Jackie Applegate is retiring from Bayer at the end of March after serving three years as president of North America Crop Science. She will be succeeded by Brian Naber, who has over 25 years of experience with the company and currently serves as the APAC crop science regional lead. Malu Nachreiner, currently serving as Senior Bayer Representative and Country Division Head for Crop Science in Brazil, will succeed Naber as commercial lead for the Asia Pacific region. As of February 1, Oliver Rittgen will serve as the division’s new Chief Financial Officer following Kelly Gast who retired after almost 30 years with the company. Oliver’s current assignment is Chief Financial Officer for Bayer’s Consumer Health Division. Sascha Israel has been appointed as Head of Product Supply succeeding Dirk Backhaus who retired after 27 years with the company. Amanda McClerren, former Head of Crop Science R&D Digital Transformation and Information Technology is going to take over Sascha’s former role as Chief Information Officer, Head of Digital Transformation and Information Technology. Jessica Christiansen assumes the position as Head of Crop Science Communications after having led the division’s Sustainability and Business Stewardship Team. She is taking over from Tom Armitage who left the company.
Jackie Applegate, BayerRep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., is not running for re-election. He has represented the 3rd District of Missouri since 2009, and currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee, where he chairs the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. He is also on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Small Business Committee.
The Organic Trade Association has named Matthew Dillon as the group's co-CEO. He joins Tom Chapman, who has been OTA's CEO since April 2022. Dillon comes to OTA from Abundant Life Seed, where he was the CEO and executive director, and the Organic Seed Alliance, which he founded in 2003. Under the co-CEO arrangement, Dillon will lead public relations, policy, member engagement and fundraising. Chapman will oversee OTA's regulatory and technical efforts, the association's programming and head up operations and financial management.
The National Grocers Association has promoted three to new senior staff roles. Jonathan Downey is now the chief operating officer and senior vice president. He previously was senior vice president of membership and industry relations. Christopher Jones is now chief government relations officer and counsel. He previously was the senior vice president of government relations and counsel. Lastly, Laura Strange has been moved up to chief communications and engagement officer and senior vice president. She previously was senior vice president of communications and external affairs.
Brittany Jablonsky has begun her new role as chief of staff at the National Farmers Union. She spent the last eight years with the Farm Credit Council, most recently as the vice president of public policy and stakeholder relations.
Stephen Sothmann has joined the firm DTB AgriTrade as a new partner. The trade lawyer previously held executive roles with the Meat Import Council of America and the Leather and Hide Council of America. He has also served multiple terms on the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee.
Viren Shah will become AGCO’s new senior vice president and chief digital and information officer effective next Tuesday. Shah comes to AGCO from GE Appliances where he has been the chief digital officer since 2018.
Alberto Musalem has been tapped as the new president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He replaces Jim Bullard, who resigned in July after serving for 15 years. Bullard left to be the dean of the business school at Purdue University. St. Louis Fed First Vice President Kathy O’Neill will serve as interim president and CEO until Musalem starts April 2. Musalem most recently was CEO, co-chief investment officer and co-founder of Evince Asset Management.
The Pet Food Institute has promoted Pat Tovey to vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, and Dana Waters to manager of international affairs. Tovey has been with PFI for almost 13 years and previously was senior director of food safety and regulatory compliance. Waters has been with PFI for over a year and previously was a policy analyst.
Brittany Jablonsky, NFUBecca Smith has been elevated to senior director of member and industry relations at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. She will also lead the Director Education Advisory Committee at the NCFC annual meeting. She previously was the director of communications and member relations.
Karah Fissel has joined USA Rice as the new director for international trade policy. She most recently worked at USDA in the Foreign Agricultural Service, where she oversaw regional coverage of Central America and then Mexico.
Whitney Forman-Cook now works for The Nature Conservancy as the senior policy adviser for forest and fires. She most recently worked at the Society of American Foresters as its chief operations officer. Her career also includes stops at the National Association of State Foresters, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and Agri-Pulse.
The U.S. Grains Council has promoted Ana Ballesteros, who most recently served as the marketing director for the Latin America region, to deputy director of Europe and the Middle East. Previously based in Colombia, Ballesteros will now work from the Council’s Tunis office. To fill Ballesteros’ role in Latin America, the USGC has brought on Diana Correa and Angelica Rios. Based in Medellín, Colombia, Correa will serve as a marketing specialist for the Council’s Latin America regional office. She comes to the Council from Tigo, where she previously served as the manager of the president’s office. Rios is based in Bogota, Colombia, and will serve as a marketing specialist for the Council’s LTA office. She most recently worked at Cargill where she was a senior merchant.
Sarah Henry has been promoted to district director for Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan. She previously was the deputy district director and also spent time at the National Corn Growers Association and the office of Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb.
Jordan Healey has left the American Farm Bureau Federation, where she was the director of leadership and organizational training. She now works for the Association for Talent Development as a new project manager. Before taking a role with AFBF, Healey worked for the National FFA Organization.
Lawrence Kurzius has been tapped as Elanco’s next chairman of the board, succeeding Dave Hoover, who was Elanco’s first chairman. Hoover will remain on the board as an independent director. Kurzius has been on Elanco’s board since 2018. He has served as executive chairman of McCormick & Company since 2017, and before that, was the CEO from 2016 to 2023 and president from 2015 to 2022.
The former President and CEO of Garst Seeds, Dr. David Witherspoon, Jr. died of complications from ALS on December 30, 2023. David graduated with a degree in biology from the Citadel, earned his master's degree in agronomy from Clemson University and earned a PhD in plant breeding and genetics from North Carolina State University. He started a research station for Garst Seed Company and eventually became Director of Marketing before taking the top job at the company. After Syngenta acquired Garst, David worked in various roles for Syngenta ending his career as the Head of Renewable Fuels for North America. When he retired, Syngenta gave him the "Energy Award," for his achievements with the company and the passion he was known to bring to the work. He was 65.
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