Leadership and Capacity Building
in Indiana Agriculture

Seeding Knowledge

Cultivating Leadership Potential

The Ag Leadership Program seeds knowledge of the sector, grows communication and leadership skills, and nurtures personal passions of the individuals who join an important network of confident, highly professionals ready to propel agriculture and rural communities forward in Indiana and beyond.

Leadership Program Information

Growing Skills

Growing Skills

So how does the AgrIInstitute deliver on its mission of identifying and engaging potential leaders, enhancing leadership talent for the agricultural industry? Simply put, through education, training and shared experiences.

The AgrIInstitute helps individuals cultivate a network of close relationships with other agricultural leaders from across Indiana. This interaction challenges their thinking and provides broader local and global perspectives...growing skills that make a difference.

Nurturing Passion

Nurturing Passion

The work of AgrIInstitute is supported by individual and corporate investors committed to leadership cultivated and connected in agriculture and rural communities. Through tuition, participant fees donations, grants and event fundraising, AgrIInstitute works to make sure that leadership is cultivated in an affordate manner.

You, too, can invest in sowing the seeds of leadership. Your donation to AgrIInstitute, a 501(c)(3) organization, puts you among an important group of contributors who believe that the future of agriculture and our rural communities in Indiana and beyond is defined by strong leadership. Will you be a part of defining this future?

Our Heritage

Heritage: History

The importance of leadership in Indiana has long been recognized.

In 1982, a study proposing the creation of the Indiana Institute of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition (IIAFN) was presented to agricultural leaders in the state. At the same time, another group of active agricultural leaders was discussing the need to establish a leadership training and skill development program for young established farmers. The evolution of both of these efforts led to the creation of the Indiana Institute of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition; incorporated in December, 1982 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose purpose was to develop educational and charitable opportunities in the fields of agriculture, food and nutrition.

To establish a strong foundation for the IIAFN, a 60-member board of directors was selected to guide the organization. Lieutenant Governor John Mutz served as chairman of the board and led its efforts to secure a $360,000, two-year grant from Lilly Endowment and search for an executive director. At the first official organizational meeting in November, 1982, the board elected Sam Washburn, who was serving as president of the National Cattleman's Association at the time, to serve as the first chairman of this new organization.

In September 1983, the board hired Bob Book to serve as the first president of the Institute, a role that he continued in until 1992. Together with the board, Book recruited and organized the first class of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program (ALP) and began this program in January 1984 thanks in part to a $250,000 grant from Lilly Endowment. In addition to starting the ALP, early accomplishments for the IIAFN included creating a strategic plan for Indiana agriculture; establishing a value added program to investigate methods to add value to raw agricultural products; and supporting a Governor's Conference on Indiana Agriculture. Thanks to a grant from the Indiana Department of Commerce in 1988, the IIAFN hired a second staff member, Greg Slipher, to help plan and coordinate the many projects initiated by the Institute. He became the executive director in 1992.

Over the course of the following years, the Institute organized numerous endeavors to further the agricultural, food, fiber and natural resources industries in Indiana. Hundreds of Indiana's agricultural leaders volunteered their time, resources, and expertise to lead these efforts and to serve in the leadership capacities of the Institute. To further develop the Institute's leadership curriculum, Beth Archer was hired in to serve as the coordinator for the ALP program. She had previously served as an account executive for the Agri Business Group in Indianapolis, managing training programs for the company's agricultural clients.

The organization underwent a name change and realignment of its organizational structure and mission in 1995-96. The Indiana Agricultural Leadership Institute (IALI) established a 15-member board of directors and aligned its mission to improve the agricultural community by fostering leadership development and facilitating communication among diverse interests on agriculture, food and natural resources. Under this purpose, the ALP Program continued to thrive, attracting top-caliber leaders who were eager to hone their skills and be part of this valuable ag network. As Lilly funding was sunsetted according to plan, the IALI also began fundraising efforts to support the program and continue its mission.

As modern agriculture continued to evolve, so did the need for a fresh look at branding this premiere leadership organization. The Board of Directors undertook the project, and at the annual ALP Benefit Auction and organizational meeting in March 2007, the organization presented the new name and look of the AgrIInstitute. This change reflected the organization's ongoing commitment to strong leadership capacity building of the agricultural industry's most important asset: People.

Heritage: Leaders

The AgrIInsitute owes its success to generous support from numerous agricultural leaders throughout the state, including a distinguished list of leaders who have served as Chairperson of the Institute:

• 1983-85 Sam Washburn
• 1985-86 Bill Biddle
• 1986-87 Noel Callahan
• 1987-88 Gene Hermenet
• 1988-89 Don Villwock
• 1989-90 Jim Moseley
• 1990-91 John Swisher
• 1991-92 Bob McKee
• 1992-93 Larry Svajgr
• 1993-94 Don Zolman
• 1994-95 Don Brouillette
• 1995-96 Les Miller
• 1996-97 Janet Ayres
• 1997-98 Gary Chapman
• 1998-99 Dave Russell
• 1999-00 Mark Sigler
• 2000-01 Arnie Sumner
• 2001-02 John Baugh
• 2002-03 Mike Hirt
• 2003-04 Phil Anderson
• 2004-05 Kathy Altman
• 2005-06 Dan Arnholt
• 2006-07 Mark Thornburg
• 2007-08 Jon Lantz
• 2008-09 Roger Tormoehlen
• 2009-10 Kenda Resler Friend