U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has appointed Katy Mastman as t
Katy Mastman, USTRhe agency's acting assistant for labor. She previously worked in the Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor and most recently was the deputy director of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs in the International Labor Affairs Bureau.
Zurich North America has made several leadership changes. Following the retirement of Vince Santivasi, Jason Meador has been appointed to lead the direct markets business that serves auto dealers and rental operations. Meador previously was the head of Zurich’s crop insurance business, Rural Community Insurance Services. Dalynn Hoch, currently head of mergers and acquisitions at Zurich Insurance Group, will succeed Meador as the head of RCIS.
The North American Renderers Association has selected Jennifer Wilson to be the association’s new EU-UK representative. She succeeds Bruce Ross, who retired at the end of 2023. Wilson previously had a 27-year career with the Department of Agriculture at the U.S. Embassy in London. She left USDA to become a freelance policy and trade marketing adviser and is the principal in the consulting firm, Trade Roots Consulting.
Stanford Blade is the new deputy director general-research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Before joining ICRISAT, Blade was the dean of the faculty of agricultural, life and environmental sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada. He has also served as the deputy director general-research for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and was the vice chair on the board of trustees of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation.
Rachel Pick is now the senior manager of advocacy and government affairs at AmericanHort. She previously worked for U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action as the director of programs and operations.
Rachel Pick, AmericanHortMartina Graf has joined the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists as the new global manager. She will replace Hugh Maynard, who is retiring. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland and certificates from institutions in Germany, Spain and Canada. Earlier in her career, she ran the European branch of a global youth organization affiliated with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. She also worked with farmers in Switzerland, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Serbia and Slovakia, and she cofounded a Swiss-based agricultural communications firm. She also operates a small farm and agritourism business in rural Canada.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has hired Mary Stratton as the new public relations manager. She previously worked at WOI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was an investigative and political reporter.
Brad McCollum is the new senior vice president for North America at Ceva Animal Health, leading business development activities in the U.S. and Canada. McCollum previously worked for Zoetis and Pfizer. Before joining Ceva, he served as the senior vice president for pet care at Zoetis.
Taylor Foy has left Capitol Hill, where he was the communications director for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. He has been on Capitol Hill for over 14 years, previously working in the offices of Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., then-Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and then-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.
The Minnesota AgriGrowth Council has announced its executive director Tamara Nelsen will retire in 2024. She has been at the helm since 2019.
Mikell Fries of Claxton Poultry Farms in Georgia was elected chair of the board of directors of U.S. Poultry and Egg Association. He replaces Jarod Morrison, chief financial officer for Farbest Foods, who now serves as the immediate past chair. Jonathan Cade, Hy-Line International in Des Moines, Iowa, was named vice chair, Bill Griffith, Peco Foods Inc., in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was named treasurer, and Alice Johnson, DVM, Butterball LLC, in Garner, North Carolina, was named secretary.
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Dan Wyns has been hired on as the new farm manager for Michigan State University’s Pollinator Performance Center. He previously served as an academic specialist for honey bee colony health and management in the MSU Department of Entomology.
The U.S. Wheat Associates have elected Clark Hamilton of Idaho as chairman of the board of directors and Jim Pellman of North Dakota as vice chairman. Hamilton succeeds Michael Peters, who will not serve as past chairman. Gary Millershaski of Kansas has been selected as the new secretary-treasurer.
Known for his contributions to agricultural education and extension Myron Dale Johnsrud died on Jan. 26, in Fargo, North Dakota. He was 90. He earned his bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University before joining the military and becoming a fighter pilot in the Air Force. After service, he joined the NDSU Extension Service as an assistant county agent. He went back to school to complete a master's and doctorate degrees at the University of Wisconsin. He then returned to the NDSU Extension Service as director of program and staff development. From 1971 to 1973 he served at the national level as a director of staff development for the Extension Service-USDA in Washington D.C. Later in his career and following the Cold War, he was asked by the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the first major adult education program in Poland on managing agribusiness firms and farms in a market-driven economy. He ended his career serving as the director of extension and outreach with the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
Donald R. Allen, a lawyer who represented rural electric cooperatives and public power systems for much of the last half century, died January 19 in New York City from effects of Parkinson's Disease. He was 81. After serving at the Office of Management and Budget, he joined the Ely & Duncan water and power law firm in in Washington 1969 and later co-founded the Duncan & Allen firm.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Tamara Nelsen's name. We regret the error.
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