Leadership program graduates Class 18
Fourteen Wyoming agricultural producers and agribusiness men and women from across Wyoming recently graduated from the Wyoming Leadership, Education and Development (L.E.A.D.) Program.
According to Wyoming L.E.A.D. Program Director Cindy Garretson-Weibel, throughout the program, Class 18 participants attended 11 educational seminars to enhance their leadership skills and understanding of all aspects of agriculture and policymaking.
Nine seminars took place in Wyoming, and one was held in Washington, D.C. In addition, the group went to Peru for their international study seminar.
“The diverse backgrounds and experiences of participants enhanced their learning experience. The skills, knowledge and personal growth they gained through the L.E.A.D. Program will be a great asset to Wyoming agriculture,” stated Garretson-Weibel.
Among the Class 18 participants were Acacia Acord, vice president and agriculture and commercial loan office for First National Bank of Gillette. She and her husband Shawn run a cattle ranch and train horses in Weston. Acord is involved in her local cattlewoman’s group and is a 4-H leader.
Seth Allen is a ranch hand for Jack Pfister Ranch, Inc., a cow/calf operation in Lusk. He is currently serving on the Young Farmers and Ranchers Board for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation.
Cody Alps is an owner and operator on his family farm and ranch, Alps Land and Cattle, in Yoder, which focuses on the production of beef cattle while also raising other forages for cattle – primarily hay crops.
Beth Butler works on the Robinson Ranch, a family cattle ranch near Douglas. She is a fifth-generation cattle rancher and has an extensive background in the petroleum industry as an environmental engineer.
Amber Edwards runs cow/calf pairs with her husband Andy and their kids in Sheridan. She also serves as a regional credit analyst manager for First Interstate Bank in Sheridan.
Tori Graves is the interim general field representative for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Rural Utilities Service and Electric Program. Graves resides in Buffalo and owns Barnum Bee Co., a small, part-time value-added agricultural business of beekeeping and soapmaking.
Eilish Hanson is a farm loan manager for the USDA Farm Service Agency and resides in Gillette. She is involved in her family’s cow/calf operation near Lusk and a co-owner of her grandma’s ranch.
Jarrod Hendry works alongside his parents on the family ranch, Clear Creek Cattle Company, in Lysite. They run cows and buy bred heifers. They also have 50 head of horses and break and ride colts.
Marie McClaren lives in Kemmerer and works on her family’s fifth-generation range sheep operation, Julian Land and Livestock. She is passionate about teaching others about the sheep industry and its importance in Wyoming.
Dagan Montgomery of Pinedale is a University of Wyoming agriculture natural resources Extension educator. He and his wife Jenna are both from Kentucky.
Averi Reynolds Davies is the conservation and stewardship director for the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. She and her newlywed husband Stryker live in Bar Nunn.
Laramie Seymour is an ag loan officer at First Northern Bank of Wyoming in Gillette. Seymour resides in Rozet with her husband Cheyenne, where they run their own set of cows in Crook County.
Katie Shockley is the ag and equine pathway coordinator at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne. She also oversees the agriculture internship program at LCCC and grew up on a farm and feedlot in Wheatland.
Mattie Stevenson is the ranch unit manager of Ring Tail R Cattle Company in Jeffrey City. She lives near Alcova and runs some personal cattle.
Applications for the next Wyoming L.E.A.D. class will be available after the first of the year.
Founded in 1984, Wyoming L.E.A.D. is an adult education program designed to hone the skills for individuals who aspire to become leaders in agriculture and Wyoming communities. The program aims to develop highly-motivated and well-informed rural leaders who will act forcefully, serve effectively and speak articulately for agriculture and Wyoming communities. For more information, visit wylead.com.
