LIA Briefs

Congratulations to Benjamin Kelly, Class 29, and his wife Rebecca who welcomed a baby girl, Hosana, on July 10. Hosana joins two older brothers. Benjamin resides in San Juan Capistrano, CA where he is employed at Trader Joe’s.

Congratulations to John Richards, Class 43, and wife Ashley on the birth of Rosalie Sara on July 22 weighing in at 7 pounds 12 ounces. John is employed at Sawtooth Law in Boise.

Sympathy is extended to Terry Kramer, Class 19, and wife Kathleen in the passing of Terry’s mother Doris Kramer, 91 years old. Services will be held on August 5 in Castleford. Terry is a former County Commissioner for Twin Falls County.
Sympathy is extended to Duane Grant, Class 2, and Kim in the passing of Duane’s mother, Clarice Grant. Clarice was the grandmother of Taylor Grant, Class 35, and Lynae, Class 36, Ryan Miller, Class 33, and Malia, Class 36, and Kenyon Miller, Class 33, and Julie. Duane is the co-owner of Grant 4D Farms in Rupert. Services were held in Rupert on July 29. 
Congratulations to Chad Cheyney, Class 28, who was recently inducted into the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Association Hall of Fame. The conference was held in Dallas and Chad’s wife, Teri, joined him for the presentation of the award. Chad had spent his career working for U of I Extension. This is the same group that Scott Jensen, Class 21, is serving as National President for the coming year. 
Stacey Satterlee, Executive Director for Idaho Grain Producers, has announced that she will be stepping down from that position after 9 years and moving to the Executive Director position with Idaho Bankers Association. Stacey asked that we promote the position at IGPA to LIA alumni. The position is located in Boise where IGPA represents wheat and barley farmers in Idaho. To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter to [email protected] – resumes accepted through August 7. NOTE: If you desire a copy of the job description contact our office at [email protected]. 
Skye Root, Class 33, Founder and Owner of Root Agricultural Advisory in Boise has recently purchased a new building located at 2670 S. Eagle Rd, Meridian, ID. Working alongside Skye in the business is Jim Redmond, Class 42, and Maryellen Zeise, Class 43, as associates. 
Congratulations to Blake Matthews, Class 36, who was recently recognized as CropLife's Precision Farmer of the Year. The award was part of CropLife’s Ag Tech Awards of Excellence. The award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional work in the use and adoption of precision and digital agriculture technologies and practices. Blake is involved in the family farming operation at Oakley and is past Chairman of the LIA Board of Trustees. 
Rick Phillips, Class 1, will be retiring from the Simplot Company soon and a celebration of Rick’s career will take place on Tuesday, August 13 in Pocatello. Rick was working at the Idaho State Department of Ag when the LIA program was started. Rick has been a strong supporter of LIA since the inception of the program. Many alumni have enjoyed Rick’s remarks at the annual Last Supper for your LIA class. Rick and his wife Kerry reside in Pocatello. 
July 1 marked the start of the new membership year for Leadership Idaho Agriculture. Dues are either annual for $50.00/graduate or lifetime for $1,000. You may pay online at www.leadershipidahoag.org. We look forward to maintaining your name on the membership list for LIA. 
September 21-27 is the LIA State Exchange trip to Georgia. There are scholarship funds available. On the website, you will see a sample schedule and more details. If you have immediate questions contact Kendra Dustin at [email protected] or call 208-859-6780.
If you have not submitted your updated LIA Directory information please do so as soon as possible. All alumni have been sent a detailed procedure on how to update their contact information, employment information and leadership positions you may hold at this time. We hope to have the directory off for print by the middle of August so please work to complete the update information and send it to [email protected]. 
Please visit this page and follow these simple steps to confirm or change your information:

• Click "View Draft Directory" and READ your entry carefully.
• If changes are needed, fill out the form online and submit it*.
• If your information is correct, send a direct email to [email protected] (or respond to this email) stating, "No Changes" along with your name.

*Fields left blank will repeat what is in the draft
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY UPDATED YOUR ENTRY THIS YEAR, DISREGARD THIS REQUEST
We are on LinkedIn! If you're a graduate, please be sure to add "Recognized Graduate" to your list of Licenses & Certifications on your LinkedIn profile.