Jill Sperling was appointed California state FFA adviser and state supervisor of agricultural education to support more than 108,000 members across 366 chapters. She is the first woman to serve in the role in the organization’s nearly 100-year history. Earlier, Sperling was California central region FFA adviser for the past 10 years. She also was an agriscience educator and FFA advisor at Kingsburg High School for 14 years. She succeeds Charles Parker after his retirement.
The California Agricultural Leadership Foundation announced its Class 55 ag leadership fellows. During the 17-month intensive program, fellows will participate in immersive leadership seminars, national and international travel seminars and hands-on projects that foster personal growth and drive industry impact. The inaugural ceremony will take place Oct. 3 in Fresno. Since the program’s founding in 1970, more than 1,400 fellows have completed the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Class 55 fellows include:
Claire Aicken – County of San Diego AWM, Oceanside
Jordan Albiani – Galt High School, Elk Grove
Tommy Bottoms – Tremont Farms, Davis
Morgan Campbell – Westside Water Authority, Bakersfield
Sam Christopherson – Markon, Sacramento
Natalie Collins – California Association of Winegrape Growers, Lodi
Drew Crane – Crane Mills, Tehama
Kelly Damewood – California Certified Organic Farmers, Santa Cruz
Jared Davit – Jarran Ag Services, Yuba City
Josh Enos – Carriere Family Farms, Glenn
Lauren Fann – Almond Board of California, Modesto
Omar Alexander Gonzalez-Benitez – Planasa LLC, Watsonville
Lisa Howard – Tolenas Winery, Fairfield
Casey Kirchhoff – Kirchhoff Family Wines, Clarksburg
Kiaran Locy – California Prune Board, Sacramento
Cesar Mendoza – BASF Corp., Fresno
Jordon Navarrot – Reclamation District 108, Grimes
Jon Neugebauer – McArthur Farm Supply, McArthur
Logan Robertson Huecker – Sequoia Riverlands Trust, Visalia
Ryan Scott – Monterey Pacific, Templeton
Emma Sertich – Center Safe Ag, Ventura
Sadie Strain – Strain Farming Company, Arbuckle
Kevin Voorhees – AgWest Farm Credit, San Luis Obispo
Jeremy Wagner – County of San Mateo AWM, Redwood City
The Plastics Industry Association hired Ivy Brittain as regional director of state government 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. She also has experience as a legislative advocate at the San Diego County Water Authority.
Jodi Muller (Western States Petroleum Association photo)The Western States Petroleum Association named Jodie Muller as the new president and CEO. She has been with the organization for 25 years, recently as senior vice president and chief operating officer. Muller succeeds longtime leader Catherine Reheis-Boyd, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Muller will begin her new role on Sept. 1 as Reheis-Boyd steps into an advisory role for the remainder of the year.
Kate Folmar was appointed chief of strategic communications at the California High-Speed Rail Authority by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. She has been self-employed with her own communications firm, Kate Folmar Communications, since 2021. Previously, she was deputy secretary for external affairs at the California Health and Human Services Agency and was earlier communications director at Everytown for Gun Safety.
The California Walnut Board, which represents more than 3,700 California growers and approximately 70 handlers, announced a new board of directors who have been certified by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. More than 99% of the walnuts grown in the United States are produced in California. Ten growers and eight handlers will be on the board. District 1 growers include William D. Carriere of Glenn and Ben Walsh of Orland; and District 1 grower alternates: Jeff Gallagher of Rio Oso and Michael Petz of Tracy. District 1 handlers: Jack Mariani of Winters and Eric Heidman of Stockton; and District 1 handler alternates: John Aguiar of Winters and Dick Wolf of Stockton. District 2 growers include Brent Barton of Escalon and Greg Wiersma of Visalia; and District 2 grower alternates: Daniel Bays of Westley and Benjamin Crane of Merced. District 2 handlers: Frank Guerra of Hollister and Mike Poindexter of Selma; and District 2 handler alternates: Brock Middleton of Hughson and Aaron Martella of Hughson. Michael Machado of Linden was named a grower at-large member and John Heier of Live Oak was named an at-large grower alternate.
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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.
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.
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 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 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 agri-culture, 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.
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.
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.
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 learn-ing and artificial intelligence to solve contamination challenges in water, soil and at processing facilities across the nation. Their research team’s efforts leveraged engineer-ing 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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