AMES, Iowa – The fourth annual Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag Leadership Conference addresses topics that are timely and challenging. The conference features speakers ready to share leadership knowledge and skills participants can apply to succeed in farm or agribusiness careers. This year’s conference is Nov. 30, 1-3:30 p.m., and Dec. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference is a virtual event sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America.
This year’s conference theme is Leadership in Unprecedented Times. A veteran of crisis communication, Eileen Wixted of Wixted & Co. will present a workshop the afternoon of Nov. 30. She will engage the audience in preparedness activities that can help minimize business disruptions during a crisis.
Miriam Erickson Brown, president and CEO, Anderson Erickson Dairy, is the keynote speaker on Dec. 1 at 9:30 a.m. She’ll be sharing her experiences of leading a food company through a global pandemic. As the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Kayla Lyon will discuss the challenges of leadership following the derecho, which swept through Iowa in August. The storm devastated and closed parks across the state. The afternoon conference session will focus on cultivating diversity.
Philomena Morrissey Satre, director of Diversity + Inclusion, Land O’ Lakes Inc., will offer insights into supporting a diverse workplace. A panel of two former Women in Ag Leadership Advisory Committee members, Zoami Calles-Rios Sosa and Jittaun Floyd, will share insights on working in agriculture as minorities.
The capstone speaker, ISU Extension and Outreach farm and agribusiness management specialist Melissa O’Rourke, will help put 2020 in perspective and poise the audience to move into 2021 with grace and optimism.
Once again, the ISU Extension and Outreach Women in Ag Program will honor Iowa’s Women Impacting Agriculture during the conference. This honor highlights and celebrates women’s unique contributions to a safe and plentiful food supply while enhancing Iowa’s agricultural systems.
The Women in Ag Leadership Conference Online registration is open at www.regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/womeninag/. Cost for the conference is $30. Attendance scholarships are available. For questions or additional information, contact Madeline Schultz at 515-294-0588 or schultz@iastate.edu.
