The National Society of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) has tapped Ebony Webber as its first-ever chief executive officer. The Mississippi native previously was the chief operating officer of MANRRS.
![Ebony Webber.jpeg](/ext/resources/Newsletter-photos/2024/4-24-24/Ebony-Webber.jpeg)
Casey Bean is joining the American Sugar Alliance as trade consultant. He worked for more than 30 years at USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in several capacities, most recently as agricultural counselor in Bgota, Colombia with the rank of agricultural minister-counselor in the Senior Foreign Service.
Kerrey Kerr has been promoted to director of communications at the U.S. Soybean Export Council. She previously was senior communications manager. Before that, she worked for Landus as a communications and marketing leader.
Rob Friedlander has been selected to serve as chief of staff at the National Economic Council at the White House. Friedlander previously was senior communications adviser for economic messaging, a position now to be filled by White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa.
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Shawna Newsome is the new vice president of food policy at the Corn Refiners Association. She will also serve as vice president of food policy for the Plant Based Products Council. She previously worked for the analytics firm SAS as an industry consultant for food safety.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has brought on Adelle Thomas as the new adaptation lead for the environmental health sector. She previously worked at Climate Analytics as a senior scientist.
FGS Global has hired Thomas Mills as a director in its government affairs division. He previously worked at CropLife America as director of federal government relations.
The Department of Agriculture has announced staff appointments and promotions. Jeremy Adamson was promoted to chief of staff for the Research, Education, and Economics mission area. Adamson most recently served as a senior policy adviser for trade and foreign agricultural affairs in the Foreign Agricultural Service. Deidre Deculus Robert was promoted to director of state operations for Rural Development. Deculus Robert previously served as state director of Rural Development in Louisiana. Ellis Collier was elevated to senior policy adviser for the Natural Resources Conversation Service. He most recently was a legislative adviser in the Office of Congressional Relations. Malikha Daniels has been named senior policy adviser for the Foreign Agricultural Service. Daniels previously served as a senior legislative adviser for the Office of Congressional Relations.
Megan Decker has joined the Iowa Soybean Association as manager of public affairs. She recently graduated from Iowa State with a degree in agricultural and rural policy and finished an internship as a House legislative clerk in the Iowa Legislature.
Mick Homb has been tapped as general manager of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. He previously was director of milk marketing for the cooperative’s Family Dairies USA division since 2019.
Cody Davis has accepted a new job as regional sales manager of Kemco Systems. Davis will focus on customers in the Midwest. He has been with the company since 2015 as an application engineer.
The National Institute for Animal Agriculture has selected Chelsea Good to chair the board of directors. Good is vice president of government and industry affairs at the Livestock Marketing Association.
![Chelsea Good.jpeg](/ext/resources/Newsletter-photos/2024/4-24-24/Chelsea-Good.jpeg)
Peter Eckes has been tapped to chair the Harpe Bioherbicide Board. Eckes is the former president of BASF. leading crop protection R&D, seed and trait R&D and regulatory in the Agricultural Solutions division.
Laura Meyer has been selected to serve on the board of directors of Biotalys and head of its audit committee effective Sept. 25. She will replace Catherine Moukheibir, who has decided to step down from the board. Meyer currently serves as vice president of investor relations at Bayer.
Farm Credit East has elected three new board members. James Robbins II, Searsmont, Maine, was elected to a three-year term in the Eastern Region. He is a co-owner and president of Robbins Lumber Inc. Laurie Griffen, Schuylerville, New York, was elected to a four-year term in the Central Region. She is co-owner and operator of Saratoga Sod Farm. Douglas Shelmidine, Adams, New York, was elected to a four-year term in the Western Region. He is owner and operator of Sheland Farms.
USDA has selected 18 members to serve on the Peanut Standards Board. Appointed members serving one-year terms include Larry Ford, Greenwood, Florida, Darlene Cowart, Blakely, Georgia, Greg Hughes, Seminole, Texas, Michael Franke, Brownfield, Texas, David Davenport, Greenville, North Carolina, and Carl Gray, Severn, North Carolina. Appointed to two-year terms are Marty McLendon, Leary, Georgia, Rachel Santos, Douglas, Georgia, Aaron Martin, Brownfield, Texas, Lupe De Lira, Seagraves, Texas, Donny L. Lassiter, Conway, North Carolina, and Ryan Ososki, Alexandria, Virginia. Those with three-year terms are Carl Sanders, Brundidge, Alabama, Caleb Waver, Smithville, Georgia., Michael Newhouse, Clarendon, Texas, Shelly Nutt, McKinney, Texas, Paul Rogers, Wakefield, Virginia, and Ashley M. Patterson, Suffolk, Virginia.
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