Danielle Beck departed Invariant’s food and agriculture team to join the Corn Refiners Association and Plant Based Products Council as vice president of government relations. She worked at Invariant for three years, recently as senior director of government affairs. Earlier in her career, Beck worked for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and The Russell Group.
Luke Blaustein (APC photo)The American Peanut Council named Lucas “Luke” Blaustein the organization’s next president and CEO, effective Aug. 25. He succeeds Richard Owen, who recently joined the Convenience Distribution Association as president and CEO. Blaustein worked for USDA’s Foreign Ag Service for the past seven years leading teams, offices and projects in Central Asia, the Arabian Gulf, Taiwan and Washington. Prior to his career at FAS, Blaustein was an international grain trader. Raised in Texas and Georgia, Blaustein currently resides in West Virginia with his family.
The American Feed Industry Association hired Cornelia Poku as director of communications. She will lead the communications department in the development and implementation of strategic communications for AFIA and the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER). Poku previously held positions at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and FGS Global. Most recently, she worked for AmeriCorps, where she managed a $3.1 million marketing and communications budget to support AmeriCorps Seniors.
Also at the American Feed Industry Association, Sarah Novak will step away from her role as chief operating officer on Aug. 21. She has been with the organization for 18 years.
The Farmers National Co. board of directors appointed Paul Schadegg as president. He has worked at the organization for 25 years, recently as senior vice president of FARM and real estate operations, where he led national initiatives and expanded Farmers National’s footprint across key agricultural regions.
The American Soybean Association hired Madelyn Derks as a director of government affairs overseeing ASA’s regulatory portfolio, including crop protection tools, agricultural biotechnology and environmental regulations, among other issues. She was most recently legislative director for Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., where she managed agriculture, energy, trade and rural broadband issues, and guided the congressman’s work on the House Appropriations Committee. Earlier, she worked for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and former Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.
Madelyn Derks (ASA photo)Farmer Mac hired Geraldine Hayhurst as executive vice president – chief legal officer and secretary effective Sept. 8. She will succeed Stephen Mullery who will retire on April 3, 2026, after 25 years with the organization. Hayhurst joins Farmer Mac with over two decades of experience practicing law, most recently with CoStar Group where she was associate general counsel, corporate and compliance. She also previously served as general counsel and secretary at NewPoint Real Estate.
AGCO appointed Brian Sorbe as president of PTx, effective Aug. 25. With nearly three decades of experience in precision agriculture, global sales and product development, Sorbe spent the past 14 years at Topcon Positioning Systems in key leadership roles, including senior vice president. He has also worked in construction and industrial automation. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Sorbe will be based in Tremont, Illinois, the home of a key PTx site.
Nature Fresh Farms hired Thomas Dreher as chief financial officer. He previously worked for KDC/ONE as chief financial officer for the beauty and personal care division. Earlier, he was president and CEO of Skjodt-Barrett Foods and a senior finance director at The Kraft Heinz Co.
North Hill Group named Nicole Juba as the new senior regulatory director. She has held previous roles with Pairwise, Syngenta, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and Alpine Bio, with expertise in seeds, biologicals and animal biotechnology. At NHG she will lead the firm’s global biotech regulatory practice across crops, microbes and animals.
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The National Telecommunications Industry Association hired Mollie Timmons as senior adviser for public affairs. She was previously a communications manager at the American Petroleum Institute and was communications director for Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va.
The Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council named Casey Wasser as the new CEO and executive director, effective immediately. He had been chief operating officer and senior policy director. In his new role, Wasser will lead all strategic, administrative and operational functions of Missouri Soybeans, oversee policy and advocacy efforts, and strengthen the organization’s engagement with growers and industry stakeholders. Wasser previously worked for the Missouri Department of Revenue.
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Casey Wasser (Missouri Soybeans photo)arm Credit Bank of Texas named Ameez Nanjee as executive vice president, chief financial officer. Nanjee brings over 20 years of experience in financial management and capital markets to the position, including experience as treasurer at Freddie Mac.
Alan Chittenden of Schodack Landing, New York, was reelected to a fourth one-year term as president of the American Jersey Cattle Association. A fourth-generation Jersey breeder, he owns and operates Dutch Hollow Farms with his family, milking 900 registered Jerseys. Chittenden has held multiple leadership roles within the association, including general chair of the All American Jersey Shows & Sales in 2018 and chair of the All American Sale Committee in 2016. Cornell Kasbergen of Tulare, California, was elected vice president of the AJCA board. A director since 2020, he currently serves as finance committee chair.
The Plastics Industry Association hired Hodayah Finman as senior director of regulatory affairs and Ivy Brittain as regional director of state government affairs. Finman worked at the Environmental Protection Agency for the past 15 years, recently as the acting director of EPA’s Office of International Affairs. Brittain was previously legislative affairs director for the Northern California Water Association. Earlier, she was a senior regulatory advocate at the Association of California Water Agencies.
Five federal career employees at USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were awarded Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medals for developing innovative solutions to agricultural challenges. The Partnership for Public Service has celebrated nearly 800 public servants through the program since 2001. 2025 recipients include:
- Research soil scientist Yakov Pachepsky and research leader Moon S. Kim, Ph.D., (ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland) were honored for their foodborne illness prevention research, which is achieved by drones, machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve contamination challenges in water, soil and at processing facilities across the nation. Their research team’s efforts leveraged engineering and environmental science to create solutions for agriculture, including the closely monitored highly pathogenic avian influenza, by developing detection technologies that can identify contamination in chicken coops and free-range poultry areas.
- Research physical scientist Kyle Knipper (ARS Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Unit in Davis, California) was honored for developing satellite-based models that measure the evaporation of water from soil and plant surfaces and transforming traditional irrigation practices so farmers have better irrigation scheduling and crop health. His research is far-reaching due to two projects (GRAPEX and T-REX) that use remote sensing of evapotranspiration to preserve groundwater for grapes and tree crops, respectively. This breakthrough research was able to reduce water usage by up to 25% in some vineyards.
- Distinguished senior research scientist Johnie N. Jenkins, (ARS Crop Science Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi) was honored for innovative research on eradicating the boll weevil in cotton plants and for leading a field team to introduce a pest-resistant cotton variety that is now considered the industry standard. His research has also resulted in higher cotton yields and reduced costs for applying insecticides.
- Veterinary Medical Officer Lydia Carpenter (APHIS Veterinary Services in Washington) was honored for spearheading the creation of a groundbreaking federal program to combat African swine fever. Recognizing the catastrophic potential of ASF — which has devastated swine populations across Europe and Asia — Carpenter led efforts to design and implement a pilot initiative that brought together federal and state regulators, farmers and pork producers to establish national standards for biosecurity, surveillance, and traceability.
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