A new opportunity is coming to a conference designed for Midwest agribusiness professionals.
The first ever Iowa Women in Agribusiness Leadership Forum will be held in conjunction with the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa?s premier event. Rose Ayers, publications manager for AAI, says organizers added this event to the lineup, in an effort to incorporate more learning sessions.
?It is to provide education and networking opportunities that we don?t feel are (sometimes as readily) available to professional women,? Ayers said. ?It is open to all professionals and AAI members. It?s a half-day session, and we?re excited to provide this opportunity to our members and Ag professionals.?
The Iowa Women in Agribusiness Leadership Forum will kick off at 2 p.m. on February 11.
?We’ll be starting the afternoon off with a panel discussion about how Iowa is a global force in agriculture. Our moderator is Laurie Johns, host of the Iowa Minute. Our speakers are Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Julie Kenney, Emily Schmitt, with Sukup Manufacturing, Rachel Binning, with Corteva Agriscience, and Liz Hobart, with Growmark,? Ayers said.
Other featured speakers include: Melissa Gesing, executive director of 50/50 by 2020, Amanda De Jong, Iowa state executive director of the Farm Service Agency and Kyle Hansen, president of the Iowa Chapter of REALTORS Land Institute. The presenters will speak to various topics including: Breaking the mold, rising to the top and understanding land values. The forum will conclude with a networking session.
?People will have a couple hours, after the forum, to network with around 1,200 other individuals. We have over 100 vendors they can network with as well,” Ayers said.
To register for the Iowa Women in Agribusiness Leadership Forum, visit www.agribizshowcase.com/iwa. Registration costs 30-dollars before January 28 and 60-dollars after January 28. Registration fees grant attendees access to the Showcase & Conference on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
