Olivia Bridges has been named Agri-Pulse’s congressional and trade editor. She has worked as a freelance agriculture and health policy journalist and for CQ and Roll Call covering agriculture and trade policy. Agri-Pulse has also announced title changes for Kim Chipman, congressional and energy editor, and Lydia Johnson, Newsmakers anchor and Washington reporter. Steve Davies was promoted earlier this year to managing editor.
Syngenta Group’s Board of Directors unanimously appointed Hengde Qin as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026. Qin, currently Chief Operating Officer and Head of Seeds, succeeds Jeff Rowe, who will remain in the role through August 1 before returning to the United States after nearly 10 years with the company. Qin will be based in company headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, where he has been located since January 2023. He has served on Syngenta Group's executive team since 2020, holding senior roles across the business, finance, human resources, a
Olivia Bridges nd global operations. He is a member of the Syngenta Group Board of Directors. Rowe joined Syngenta in September 2016 and was responsible for the successful turnaround of the Seeds business, which saw strong growth and a return to profitability, according to a company release. He then went on to lead the Crop Protection business, the company's largest business unit, before taking over as CEO. He also farms in Illinois.
Corteva has announced its new board of directors for its crop protection company when it separates later this year. Greg Page will be the independent chair. The rest of the board is made up of Klaus Engel, David Everitt, Janet Giesselman, Jean-Marc Gilson, Luke Kissam, Nayaki Nayyar, Christopher Policinski and Patrick Ward. It also announced the board of directors for Vylor, its new seed and genetics company. Karen Grimes will be independent chair. The rest of the board will have Victor Aguilar, Raj Kalathur, Marcos Lutz, Chuck Magro, Jannie Oosthuizen and Kerry Preete.
Donna Garren was appointed to be director of FDA’s Office of Produce Safety within the Office of Microbiological Food Safety, effective June 29. She was previously with the American Frozen Food Institute for almost 15 years, most recently as the executive vice president of science and policy.
The American Seed Trade Association elected its 2026-27 officers at its leadership summit in Milwaukee on June 9-11. The officers, who begin July 1, include Bryan Gerard of JoMar Seeds as chair, Crystal Rose Fricker of Pure Seed as first vice chair and John Marchese of HeinzSeed as second vice chair. ASTA also elected several regional vice presidents and directors-at-large.
The Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Soybean Association announced Brandon Kern as the organizations' next executive director, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Since joining Ohio Soybean in 2023, he has served as deputy executive director and senior policy director. He will succeed Kirk Merritt, who will retire on Dec. 31, 2026, after nearly two decades.
Dani Bendheim will become president and CEO of Phibro Ethanol, effective July 1. He succeeds Jack Bendheim, who will be executive chairman for the company. Bendheim has been with the company since 1997 and is currently the executive vice president of corporate strategy.
Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World, has resigned effective July 17. Heather Taylor will serve as the interim president and CEO until a Cho’s permanent successor is named.
Scott Logue was named the new CEO of Keystone Cooperative after the retirement on Sept. 1 of current CEO Kevin Still. Logue was the president and CEO of Harvest Land Cooperative before a merger with Keystone Cooperative. He was most recently the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Keystone.
Burnett Dairy Cooperative promoted Christopher Ecker to be CEO. He has been with the co-op for over two years and was previously the vice president of food service. Prior to Burnett Dairy, Ecker worked for Fonterra for almost 11 years. Ecker succeeds Matt Winsand, who stepped down June 19.
The International Dairy Foods Association promoted Tom Wojno to be executive vice president and chief strategy and operating officer. He has been with the association since 2017. IDFA also promoted three others: Tyesha Wilson is now the senior director of financial services and employee relations, Jeffrey Cullen is now the senior director of video and creative, and Mariah Minnick is now the senior manager of marketing and external communications.
Tom Wojno (LinkedIn)Matthew Smalley is now the senior director of global seed operations at Corteva Agriscience. He worked previously in data science and engineering as a senior research director. Smalley has been with Corteva for over 15 years.
Land O’Lakes promoted Kyle Maple to senior vice president international in April. He most recently was the vice president of ag business alliances for over two years with the company.
The American Egg Board has named Cory Sexson the vice president of global business development. He has previously worked for brands like Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and Tropicana.
The American Frozen Food Institute named Carol Blake as its senior vice president of communications. She has been the acting vice president of communications since March. Prior to working for the American Frozen Food Institute, she worked for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for 20 years, and at USDA as a press officer for four years.
Barbara Patterson has been promoted to vice president of policy, strategy and innovation at Torrey Advisory Group. She has been with the group for over eight years. Prior to Torrey Advisory Group, she worked for the National Farmers Union.
FMI The Food Industry Association has promoted five of its staff. Daniel Akinmolayan is now the senior director of digital strategy and customer service at the Safe Quality Food Institute. Mike Green was promoted to senior director of state and local government relations. The new director of communications is Matt McKinney. Bianca Ruffin is now the senior director of marketing. The new vice president of web and digital communications is Kelli Windsor.
Gary Millershaski is the new chair of the U.S. Wheat Associates board of directors, and will serve a one-year term. He is from Kansas and grows hard red winter wheat, hard white wheat, dryland corn and milo. He also has a cow calf operation. He previously was a director of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and was a Kansas Wheat Commissioner.
Mandy Marney has been hired as the director of South Dakota State University Extension and the associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. She started with the university June 22. She held similar roles at the University of Wyoming, Kansas State University, and the University of Missouri.
The Northwest Dairy Association and Darigold have hired Tammy Edmonds as the director of farm practices. She was with the association and Darigold for over five years until January 2025, most recently as an NDA manager of environmental stewardship and animal care. She also has worked for Elanco as an executive dairy sales manager.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has hired Katherine Thomas as director of federal affairs. She has worked for over 11 years in Congress, most recently with Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.
Sadie Knight has joined the American Farm Bureau Federation as the managing director of advocacy and political affairs. She worked for National Corn Growers Association for over three years prior to taking the role.
Molly Orr is now a special assistant to the chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She previously was a staff assistant for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Western Skies Strategies has added Nathan Serlin as the senior associate for policy and legislative affairs. He’s held a variety of positions previously, including as a legislative majority aide in the Montana House of Representatives, a field organizer for the Montana Republican Party and a chapter chairman and president at Ducks Unlimited.
Consumer Brands Association has hired Genevieve Manise as an industry engagement coordinator. She recently graduated from George Washington University with a degree in international relations and affairs. As an undergrad, she interned for Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, among others.
Genevieve Manise (LinkedIn)The Agricultural Retailers Association has hired Jacob Harper as a communications manager. He graduated in May from the University of Georgia with a degree in agricultural and environmental science communication and has held internships with the Torrey Advisory Group and U.S. Senate.
Mackenzie Joseph has been promoted to be communications manager at the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Soybean Association. She has been with the council and association for over two years, previously holding the role of communications coordinator.
Adam Sears is the new coordinator for the Clear Lake and Winnebago River Watershed. The watershed spans northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. He was previously in the Shell Rock River Watershed Management Coalition board, representing Floyd County.
