The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLIANR) has selected 30 Florida participants for Class XIII of its two-year leadership development program. The program is designed for emerging agriculture and natural resources professionals who aspire to greater leadership responsibilities in the private and/or public sectors.
The program will begin in November and include 11 seminars spanning 55 days. Each event is designed to strengthen leadership skills and the ability to advocate for agricultural and natural resources industries.
Seminar experiences take place across Florida, from the Panhandle to Miami, and include visits to Washington, D.C. There is also a two-week international study component. Through these experiences, participants gain broader perspectives and develop valuable connections both within and outside the agriculture industry. Graduates leave the program prepared to tackle issues and opportunities at the local, state, national and global levels.
The 30 class members were chosen from a pool of 64 candidates. Class members come from 23 different agricultural sectors and 21 counties.
Class XIII members and the organizations they represent are:
- Christophe Agricola, Shield Properties, Fernandina Beach
- Reilly Brooks, BioSafe Systems, Grand Island
- Allie Coleman, Tater Farms, Hastings
- Johan Dam, Farm Credit of Central Florida, Lakeland
- Ryan Duffy, U.S. Sugar, Clewiston
- Jamie Fussell, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Apopka
- J.R. Gough, Brandt Consolidated Inc., Wauchula
- Josh Griffin, Grimes Produce, Plant City
- Dustin Grooms, Fancy Farms and DNA Farms, Lakeland
- Melissa Hinton, Fischbach Land Company, Lithia
- Johnny Hoblick, Agri-Starts, Inc., Deland
- Rickie Holness, Driscoll’s, Riverview
- Cooper Hopkins, Hundley Farms, Inc., North Palm Beach
- Jaime Jerrels, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Bronson
- Quincy Kolp, LiveTrends Design Group, Longwood
- Ryan Kornegay, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Kornegay Farms, Greenville
- Paul Koukos, Wheeler Farms, Inc., Lake Placid
- Pauric McGroary, Wedgworth’s Inc., Alva
- Will Messina, Roberts Land Company, Gainesville
- Jason Nugent, Bethel Farms, Arcadia
- Eddie Pines, EIP Citrus Management, Tampa
- Katelyn Potter, Suwannee River Water Management District, Wellborn
- Alleigh Reitz, Everglades Equipment Company, Wellington
- Derek Rodgers, Florida Classic Growers, Inc., Vero Beach
- Geoff Roe, Noble Ag, LLC, Eagle Lake
- Taylor Sewell, Yara North America, Bronson
- Sarah Spinosa, Putnam Groves and Spinosa Groves, Bartow
- Beau Walden II, MetLife Investment Management, Wesley Chapel
- Tahlia Warrick, Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid
- Clayton Waterhouse, Plant Food Systems, Inc., Zolfo Springs
WLIANR is administered by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and housed in the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. It hosted its inaugural class in 1992 and has more than 300 program graduates.
Learn more about WLIANR here.
Source: UF/IFAS
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