The Consumer Brands Association named attorney Erin Raden senior director of state government affairs. She joined CBA from the Toy Association. CBA's engagement team added Jonathon Bridgeman as manager of member programs and Olivia Cipriano member development specialist. Jennifer Smith joined the association as digital communications specialist from agency MissionWired.
CBA also promoted Sarah Gallo from vice president of product policy to senior vice president of product policy and federal affairs, and John Hewitt from vice president to senior vice president of packaging and sustainability and state affairs. The reorganization comes after CEO David Chavern left to become president and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers.
Matt Herrick was promoted to executive vice president and chief impact officer at the International Dairy Foods Association. In the newly created role, he will lead policy, advocacy, communications, and social impact strategy. He was senior vide president of public affairs and communications at the association.
Matt Herrick, IDFAStetson Bryson will join the National Pork Producers Council as manager of congressional relations. Bryson was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, covering agriculture and food. Bryson has also been an aide to Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas.
The American Agricultural Law Association named incoming board members Ashley Ellixson as president-elect, and Chelsea Good and Kale Van Bruggen as directors. An Arkansas and Texas Tech alumnus, Ellixson is chief commercial officer at United Dairymen of Arizona. Good is vice president of government and industry affairs at the Livestock Marketing Association and has experience as a staff attorney at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Van Bruggen has worked at Rinke Noonan Law Firm for 12 years.
AgriSompo promoted Brian McIntyre to regional marketing manager for the upper Midwest. McIntyre has been with the company since 2014 and has more than 20 years of crop insurance experience.
Genevieve O’Sullivan departed as vice president of communications at CropLife America after eight years.
Grace Hogue joined the National Association of State Foresters as a policy coordinator. She is a recent graduate of American University and has experience working for Bunge as a government affairs intern.
Invariant added Emerson Houser to the food and agriculture government affairs team. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he interned with the American Beverage Association while in college.
POET LLC hired Paige Lindgren as director of public affairs. Lindgren has worked on Capitol Hill since 2017 for an array of members including Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and David Perdue, R-Ga., and Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.
Marti Viste joined Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative as sustainability project specialist. Viste, a fifth-generation farmer, will help Edge farmer members with enrollment, data collection and analysis for the climate smart program. Kris Betts joined the organization as senior contract officer in Indiana.
Matt Caswell left Ag Processing Inc. after 10 years to join Green Capitol as a partner. He was vice president of corporate relations and government affairs at AGP. He has worked for nearly 25 years for Syngenta, BP America and the Iowa Soybean Association.
Marti Viste, Edge Dairy Farmer CooperativeSoil sensing technology company Earth Optics and Pattern Ag’s agronomy business are merging to focus on digitizing soil health for advanced crop management and climate sustainability around the globe. The merged company will operate under the EarthOptics name. Both companies began in 2018. Earth Optics offices are in Raleigh, North Carolina; Arlington and Blacksburg, Virginia; Minneapolis, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. Pattern Ag is based in Emeryville, Calif.
Nolan Melchiori joined the personal office of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., as deputy scheduler. Melchiori is a recent University of Michigan graduate.
Wendy Vlieks, former United Soybean Board vice president of communications, joined The Genome Partnership as president. She brings more than 20 years experience to the role. She succeeds Lisa Zigman, who retires in February after a decade with the organization.
Jennifer Crouse joined the Association of Public Health Laboratories as director of conferences and events. Crouse worked at the American Seed Trade Association for 21 years, most recently as senior director of meetings and services.
Tyson Foods appointed interim chief financial officer Curt Calaway to take the position permanently. Calaway succeeds John R. Tyson, who was suspended this summer after an arrest for driving while intoxicated. The company said Tyson remains with the company on health-related leave.
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Luke Tomanelli joined UPL as head of U.S. government and industry affairs. He has led North America public policy and advocacy for Bayer Crop Science and was a senior staffer on Capitol Hill.
Caroline Sowinski was promoted to policy manager at Torrey Advisory Group. A University of Florida and American University alum, Sowinski specializes in food waste, global food security and policy research.
Topsoe tapped Kamil Lungu as a government and public affairs coordinator. Lungu recently graduated from Georgetown and completed internships with the Corn Refiners Association, Bracewell LLP and Cheniere Energy, Inc. while in college.
Corteva hired Robert Nixon as global stewardship launch lead. He will oversee stewardship product launch planning for new seed technology innovations. He joins Corteva from Bayer, where he most recently was a North America portfolio commercialization and stewardship director. Nixon is also a Monsanto alumnus.
Nicoletta Pavese was promoted to director of value chain engagement at Bayer. In the new role, she will work with the sustainability and strategic engagement team to advance regenerative agriculture. Pavese was most recently senior manager of agriculture engagement and activation partnerships.
Agriculture Future of America added Savannah Peterson to staff as a marketing specialist. A recent Kansas State graduate, she brings multimedia production and social media management experience.
AgSpire tapped Sydney Sebulsky as vice president of producer programs and technical assistance. Most recently, Sebulsky was the North American marketing lead for seed treatment at BASF. She has also worked in global and U.S.-based roles focused on providing innovative solutions for farmer customers.
Joe Locke, Oklahoma PorkThe Oklahoma Pork Council elected Joe Locke of Marietta as president for 2024-25. Locke has more than 30 years experience at Tyson Foods and Seaboard Foods.
Lori Stevermer, National Pork Producers Council president, and her family received top honors as a 2024 Farm Family of the Year from the University of Minnesota. Dale and Lori Stevermer’s farm in Easton, Minnesota, dates back to 1916 when Dale’s grandparents started the operation. The Stevermers manage a 2,000-head finishing operation and grow corn and seed soybeans.
Michael Brooks has been hired as director of finance for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. He joins the group from Saltmarsh, Cleaveland and Gund where he was an audit manager. Brooks is a University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate.
Vestaron Crop Protection tapped Juan Estupinan as president and CEO. He had been in the role in an interim capacity.
Eric Wenberg will retire as executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance Oct. 1. He has led the group the past five years.
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