Agri-Pulse is pleased to announce all speakers for a free webinar on April 23. They will discuss "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Agriculture: Ideas for Improvement." This webinar is the first in a series of discussions sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA).
Speakers include:
- House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-Ga.
- Kathryn Unger — Vice President of Cargill's North America government relations team
- H.R. Bert Peña — Principal of HR Bert Pena, Esq. Law Firm and former Staff Director for the House Committee on Agriculture
- Patricia Sheikh — Senior Vice President of Roots of Peace and former FAS Deputy Director
- P.J. Haynie III — Chairman of the National Black Growers' Council and owner of Haynie Farms, LLC, Reedville, VA
Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant will serve as moderator for the first webinar on April 23 at 11 a.m. EDT. To register for the free event, click here.
Learn more about the speakers:
Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., represents Georgia's 13th Congressional District and serves as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Scott is also a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Scott served on numerous House Ag Committee subcommittees and secured $80 million in funding in the 2018 Farm Bill for agriculture-focused scholarships at the 19 Historically Black 1890s Land-Grant Colleges and Universities across the country. Scott earned his BA degree and graduated with honors in 1967 from Florida A&M University and he earned his MBA degree with honors in 1969.
Kathryn Unger is vice president of Cargill's North America government relations team. She is responsible for driving business value for the company by anticipating, analyzing and influencing government and regulatory intervention in North America. She joined Cargill in 2014. Unger serves on the Cargill Hispanic Latino Council (CHLC) board, which strives to make Cargill the employer of choice for Hispanic Latino talent and is chair of the board of Urban Ventures, an organization focused on stopping the cycle of urban poverty in Minneapolis. Unger holds an undergraduate degree in education and a master's degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Stanford University.
H.R. Bert Peña has 40 years of legal experience in Washington, D.C. His practice focuses on legislative and regulatory matters before the U.S. Congress and the executive branch of the U.S. government, including, the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Treasury. Peña represents domestic and multinational organizations, trade associations, municipalities, counties and individuals with interests in a variety of areas, including but not limited to domestic and international agriculture and trade policy, US Mexico matters, food safety, crop insurance, intellectual property rights, environmental regulations, energy and farm credit. Previously, Peña served as Staff Director for the House Committee on Agriculture. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and his J.D. from St. Mary's University.
Patricia Sheikh is Senior Vice President of Roots of Peace, a nonprofit organization based in California that specializes in rebuilding the agricultural value chain from production to processing, marketing and distribution of agricultural products. She brings over 35 years of expertise in global trade and development issues to the organization, having worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, in several senior-level positions. Sheikh holds a B.A. in History and Political Science with a minor in Economics from the Notre Dame of Maryland University and a M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Philip J. Haynie, III, more commonly known as P.J. Haynie, is a fifth-generation farmer who currently owns and operates Haynie Farms, LLC, a grain farming business, producing corn, wheat, soybeans and canola throughout four counties in Virginia and also farms in Arkansas. Haynie and his family also own and operate a transportation company specializing in food-grade liquid bulk and dry bulk transportation, a timber harvesting company, and a landscaping and excavating company. Haynie graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural and applied economics in May 1999. Haynie currently serves as Chairman of the National Black Growers' Council.
About Agri-Pulse: Agri-Pulse is the most trusted source for agricultural and rural policy information in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA, providing a balanced perspective on a wide variety of issues including the farm bill, nutrition, trade, labor, food safety, water, environment, biotechnology, organic, conservation and crop insurance. Agri-Pulse publishes a subscription-only e-newsletter, the Agri-Pulse Daily Harvest early morning news summary, Agri-Pulse Daybreak, Agri-Pulse DriveTime podcast, and breaking news on www.Agri-Pulse.com.
About the Corn Refiners Association (CRA): CRA is the national trade association representing the corn refining industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, starch, advanced bioproducts, corn oil and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein and fiber.
