Matt Mika has moved to AmericanHort as its new vice president of advocacy and government affairs. Mika most recently worked at Atlas Crossing as the vice president of government affairs and was previously a lobbyist for Tyson Foods.
Matt Mika, AmericanHort
Cami Ryan has been hired as a senior business partner of industry affairs and sustainability for Bayer CropScience Canada. Ryan previously worked as a Bayer science fellow.
Brendan Foley has been elevated to CEO of McCormick & Co., effective Sept. 1. Foley previously served as the president and chief operating officer. In this new promotion, he will continue to serve as president. Foley joined McCormick in 2014 as president of the U.S. Consumer Products Division He succeeds Lawrence Kurzius, who will continue to serve as executive chairman of the board.
John Linder has been tapped as the new president of MAIZALL, a group made up of corn growers from the U.S., Brazil, and Argentina as a way to focus on eliminating regulatory obstacles to innovation in agriculture. His term began on Monday, July 3. The presidency rotates between the three countries each year. Linder is an Ohio corn grower and previously served as the president of the National Corn Growers Association.
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AgResources Company President Dan Basse has been selected to serve as the chair of the Farm Foundation's board of directors. He succeeds Jerome Lyman, a retired executive of the McDonald’s Corporation. Cheri De Jong, principal owner of Natural Prairie Dairy and owner and CFO of AgriVision Farm Management, was elected vice chair, and Andrew LaVigne, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association, was elected treasurer.
The Farm Foundation Board has also added six new members: former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns; former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jewel Bronaugh; Michael Doane, global managing director of food and freshwater systems at The Nature Conservancy; Jimmy Kinder, co-owner and operator of Kinder Farms; Cristina Rohr, managing director of food and agriculture at S2G Ventures; and Todd Van Hoose, president and CEO of the Farm Credit Council.
Dan Basse, Farm Foundation
Carla Soto is the new coordinator for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation. She will be leading NASDA’s programs including NASDA Next Generation, Ag Policy Summit, and Farm2Food Accelerator. She previously interned with AllergyGuard Internship.Ron Kovach is the new communications director for Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. He previously was the press secretary at the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Sam Aleman has started as Rep. Jimmy Gomez’s, D-Calif., digital director. He previously worked at 270 Strategies as a senior associate and before that, was the digital organizer for the Democratic National Committee.
Grace Anne Looney has been brought on to Rep. Kay Granger’s, R-Texas, staff as a staff assistant. She previously interned for Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas.
Josue Peralta has joined Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s, D- Wis., office as a staff assistant. Peralta previously was Baldwin’s constituent services intern and before that interned in Rep. Grace Napolitano’s, D-Calif., office.
Anna Rose Keltto now serves as the correspondence manager for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Keltto previously worked for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his public engagement coordinator.
Chad Vorthmann has left the Colorado Farm Bureau Federation, where he served as the executive vice president, to assume a new role in government relations with Lockheed Martin. He had been with the Colorado Farm Bureau since 2003, first joining as the director of communications.
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