Principal Scientist - External Innovation, Infectious Disease & Vaccines

Farm hands west: Eco Farms names Jim Leach president, Meristem selects Matthew Deyle as vice president, Elanco Animal Health appoints Jamie Preston. Eco Farms named Jim Leach president, effective Nov. 16. Leach currently serves as the director of foodservice and Southwest sales at Oppy. He will succeed Eco Farms founder Steve Taft and work with him during the leadership transition. Taft plans to retire June 1, 2027, after more than 50 years leading the company. He co-founded the business in 1972 and helped pioneer the U.S. organic avocado market. Jim Leach (LinkedIn photo) Meristem Crop Performance named Matthew Deyle vice president of business development, overseeing growth in Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Deyle joins the company after serving as a multi-location manager and agronomist for Nutrien Ag Solutions in south-central Nebraska. He previously held positions with Cargill and Aurora Cooperative and brings more than 25 years of agribusiness experience. Elanco Animal Health appointed Jamie Preston executive vice president and chief people officer, effective Nov. 3. Preston joins the company from Eli Lilly, where she held global human resources leadership roles for 23 years. She will succeed Dave Kinard, who plans to retire at the end of 2026. Marie Bucko has been named interim CEO of the Animal Health Institute, where she has served as chief operating officer since August 2026. She previously held animal health policy roles at Merck and USDA, including chief of staff for veterinary services. Bucko also worked at the National Pork Producers Council and FDA. Mae Sheaffer joined Corteva Agriscience as strategic marketing communications leader in October. She previously served as an adviser in poultry marketing at Elanco and held account leadership roles at Inizio Evoke, MicroMass Communications and The Sandbox Agency. The Council for Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology named Greg Lindner of Croda Agriculture chairman, succeeding Patrick Ewan of Helena Agri-Enterprises. The association will focus on EPA registration efficiency, PRIA 6, pesticide mitigation, adjuvants and biopesticides. Meagan Kaiser has joined the American Food Power Council, the senior advisory body of the Center for American Food Power. She is chief operating officer and soil scientist at Perry Agricultural Laboratory Inc. in Missouri and co-founded PAL Farm Management LLC with her husband. Kaiser is a past chair of the United Soybean Board and previously served as a legislative assistant to Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. The Animal Health Institute has appointed Rachel Gantz as vice president of strategic communications and public affairs. She joins AHI from the Electric Power Research Institute, where she led external communications and media engagement. Gantz previously held communications leadership roles at the National Pork Producers Council and Renewable Fuels Association. Kevin Hartley joined National Veterinary Associates as director of advocacy and government relations in October. He previously spent six years at the American Veterinary Medical Association and held several legislative roles in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Mid America CropLife Association named Jenny Pagel-Guile executive director. She brings more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience and will oversee operations, member programs, education and communications across the association's 13-state region. Jenny Pagel-Guile (LinkedIn photo) Ahold Delhaize has appointed Thierry Garnier as its next president and CEO, succeeding Frans Muller. Garnier will join the company as executive vice president on Jan. 11 before taking over as president and CEO and joining the management board. Muller will retire on March 3 and work with Garnier and the supervisory board to support the leadership transition. The National FFA Organization elected six students to its 2026-27 officer team. Josie Jennings of Ohio will serve as president, Cameron Addington of Minnesota as secretary, Joshua Nelson of Idaho as western region vice president, Jazmin Palma of North Carolina as southern region vice president, Teagan Erbele of North Dakota as central region vice president and Aiden Manley of Kentucky as eastern region vice president. The team will lead the organization through a year of service and leadership development. USDA appointed four members to its Tribal Advisory Committee. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins appointed Mark Fox of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Enjady Godfrey of Mescalero Apache Telecom, and Evan Whitley of the Choctaw Nation to three-year terms. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, appointed Bradford Hall, president of Blackfeet Community College, to serve the remainder of a term ending in December 2026. The Pet Food Institute has announced its 2027-2028 Board of Directors officers, led by Reed Howlett, CEO of Wellness Pet Company, as chair. Liz Mascolo, segment president of North America Pet at General Mills, will serve as vice chair; Yvonne Hsu, president of Hill's Pet Nutrition, as treasurer; and Nicki Baty, president of Freshpet, as secretary. Scott Salmon, chief commercial officer of Simmons Foods, will serve as immediate past chair. Veronique Lagrange, founding executive director of the California Dairy Innovation Center, will retire at the end of 2026 after more than six years leading the organization. She will remain with the California Milk Advisory Board through the first quarter of 2027 to support the transition. Before joining the center, Lagrange spent more than 20 years with the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Former Farm Progress editor Todd Fitchette died Oct. 23 from complications following an unexpected illness, according to a post shared by his sister, Julie Henrie. Fitchette spent nearly 13 years with Farm Progress, serving as editor of Western Farm Press and covering agriculture across the western United States. He later worked as a freelance content writer focused on western specialty crop production and issues. He earned a bachelor's degree in information and communications studies from California State University, Chico. Hannah Guthoerl Editorial Intern

Luciana Amaro appointed Chief Human Resources Officer at Franklin Electric. Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, October 2026 - Franklin Electric, a global manufacturer and distributor of systems for the movement and management of water, fuel, and electricity, has appointed Luciana Amaro as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). With more than 25 years of international human resources experience spanning global people strategy, organizational transformation, talent development, leadership succession, HR operations, and workforce planning, Amaro brings extensive expertise in building high-performing organizations across the Americas, Europe, and global markets. Her appointment was announced by Joe Ruzynski, Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Electric, who welcomed her to the company's executive leadership team and emphasized the importance of attracting, developing, and engaging talent as the business continues to grow. Before joining Franklin Electric, Amaro spent nearly four years at Elanco, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President - Global HR Business Partnership and HR Operations. She previously held the position of Senior Vice President - Global HR Business Partnership, contributing to the company's enterprise people and culture strategy. During her tenure, she led a global HR organization of approximately 220 professionals across business partnering and HR operations, supporting an animal health business operating in more than 45 countries. Her responsibilities included HR transformation, leadership development, performance management, succession planning, and global service delivery. She also developed enterprise people strategies, supported major organizational restructuring programs, and advanced technology-enabled HR operations and AI-focused workforce planning initiatives. Previously, Amaro served as Vice President - Human Resources, Americas at Yara International, where she held regional CHRO-equivalent responsibilities for approximately 7,000 employees across North America, Latin America, and Brazil. She partnered with the regional executive leadership team on organizational transformation, talent strategy, leadership development, and workforce capability building. Her work included leading the One Americas transformation, bringing together three regional organizations through changes to governance, operating structures, and leadership alignment. She also supported the introduction of technology-enabled talent development practices and initiatives focused on employee mobility, skills development, and inclusion. Earlier, Amaro spent more than 21 years at BASF, progressing through senior HR leadership positions across Brazil, South America, North America, and Germany. Most recently, she served as Vice President - People Services, South America, leading an HR and administration organization of approximately 100 professionals supporting nearly 5,000 employees across more than 20 sites. Before that, she spent nearly five years as Vice President - Talent Development and Strategy, North America, overseeing talent management, leadership development, organizational development, learning, recruitment, and workforce transformation for approximately 18,000 employees across more than 100 locations. She also held global executive development responsibilities in Germany, contributing to leadership programs and employee development frameworks across the organization. Amaro began her professional journey at BASF as an HR Intern, subsequently progressing through positions including HR Analyst, HR Business Partner, HR Manager, Senior HR Manager, and global talent development leadership assignments. Her experience encompasses compensation and benefits, employee relations, organizational design, executive development, talent assessment, succession planning, and cultural transformation. She holds an MBA in Human Resources Management and Services from FIA - Fundação Instituto de Administração. In addition to her corporate responsibilities, she serves as a Board Member of HR Club - Brazilians in the US, a professional community connecting Brazilian HR professionals in the United States. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Franklin Electric, Amaro brings her experience in global people strategy, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and HR transformation to support the company's workforce and long-term growth priorities. Franklin Electric is a global manufacturing and distribution company specializing in systems and technologies that support the movement and management of water, fuel, and electricity. Founded in 1944, the company has evolved from a motor manufacturing business into an international provider of products and solutions serving a diverse range of applications and markets. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Franklin Electric operates through a global network of facilities and distribution capabilities. The company focuses on providing products and integrated systems that support infrastructure, resource management, and essential industrial and commercial operations worldwide.