Wine Institute elected its new board leadership, with Gretchen Roddick, executive vice president of Hope Family Wines, as chair, joined by Ben Dollard as first vice chair, Ed Matovcik as second vice chair, Christine Wente as treasurer and Jennifer Evans as secretary.
Jonathan Ocampo is joining ImmuCell Corporation’s sales team to promote its First Defense® product line. Ocampo has a decade of experience as a ranch manager and another decade of sales experience in the livestock industry.
Creekside Organics of Bakersfield, California, has appointed Marissa Dake as sales director. A seventh-generation farmer, Dake is also the chair of the International Fresh Produce Association’s Fresh Ambassador Network.
Marissa Dake (Creekside Organics)Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was recognized by the Congress Foundation’s Democracy Awards for Best of Constituent Service in the Senate.
Joe Goggins was elected as president of the Livestock Marketing Association. He is a livestock marketer, rancher and CEO of the Vermilion Ranch Corporation.
The National Corn Growers Association elected Bill Leigh as first vice president. An Illinois farmer, Leigh will become NCGA president in 2027.
Jason Tremblay joined Intrepid Potash as chief financial officer. He previously worked for The Mosaic Company for nearly 20 years, recently as vice president of enterprise strategy and business support.
Mike Johanns is a new strategic adviser at Avalo, an AI company seeking to create climate-resilient crops, specifically in cotton and sugarcane. He was agriculture secretary during the George W. Bush administration, and served as both a U.S. senator and governor of Nebraska.
Daniel Mwendah M’Mailutha was elected president of the World Farmers’ Organization. He is an executive committee member of the World Agriculture Forum Kenya Country Council.
Andrew Fisher joined HBS as a principal on the federal team. He most recently worked at USDA as the chief of staff for Farm Production and Conservation. Earlier, he was a legislative assistant for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and former Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
Senate Agriculture Committee member Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., named Alexis Sargent as speechwriter. She most recently worked for SKDK as the director of executive communications.
Susan Chekow Lusignan is the new CEO of the New York Apple Association. She most recently was the director of marketing and program development at the Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library.
Susan Chekow Lusignan (LinkedIn)Aaron Kiess, a North Carolina State University professor, was named head of the university's Prestage Department of Poultry Science. He has been with NC State since 2021, and earlier was a professor at Mississippi State University.
The National 4-H Council has added John Amaya as its new chief financial officer. He previously held positions with Walmart and Dole Food Company.
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USA Poultry and Egg Export Council elected Jianlin Si as chair of the board of directors. Si is the senior director of sales at Tyson Foods.
Christina Ferreira joined the International Fresh Produce Association as vice president of food safety and quality. She previously worked for the Food and Drug Administration for almost 14 years, most recently as a research microbiologist.
Maola Local Dairies promoted Patrick Asbury to executive vice president of operations. He has been with the company since 2019, most recently as the senior director of operations for consumer products.
Food System Innovations hired Liz Specht as vice president of science and strategic initiatives and Kelsey Weimer as director of capital solutions. Specht has completed fellowships with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Horizon Institute for Public Service. Weimer previously worked in strategy and partnerships for Roebling.
Griffith Foods hired John Murphy as senior vice president of global supply chain. He previously spent 30 years at Abbott, most recently as the corporate vice president and supply chain officer.
Samantha Wittie Chase joined American Farm Bureau Federation as the director of policy operations. She previously spent almost three years as the director of meetings at the American Association of Airport Executives.
The U.S. Grains and Byproducts Council has promoted three of its employees. Emma Freebairn is now the global ethanol programs manager. Samantha Redfern was promoted to be manager of global strategies and trade. The new manager of administration and technology is Emily Schneider.
Pivot Bio, an agriculture technology company, has added several new employees: Igor Gelemeev as the director of corporate financial planning and analysis, Joe Olson as the commercial agronomy lead, and Andrew Weiler as the director of growth.
Shell hired André Béliveau as senior adviser for federal policy and advocacy. He previously held roles with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, the Commonwealth Foundation, and the John Locke Foundation.
André Béliveau (LinkedIn)Madeline Twilbeck was promoted to assistant vice president of governance and administration at Southern AgCredit. She has been with the company for almost eight years.
Allison Eicher was promoted to general counsel at Michigan Farm Bureau. She was previously assistant general counsel and assistant secretary.
Bianca Alonso Weiss joined the National Restaurant Association as the eastern state affairs manager. She spent four and a half years with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, most recently as state government relations director.
Gloria Downing was promoted to director of national accounts at Charlie’s Produce. She has been with the company for over nine years, and most recently held the role of program sales manager.
McCracken Consulting hired Kaitlin Donovan as a media and accounts manager. She previously worked for Kansas Corn for ten years, recently as communications manager.
Nebraska Farm Bureau promoted Cassie Hoebelheinrich to senior director of marketing and communications. She has been with the organization for 12 years.
Heinz Endowments hired Justin Maxson as chief program officer. He was the deputy undersecretary for rural development at USDA from 2021 to 2022. Since then, he has held roles at Build-US and Amalgamated Foundation.
After 33 years with World Perspectives, Gary Blumenthal is retiring. He has served as the group's president since 1993. Earlier in his career, Blumenthal held positions at the White House during the George H.W. Bush administration, USDA, the Air Force, and on Capitol Hill.
James Daley, David Henneke, and David Cannon are all retiring from Texas Farm Credit’s board of directors.
Herman T. Wilson Jr. has passed away at age 85. He bought the ag retail and distribution business called Western Farm Supply, which marketed in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. He served several years on the CropLife America board before he sold the company to Agrium, now known as Nutrien. He was the president of Pioneer Equipment Co. and was an avid supporter of Lamar University and the National FFA organization.
Sand County Foundation President and CEO Brent Haglund has died. He led the organization for more than 30 years, retired in 2021, and continued to serve on its board of directors. A dedicated conservationist influenced early on by Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, colleagues credit Haglund with shaping Sand County Foundation into a national conservation organization.
