9th Annual Women in Ag Leadership Conference

Leading with Resilience

Conference Welcome

Dear Women in Ag:
Welcome to the 9th Annual Women in Ag Leadership Conference. This year’s theme, “Leading with Resilience,” celebrates the strength, perseverance, and innovation of women who are shaping the future.

The two-day event focuses on career advancement, leadership development, and trending topics in agriculture. This conference has become a comfortable setting for women to explore new opportunities while expanding their network of women working in farming, agribusiness, and agricultural organizations, as well as students.

Once again, our amazing guest speakers and tour hosts are generous with their time and eager to share their experiences and insights with us. We have a friendly conference where the speakers are accessible to you. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to talk with them throughout the conference.

On Wednesday, we’ll be bringing back the popular campus tours with some new locations and some favorites that you missed last year.

We are excited to bring you a leadership resilience story from American Farmland Trust Women for the Land Director Gabrielle McNally. She will share her leadership story and help build our confidence in leadership.

Our intensive workshops feature strong women in agriculture who are leaders and role models. They’ll generously share their experience with a focus on practical skill building to help you achieve your goals. As we end the day, renew your spirit, with a humorous and inspirational story from Founder of Fresh Coffee Professional Growth Programs, Brenda Clark Hamilton!

On Thursday, the conference planning committee is pleased to introduce you to Iowa Native and Iowa State Alumni Courtney Knupp, USDA Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary as our keynote speaker.

We are always humbled to announce the Women Impacting Ag honorees who accomplish great things. Enjoy their extraordinary stories and take time to visit with them.

The luncheon panel will feature Keri Karstens, CEO for Jord BioScience and Lisa Schulte Moore, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute. These amazing scientists and leaders will share their stories and discuss regenerative agriculture. The breakouts offer stimulating topics such as agricultural policy and trends, family business transitions and personal finance planning.

Our capstone speaker, Julie Kenney, will inspire you to expand your resiliency and lead your own future. Her passion for agriculture is evident as she was a 2024 Women Impacting Agriculture Honoree and serves the industry as the CEO for the Agribusiness Association of Iowa.

This conference is designed around three key goals. We hope you’ll take home and carry with you a belief in yourself and the power of life-long learning, connections with other women who inspire your leadership journey, and new skills that enhance your leadership and your life.

A very special thank you to our advisory committee members, speakers, sponsors, attendees, and everyone who is coming together to create this meaningful event.

Sincerely,
Madeline Schultz and Lisa Scarbrough, Conference Co-Chairs