With two years of interactive experiences across Virginia, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, and Kenya behind them, VALOR’s sixth class of leadership fellows graduated in late July in Roanoke.VALOR, which stands for Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results, is Virginia’s premier leadership program for the commonwealth’s agriculture and forestry industries – which are the first- and third-largest private industries in the state.
Based in theCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciencesat Virginia Tech, VALOR is a two-year program for agricultural leaders who want to develop their communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills and broaden their knowledge of global and local agriculture to become an advocate for the industry.
Fellows participate every other month for two years in immersive, multi-day seminars, where they learn about topics related to social, political, and economic aspects of the agriculture and forestry industry in Virginia and beyond. An international education seminar provides participants with an expanded global understanding of agriculture.
The sixth class of VALOR fellows represented the diversity of Virginia’s agricultural industry,with backgrounds ranging from livestock, dairy, and specialty crop and row crop production to financial stability and lending, economic development project and enterprise management, regional investment programs, and youth educational programming support.
The Class VI graduating fellows areJennifer Armstrong of Rockingham, Virginia; Paul Boulden Jr. of Ashland, Virginia; Glenn Dye of Appomattox, Virginia; Adam Ford of Staunton, Virginia; Clay Greene of Weyers Cave, Virginia; Austin Large of Springfield, Virginia; Adam McKenery of Romney, West Virginia; Alicia Morris of Pembroke, Virginia; Sara Williams of Bristol, Virginia; and Lyndsie Young of Independence, Virginia.
“VALORhas hands-down been the most worthwhile, impactful, and transformative development experience I have ever had,” saidAustin Large, senior director of membership and organization development at American Farm Bureau. “The program structure allowed for ourclass to have rich experiences with agriculture, as well as with social and cultural issues. As fellows, we engaged in both informal and formal reflection,and we were called to put our learning into action inour professional and personal lives. Participating as a fellow has deepened my agricultural knowledge, increased my emotional intelligence, and impacted how I lead and serve. I have no doubt that my classmates and fellow program alumni are well-equipped and poisedto be the next generation of agricultural leaders for the state of Virginia.”
VALOR DirectorMegan Seibelsaid the class “had synergy from the beginning in the way they fostered growth and insight among each other. Their collective experiences deepened personal and professional growth that will applied in a multitude of ways.”
As the program-scheduled meetings of Class VI come to an end, fellows look forward to engaging as alumni and continuing to interact across industry meetings and events. They also prepare to host new fellows. Incoming fellows include James Beery from Mount Sidney, Evan Butterfield from Mount Jackson, Amanda Culp from Woodstock, Edwin Davis from Newport News, Thomas French from Maurertown, Mackenzie Gunn from Amelia Court House, Sierra Guynn from Blacksburg, Bryan Harris from Suffolk, Kasey Kohl from Blacksburg, Todd Legge from Middletown, Sam Norman from New Kent, Marie Shirmacher from Hampton, Jenna Sudol from Roanoke, Anthony Watson from Max Meadows, Sarah Wilson from Abingdon, and Nicole Zema from North Chesterfield.
“With VALOR and the training this program provides, I hope to cultivate my own leadership skills to amplify the voices of our producers and scientists, while working across disciplines to make effective change,” said incoming fellow Marie Shirmacher, a nutrient management specialist with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation – Division of Soil & Water Conservation. “I also hope to take the two years to learn more about myself, my strengths, and how I can make the most of my skills in my career. We, as an industry, are tasked with immense challenges from public perception and education to climate change to volatile markets. I believe VALOR will equip me with the training, knowledge, and decision-making to be effective at my job and at advocating for agriculture.”
VALOR is one of about 40 agricultural leadership programs active in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Culturally appropriate, agricultural leadership programs use a research-based experiential-learning approach that builds professional leadership skills in agriculture. In addition to on-the-ground agriculture and forestry visits across Virginia’s diverse regions, policy and communications are captured in visits to the state and national capitals. An international experience typically crowns each VALOR program by couching Virginia agriculture in the context of world trade, cooperation, and global connectivity. This spring, the class was in Kenya for two weeks. Previous classes have visited Peru, Denmark, South Africa, Vietnam, and Argentina. The Class VII destination has not been decided.
On a rigorous professional development schedule, graduating fellows train, network, and travel throughout Virginia’s distinct agricultural regions. Professional and personal development themes for these seminars include “Ag Trade and Communicating with Others,” “Urban Agriculture and National Ag Policy,” “Team Building and Collaboration,” and “Communicating our Industry,” among others. Throughout the seminars, professional development content is nestled with industry tours and visits with agricultural leaders who illustrate regional realities, challenges, and innovations.
“Seminar content isa hybrid of ‘must keep’ content from previous years and new experiences unique for each class,” Seibel said. “As a result, the entire group of current and past VALOR fellows has a broader collective knowledge of the great diversity and impact represented by the many facets of Virginia agriculture.”
When asked to reflect on his time in the program, Paul Boulden Jr. of Studley Farms said: “As we spent the last two years canvassing the state, the VALOR program has rekindled my love of the commonwealth. From the early days of Class VI, driving through the cotton fields of Southeast Virginia, to our final seminar in the Piedmont, the diversity of Virginia agriculture has left an indelible mark on me. This has been an outstanding experience – one which I will cherish and continue to share with others.”
The agricultural industry in Virginia has an economic impact of $82.3 billion annually, with 381,800 affiliated jobs and $43.8 billion in value-added impact. Combined with forestry, total numbers jump to $105 billion in impact and almost a half-million jobs, each of which has the added benefit of supporting an additional 1.6 jobs elsewhere in Virginia’s economy.In an increasingly crowded, urban-centric world, VALOR graduates are trained leaders that communicate and promote agriculture within the communities and industries that surround it.
VALOR is open to anyone interested in promoting agriculture though decision-making, problem-solving, influencing policy development, and leveraging advanced interpersonal skills. More information can be found athttp://www.valor.alce.vt.edu/or by emailingvalor@vt.edu.
Written by Megan Seibel, director of VALOR
