Nineteen individuals have been selected to be fellows in the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation (IALF) Class of 2022. This will be the 20th class in the organization’s 38-year history, and participants were selected following a competitive application and interview process.
The class represents a diverse mix of agricultural expertise – a unique characteristic of the IALF program. There are 13 members who work hands-on at a farm each year, along with representatives of multinational agricultural companies such as Nutrien, Bayer, PanAmerican Seed Company/A Division of Ball Horticultural Company, Winfield Unlimited – Land ‘O ‘Lakes, and CNH Industrial. Also represented are employees of Prairie Farms Dairy, Har Brand Inc., GROWMARK, The Maschhoffs, LLC, Illinois Beef Association, Sandwich Fair Association, The Nature Conservatory, Illinois Nutrient Research Education Council, Rhea+Kaiser, Western Grain Marketing, Community School District #20 and AgcoCorp, among others.
“This class will have membership from across Illinois and represents a broad spectrum of food and agriculture interests,” said Lee Strom, IALF President & CEO.” For the first time in the history of the program, the class will have more women than men. The class will be comprised of ten men and fourteen women. “We’re pleased to have a growing list of women apply each cycle and to have returning applicants from previous years,” Strom said.
Beginning in August 2020, the Class of 2022 will experience 15 seminars over 19 months to build the skills, knowledge, and character to be global leaders in agriculture. The IALF has graduated more than 550 leaders since its founding in 1982 and those alums include two former presidents of the Illinois Farm Bureau, a former CEO and Chair of the Farm Credit Administration in Washington, D.C., the first woman to be Illinois Director of Agriculture, the past Presidents of the American Soybean Association and National Pork Producers Council, and global leaders in agribusiness.
“As the global food and agriculture sectors continue to see new companies and entities operating in this space, we hope to provide the Class of 2022 with exposure to exciting leadership development opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally,” Strom said. We are in the process of enhancing our connectivity to a wide range of people and companies that influence our daily lives to ensure our participants gain significant insights and knowledge to grow their leadership capabilities.”
The following individuals have been selected for the Class of 2022:
- Bradley Anderson, Leland
- Benjamin Audet, Chicago
- Megan Baskerville, Decatur
- Ian Brooke, Breese
- Sam Detwiler, Streator
- Renee Dueth, Polo
- Polyxeni Filios, Batavia
- Beau Gentry, Bloomington
- Shani Golovay, Greenville
- Leeson Gord, Sandwich
- Jerry Hearn, Maryville
- Matthew Heberling, Owaneco
- Tricia Jansen, Aviston
- Amy McEvoy, Chicago
- Holly Meteer, Athens
- Heather Thompson, Colfax
- Callie Trosley, Edwardsville
- Matt Turner, Bellflower
- Alycen White, Princeton.
The Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program is a comprehensive education series that develops knowledgeable and effective leaders to become policy and decision-makers for the agricultural industry. The program is funded by the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation, a 501-c-3 non-profit organization comprised of individuals, companies, organizations, and institutional partners. Program participants are selected from diverse backgrounds in Illinois agriculture, and program graduates have attained the highest level positions in commodity organizations and the nation’s leading agribusiness corporations. For more information on the program or foundation, please contact IALF at (309) 837-7711.
