2022 Annual Meeting Speakers
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Spencer Chase, NAFB President and Agri-Pulse Communications Managing Editor
Spencer Chase is a broadcast and news editorial journalism graduate of South Dakota State University and has been with Agri-Pulse, the nation’s leading farm policy publication, since 2014. After joining Agri-Pulse as an associate editor, Chase was promoted to deputy managing editor in 2017 and again to managing editor in 2018. In his role, Chase covers farm policy issues on Capitol Hill and across the country and coordinates coverage with the Agri-Pulse team.
Chase is currently the President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and has won awards of recognition for his work from NAFB, including the 2017 Horizon Award for emerging talent and the 2020 Doan Award for his work on the Deep Dive on Dairy podcast. Chase is originally from a farm near Wolsey, South Dakota, and is a proud part owner of the Green Bay Packers.
Chase will be the emcee for the event.
Adam Putnam, Ducks Unlimited CEO
Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam is a fifth-generation Floridian and a graduate of the University of Florida where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Food and Resource Economics. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and served as a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. In 2010, he was the E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Florida. Putnam and his wife of 20 years, Melissa, are raising their four children in Bartow, Florida, with plans to move to Memphis, Tennessee in the coming months.
He is a hunter, angler, conservationist, and third-generation farmer who owns Putnam Groves Inc. Putnam Groves is a family-owned and operated citrus farm and cattle ranch located in Central Florida.
Putnam will provide the keynote address during the opening general session on Monday, Feb. 14.
Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, NAAF CEO
Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, J.D., a citizen of the Colville Confederated Tribes, serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF). Mrs. Stanger-McLaughlin has compassionately worked in agriculture law and policy for many years. Before being named the CEO of NAAF, she served as the first NAAF Director of Programs where she assisted the development and delivery of millions of dollars of NAAF philanthropic investment in Tribal food systems.
Stanger-McLaughlin started her agricultural career working in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington D.C., within the Office of Civil Rights. She was engaged in the settlement of civil rights and access to credit claims on behalf of American Indian farmers and ranchers in the Keepseagle national class action litigation; the settlement of those claims ultimately led to the creation of NAAF.
She attended the University of North Dakota School of Law and received her JD, focusing on federal Indian law. In addition, Stanger-McLaughlin holds certificates in mediation, Trial law and business, as well as executive leadership.
Stranger-McLaughin will the keynote address during Monday’s Leadership Luncheon.
Mark Stewart, President & CEO, Agriculture Future of America
Mark Stewart serves as the president and CEO of Agriculture Future of America (AFA). He is responsible for leading the organization’s external relationships and strategic planning processes for short and long-term growth. He joined AFA in June 2011 as director of development and communications.
Stewart was formerly the director of development and communications for the Don Bosco Centers, Kansas City, Missouri, where he supervised all development, fundraising and communications operations for the centers. He previously served as the vice president of Hartsook Companies, Inc., Wichita, Kansas, and held development roles for both Avila University and Northwest Missouri State University.
Stewart is a graduate of Northwest State University where he received both his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees. He also earned his doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Royal Association as well as Together We Grow, an agricultural diversity consortium. He is also a member of the Farm Foundation and is active with many other industry associations and national meetings. Past volunteer involvement has included America’s Heartland advisory board, Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Northland Career Center (Kansas City) agricultural education advisory board, Northeast Kansas City HELP Center, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Kansas City and serving on the Leadership Council at his church. Personally, Mark is married to his wife Megan, together raising their four daughters in Kansas City, Missouri.
Stewart will be speaking during Tuesday’s general session.
Deirdre Irwin, Water Conservation Coordinator, St. Johns River Water Management District
Deirdre Irwin is the Water Conservation Coordinator for the St. Johns River Water Management District. With over 30 years of experience with the District, she has worked with the agency’s surface water regulatory program, water resource education program, certification program development and water supply planning. Her work as the Florida Water Star(SM) Coordinator involves administering the program and technical outreach for the program. Deirdre works closely with district staff in the development of regional water supply plans and coordinates a regional utility conservation coordinator network.
Irwin co-chairs the Water Use Efficiency Division for the Florida Section of the AWWA. She serves on the statewide Florida-Friendly Landscaping Advisory Committee and on the Board of the Florida Green Building Coalition.
Irwin will be participating in a panel during Tuesday’s general session.
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Christopher Pettit, Director, Office of Agriculture Water Policy, FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Christopher Pettit is the Director of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Office is responsible for the development and implementation of best management practices on agricultural properties related to water quality and conservation, as well as additional policy and regulatory responsibilities. Pettit previously served in the offices of counsel for both SFWMD and SWFWMD, as well as a Policy and Legislation Manager handling water and environmental issues for Palm Beach County. He has a law degree from the University of Florida, an LLM from the University of Cape Town, and undertook doctoral studies at the University of London.
Pettit will be participating in a panel during Tuesday’s general session.
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Adam Herges, Senior Sustainability Agronomist, Corporate Public Affairs, The Mosaic Company
Adam Herges is Senior Sustainability Agronomist, Corporate Public Affairs at The Mosaic Company, the world’s largest producer of phosphate and potash fertilizers. Adam leads Mosaic’s North American 4R Nutrient Stewardship strategy and partnerships, as well as provide technical agronomy expertise on key issues related to sustainable agriculture production and water quality.
Prior to joining Mosaic in September 2015, Adam was Director of Research and Market Development at South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council in Sioux Falls. Earlier in his career, Adam worked in a variety of roles with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and The University of Minnesota.
Herges will be participating in a panel during Tuesday’s general session.
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Heidi Peterson, Ph.D., Vice President – Agriculture Research and Conservation, Sand County Foundation
Dr. Heidi M. Peterson leads Sand County Foundation’s agricultural conservation team and sets its strategic direction in research, and farmer and rancher engagement. She brings significant leadership, teaching, and research experience surrounding agricultural conservation and water quality issues. Dr. Peterson previously served as the Phosphorus Program Director with the International Plant Nutrition Institute, and prior to that at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. She serves the scientific community on the Agronomic Science Foundation’s Board of Trustees, as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, and as an associate editor with the Journal of Environmental Quality. Dr. Peterson completed her Ph.D. in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Minnesota. At Purdue University she received a MS degree in agronomy, and a BS degree in natural resources and environmental science.
Dr. Peterson will provide the keynote address during the opening general session on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
NRCS Chief Terry Cosby
Terry Cosby was appointed to serve as chief of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in May of 2021. In this role, Chief oversees the 3,000 NRCS field offices and their employees across the nation.
Cosby began his career with the agency in 1979 as a student trainee in Iowa. Cosby’s roots run deep. Raised on a cotton farm with his eight siblings in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, his love for the land began at an early age. The farm, now in his family for three generations, was purchased by his great-grandfather in the late 1800s.
Chief Cosby will be providing a keynote at Tuesday’s General Session.
James E. Tillman Sr., Regional Conservationist for the Southeast, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
James E. Tillman Sr. serves as the Regional Conservationist for the Southeast and has served in this position since January 2014. In this position, he supervises and works with State conservationists from the States of North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, and the Caribbean Area.
James also served as Acting Associate Chief for Conservation for almost two years. James was the State Conservationist in Georgia for nine years. Prior to that, he was the Deputy State Conservationist in California and served as Assistant State Conservationist for Programs and Acting State Administrative Officer in Texas. In Illinois, James served as the Assistant State Conservationist for Resource Assessment and Technology.
In his 38-year career with NRCS, James has also held positions as Soil Conservationist, District Conservationist, Resource Conservationist, and USDA/1890 Liaison Officer. He has worked in seven states (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas, California and Georgia) and Washington, DC.
James obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. James and his lovely wife, Patricia, have three grown children.
James will be presenting awards at Tuesday’s Appreciation Banquet.
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Tracy Stone-Manning, Director, Bureau of Land Management
In September 2021, Tracy Stone-Manning was confirmed as the 19th Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Tracy Stone-Manning has spent her career devoted to public service and conservation, bringing people together to solve the biggest challenges facing our lands and waters. Before coming to the BLM, Stone-Manning served as both a senior advisor for conservation policy and associate vice president of public lands at the National Wildlife Federation.
Before joining the federation, she served as former Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s chief of staff, where she helped broker bipartisan legislation, including delivering healthcare to nearly 100,000 Montanans by expanding Medicaid and passing a water compact with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She also helped launch the state’s first Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Prior to that, Stone-Manning worked as the director of Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality, overseeing the state’s water, air, mining and remediation programs. She served as a senior advisor and regional director to Senator Jon Tester during his first term, where she worked primarily on natural resource issues.
Raised in a big, Navy family, she was guided into public service from childhood. She is an avid backpacker, hunter and singer and holds a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and an B.A. from the University of Maryland.
Tracy will be speaking at Tuesday’s General Session.