Executive Director of the Purdue Veterinary Alumni Association and Constituent Liaison Julia Wickard is one of five newly named members of the Indiana FFA Foundation board of directors. The appointments took effect July 1.
Wickard said she is honored and excited to join the Indiana FFA Foundation board. “FFA helped shape my passion for agriculture, leadership, and service, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back,” Wickard shared. “I look forward to supporting the Foundation’s mission by helping connect partners, strengthen opportunities, and invest in the next generation of agricultural leaders.” Wickard added that she is ready to serve alongside an outstanding group of individuals committed to making a difference for Indiana FFA members.
Joining Wickard as new board members are Jeanette Merritt, director of communications for Indiana Pork; Melissa Rekeweg, president and chief executive officer of the AgriBusiness Council of Indiana (ACI); Bryan Gregg, town manager of Trafalgar; and Spencer House, director of system operations for Wabash Valley Power Alliance.
Wickard brings to the board extensive experience in agricultural public service, including leading the USDA Farm Service Agency in Indiana and holding senior leadership positions with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and the Indiana Department of Agriculture. She also worked for two members of Congress in Washington and served on numerous agricultural boards and commissions. She and her family raise registered Angus cattle and Boer goats on a Centennial farm they operate in Hancock County.
As reported in an article July 2 in Hoosier Ag Today, the Indiana FFA Foundation reshaped its leadership at a pivotal moment for the organization, just months after the foundation announced a $1 million fundraising campaign to renovate the Main Lodge at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center, in conjunction with a $500,000 matching grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The Main Lodge is a facility that hosts thousands of FFA members, educators and community groups each year.
The Indiana FFA Foundation’s mission is to support, fund, and promote the programs and objectives of the Indiana FFA Association. Through scholarships, leadership development initiatives, educational programming and capital investments such as the Leadership Center renovation, the organization seeks to strengthen the pipeline of future agricultural leaders.
