalists president, died Friday in hospice care. He was 65. “Jon spent his childhood in the Sheyenne River valley,” his obituary reads, “where he developed an appreciation for the land, the people and the stories of this area.” He worked at the Bismarck Tribune for five years, joined AgWeek for two years, then worked for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead for nearly 20 years. Knutson returned to Agweek in 2010 where he finished writing and reporting and helped launch AgweekTV. He was known for his ability to mentor others. A private graveside service is planned later this year. In lieu of memorials, Knutson’s family believes the best way to honor his memory is to schedule a cancer screening, especially for colon cancer.
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