Dana Brooks is Director of US and Canada Government Relations for Elanco and is based in Washington, D.C. Owned by Eli Lilly and Company, Elanco is one of the leading companies in the animal health industry. A native of Portland, Arkansas, Dana became interested in agricultural policy while an agribusiness student at Arkansas State University. After beginning her career in grain merchandising, Dana moved to Washington D.C. to work as a legislative assistant to Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry during the 2002 farm bill debate. After later serving on Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson’s staff, Dana left Capitol Hill to work on government relations and public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Farm Bureau. Prior to joining Elanco in 2013, she was Vice President of Government Relations for the National Milk Producers Federation. Dana recently completed her M.S. in Agribusiness at Kansas State University.
Carl Brothers is Senior Vice President for International Rice and Partnerships at Riceland Foods, Inc. Riceland is a farmer-owned cooperative and the nation’s leading rice company. Carl has 48 years of experience in the rice industry and currently serves as the industry’s representative on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for trade (APAC). The committee advises the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative on trade negotiation objectives and trade agreement operation. Carl also serves on the USDA Agricultural Statistics Advisory Committee and has previously served as Chairman of the Rice Foundation, the USA Rice Federation, and the Rice Millers Association.
Timothy N. Burcham was appointed dean of the ASU College of Agriculture and Technology in July 2013. He previously served two years as interim chair of the Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resources, was director of the Center of Excellence in Experiential Learning for Agricultural Sciences, and held the Parker Chair of Excellence at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Tim has also held teaching, research, or extension positions at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Mississippi State University. A registered Professional Engineer, Tim has worked on livestock waste management, onsite wastewater remediation, water quality, biofuels, and computer software design. He earned B.S and M.S. degrees in agricultural engineering from Mississippi State University and his Ph.D. in agricultural engineering from Clemson University.
Butch Calhoun was appointed as the second Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Arkansas on July 1, 2012. Previously he served six years as the Director of the Arkansas Department of Rural Services, was elected to five terms as Prairie County Judge, and served four terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives. A native of DesArc, Arkansas, where he still resides, Butch farmed and operated a trucking company for over 30 years.
Ed Fryar is President of Ozark Mountain Poultry (OMP). Founded in 2000 and based in Rogers, AR, OMP operates two facilities in Arkansas which produce antibiotic-free chicken for national restaurants and retailers under the Forester Farmers' Market brand. A native Arkansan, Ed earned his B.A. and M.S. degrees at the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota. Previously, Ed was an Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Arkansas where he specialized in poultry marketing, price risk management, and commodity futures trading.
Steve Green is Associate Professor of Soil and Water Conservation in the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture & Technology where his research currently focuses on soil sustainability and bioenergy crop production. Previously, Steve was a research soil scientist at the USDA Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. A native of California, Steve earned his B.S. in Conservation Biology and Ecology at Brigham Young University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agronomy and Soil Management at Purdue University. Steve joined the ASU faculty in 2006.
Bert Greenwalt is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Arkansas State University, Director of the ASU Agribusiness Conference, and farms with his family at Hazen, Arkansas. He currently serves on the Arkansas Agricultural Council Board of Directors and recently completed eight years of service on the Agribusiness Council of The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Bert previously served six years on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Fed. Bert earned his B.S.A. in Agricultural Business and Economics from Arkansas State University, his M.S. from the University of Arkansas, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University.
Billy Herrington is President of Little Rock based Price Risk Management Group, a company that specializes in assisting buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities in managing their price risk. The company was founded in 1988 and Billy has been with the company since 1994. Previously, Billy was employed by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service where he taught agricultural marketing seminars in conjunction with the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.
Elizabeth Hood is Distinguished Professor of Plant Biotechnology in the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture & Technology. Her research focuses on the production of enzymes useful for deconstructing cellulosic biomass for biobased fuels and other products. Her career has included work on plant-production of vaccines and pharmaceutical proteins as well as industrial enzymes. Elizabeth received her B.A. at the University of Oklahoma, her M.S. at Oklahoma State University, and her Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. She joined ASU in 2004.
Tim Hudson was appointed Chancellor of ASU in 2012. He previously served as Vice Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System and earlier as President of the University of Houston–Victoria. Tim received two Fulbright Fellowships to study in Germany and Mexico, and an ITT International Fellowship to study in Colombia, South America. A native of Mississippi, Tim earned his B.A. in history and Latin American studies, an M.A in geography at the University of Southern Mississippi, and his Ph.D. in geography at Clark University in Worchester, Massachusetts.
Kevin Humphrey is Associate Professor of Agricultural Education in the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture & Technology where his research currently focuses on biofuel production. A native of Florida, Kevin earned his B.S. and M.A.Ed. at Western Kentucky University and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education at the University of Missouri. Kevin joined the ASU faculty in 1993.
Jeff Johnson is a Cotton Merchant with Allenberg Cotton Company in Memphis, Tennessee. He has 22 years experience originating and merchandising U.S. cotton for the Louis Dreyfus Group. Jeff is past President of the Southern Cotton Shippers Association, past President of the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and past President of the American Cotton Shippers Association. In 2005, Jeff was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Advisory Committee of the Universal Cotton Standards Conference. He currently serves as a merchant delegate to the National Cotton Council. Jeff earned his B.S. in marketing management and M.S.A in agriculture from Arkansas State University.
Donald “Bud” Kennedy is Professor of Animal Science and Associate Dean of the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture and Technology. A native of Alvin, Texas, Bud earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in Agricultural Education from Sam Houston State University, and his Ph.D. in Animal Science from Louisiana State University. Bud joined the ASU faculty in 1993.
David Kohl is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech University where he taught 25 years in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department. David has traveled over eight million miles and has conducted more than 6,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural audiences. A writer for many agricultural publications, he has published more than 1,300 articles. David's personal involvement in agribusiness and his regular interaction with industry leaders gives him a unique perspective on the economy and agricultural industry trends.
J.B. Penn is Chief Economist for Deere & Company, a position he has held since 2006. J.B. heads the office which helps guide the company’s policy development and corporate growth initiatives worldwide by analyzing global trends in economics, business conditions, and governmental policies. Prior to joining John Deere, J.B. served more than five years as undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services at the USDA. Before appointment to the USDA, J.B. had an extensive career in the private sector including serving as senior vice president and manager of Sparks Companies, Inc.’s Washington office for over twelve years. J.B.’s former government experience includes service as deputy administrator for economics of the USDA’s then Economics and Statistics Service and as senior staff economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. A native of Lynn, Arkansas, J.B. earned his B.S.A. in agriculture from Arkansas State University, a M.S. in agricultural economics from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
David Schweikhardt is a Professor and Extension Agricultural Economist at Michigan State University where his research and extension program focuses on the economic impact of U.S. commodity and trade policies, legal issues involving wind and natural gas leases, and most recently the economics of health care. David previously served on the agricultural economics faculty of Mississippi State University. A native of Indiana, David earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Purdue University and his Ph.D. and J.D. degrees at Michigan State University.
