AgForestry's 38th leadership class.

AgForestry’s 38th leadership class.

AgForestry announced the graduation in April of its 38th Leadership Program class.

Here’s the press release:

Today’s pressing issues demand strong, skilled, and informed leaders.  On Friday, April 28 the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation (AgForestry) will graduate twenty-four individuals from its 38th Leadership Program class. These leaders have honed the skills needed to tackle the dynamic and ever-changing issues that face Washington State’s natural resource industries. They join the ranks of more than 1,000 program graduates who work daily to keep Washington State’s natural resource industries vibrant and growing.

Leadership Program participants are from a range of professions including those directly involved with farming, forestry, and fishing, natural resource related industries, and government. The eighteen-month program has prepared these leaders to:

  • Communicate skillfully, think critically, collaborate effectively, seek common sense solutions, understand public policy development, and be an advocate for natural resources.
  • Understand that strong leadership is needed in every part of society. They are ready to lead from the grassroots up locally and around the world.

Participants completed 11 three-day seminars on critical topics including  communication,   media relations, government, economics, international trade, water issues,  the environment, and the criminal justice system. They also attended a seven-day seminar in Washington, D.C., and a two-week seminar in India and Nepal. These seminars provided powerful peer-to-peer learning opportunities and reinforced that we are all connected through government policy, industry practices and community relationships.

Leadership Class 38’s Graduation Celebration is at the Mirabeau Park Hotel in Spokane Valley on April 28th at 5:00 p.m. The event will bring more than two hundred of the state’s foremost natural resource industries’ leaders to the Spokane area. For more information visit www.agforestry.org or contact donna@agforestry.org.

AgForestry is funded almost entirely by donations from the private sector of individuals, businesses, and private foundations. The Foundation is guided by its mission to advance the natural resource industries through enhanced understanding, education and empowerment of future leaders.

What follows is each participant and that person’s employer:

Hilary Aten, PCC Farmland Trust; Brian Baumann, BMB Farm Inc./DRJ Farm; Emily Bautista-Herdt, AgroFresh; Kali Clark,Department of Natural Resources; Coman Dinn,Co Dinn Cellars; Terry Doherty, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; Bill Eller, WA State Conservation Commission; Laauli Faamausili, Basin Pacific; Bjorn Gjerde, Senske Lawn and Tree Care; Ryan Holterhoff, Washington State Potato Commission; Sonja Jensen, Northwest Farm Credit Services; Reid Klei, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; Jordan McDevitt, J & O LLC/McDevitt Orchards; Jensena Newhouse, Washington State University IAREC; Tammie Perreault, Two Cats Timber; Hannah Poush, Auvil’s Select Fruit, LLC, Saleh Prohim, Taylor Shellfish, Curtis Roy, Roy Farms Inc.; Nathan Sakuma, Driscoll’s; Ben St. Mary, Black Star Ranch LLC; Chery Sullivan, Washington Department of Agriculture; Dennis Swinger, Franz Farms LTD; Sean Tudor, Tudor Hills Vineyard/2dor Wines; and Reed Wendel, Green Crow Management Services.